Notebook: Hockey returns next weekend

The Sea Dogs return to pre-season action next weekend.

The team hosts the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday night at 7 p.m. The game will feature a packed house thanks to tickets being free of charge.

The following day, the Sea Dogs travel to PEI to face the Isles at 7 p.m. at Eastlink Centre.

Saint John wraps up exhibition action on Saturday, Sept. 17 in North Sydney against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

The regular season begins on Sept. 23 in Charlottetown. The team’s home opener will be on Sept. 30 against the Screaming Eagles.

TOP PROSPECTS

The website Tout Est Espoir ranked the top 15 QMJHL players that are eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft.

Coming in at No. 15 was Sea Dogs rookie goaltender Alex D’Orio. The 17-year-old spent last season with AAA Magog after being selected ninth overall by Saint John in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Victoriaville’s Maxime Comtois was the top ranked prospect. Charlottetown’s Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the brother of Saint John’s Mathieu Joseph, was ranked 12^th.

MATHIEU GETS A LETTER

After being sent back to midget AAA by the Sea Dogs, first-rounder Olivier Mathieu has been given an ‘A’ to wear with Magog.

Jordan Chabot est nommé capitaine des @LesCantonniers. O. Mathieu et I. Châteauneuf ses adjoints. Trois produits du hockey drummondvillois.

— Jonathan Habashi (@JonathanHabashi) September 2, 2016

FLAMES PRICES

Since a few people have been wondering what kind of ticket pricing scheme the Saint John Flames had in their final season, here it is, via the Wayback Machine:

VIDEOS

John Moore has posted a few Sea Dogs videos from the Hub City Showcase. Here’s D’Orio:

Ian Smallwood:

And Mathieu (before he was released):

POLITICS

This is happening:

We're voting Coyle/Zucker.

New shirts available at all @SOH_Store locations! 🇺🇸 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/jbjTVjn7iE

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 3, 2016