The Sea Dogs close out the pre-season tomorrow afternoon
against the Halifax Mooseheads. The Dogs and Moose battle at 4pm at Harbour
Station.
The teams were scheduled to play last night at the
Halifax Forum but close to half of the Mooseheads were suffering from the flu,
forcing the exhibition game to be cancelled. Halifax general manager Cam Russel
told the Chronicle Herald that it was just too complicated to try and call up
replacement players for the contest.
The regular season begins Thursday at Harbour Station
with Saint John hosting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7pm.
HUBERDEAU
With the NHL lockout approaching, the Florida Panthers officially loaned Jonathan Huberdeau to Saint John on Wednesday. Huberdeau has
been taking part in Sea Dogs training camp and played in last Saturday’s
pre-season game against the Moncton Wildcats.
“Huberdeau, 19, who is expected to make the parent club
this season, can't play in the AHL because he's under 20,” writes Harvey
Fialkov of the Florida Sun Sentinel. “However, he can return to the Panthers as
soon as training camp begins.”
LOCKOUT
Hockey’s Future has an article on the looming lockout and
what it will mean for junior hockey.
“For a team like Saint John, Huberdeau's return also
provides an unexpected boost as they look to reload their roster,” writes Kevin
Forbes. “Saint John is already saying goodbye to NHL prospects like Charlie
Coyle (Minnesota), Zack Phillips (Minnesota), Tomas Jurco (Detroit), Stanislav
Galiev (Washington) and Nathan Beaulieu (Montreal) as they all move on to pro
hockey as 20-year-old's. Like Niagara in the OHL, Saint John is a team that
might have normally considered rebuilding but could have a different outlook
with Huberdeau in the line-up.”
COYLE
The Patriot Ledger has an article on Charlie Coyle and
his thoughts on the lockout.
“This was going to be my first time, and I was excited to
go out there and experience everything,” Coyle said about his first season in the pro
ranks. “Now, all this (labor uncertainty) has come up, and they haven’t agreed
on anything yet, so things are getting cancelled along the way.”
Coyle is expected to be playing for the Wild’s American Hockey
League affiliate, the Houston Aeros, this season.
WILD PROSPECTS
Coyle is the third best prospect in the Wild organization,
according to Hockey’s Future.
“Coyle could use more speed and does not always show the
best hands as a shooter,” writes Peter Prohaska. “He was able to knock players
around in Saint John, and though still putting on mass, he will have to find
new ways to be effective in pro hockey. That said, he has a good toolkit, and a
year in the AHL would allow him to learn the pro game without too much
pressure.”
Zack Phillips was named the seventh best prospect.
“While he needs to work on some aspects of his game, a
similarly-dominant performance on the score sheet is certainly within his reach
as an Aero next season,” writes Prohaska. “He seems to have the talent and
character to make the necessary improvements.”
SENS PROSPECTS
Hockey’s Future named former Sea Dog Mike Hoffman the 13th
best prospect in the Ottawa Senators organization.
“Another highly-skilled player with an excellent shot and
puck skills, the always-dangerous Hoffman will be entering his third
professional season and will look to make it tough for the organization to send
him back to the Baby Sens,” writes John Henkelman. “He nearly doubled his point
total and tripled his goal tally with a 21 goal, 49 point season and received a
one-game NHL audition.”
Hoffman recorded 21 goals and 28 assists in 76 games with
the AHL’s Binghamton Senators last year. He went pointless in his lone NHL
appearance.
HOWES
Former Sea Dog sniper Scott Howes has signed with the
Central Hockey League’s Allen Americans. The Americans are the CHL affiliate of
the Dallas Stars.
“Having a playoff MVP gives us the leadership and
experience that is vital to what we want to ultimately achieve as an
organization,” said Americans Coach Steve Martinson. “We are excited that Scott
looked at what the Americans have to offer from quality of life to AHL
opportunity and choose to sign here in Allen Texas.”
Howes spent last season with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces and
the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He registered two goals and two assists in
six ECHL games and 11 goals and 11 assists in 49 AHL games.
With the Sea Dogs in 2007-08, Howes registered 42 goals
and 28 assists in 59 regular season games. He added 15 goals and 11 helpers in
14 playoff contests.
MOORE
The Pictou Advocate had an article on Jordan Moore
earlier this week. Moore played two regular season games and four playoff games
with Saint John last season.
“That was a really good experience,” Moore said about his time with the Sea Dogs.
Moore will play for the MHL’s Pictou County Weeks
Crushers again this season.
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