Tesink, Kirkpatrick sign with new teams

Ryan Tesink has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder.

The Thunder announced on Tuesday that they had come to terms with the 23-year-old forward. The team is affiliated with the Ottawa Senators.

Tesink spent last season with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards and Alaska Aces, recording a combined nine goals and 19 assists in 65 games. The former Sea Dog and Saint John native has spent his entire professional career in the ECHL.

Meanwhile, former Sea Dogs forward Michael Kirkpatrick will have a new team this season, signing with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.

Playing in his first pro season last year, Kirkpatrick led the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder in scoring, registering 29 goals and 31 assists in 72 games. He added two goals and seven assists in 12 playoff games.

The Everblades are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Earlier this month, Alaska signed former Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres. The 26-year-old played in 26 games with the Aces last year, going 6-8-2 with a 3.30 goals against average and .870 save percentage.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Notebook: The free tickets are all gone

The next Saint John Sea Dogs pre-season home game will feature quite an atmosphere.

The team announced this afternoon that the Sept. 9 pre-season game against the Charlottetown Islanders has sold out. Tickets to the game were free of charge.

"We took a different approach to our free preseason game this year and we really have to thank our loyal fans for responding to it," said president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. "We can't wait to experience the electricity a capacity crowd can bring to the game. Our fans and players are in for a fun night."

According to the release, “more than 5,500 tickets were scooped up in just over a week.”

Details on how the tickets will be sent and how to join the waiting list can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

UPDATED CAMP ROSTER

The Sea Dogs website has an updated training camp roster. It features 18 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders.

REUNITED

The Chronicle Journal has an article on Daniel Del Paggio and Zach Grzelewski being reunited with the Sea Dogs.

The two played together with the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Thunder Bay North Stars in 2013-14. According to the newspaper, “Del Paggio was the league’s most valuable player and a CCM Hockey first team all-star” while Grzelewski was “the runner-up to rookie of the year laurels and was a second team CCM Hockey all-star selection.”

Grzelewski has made an impact at Sea Dogs camp, scoring three goals and adding an assist in two pre-season games.

Mathieu among latest camp cuts

Olivier Mathieu, Saint John’s top pick in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft, was among the latest round of Sea Dogs training camp cuts.

The Sea Dogs released Mathieu, forward Ben Reid and defenceman Devan Newhook from their training camp roster following Sunday’s 7-3 pre-season win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The moves leave 30 players on the team’s camp roster - 18 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders.

Mathieu had a fairly solid camp, recording three goals and an assist in five pre-season games. But the 16-year-old likely got caught up in the numbers game – there simply isn’t room for him to get ice time on this team at the moment.

Selected 11^th overall in this summer’s draft, Mathieu had 23 goals and 27 assists in 47 games with the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League’s Magog Cantonniers last year.

The Sea Dogs cutting first round picks is nothing new. Last season, the team sent first rounders Cedric Pare and Alex D’Orio back to AAA to develop for the year.

Saint John’s next pre-season game is on Friday, Sept. 9 against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Photo vis John Moore Twitter

RECAP: Sea Dogs defeat Titan

FINAL: Bathurst 3, Saint John 7

SAINT JOHN – Zach Grzelewski scored twice and added an assist in the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 7-3 pre-season win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday afternoon.

Grzelewski, who signed with Saint John earlier this week, now has three goals and an assist in two QMJHL exhibition contests. John Warren also had three points on Sunday (a goal and two assists) to keep his impressive pre-season going.

Samuel Dove-McFalls, Matthew Highmore, Joe Veleno and Oliver Felixson also scored for the Sea Dogs. Alex Bishop made 16 saves through two periods. Matthew Williams made eight in the third period.

Bathurst had two goals from Daniil Miromanov and a single from Vladimir Kuznetsov. Tanner Somers made 27 saves in the loss.

The win gives Saint John back-to-back pre-season victories and moves their record to 2-4. They now have nearly two weeks off from game play, not returning to action until Sept. 9.

Sea Dogs sign Bryson Michel

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a number of roster moves on Sunday, including the signing of defenceman Bryson Michel.

Michel, 16, spent much of last season with the Canadian International Hockey Academy’s (CIHA) Green Midget AAA team where he recorded four goals and 12 assists in 43 games. He also registered one goal in five games with the Brockville Tikis of the Central Canada Hockey League 2 (CCHL2).

