Plenty of questions facing Sea Dogs

It's been a quiet off-season for the Saint John Sea Dogs – but it appears that is about to change in a big way.

Mikaël Lalancette of Le Soleil reported Sunday that Jim Hulton will be Saint John's new head coach while the team will also trade for Rouyn-Noranda Huskies goaltender Samuel Meloche.

Des grosses nouvelles en rafale dans ma chronique:

- Jim Hulton dirigera les Sea Dogs;
- Mateo Nobert s’en va à Halifax;
- L’Armada choisira au 3e rang vendredi;
- Samuel Meloche à Saint-Jean.

Les détails:https://t.co/LeahfBGSFK

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) May 31, 2026

Hulton left the Charlottetown Islanders last week "to pursue new opportunities" while Meloche is projected to be one of the league's top goaltenders in 2026-27.

Solidifying coaching and goaltending are just a couple of the many questions facing the Sea Dogs this off-season. Here's a look at some of the questions that will be answered this week and in the months ahead.

Who will coach the Sea Dogs?

This is the biggest and most important question facing the Sea Dogs this off-season. As we've seen over the past decade, a roster full of stars will only go so far. The right coach (and coaching staff) is essential to making this thing click.

Ideally, a head coach would have already been in place at this point in the off-season. But, as we've seen in the past, the Sea Dogs do not rush this process. Here's when the last four head coaches were named (note that some of the dates are odd due to COVID):

Josh Dixon - hired Sept. 8, 2017

Greg Gilbert - hired June 19, 2020

Gordie Dwyer - hired Aug. 4, 2021

Travis Crickard - promoted Aug. 5, 2022

Assuming the Hulton hiring does end up happening – what a get for Saint John. Hulton, a two-time QMJHL coach of the year, is well known for getting his teams to play two-way hockey and there is certainly a need for a coach that can get this group to commit to a system and play better defensively.

Notebook: Sea Dogs returning to St. Stephen

The Saint John Sea Dogs are returning to St. Stephen it appears.

St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center has shared on Facebook that the venue will host the Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats in a QMJHL pre-season game on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats faced off in St. Stephen last year as well. Moncton won the game 4-1.

The Sea Dogs are 1-2-0-0 in pre-season play at the Garcelon Civic Center.

TRADE PERIODS

From Jeremy Fraser of the Cape Breton Post, here's when you could see player movement this week.

QMJHL Trade Periods for Entry Draft Week:

- Tuesday, June 2 - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

- Thursday, June 4 - 8:30-9:30 a.m.

- Friday, June 5 - During the draft.

- Saturday, June 6 - During the draft.

Note: The times indicated are Atlantic Time. #qmjhl #lhjmq

— Jeremy Fraser (@CBPost_Jeremy) May 30, 2026

LATVIA DONE IN QUARTERS

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia had their IIHF World Championship come to an end in the quarterfinals on Thursday, falling 2-0 to Norway.

Murnieks did not play in the game.

The Sea Dogs forward appeared in five of Latvia's eight games and was held pointless.

Finland will take on Switzerland in the gold medal game while Canada will play Norway for bronze.

Saguenéens eliminated in Memorial Cup semi

Steve Dunsmoor/CHL

For a third straight year, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League had a disappointing showing at the Memorial Cup.

The QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens fell 6-1 to the Everett Silvertips in Friday's semifinal. The game was tight early on but, once Everett got rolling, there was no looking back. The Silvertips scored three times in the middle frame while Landon Dupont was named player of the game with a pair of goals.

Everett, playing in their first Memorial Cup, will face the OHL champion Kitchener Rangers in Sunday's championship game. The Silvertips will try and capture the WHL's first Memorial Cup title since 2014.

The Saguenéens head home with a 1-3-0 record. Their lone win came in overtime against the winless host Kelowna Rockets.

Not having overage defenseman Jordan Tourigny, who played with the Shawinigan Cataractes at the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John, was less than ideal for Chicoutimi. Tourigny was suspended for the remainder of the tournament for this play against Kitchener.

Since the Quebec Remparts hoisted the Memorial Cup in 2023, no QMJHL team has made it past the semifinals. That Remparts win was the last of four straight Memorial Cup championships for the QMJHL.

Les Silvertips d'Everett ont rendez-vous avec les Rangers de Kitchener en finale de la Coupe Memorial, dimanche soir, une troisième consécutive sans formation de la LHJMQ.

Une première depuis 2010.

Depuis 2023, la fiche de la Q est de 1-12 vs #WHL et #OHL dans le tournoi.

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) May 30, 2026

The host Rockets, meanwhile, went 0-2-1 and were outscored 12-2. While host teams have had success recently (Saginaw in 2024 and Saint John in 2022), it continues to feel like we're at a point where the format really needs to be looked at, especially if the the way teams build is changing with the new NCAA rules.

The good news for Kelowna: every game has been announced as a sell out.

Next year's tournament will take place in Guelph.

Hulton departs Islanders

Embed from Getty Images

The era of Hulton Hockey in Charlottetown is over.

The Charlottetown Islanders announced Thursday that head coach and general manager Jim Hulton is leaving the organization "to pursue new opportunities."

