Notebook: Another pre-season adjustment

There's been another change to the Saint John Sea Dogs' pre-season schedule.

The team's "home game" originally scheduled for Friday, Aug. 23 at Fredericton's Aitken Centre has been moved to Saturday, Aug. 24, where the match will begin at 3 p.m.

The UNB Reds made the schedule change official on Wednesday.

Get ready REDS Nation, the @SJSeaDogs are coming to the Aitken Centre for pre-season action on Saturday, August 24.

⏰ 3:00 pm
🆚 @CBEHockey
🏟️ Aitken Centre

Don't miss the action—secure your tickets now!

🎟️ https://t.co/ZCoamnLfbY#goredsgo pic.twitter.com/sZicEhsnJ7

— UNB Reds (@UNBAthletics) July 24, 2024

It's the second adjustment to Saint John's pre-season schedule. The team's Sept. 14 game against the Charlottetown Islanders was originally set to take place at the Pownal Sports Centre but has since been moved to the Cavendish Farms Community Events Centre in Tyne Valley.

FEW WEEKS AWAY

It's hard to believe, but Saint John's training camp and pre-season is less than a month away.

The team begins pre-season play on Tuesday, Aug. 20 when they host the Charlottetown Islanders at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Centre. Saint John will play three exhibition games from Aug. 20 - 24 before breaking until Sept. 6.

Saint John will play six pre-season games in total.

The Sea Dogs begin regular season play on Sept. 20 at TD Station when they host the Moncton Wildcats.

Report: Dogs to acquire Dubé

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs will soon acquire a 17-year-old forward according to a report.

Kevin Barrett of Postmedia reported Wednesday that the Sea Dogs will soon acquire Elliot Dubé from the Gatineau Olympiques. The QMJHL's next trading period begins Aug. 1.

It's not been reported what the Sea Dogs will be sending the Olympiques in return.

The youth movement continues for @SJSeaDogs. SJ expected to land 6'0" C Elliot Dube (2007), the #32 pick in '23 draft, from Gat. That would give them 5 picks from No. 22-No. 40 from '23 draft. Last yr, with Notre Dame of QueU18AAA - he had 28 pts (41GP). 7 more in 6 p'off games.

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) July 24, 2024

Listed at 6'0" and 165 lbs, Dubé was a second-round pick of Gatineau in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft but never played a game with the club. He spent last season with Notre Dame College in the Quebec under-18 circuit where he posted 11 goals and 17 assists in 41 games. He added a goal and six assists in six playoff games.

"Dubé is a forward who has a lot of maturity in his game," wrote Frédéric Lévesque of QMJHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2023 draft. "He has good size and uses it to his advantage, both in puck protection and while forechecking. He is a hard worker with an above average hockey IQ.

"The forward has seen his responsibilities increase lately as his coach trusts him as much on the power play as he does on the penalty kill. Offensively, it will be interesting to follow his progression between the end of the regular season and the playoffs."

Dubé was an alternate captain with Notre Dame last year, his second season with the club.

Dubé joins the likes of forward Egan Beveridge and Olivier Groulx along with defensemen Benjamin Amyot and Olivier Duhamel as 2007-born players on Saint John's roster.

Sea Dogs add eight to camp roster

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With the start of training camp less than a month away, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced eight adds to the team's camp roster.

Among the group are two players – forward Will Allen and goaltender Jack Flanagan – who will attend Saint John's camp on loan from the Charlottetown Islanders.

Allen, 19, has split the last two seasons with the Islanders and the Maritime Hockey League's Miramichi Timberwolves. He posted five goals and three assists in 29 games with Charlottetown last year to go along with 22 goals and 18 assists in 24 contests with Miramichi. 

Flanagan, a 19-year-old Saint John native, posted a 13-6 regular season record with the Timberwolves last year to go along with a 3.08 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. He then went an impressive 11-0-2 with a .917 SV% and 2.86 GAA in the playoffs, helping Miramichi win the MHL title. He's appeared in five career QMJHL games.

The six other players are all free agent invites.

• 18-year-old forward Domenic Battaglia spent last season with the York Simcoe Express under-18 squad where he posted 15 points in 16 regular season games and another 10 points in 10 playoff matches. He also appeared in four games with the OJHL's Stouffville Spirit. 
• 18-year-old forward Brayden Campbell is a Saint John native who appeared in 34 games with the Saint John Vito's (where he posted 32 points) last season and nine games with the MHL's Grand Falls Rapids. He also appeared in some games with North Shore Academy last year, the US prep school he spent the 2022-23 season at.
• 17-year-old forward Matthew Ferdinand recorded 32 points in 34 games with the Fredericton Caps last season and also appeared in four games with the MHL's Fredericton Red Wings. A New Maryland native, Ferdinand was an eighth-round pick of the Cape Breton Eagles in 2023.
• 16-year-old American forward Karolis Janulis spent last season with the Islanders Hockey Club program in Massachusetts. The Sea Dogs' news release notes that he is the brother of Matas Janulis (who also played with the Islanders), a 13th-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. 
• 18-year-old forward Jonah Leard recorded 14 goals and 13 assists in 49 games with the Rapids last season. A fifth-round pick of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in 2022, Leard has appeared in five career QMJHL games. A Riverview native, Leard captained the Moncton Flyers in 2022-23.
• 19-year-old Owen Arnold – the lone defensive invite – had three assists in 27 games with the MHL's Edmundston Blizzard. Arnold spent the 2022-23 season with the Eagles where he posted four assists in 49 games. Listed at 6'5" and 201 lbs, the Quispamsis native is a graduate of the Saint John Vito's.

