Got Goals?

For a team that has hovered around the 300 goal mark for each of the past three seasons, the 2012-13 campaign was certainly a change of pace.

To put it simply, the Saint John Sea Dogs didn’t score a lot of goals this season. Their 173 goals was the third worst total in the league, coming in ahead of Shawinigan (154) and Cape Breton (161). Only five teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League failed to reach the 200 goal mark.

Of Saint John’s 173 goals, 63 of them were scored on the power play.

The Sea Dogs’ 2012-13 goal total is the worst in franchise history. But, it’s worth noting that the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 seasons featured 70-game schedules compared to today’s 68.

	Goals For	Leading Scorer
2005-06	174 (18th)	Felix Schutz (21G+31A=52Pts)
2006-07	209 (18th)	Chris DiDomenico (25G+50A=75Pts)
2007-08	265 (5th)	Chris DiDomenico (39G+56A=95Pts)
2008-09	222 (9th)	Michael Kirkpatrick (34G+30A=64Pts)
2009-10	309 (1st)	Mike Hoffman (46G+39A=85Pts)
2010-11	324 (1st)	Jonathan Huberdeau (43G+62A=105Pts)
2011-12	298 (2nd)	Danick Gauthier (47G+39A=86Pts)
2012-13	173 (16th)	Jakub Izacky (21G+17A=38Pts)

Saint John’s offense definitely took a hit following the trade deadline and the return of the NHL. Ryan Tesink, Stephen MacAulay, Kevin Gagne, and Jonathan Huberdeau accounted for 61 of the Saint John’s 173 goals. Bringing back 20-year old Maxime Villemaire in the second half, who finished the season with 13 goals and 11 assists in 29 games, was a good move with all the departures.

Even though Huberdeau hasn’t played with the team since early December he still ended up leading the team in scoring with 45 points in 30 games. Jakub Izacky is Saint John’s active leading scorer with 38 points in 63 games.

Looking ahead to next season, you have to think the Dogs may try and acquire a player(s) who can make an immediate impact offensively. Saint John does have some promising young forwards along with the third overall pick in this year’s draft and a high import draft selection, but acquiring a veteran forward who can kick start the offense probably wouldn't be the worst idea. 

Photo courtesy of Marc Grandmaison