Michel has been attending Sea Dogs training camp on a tryout basis.

“Bryson is a big, strong left defenceman,” Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn said in a news release. “He’s also a late-1999 birthday. He’s had a really effective camp for us so far. He has good size and he’s a good skater. We believe he has the potential to mature into solid, steady defenceman.”

Michel made his Sea Dogs pre-season debut on Sunday against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Meanwhile, nine players were released from the team’s camp roster before Sunday's contest. Forwards Nick Fewer, Alex Kealey, Jordan King and Matthew Palmer; defencemen Thomas Ashe, Simon Elsliger, Mark Kennedy and Matthew O'Leary; and goaltender Ryan Huestis were all cut.

An updated training camp roster can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

Pre-Season Game Day 6: vs Titan

The Saint John Sea Dogs (1-4-0-0) look to win their second straight pre-season game this afternoon against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (3-1-1-0). Game time is 3 p.m. at Harbour Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night at Harbour Station. John Warren and Spencer Smallman each scored twice while singles came from Mathieu Joseph, Kyle Ward and Zack Grzelewski. Alex Bishop and Alex D’Orio split net duties. The Titan are coming off a 4-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats last night in Bathurst. Dawson Theede scored twice while singles came from Jeffrey Truchon-Viel and Antoine Morand. Tanner Somers made 33 saves in the win.

2016 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Titan while Bathurst is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-1-2-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 3-5-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Wednesday night in Bathurst where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 6-2. Samuel L’Italien had two goals while singles came from Christophe Boivin, Kynan Berger, Dawson Theede and Olivier Desjardins. Olivier Mathieu and John Warren scored for Saint John. Reilly Pickard made 23 saves in the win. Matthew Williams and Alex D’Orio split net duties for Saint John.

Three Things to Know

1. Olivier Mathieu and John Warren lead Saint John in goals this pre-season with three each. Meanwhile, Spencer Smallman has two goals and an assist and Matthew Highmore has three helpers.

2. Aaron Brisebois (three goals and four assists) and William Lemay-Champagne (one goal and six assists) lead the Titan in pre-season scoring with seven points each.

3. The last time the Titan visited Harbour Station:

Camp roster continues to be trimmed

The Saint John Sea Dogs released two more defencemen from their training camp roster on Friday.

Defencemen Cole Cameron and Jack Greenberg were both cut, leaving 42 players at camp. Cameron is an 18-year-old from Ontario while Greenberg is a 17-year-old from Illinois.

24 forwards, 14 defencemen and four goaltenders remain at Sea Dogs camp. A full roster can be found on the team’s website.

While the Sea Dogs haven't made an announcement, it appears goaltender Ryan Huestis has departed camp.

Would like to thank the @SJSeaDogs for an amazing week at camp, had a great experience and time, 1st class organization for sure

— Ryan Huestis (@huestisryan) August 27, 2016

Huestis’ departure would leave three goaltenders at camp – Matthew Williams, top prospect Alex D’Orio and returnee Alex Bishop.

More roster moves will likely be made next week. Following Sunday’s 3 p.m. home game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Saint John doesn’t have a pre-season match until Sept. 9 against Charlottetown.

VIDEO: Veleno's exceptional assist

SAINT JOHN - Joe Veleno wasted little time in bringing Sea Dogs fans to their feet this season.

Playing in his first game of the 2016 pre-season, Veleno made a couple of exceptional moves to setup Zach Grzelewski for a goal in the third period of Friday's game.

Here's the goal via the Sea Dogs Facebook page:


Veleno went on to make a couple similar moves on his following shift.

The 16-year-old had 13 goals and 30 assists in 62 games with Saint John last year. He added six goals and an assist in 17 playoff games.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

RECAP: Sea Dogs defeat Eagles

FINAL: Cape Breton 2, Saint John 7

SAINT JOHN – Two goals each from Spencer Smallman and John Warren led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 7-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in QMJHL pre-season action on Friday.

Mathieu Joseph, Kyle Ward and Zach Grzelewski also scored in Saint John’s first win of the pre-season. Alex Bishop and Alex D’Orio split the victory in net.

Marcus Tesink and Olivier Bourret-Vinette scored for Cape Breton. Kyle Jessiman and Colten Ellis spilt net duties for the Screaming Eagles.

