Meet The New Sea Dogs

There will be plenty of new and unfamiliar faces at Harbour Station this week when Saint John Sea Dogs training camp starts up again.

Some players were just drafted by the Sea Dogs a few months ago. Some have been to camp before but have seen limited game action. Others already have CHL experience but will be wearing a Saint John jersey for the first time.

Here’s a look at the many new players who will be hitting the ice at camp this week. Any player who hasn’t played at least 10 games as a Sea Dog was included.

FORWARDS

Jakub Izacky – one of Saint John’s two new import players, the Sea Dogs selected him 52^nd overall in the CHL Import Draft. The Czech forward recorded five goals and nine assists in 41 games with the HC Trinec under-20 team last year. The 6’00”, 187 lbs forward will turn 19 in November.

Marcus Cuomo – A seventh-round pick of the Sea Dogs in June’s draft, the 17-year old recorded 22 goals and 13 assists in 25 games with the St. John’s Privateers of the Newfoundland Midget AAA ranks. He also had 23 points in just eight playoff games which was a league high. In three pre-season games with the Sea Dogs he has two goals and an assist.

Matthew Highmore – Selected eighth overall by the Dogs in June, Highmore had 13 goals and 13 assists in 25 games with the Dartmouth Major Midgets last season. He added 11 points in 16 playoff matches. He had surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in late-May. He did not attend Sea Dogs rookie camp last month.

Andreas Tsogkas – The 19-year old from Toronto played 44 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Brampton Battalion last season, recording a goal and four assists. In 2010-11 he registered two goals and 10 assists in 52 games with the Battalion.

Spencer Smallman – Listed at 5’11” and 162 lbs, Smallman was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in June. Smallman scored 16 goals and 25 assists in 34 games with the Fredericton Canadiens of the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League last year. He had another four goals and 13 assists in 10 post-season contests. Smallman has three assists in two pre-season games with Saint John, a team high.

Noah Zilbert – A fourth-round pick of Saint John in June, Zilbert had 26 goals and 29 assists in 27 games with the Fredericton Canadiens. He added five goals and 10 assists in 10 post-season contests. The 17-year old had two assists with Team Atlantic at the Under-17 Challenge. He also spent some time with the Slammers last season.

DEFENSEMEN

Olivier Leblanc – Drafted 11^th overall by Saint John in June, Leblanc had three goals and 12 assists in 40 games with Séminaire St-François Blizzard of the Quebec AAA league last year. He added five points in 20 playoff games. The 16-year old has two assists in two pre-season games with the Dogs.

Ryan Kelly – The son of Mike Kelly played five games with the Sea Dogs last year, recording no points. In 50 games with the Summerside Western Capitals he had a goal and six assists. Kelly was an 11^th round pick in 2011 and according to Telegraph-Journal last month he is “the second lowest Saint John draft pick to suit up with the team.”

Benjamin Hade – A fourth-round pick in 2010, Hade played five games with Saint John last year, recording no points. He spent the rest of the season with Séminaire St-François Blizzard where he had a goal and six assists in 23 games.

David Weckworth – The Sea Dogs acquired the 19-year old Weckworth from the Gatineau Olympiques at the draft in exchange for a 2013 fifth-round pick. The Dogs also received a 2013 eighth-round pick. Weckworth played 50 games with the Olympiques last season, recording five assists. He added another helper in four playoff games.

Michael Mastrangelo – The 19-year old played four games with the OHL’s Brampton Battalion in 2010-11 and didn’t record a point. Last season he played with the Orangeville Flyers and Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League, registering a goal and 122 penalty minutes in 26 games.

Jurij Repe – Selected 34^th overall in the CHL Import Draft, the Slovenian had a goal and six assists in 30 games with HC Trinec under-20 team. He also played with Slovenia’s under-18 and under-20 team, registering a combined four assists in 10 games.

GOALTENDER

Alex Fournier – A fifth-round pick in 2011, Fournier had a 3.15 goals against average and a .870 save percentage in 23 games with Collège Notre-Dame Albatros of the Quebec AAA ranks, according to Elite Prospects.

Photos: Marc Henwood/Station Nation