The Sea Dogs begin QMJHL pre-season play on Aug. 20 when they host the Islanders in St. Stephen. The team's training camp will presumably begin a few days prior.

Reynolds commits to Reds

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Another former Saint John Sea Dog has committed to the UNB Reds for the upcoming season.

Former Sea Dogs captain and Fredericton native Peter Reynolds was announced as UNB's latest recruit on Monday. The 21-year-old spent three-and-a-half seasons with Saint John and helped the club win the 2022 Memorial Cup.

From the Reds news release:

“I am extremely excited to be returning to Fredericton and putting the Reds jersey on,” said Reynolds. “Growing up in Fredericton, I got into hockey watching Coach Hennigar and the Reds, so for myself, ever since I was 4 years old, I wanted to play here for UNB.”

The 5’10” centre has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent and will join the Reds ahead of the 2024-2025 AUS season.

“We are extremely excited to add Peter to our team for the upcoming season,” said Reds head coach Rob Hennigar. “I’ve known Pete since he was coming through our programs as a kid and it’s great to get him a part of the UNB family.”

Although he had a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season as a member of the Halifax Mooseheads, Reynolds was one of the top players available in this year's U Sports recruiting class. 

Reynolds leaves the QMJHL having recorded 177 points in 192 games. Some of his best hockey was played under former UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall during the 2022 Memorial Cup.

Reynolds joins former Sea Dogs Kale McCallum, Nick Blagden and Drew Elliott on the Reds, the reigning U Sports national champions.

UNB opens the Atlantic University Sport regular season on Oct. 4 at the Aitken Centre against the Dalhousie Tigers.

A few alumni updates

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

There has been some Saint John Sea Dogs alumni movement over the past few days. Here's a quick look at what happened.

• Patrick Leaver has committed to play at StFX University this fall. The 20-year-old goaltender joined the Sea Dogs last season after spending two years in the OHL. Leaver posted a 14-25-4 record with the Dogs to go along with a 4.23 goals against average and a .883 save percentage. The X-Men have featured a number of Sea Dogs alumni over the years, most recently Bailey Webster.

  Kicking off the 2024-25 recruiting class, Coach Peddle and X-Men Hockey are excited to welcome goaltender Patrick Leaver to the blue & white! #goxgo pic.twitter.com/0N4DiuN1mx

  — X-Men Hockey (@XMenhockey) July 20, 2024

• Drew Elliott is set to the join the UNB Reds. The 21-year-old forward spent five years in the QMJHL and concluded his junior career by playing 32 games with Saint John in the second half. “UNB was the most attractive of my options,” said Elliott in a Reds release. “I’ve heard so many great things about the Reds. I believe this is the opportunity for me to grow personally and as a hockey player.” UNB featured former Sea Dogs – and fellow New Brunswickers – Kale McCallum and Nick Blagden last season.
• Forward Brody Fournier, Saint John's third overager from this past season, is set to join the Dalhousie Tigers, according to Elite Prospects' information.
• Joe Veleno has re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings, inking a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.275 million. The 24-year-old has spent his entire pro career with the Red Wings organization. He posted 12 goals and 16 assists in 80 games last year.
• Former Sea Dogs goaltender Zachary Emond is officially returning to the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions this coming season.

  Zachary Émond sera de retour pour une deuxième saison! 🤩
  
  Celui qui a accompli deux blanchissages consécutifs en saison régulière l'an dernier apportera une précieuse contribution en défendant la cage des félins!🔥
  
  Bon retour, Zach!🦁#Lions3R #ForgésEnsemble pic.twitter.com/aFXGGO9t0k

  — Lions de Trois-Rivières (@Lions3r) July 21, 2024

Dogs picks invited to Team Canada camps

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Three Saint John Sea Dogs prospects have been invited to Hockey Canada's under-17 development camp.

Forwards Dylan Rozzi and William Yared along with defenseman Cameron Chartrand all received invites to the summer camp, which will take place in Oakville from July 18-24. Players will be evaluated ahead of the 2024 U17 World Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 1-9 in Sarnia.

There will be two Team Canada's at the World Challenge with Team Canada Red being led by Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard.

Yared (fifth overall), Rozzi (sixth) and Chartrand (19th) were all first round picks of Saint John in June's QMJHL Entry Draft. Rozzi and Chartrand were both selected in the USHL draft this year and both seem to be leaning towards that route.

#SJSeaDogs prospects William Yared, Dylan Rozzi, and Cameron Chartrand have been invited to @HockeyCanada's National Under-17 Development Camp!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/aHbvDYCIY6

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) July 16, 2024

80 players were invited to the under-17 camp – 39 from the OHL, 23 from the WHL and 18 from the QMJHL. Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence – a first round pick of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens who is expected to play in the USHL this coming season – was among the invites.

Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil of the Halifax Mooseheads was among the 41 players invited to Canada's under-18 camp. 

Bradly Nadeau of Saint-François-de-Madawaska and Dylan MacKinnon of Riverview were the lone Atlantic Canadians invited to Canada's world junior camp, which will take place in Windsor at the end of the month. Nadeau is expected to turn pro this season while MacKinnon will play with the Moncton Wildcats.