Hulton departs Islanders

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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

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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

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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.

Notebook: Fullerton to UNB

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Angelo Fullerton has committed to play with the UNB Reds next season.

“We’re very excited to land Angelo at UNB,” said Reds head coach Rob Hennigar in a news release. “He had a big year with the Sea Dogs and had a lot of interest not just in U SPORTS but also from down south. His size and desire to compete every night make him a key addition to our group.”

Fullerton spent his overage season with the Saint John Sea Dogs and posted career highs in goals (27), assists (19) and points (46) in 61 games. He also recorded two goals in four playoff games.

The Quispamsis native spent most of his QMJHL career with the Cape Breton Eagles. In 217 career games in the league, Fullerton recorded 46 goals and 40 assists.

“This past season saw Angelo shine with Saint John, and in a bigger role,” said Hennigar. “His confidence grew and he proved that he could not only play hard every night but also produce at a high level. We think he’s just scratching the surface as to what he can do.”

Fullerton, who will study business at UNB, is the team's first announced recruit for the 2026-27 season.

Last season, UNB's roster included former Sea Dogs Peter Reynolds, Nick Blagden and Leighton Carruthers.

SEA DOGS STATEMENT

The Sea Dogs shared the above statement on Tuesday following the death of Wildcats owner Robert Irving.

Irving purchased the Wildcats in 1996 and his involvement in the league played a major role in the expansion of the QMJHL into Atlantic Canada.

Armada GM: Lemieux to be traded to Saint John

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The Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to acquire veteran forward Olivier Lemieux from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Armada general manager Olivier Picard confirmed the deal on Wednesday during the club's very transparent end-of-season press conference.

Olivier Picard vient de l’annoncer, Olivier Lemieux passera aux @SJSeaDogs au repêchage LHJMQ.

Un choix de 5e ronde passera à l’@ArmadaBLB.

— Cédrik Blondin (@cedrikblondin) May 20, 2026

The deal will likely be officially announced when the trade period opens ahead of the QMJHL Entry Draft in June.

The Sea Dogs made a number of moves with the Armada during the holiday trade period, sending depth forwards Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu to Blainville-Boisbriand while acquiring defenseman Bo Damphousse and goaltender Arseni Radkov.

Lemieux, who will turn 20 in November, is coming off a solid playoff run with the Armada that saw him post eight goals and four assists in 17 games. He finished third on the team in goals.

Originally a third-round pick of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, Lemieux spent parts of two seasons with the Drakkar before being moved to the Armada during the 2023-24 season. This past season he recorded career highs in goals (16), assists (22) and points (38).

Here's where Saint John will (currently) pick at the QMJHL Entry Draft

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick three times in the first two rounds of this year's Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft.

The QMJHL website has added the full draft order. At the moment, the Sea Dogs will select twice in the first-round – fifth and 15th overall – and again in the second-round at 32nd overall.

Here is where Saint John is currently scheduled to pick:

1st round, 5th overall

1st round, 15th overall (BLB)

2nd round, 32nd overall (DRU)

6th round, 95th overall

7th round, 113th overall

8th round, 131st overall

9th round, 149th overall

10th round, 167th overall

11th round, 185th overall

12th round, 203rd overall

12th round, 210th overall (SHA)

Saint John made two picks in the first-round last year, selecting forwards Alexis Joseph first overall and Nolann Héroux 10th. They picked three times in the opening round of the 2024 draft, landing forwards William Yared at No. 5 and Dylan Rozzi at No. 8 along with defenseman Cameron Chartrand at No. 19.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 5-6 at Halifax's Scotiabank Centre. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will pick first followed by the Victoriaville Tigres, Halifax Mooseheads and Shawinigan Cataractes. 

There's a ton of different directions the Sea Dogs could take things on draft weekend. We'll see what happens as things get closer.