Hulton has been behind the Islanders bench since the 2015-16 season, playing a major role in turning Charlottetown into a credible junior hockey franchise following the woeful PEI Rocket days.

Under Hulton, the Islanders reached the third round of the QMJHL playoffs four times and played in the 2022 league final, losing to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

He was named QMJHL coach of the year in 2021 and 2022. He was also named CHL coach of the year in 2022.

A letter to Charlottetown from Coach Hulton pic.twitter.com/qlU3JHxeIG

— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) May 28, 2026

“Jim Hulton has been the face of our franchise for over a decade,” said Charlottetown Islanders board chair Dave Trainor in a news release. “His professionalism, leadership, and passion for the game helped elevate this organization. More importantly, Jim became a true pillar in our community and represented our franchise with tremendous class every single day. We are incredibly thankful for everything Jim has done for the Charlottetown Islanders and we wish him, Kristina, Jimmy & Lucas nothing but the best as he explores new opportunities.”

The Islanders always played a defensively strong, gritty style under Hulton. As the team's release notes, "‘Hulton Hockey’ became known for a relentless compete level, resilience, and commitment to playing for one another."

This could really change the way the Islanders play and how they are built. Under Hulton, it seemed like the team was in need of high end scoring nearly every season – maybe the next era of Charlottetown hockey could be built around offensive players, who knows. The team also never really went into traditional rebuild cycles, something they'll perhaps look at now – especially considering the team was good plenty of times but never quite great enough to win a league title.

According to the Islanders, they "will start the process to fill the vacancy."

Adding some complexity to this is the timing. The QMJHL Entry Draft is next week in Halifax.

Report: Lacelle to play NCAA hockey next season

Embed from Getty Images

Next week's QMJHL trade period completely changed on Wednesday.

Mikaël Lalancette of Le Soleil was first to report the bombshell news that 18-year-old goaltender William Lacelle will play NCAA hockey next season. Lacelle was likely to be the most sought after – and expensive – goaltender on the QMJHL's trade market.

The decision is a big blow to the Rimouski Oceanic, who were set to negotiate and receive the return for Lacelle, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada confirmed recently. That return was likely to be significant.

The Oceanic traded Lacelle to the Armada on Jan. 5 for Rafaël Cloutier, a fifth-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and a first-round pick in 2028.

Grosse nouvelle #LHJMQ:

Le gardien William Lacelle a décidé de quitter pour la NCAA dès cette année.

Les détails:https://t.co/Or6NjIpa01

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) May 27, 2026

Lacelle went 13-7-1 with the Armada in the regular season and posted a 2.11 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. He also had a 10-5 record in the playoffs to go along with a 2.83 GAA and .909 SV%, helping the Armada reach the league semifinals.

There are a few things to take in here:

• The price for other goaltenders on the QMJHL trade market has suddenly become higher. At the same time, teams looking to trade for Lacelle suddenly have quite a few assets they can use to make other moves. This changes a lot.
• Behind the scenes, maybe there had been some warnings about this potentially happening. But, in public at least, this seems to have happened very suddenly – and is further proof of the challenges that come from the new NCAA/CHL landscape. This is an overly simplified way of putting it, but just about anyone could leave at any time. The way teams plan out their cycles is going to have to change.
• You have to wonder if the uncertainty around players leaving the CHL will change the way the QMJHL's infamous "futures" trades work. There could obviously be conditions added to deals, but it does add a layer of complication that maybe some teams would prefer to not get involved with. We'll see.
• This is a blow for the QMJHL (and CHL). You want to see players develop the best they can with the paths available to them, but you also want to see the best players playing in the league as much as possible.

Lacelle is expected to join the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks of the NCHC for the 2026-27 season. He is eligible and will likely be picked in this year's NHL Draft.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place June 5-6 in Halifax.

Latvia advances at IIHF World Championship

Embed from Getty Images 

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia have advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.

Latvia finished third in Group A with a 4-3-0 record for 12 points, one-point better than the United States. The Latvians crossover to play Norway, who finished second in Group A with a 5-1-1 record for 15 points.

Murnieks played in five of Latvia's seven games in the preliminary round, going pointless with a -2 rating. 

This is the first World Championship for Murnieks who has played for Latvia at the U16, U18 and U20 levels. The Saint John Sea Dogs forward is eligible for this year's NHL Draft.

Former Sea Dogs forward Samuel Dove-McFalls, meanwhile, has had his tournament come to an end. Germany finished one-point back of the United States, meaning they didn't qualify for the playoff round.

The Germans went 3-3-1 for 10 points.

Dove-McFalls, who is listed as both a Canadian and German citizen by Elite Prospects, played in all seven of Germany's games and recorded a goal and an assist.

Former #SJSeaDogs forward Sam Dove-McFalls nets his first #MensWorlds goal in Germany's 6-2 win over Hungary!#GoDogsGo | #SeaDogsAlumnipic.twitter.com/B0BitDZdDn

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) May 22, 2026

The 29-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing in Germany, including the past two with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL's top division.

All four quarterfinals will be played on Thursday. The other games will see Canada taking on the United States; Finland facing Czechia and Switzerland taking on Sweden.