McFadden, Vilen both drafted; 20 QMJHL players picked

Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Brian McFadden was selected by the Washington Capitals in the fifth-round of Saturday's NHL Draft.

The Capitals picked the Holbrook, MA native with the 144th overall pick. The 18-year-old has spent the past couple seasons with Thayer Academy. In 29 games with the US prep school last season, McFadden, the team's captain, recorded two goals and 15 assists.

McFadden is listed at 6'5" and 183 lbs.

McFadden was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in one pre-season game with the Sea Dogs before being amongst the second round of cuts from the team's training camp roster last August.

On the NHL Network broadcast, it was reported that McFadden is committed to Northeastern University – but not immediately. Where he plays this coming season is unknown and Saint John – or the USHL – is certainly an option.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Max VileN, meanwhile, was taken in the seventh-round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vilen was traded to the Moncton Wildcats mid-season where he helped the club reach the Gilles Courteau Trophy final. The 19-year-old had three goals and 24 assists in 54 regular season QMJHL games and added three goals and nine assists in 21 playoff contests.

Vilen and Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks, who was taken in the fourth-round, were two of the 20 QMJHL players to be selected this weekend.

Murnieks drafted by Sabres

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Saint John Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks has been drafted by the Buffalo Sabres.

Murnieks was selected in the fourth-round, 124th overall by the Sabres – a special moment given that this year's NHL Draft was being held at Buffalo's KeyBank Center.

The Latvian slid a bit but not too far. Most prospect publications had Murnieks going somewhere between the late second- and fourth-rounds.

The 17-year-old recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 31 games with Saint John last season – an injury plagued campaign. Murnieks also played for Latvia at last season's under-18, under-20 and men's worlds events.

We have selected Olivers Murnieks with the 124th overall pick!

Welcome to Buffalo, Olivers ⚔️

Details → https://t.co/l1hprW0LGM#LetsGoBuffalo | @SenecaBuffalo pic.twitter.com/oZipE26sGi

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 27, 2026

Murnieks is the first active roster Sea Dog to be drafted since Eriks Mateiko went in the third-round to the Washington Capitals in 2024. He is the second Sea Dog to ever be selected by the Sabres with the only other being Felix Schutz in 2006.

It's unclear where Murnieks will play next season. He is eligible to return to Saint John but it's also possible he joins Boston College for the 2026-27 season.

Lawrence drafted by Blues; two QMJHL players picked

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Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence was selected 11th overall by the St. Louis Blues in Friday's opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

The younger brother of former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence, Tynan split last season between the USHL and NCAA.

After recording 10 goals and seven assists in 13 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, the forward joined Boston University for the second half where he posted two goals and five assists in 18 games. While it was likely the best move for his development long-term, Lawrence's modest numbers at BU likely pushed him down the draft rankings.

Welcome to the club, Tynan Lawrence! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/8Q0FndhOXf

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 27, 2026

Lawrence is the first New Brunswicker to be selected in the first-round of the NHL Draft since Bradly Nadeau of St-François-de-Madawaska was taken 30th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023. Like Lawrence, Nadeau didn't play in the QMJHL, suiting up in the BCHL before joining the University of Maine.

Only two current QMJHL players were picked on Friday. Quebec Remparts forward Maddox Dagenais went 16th overall to the Blues while Moncton Wildcats defenseman Tommy Bleyl went 31st overall to the Nashville Predators.

As expected, Penn State's Gavin McKenna – formerly of the Medicine Hat Tigers – went first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The remaining rounds of the NHL Draft will take place Saturday.

NHL Draft begins Friday night

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's likely to be a quiet Friday night for the Saint John Sea Dogs – but that should change on Saturday.

While no Sea Dogs are likely to be selected in Friday's opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft, at least one current Dog should be picked during Saturday's remaining rounds.

Forward Olivers Murnieks is projected by most to be taken somewhere between the late second- and fourth-rounds. The Latvian recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 31 games with Saint John last season – an injury plagued campaign.

Murnieks also played for Latvia at last season's under-18, under-20 and men's worlds events.

Where Murnieks – who is a Boston College commit – plays next season is unclear. Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie has said that decision may ultimately come down to the NHL team that selects him this weekend and what they prefer for his development.

Murnieks was one of five Sea Dogs listed in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings. Cameron Chartrand, William Yared and Dylan Rozzi were also ranked amongst North American skaters while Rafaël Courchesne was listed amongst North American goaltenders. 

98 - Olivers Murnieks 

155 - Cameron Chartrand 

172 - William Yared 

195 - Dylan Rozzi 

27 - Rafaël Courchesne

Another player to keep an eye is defenseman Brian McFadden, who was ranked 115th by NHL Central Scouting. McFadden, who spent last season with the US prep school Thayer Academy, was a seventh-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Import Draft details announced

The Canadian Hockey League has announced the selection order and some rule changes for this year's Import Draft.

The annual CHL Import Draft will take place next Tuesday, June 30 beginning at noon Atlantic. The OHL's Oshawa Generals will select first followed by the QMJHL's Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.

This year's draft will be three rounds again – but there will be some new rules.

The Saint John Sea Dogs currently own four picks: 14th, 44th, 78th and 136th. The team is expected to select three players.

Two picks in the first-round and another early in the second should allow the Sea Dogs to pick some impact players. The Import Draft is more about who you know than where you pick – but as we've seen in recent years, it takes just one pick ahead of you to throw a wrench into plans. The earlier the picks, the better.

Saint John selected three players in last year's draft: forward Olivers Murnieks along with defensemen Patryk Zubek and Max Vilen.

Villeneuve, Paré win Calder Cup championship

Toronto Marlies

Two former Saint John Sea Dogs are Calder Cup champions.

William Villeneuve, Cedric Paré and the Toronto Marlies captured the 2026 American Hockey League championship on Friday night, defeating the Chicago Wolves 4-3 to win the series in five games.

It's the first Calder Cup title for both and the first AHL championship for the Marlies since 2018.

Villeneuve concluded his phenomenal playoff run with a pair of assists in the win. He finishes the playoffs with two goals and 21 assists in 24 games, placing him first in AHL defensemen scoring and second amongst all skaters.

Villeneuve's 21 assists are tied for the second-most by a defenseman ever in a single Calder Cup postseason.

This was Villeneuve's fourth season with the Marlies – a season that also saw him make his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft.

"I think it's the culture. I got here four years ago & Logan Shaw has been our captain. He's been leading this team through it all."

William Villeneuve to @ShawnMcKenzieSN on the 2026 #CalderCup Champion @TorontoMarlies.@InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/kKgK0hszGt

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) June 20, 2026

Paré, meanwhile, finishes the playoffs with four goals and six assists in 24 games. This is the first professional championship for the 27-year-old, who helped Saint John win the President Cup in 2017.

The Marlies were not predicted by many (if any) to win the Calder Cup this season. The team went 36-26-5-5 in the regular season and entered the playoffs as the seventh best team in the Eastern Conference. The team did not have a bye through the first round of the playoffs and had to face the Rochester Americans in a best-of-three. From there they faced the division champion Laval Rocket and then the Cleveland Monsters in best-of-five matchups. All three of those series went the distance.

The Marlies won the Eastern Conference by defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in six games. In the Calder Cup final, Toronto won the first three games of the series and took the title in five games.