Sea Dogs Notebook

You can’t say the Sea Dogs don’t have posters up. This is a shot of the Harbour Station pedway this morning.

PRE-SEASON

A reminder to get your tickets quick for Saturday’s Sea Dogs pre-season opener against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the qplex. Saint John’s annual game in Quispamsis usually sells out or is close to it so get your seats while you can.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at the qplex, calling (506) 848-5900, or visiting qplex.quispamsis.ca.

TRAINING CAMP

The on-ice portion of Sea Dogs Training Camp began this morning at Harbour Station. The roster is split into two groups. Both groups had separate practices today and held a scrimmage in between.

Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Mike Kelly spoke to Hockey Scene before camp started.

"I expect every one of them to hit the ice as if they were going to be playing here all year," he said. "I’m anxious to see what they did this summer to make sure they were ready for this. I expect them to have worked hard to be ready. We’ll see how dedicated they are.”

“I don’t think they’re as strong a group as we had four or five years ago overall but the young ones we have added are very strong and I expect them to show that,” Kelly added. “We’ll have a young team."

Country 94’s news blog also reports that “one dad here with his son who is trying out tells CHSJ News it was scramble getting here because they didn't know officially until Monday night.”

NO SHOW

If you haven't noticed, American Jack Eichel, a 10^th-round pick of Saint John in June’s draft, did not show up for camp. No surprise. The Boston Globe reported last week that he is still committed to playing for the US National Team Development Program this season and Boston University next year.

BOYD

Mike Kelly spoke to the media yesterday about the death of Titan prospect Jordan Boyd.

“It’s a family that’s been devastated and not just a hockey team and an organization but it’s a family”, Kelly told News 88.9. “The hockey family is quite small particularly in the Maritimes and for sure we will address it”.

“The community’s pretty small and when something like this happens, it doesn’t even have to be someone you know, although most kids do know one another and it’s devastating,” Kelly told CTV Atlantic.

Meanwhile, the QMJHL today released this press release about Boyd’s death.

BEAULIEUS

The London Free Press has details on what got Nathan and Jacques Beaulieu charged with assault. It’s not good.

Here’s a piece of the story:

That suggestion, Monaghan said, “seemed to enrage Jacques Beaulieu.” He walked up to Vanderwal and said “who the (expletive) do you think you are?” 

And with that, Jacques Beaulieu grabbed Vanderwal by the left shirt sleeve and ripped it off. Both Beaulieus attacked Vanderwal, who tried to leave, but not before he was punched eight times in the face, Monaghan said. 

He was chased to his pickup truck by the father and son and had to lock the doors to get away from them.

Yikes. Read the full article here.

Both Beaulieus pleaded guilty to the charges yesterday in London.