Alumdate: Former Sea Dogs qualify for Stanley Cup playoffs

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Will this be the year a former Saint John Sea Dog lifts the Stanley Cup?

Five former Sea Dogs and their teams have qualified for the NHL's playoffs: Mike Hoffman (Ottawa), Chris DiDomenico (Ottawa) and Nathan Beaulieu (Montreal) in the Eastern Conference and Charlie Coyle (Minnesota) and Tomas Jurco (Chicago) in the Western.

Simon Despres and the Anaheim Ducks also qualified, although the ex-Dogs defenceman has been on the injured reserve almost all season. He has appeared in just one game in 2016-17.

The Sens will face the Boston Bruins in the first round with the series beginning on Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre. Hoffman finished second on the team in scoring this season and will likely play big minutes in the playoffs. DiDomenico only appeared in three games after joining the club at mid-season.

Beaulieu, who had a career high in points this season, and the Habs will face the New York Rangers in the opening round. That series begins on Wednesday as well.

In the Western Conference, Jurco and the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Nashville Predators. That series begins on Thursday. After being traded to the Blackhawks from the Detroit Red Wings, Jurco appeared in 13 games with his new club, scoring once.

Also in the west, Coyle, who is a brand now, and the Wild will take on Jake Allen and the St. Louis Blues. That series starts on Wednesday. Coyle recorded a career high 56 points this season.

Here's a look at how Sea Dogs alumni (and one current player) performed in the NHL this season.

NHL

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Mike Hoffman	OTT	74	26	35	61
Charlie Coyle	MIN	82	18	38	56
Nathan Beaulieu	MTL	74	4	24	28
Jonathan Huberdeau	FLA	31	10	16	26
Tomas Jurco	DET/CHI	29	1	0	1
Eric Gelinas	COL	27	0	1	1
Chris DiDomenico	OTT	3	0	0	0
Simon Despres	ANA	1	0	0	0
Thomas Chabot	OTT	1	0	0	0