Sea Dogs acquire Meloche from Huskies

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

The Saint John Sea Dogs solidified their goaltending on Tuesday, acquiring Buffalo Sabres prospect Samuel Meloche from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

In exchange for Meloche and the 34th overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, the Sea Dogs traded the 15th (Blainville-Boisbriand) and 32nd (Drummondville) overall picks in this year's draft; second- (Blainville-Boisbriand) and third-round (Rouyn-Noranda) picks in 2027; a sixth-round pick in 2028; and prospect Cole Renaud.

It's a major move that signifies that the Sea Dogs want to contend this season.

Meloche, who will turn 19 in July, posted a 33-13-3 record in the regular season to go along with a 2.75 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He also had a strong post-season run, going 10-7-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .905 SV% to help the Huskies reach the third round.

In the regular season last year, Meloche was second in wins (behind Rudy Guimond) and third in minutes played (behind Guimond and Donald Hickey).

This was the second straight season that Meloche played 50 or more regular season games. He was a second-round pick of the Huskies in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Selected in the fourth-round by the Sabres in last year's NHL Draft, Meloche is projected to be one of the QMJHL's top goaltenders this season. Goaltending has long been an issue for the Sea Dogs over the past decade, and to see a move like this right out of the gate is a promising sign.

Meloche is committed to Northeastern University for the 2027-28 season.

The team does have a bit of a crowded crease at the moment, something that will need to be dealt with. Both Rafaël Courchesne and Arseni Radkov are eligible to return and the team also has prospect Jase MacPherson.

Speaking of prospects, the Sea Dogs traded away Renaud, a16-year-old forward who was a sixth-round pick of the team in last year's draft. He appeared in one game with the Sea Dogs while playing with the under-18 Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois last season.

Lemieux officially traded to Sea Dogs

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As long rumoured/reported, Olivier Lemieux has been traded to the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs officially acquired the overage forward from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Tuesday in exchange for a fifth-round pick (Charlottetown's) in the 2028 QMJHL Entry Draft.

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 and helped the Armada come within a win of reaching the league final.

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).

Lemieux plays a gritty style, something the Sea Dogs didn't have a lot of this past season. It wouldn't be a shock to see his offensive numbers take a jump this coming season, which often happens for overagers.

The Sea Dogs and Armada made a number of moves during the holiday trade period. Saint John sent depth forwards Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu to Blainville-Boisbriand and acquired defenseman Bo Damphousse and goaltender Arseni Radkov.

The Armada pretty much confirmed this deal during a press conference a few weeks ago.

Busy week beginning for Sea Dogs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's expected to be a busy week for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The team has been fairly quiet since getting swept in the opening round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs – but that is going to change this week.

The Sea Dogs are expected to announce a few trades as the team appears poised to enter contender status. A deal or two could be announced as early as Tuesday when the first trade period of the week opens.

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

Friday and Saturday are big days as well, of course. The first-round of the QMJHL Entry Draft – which the Sea Dogs currently have two picks in – will take place Friday night with the remaining rounds scheduled for Saturday.

There's also the possibility of other signings – although those are more likely to come after the draft. The biggest name to watch remains Jamie Glance who spent this past season with the USNTDP.

Saint John is hard at work trying to sign Jamie Glance, 6th round pick and BU commit for 27/28. Played for the USNTDP. Would be a perfect fit for their forward group. https://t.co/Qmi2ToMt2F

— Greg Macdonald (@gmacsask) June 1, 2026

Here's a quick rundown of some off-season coverage if you're in need of catching up:

• Plenty of questions facing Sea Dogs
• Armada GM: Lemieux to be traded to Saint John
• Here's where Saint John will (currently) pick at the QMJHL Entry Draft
• QMJHL Central Scouting releases final 2026 rankings
• Sea Dogs land fifth overall pick

We'll also be keeping an eye on what the other Atlantic teams do this week. It certainly looks like Cape Breton, Moncton, Newfoundland, Saint John and (apparently) Halifax could all be making runs this season.

Rangers win 2026 Memorial Cup

Steve Dunsmoor/CHL

For the first time since 2003, the Kitchener Rangers are Memorial Cup champions.

The Rangers defeated Landon DuPont and the Everett Silvertips 6-2 in Sunday's championship game in Kelowna. The first half of the contest was close but the Rangers blew it open with a pair of power play goals early in the third period.

It's the third Memorial Cup title for the Rangers franchise, who also won their first OHL championship since 2008.

Sam O'Reilly, who won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights last year, was named tournament MVP.

Captain Cameron Reid hoists the #MemorialCup as the @OHLRangers are crowned 2026 champions! pic.twitter.com/KVPxOkPBpY

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 1, 2026

Kitchener's coaching staff includes Brad Flynn, the son of former Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn.

It's the third straight Memorial Cup title for the OHL. The WHL, meanwhile, still haven't won a national championship since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.

The QMJHL's Chicoutimi Saguenéens (1-3-0) finish the tournament third overall while the host Kelowna Rockets (0-2-1) finish fourth. The Rockets were outscored 12-2.

Next year's tournament will take place in Guelph while the QMJHL will host in 2028.

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.