Saint Jon opened the scoring at 10:42 of the first period when Luke Green found Mathieu Joseph in the slot. Joseph made no mistake, firing a hard wrist shot past Jessiman.

The Eagles would quickly tie it up though as Tesink, the brother of former Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink, beat Bishop at 11:17.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: vs Screaming Eagles

The Saint John Sea Dogs (0-4-0-0) will be looking to pick up their first victory of the pre-season tonight at Harbour Station when they host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (3-1-0-0) at 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 loss in Bathurst on Wednesday night. Olivier Mathieu and John Warren scored for Saint John. Matthew Williams and Alex D’Orio split net duties. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 4-0 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Wednesday. Logan O’Neil had a pair of goals while singles came from Yannik Bertrand and Vasily Glotov. Kevin Mandolese and Colten Ellis spilt the win in net.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-3-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 3-5-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: April 19 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Screaming Eagles 6-2 in Game 7 of the second round of the QMJHL playoffs. Nathan Noel had a pair of goals while singles came from Matt Murphy, Daniel Del Paggio, Sam Povorozniouk and Jakub Zboril. Cape Breton goals came from Michael Joly and Evgeny Svechnikov. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 29 saves in the win. Alexandre Belanger made 24 saves in the loss.

Three things to Know

1. Olivier Mathieu, Saint John’s top pick in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft, leads the team in pre-season scoring with three goals in four games.

2. Logan O’Neil leads Cape Breton in scoring with five goals and seven points in four games. O’Neil was an eighth-round pick of the Eagles in the 2015 draft.

3. Cape Breton drafted goaltender Kevin Mandolese with their first round pick – 13^th overall. He’s allowed two goals against on 42 shots in 93:01 of play this pre-season.

Grant traded to Islanders

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a trade this morning, dealing forward Cody Grant to the Charlottetown Islanders.

Cody Grant was attending Islanders training camp on loan from Sea Dogs.

— Nolan Reid (@Nolan_TQN) August 26, 2016

In exchange, the Sea Dogs receive a conditional tenth-round pick in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Grant, an eighth-round pick of Saint John in the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft, played in two games with the Sea Dogs last season, going pointless.

The 18-year-old played in 42 games with the MHL’s County Aces last season, recording six goals and five assists.

The Sea Dogs are in action tonight, hosting the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in pre-season play at 7 p.m.

Sea Dogs make roster moves

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a number of roster moves on Thursday, including the acquisition of two players and the cutting of three.

The team has acquired the CHL rights to forward Zach Grzelewski and defenceman Chase Stewart. Both players were in the OHL last season.

Grzelewski, 19, spent last season with the Flint Firebirds where he recorded eight goals and 15 assists in 56 games. He spent time with the London Knights the two seasons before last.

“Zach has been a high-scoring forward through minor hockey up to junior ‘A’,” said Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn in a news release. “He was one of Flint’s top scorers despite missing some time last year. We think he has the potential to be a top-six forward for us.”

In 2013-14, Grzelewski had 43 goals and 36 assists in 53 games with the SIJHL’s Thunder Bay North Stars, finishing second in team scoring behind current Sea Dogs forward Daniel Del Paggio.

Stewart, also 19, played in 45 games with the Saginaw Spirit last season where he registered one goal and four assists. He played in 48 games with the Spirit in 2014-15 – and 10 games with the Thunder Bay North Stars.

“Chase is a steady, physical defenceman with two years of OHL experience,” said Flynn. “He also attended camp with the Arizona Coyotes last year. As a team, we’re always looking to improve. We think he can help us.”

Both players are expected to arrive in Saint John in the coming days.

The Sea Dogs also announced today that forwards Isiah Campbell and Nathan Cyr-Trottier along with goaltender Derek Fournier have been released from training camp.

24 forwards, 16 defencemen and four goalies remain at Sea Dogs camp.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose again

BATHURST – A three-goal second period pushed the Acadie-Bathurst Titan past the Saint John Sea Dogs on Wednesday night in QMJHL pre-season action.

The Sea Dogs dropped their fourth straight game of the pre-season in Bathurst, falling 6-2. This was Saint John’s first “real” exhibition game with veteran players – all three of their previous matches were rookie games.

Samuel L’Italien had two goals for Bathurst while singles came from Kynan Berger, Olivier Desjardins, Dawson Theede and Christophe Boivin. Reilly Pickard made 23 saves in the win.

Olivier Mathieu and John Warren scored for Saint John. Matthew Williams made 14 saves while Alex D’Orio made 17. The two netminders each played half the game.

Pre-Season Game Day 4: at Bathurst

The Saint John Sea Dogs (0-3-0-0) travel to Bathurst tonight to take on the Titan (1-1-1-0) at 7 p.m. in pre-season action.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Last games: The Sea Dogs lost 7-2 to the Titan on Sunday at the Hub City Showcase rookie tournament. Olivier Mathieu and Nick Fewer had goals for Saint John. Aaron Brisebois had a hat trick for Bathurst while singles came from Kynan Berger, William Lemay-Champagne, Keegan Gauthier and Daniil Sokolka. Alex D’Orio was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots. Matthew Williams allowed three on 21 shots in relief. Max Walford made 21 saves in the win.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-1-2-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 3-5-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: See above.

Three Things to Know

1. The Sea Dogs went winless and scored just six goals at the three-game Hub City Showcase rookie tournament last weekend in Moncton. Some veterans will bolster Saint John’s lineup tonight.

2. Aaron Brisebois, a 12^th round pick of the Titan last year, leads Bathurst in scoring with three goals and two assists.

3. Admission to tonight’s game in Bathurst is free for all fans, courtesy of the Club Richelieu, which will be on location to collect donations.

Sea Dogs further reduce camp roster

The Sea Dogs reduced their training camp roster again on Monday.

The following players were cut from the team's rookie camp roster:

F Etienne Croteau

F Cody Grant

F Kevin Mason

F Ben Reade

D Jonathan Mason

D Jack McGovern
D Michael Waugh

Main camp started on Monday at Harbour Station. According to the team, "there are now 47 players in the Sea Dogs main training camp (25 forwards, 17 defencemen, 5 goalies)."

The Sea Dogs went 0-3 at the Hub City Showcase over the weekend, finishing in last place at the Maritimes Division rookie tournament. The team plays its first "real" pre-season game on Wednesday in Bathurst against the Titan.

Saint John plays at home on Friday against Cape Breton and on Sunday against Bathurst.

Sea Dogs to host 2017 QMJHL Draft

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will host the 2017 QMJHL Annual Session and Entry Draft.

The announcement was made on Monday afternoon at Harbour Station's Alpine Room by the Sea Dogs, QMJHL and Discover Saint John.

The event will take place May 31 - June 3, 2017 in Saint John. The draft will be held on the final day, Saturday, June 3.

This year's QMJHL Entry Draft took place in Charlottetown while the 2015 and 2014 editions were held in Sherbrooke. The last time the draft was held in New Brunswick was in 2009 at the Moncton Coliseum.

The QMJHL Entry Draft is by far the most extravagant CHL Draft, replicating what the NHL does. All 18 teams will have a table on the floor while players from all over Eastern Canada will be in attendance hoping to hear their names called.

Sea Dogs, QMJHL to make special announcement today

The Saint John Sea Dogs will make a "special announcement" today at noon at Harbour Station.

The press conference was originally planned to be held on the city's boardwalk but was relocated to the Alpine Room (upstairs at Harbour Station) due to weather.

According to a press release, the announcement involves the Sea Dogs, QMJHL and Discover Saint John. Fans, media and corporate partners are invited to attend.

Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie and QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau will both be in attendance.

RECAP: Sea Dogs go winless in Hub City

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs finished the inaugural Hub City Showcase with a 7-2 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday.

The loss means the Sea Dogs leave the rookie tournament with a 0-3 record, placing them in last place.

Nick Fewer and Olivier Mathieu scored Saint John's only goals on Sunday in Moncton. Alex D'Orio was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots. He was replaced by Matthew Williams who allowed three goals on 21 shots.

The Titan had a hat trick from Aaron Brisebois and singles from Keegan Gauthier, Daniil Sokolka, William Lemay-Champagne and Kynan Berger. Max Walford made 21 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs will no doubt be disappointed about going winless at this tournament. Fortunately, it was just a rookie tournament in August.

Edson leaves Sea Dogs camp

According to American defenceman Paul Edson, American defenceman Paul Edson has left the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Edson tweeted the following on Saturday morning:

Due to recent changes within the Saint John SeaDog organization front office I have chosen to come back home and go the NCAA route.

— Paul Edson (@paul5885) August 21, 2016

The 16-year-old is presumably referring to the firing of general manager Darrell Young.

The Sea Dogs signed Edson in May. At that time, Young said in a press release that Edson is a “big, physical defenceman who makes a good first pass. He’ll begin next season eighth on our depth chart and probably play 35-40 games as he adjusts to the major junior game. We expect him to be in our top six for his draft year of 2017-18 and continue his progression into our top four the following year.”

A Beverly, Mass. native, the d-man has spent the past two seasons with St. John’s Prep. Last year he recorded four goals and eight assists in 23 games.

Edson did not play in any of Saint John’s games at the Hub City Showcase.

Pre-Season Game Day 3: vs Titan

The Saint John Sea Dogs (0-2-0-0) play their final game of the Hub City Showcase this afternoon at 1 p.m. against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (0-1-1-0).

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/None/YouTube

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-3 loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night. Nick Fewer, Olivier Mathieu and Alexander Vdovenko scored for Saint John while Matthew Williams made 33 saves in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads yesterday. Cole Rafuse and James Roy scored for Bathurst while Danil Timchenko made 26 stops in the loss.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-1-2-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 3-5-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: April 1 in Saint John where the Sea Dogs eliminated the Titan from the playoffs with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 5 of the first round. Sam Povorozniouk, Luke Green, Matt Murphy and Thomas Chabot scored for Saint John while Bathurst goals came from Jeffery Truchon-Viel, Daniil Miromanov and Mark Simpson. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 21 saves in the win while Reilly Pickard made 42 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan (rookies): None

Player to watch: Defenceman Noah Dobson was Bathurst’s first round pick this year. The Summerside native played with EC Salzburg’s Under-18 team last season, recording three goals and 13 assists in 24 games. He also had one goal and one assist in 11 games with EC Salzburg II.

Three Things to Know

1. Cole Rafuse and James Roy lead the Titan in scoring with two goals each.

2. Saint John’s top import pick, forward Alexander Vdovenko has a team high two points – one goal and one assist – in two games.

3. The Sea Dogs have scored just four goals, which is the fewest at the Hub City Showcase. Bathurst has scored five.

RECAP: Sea Dogs fall again in Hub City

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped their second game of the Hub City Showcase on Saturday.

Nick Fewer, Olivier Mathieu and Alexander Vdovenko scored Saint John's lone goals in a 7-3 loss to the Moncton Wildcats at the Superior Propane Centre. The loss drops the Sea Dogs to 0-2 at the rookie tournament after falling 4-1 to the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday.

Saint John will play their final game of the tournament tomorrow at either 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Casey Fox opened the scoring for the Wildcats 5:36 into the third period. Christophe Bohemier doubled Moncton's lead at 16:13.

In the second period, a puck deflected off Sea Dogs defenceman Simon Elsliger and past goaltender Matthew Williams. The goal, scored at 8:22, was awarded to Jacob Hudson to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

Saint John finally got on the board at 15:57 when Fewer scored by backhanding a shot past Wildcats goaltender Dominik Tmej.



While shorthanded at 18:40, Derek Dicaire scored to reclaim Moncton's three-goal lead. The 'Cats then made it 5-1 when Bohemier netted his second of the match at 2:30 of the third.

The Sea Dogs responded quickly from Bohemer's goal as Mathieu, Saint John's top pick in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft, scored his first QMJHL pre-season goal at 3:14. Then, with 7:01 to play, Vdovenko scored to get Saint John within two.

But just as the Sea Dogs got back into it, the Wildcats quickly extended their lead to secure the victory. Samuel Meisenheimer scored at 15:44 and then Bohemier completed his hat trick at 17:58 to make it a 7-3 final.

Williams made 33 stops in the loss while Tmej made 30 in the win.

Photo: Hub City Showcase Twitter

Sea Dogs release main training camp roster

20 returning players will highlight the Saint John Sea Dogs’ training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs released their main camp roster on Friday. It features 29 players in total – although some players currently participating in the Hub City Showcase are expected to join.

Players will begin to report on Sunday and hit the ice on Monday afternoon at Harbour Station. Saint John’s first “regular” pre-season game is on Wednesday night in Bathurst.

The full roster can be found on the team’s website.

Aside from the returning players, some of the more notable names include 5’06” forward John Warren (a former London Knight), returning 6’07” forward Alexander Kealey (who played with EC Salzburg last year) and American defenceman Jack Greenberg.

As the Sea Dogs noted in a press release, seven of Saint John’s top 10 scorers from last season will be returning to the club. The Dogs will also feature eight NHL Draft picks.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

PRE-SEASON GAME DAY 2: vs Wildcats

The Saint John Sea Dogs (0-1-0-0) continue pre-season play tonight against the Moncton Wildcats (1-0-0-0) at 7 p.m. at the Superior Propane Centre.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/None/YouTube

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads yesterday in Moncton. Cedric Pare scored Saint John’s lone goal in a game that saw the team record just 16 shots. Alex D’Orio made 42 saves in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 7-4 victory over the Screaming Eagles last night. Jeremy McKenna and Mika Cyr each scored twice while singles came from Christophe Bohemier, Casey Fox and Adam Capannelli. Matthew Waite made 27 saves in the victory.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-5-1-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 12 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 4-1. Thomas Chabot, Nathan Noel, Sam Povorozniouk and Bokondji Imama scored for Saint John while Cameron Askew netted Moncton’s lone goal. Alex Bishop made 29 saves in the win. Blade Mann-Dixon and Keven Bouchard allowed four goals on 34 shots.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats (rookies): None

Player to watch: Forward Jeremy McKenna, who scored two goals for the Wildcats on Friday, spent last season with EC Salzburg’s under-18 team. Prior to that he played with the Notre Dame Hounds.

Three Things to Know

1. The full Wildcats roster can be found here.

2. Simon Le Coultre, a Swiss defenseman, was Moncton’s top pick in the CHL Import Draft this year.

3. The Wildcats haven’t made a first round pick since 2011. Their top pick this year came in the third round, selecting Noah Massie.

RECAP: Sea Dogs drop pre-season opener

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped their first game of the Hub City Showcase on Friday afternoon.

The Sea Dogs recorded just 16 shots on goal - which included only two in the third period - in a 4-1 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads at Moncton's Superior Propane Centre.

Cedric Pare, a first round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft, scored 38 seconds into the game - and that proved to be Saint John's lone goal of the contest.

The Mooseheads scored two goals early in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. The highly touted Jared McIsaac scored 51 seconds in and then Ilya Putintsev doubled the Mooseheads' lead at 1:26.

In the third, Ben Higgins scored at 5:14 to make it 3-1 Moose. Raphael Lavoie added further insurance at 15:34 to make it a 4-1 final.

Alex D'Orio, another 2015 first round pick of the Sea Dogs, made 42 saves in the loss. Alexis Gravel played 40 minutes for the Mooseheads and made 13 saves. Kirklin Allen played the third period and made two stops.

It was a penalty filled affair - especially in the third period - with Saint John picking up 64 total penalty minutes while Halifax earned 37.

The Sea Dogs are back in action at the inaugural rookie tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Wildcats.

Pre-Season Game Day 1: vs Mooseheads

The Saint John Sea Dogs (0-0-0-0) begin pre-season play this afternoon at 4 p.m. against the Halifax Mooseheads (0-0-0-0) at the inaugural Hub City Showcase in Moncton.

Last games: Saint John’s last game was Game 5 of the QMJHL semifinals in Shawinigan, where they fell 6-3. Thomas Chabot, Joe Veleno and Matt Murphy scored for the Sea Dogs while Marc-Antoine Turcotte and Alex Bishop allowed five goals on 27 shots. Halifax’s last game was a 5-2 loss in Charlottetown on March 19. Morgan Nauss and Joel Bishop scored for the Mooseheads. Eric Brassard made 32 saves in the loss.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads last season while Halifax went 2-5-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Feb. 27 in Halifax where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 5-1. Matthew Highmore, Sam Povorozniouk, Mathieu Joseph, Jakub Zboril and Joe Veleno scored for Saint John while Halifax’s lone goal came from Arnaud Durandeau. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 28 saves in the win. Eric Brassard made 33 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Mooseheads (rookies): None

Player to watch: The Mooseheads feature Benoit-Olivier Groulx, the top pick in this year’s QMJHL Entry Draft. Groulx had 21 goals and 30 assists in 41 games with AAA Gatineau last season.

Three Things to Know

1. This is the first edition of the Hub City Showcase, which features rookie teams from all six Maritimes Division clubs facing each other in QMJHL pre-season matches. The standings from the first two days will be used to determine the schedule for Sunday.

2. Along with Groulx, the Mooseheads feature two other highly touted QMJHL prospects – defenceman Jared McIsaac and goaltender Alexis Gravel.

3. Saint John’s roster features three first round picks: forwards Cedric Pare and Olivier Mathieu along with goaltender Alex D’Orio.

Rookie camp roster reduced

With their first pre-season game less than 24 hours away, the Saint John Sea Dogs have made some roster moves.

The team announced Thursday afternoon that 12 players have been released from the club’s rookie camp. They are:

F Sam Allison

F Pierre Bourgoin

F Jordan Ehrensperger

F John Farrell

F Michael Joseph

F Brett Magee

F Craig Ryan

F Matthew Steinburg

D Ben MacDonald

D Callum O'Brien

D Tyler Smith

D Louis-Joseph Vachon

26 players - 14 forwards, 10 defencemen and two goaltenders – remain at the camp.

All six Maritimes Division teams are taking part in the inaugural Hub City Showcase event this weekend in Moncton. The Sea Dogs will take on the Halifax Mooseheads at 4 p.m. on Friday in their first match of the tournament. 

Saint John plays the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Sea Dogs will also play on Sunday at a time and against a team that will be determined based on tournament standings.

Photo: @SJSeaDogs

News & notes from day one of rookie camp

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

The Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2016-17 season kicked off on Wednesday afternoon with a rookie camp scrimmage. Here’s a look at what happened.

BY THE NUMBERS

21 - players drafted by Saint John in recent QMJHL Entry Drafts - 10 from 2016, 10 from 2015 and one (Cody Grant) from 2014 are listed on the rookie camp roster.

1 - Import - the Sea Dogs' 2016 Import Draft selection from Russia, Alexander Vdovenko, made his first appearance on Harbour Station ice. The big winger showed a few deft moves in his debut.  

1 - American - Paul Edson, a 6'4" defenceman from Beverley, Mass., is the lone US born player at rookie camp. Edson made a fine first impression with poise and skill - and he potted what proved to be a shootout winning goal following a nice deke. 

13 - Invitees - included in the list of camp invitees are four from Saint John (C John Farrell, RW Brett Magee, RW Matthew Palmer and D Tyler Smith).

3 - Free agents signed last season - defenceman Mark Kennedy (younger brother of former Charlottetown Islander/current Halifax Moosehead Bradley Kennedy), defenceman Michael Waugh and goaltender Matthew Williams.

2 - Sons of Maritimes coaching legends - invitee Michael Joseph (son of former Moncton Wildcat/current Woodstock Slammers coach, Fabian Joseph) and 2016 draft choice (177^th overall) Matthew Stienburg (son of former NHLer and St. Mary's University coach, Trevor Stienburg) made their Sea Dogs debut on Wednesday.

Sea Dogs release rookie camp roster

The Saint John Sea Dogs have released their rookie camp roster.

39 players are expected to attend the camp - 23 forwards, 14 defencemen and two goaltenders. The full roster can be found here.

The camp will be highlighted by three first round picks - goaltender Alex D’Orio (9^th overall in 2015) and forwards Credic Pare (10^th overall in 2015) and Olivier Mathieu (11^th overall in 2016).

Alexander Vdovenko, Saint John’s top pick in this year’s CHL Import Draft, will also be in attendance. American defenseman Paul Edson, who the Sea Dogs signed in May, will be on the ice as well.

The players will be split into two teams and will take part in three intrasquad games – one on Wednesday and two on Thursday.

Saint John begins pre-season play on Friday against the Halifax Mooseheads at the Hub City Classic.

Rookie camp begins Wednesday

The Saint John Sea Dogs’ rookie training camp will start on Wednesday at Harbour Station.

According to a team release, “the rookie training camp roster will include players selected by the Sea Dogs in the 2015 and 2016 QMJHL Entry Drafts, trade and free agent acquisitions and invitees.”

The team still has not released its camp roster, although players won’t start reporting until Wednesday afternoon. They’ll hit the ice for an intrasquad game later that afternoon.

There will be three intrasquad games – one Wednesday and two Thursday. Here’s the schedule:

As usual, all games are open to the public and free to attend.

The Sea Dogs play their first pre-season match – a game that’s part of the inaugural Hub City Showcase event – on Friday in Moncton against the Halifax Mooseheads. Game time is 4 p.m. at the Superior Propane Centre.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Murphy, Cooper sign with Varsity Reds

Two former Saint John Sea Dogs have signed CIS Letters of Intent with the UNB Varsity Reds.

The V-Reds announced on Monday that defenseman Matt Murphy and forward Oliver Cooper have both stated their intentions to play for the team. QMJHL veteran Mark Simpson also signed with UNB – a squad that is losing just three players to graduation.

Murphy, acquired by Saint John from the Quebec Remparts mid-season, posted eight goals and 21 assists in 37 games with the Sea Dogs. He added four goals and five assists in 17 playoff games.

“He’s close to being able to step in at a top-notch pro level,” said Varsity Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall in a release. “A lot of times, defence mature a little bit later than forwards, so I think what he’s going to bring is top-notch skills. He’s a great person, and I think he’s going to be fit, challenge among our top fitness guys.”

As now made official by UNB, Matt Murphy will be a Varsity Red next season. pic.twitter.com/CMMHeJuQrd

— Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) August 15, 2016

Cooper played with Saint John for three seasons – 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 – before being traded to the Charlottetown Islanders, where he spent the final years of his junior career.

As an overage player last season, Cooper recorded 24 goals and 25 assists in 61 games. He added six goals and three assists in 12 playoff games.

“He played in Saint John when they were a powerhouse, and had an opportunity to go over to PEI and help start their build,” said MacDougall. “Last year, he was their team captain, so I think he brings a lot of leadership.”

The UNB Varsity Reds have recruited forward Oliver Cooper for 2016-17 pic.twitter.com/osqUqecmSq

— Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) August 15, 2016

Murphy and Cooper, both Fredericton natives, plan on studying business.

The Varsity Reds are the reigning CIS University Cup champions and will host the national tournament in 2017 and 2018.

Last year’s UNB squad featured former Sea Dogs forwards Stephen Anderson and Mike Thomas.

Some reaction to the Darrell Young news

TSN's Craig Button is not happy with the Saint John Sea Dogs' decision to part ways with general manager Darrell Young.

Button, who has sided with Young on social media in the past (particularly with player suspensions), expressed his displeasure about the move on Twitter.

I've seen dumb but this has to be one of the dumbest I've seen. Darrell Young, GM of @SJSeaDogs was released today. Has built a top end team

— Craig Button (@CraigJButton) August 11, 2016

Button wasn't alone. Here's some other reaction from the Twitter:

Saint John releasing Darrell Young is one of the most mind boggling things I've seen in a while....

— jordyn (@jordynmoussa) August 12, 2016

Hardest working GM in QMJHL and an honorable man.  Hard to figure this one out.  https://t.co/moIVtcygGI

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) August 11, 2016

You'd be hard pressed to find a GM who did a better job building a major junior team than Darrell Young. There's gotta be more to this story

— Kris Abbott (@EastlinkKris) August 11, 2016

Darrell Young fired? Come again?

— Devin (@dwh17) August 12, 2016

It's never boring in Sea Dogs land.

Sea Dogs relieve Young of his GM duties

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a surprise move today, announcing that general manager Darrell Young has been "relieved of his duties"

In a very brief release, no reasoning behind the decision was given.

“We have decided to part ways with Darrell Young and wish him well in his future endeavours,” said president Trevor Georgie. “We have a great, very experienced, hockey person here in Head Coach Danny Flynn. We are confident in Danny and he has our support. We are all working together with a shared vision and shared values.”

Georgie will take over general manager duties on an interim basis, according to the release. Flynn, a former GM of the Moncton Wildcats, will no doubt be working closely with Georgie. 

The move comes at an awkward time, with the team set to begin training came next week and pre-season games very soon.

Young took over GM duties of the Sea Dogs on March 1, 2014 after stints as an NHL scout with various clubs.

He led Saint John through two key QMJHL Entry Drafts, including in 2015 when he selected Joe Veleno as the league's first exceptional status player.