Notebook: Phillips, Gagne staying overseas

Zack Phillips is staying overseas.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward has signed with the Elite Ice Hockey League's Nottingham Panthers for the 2017-18 season.

“I like his attitude and I very much like the detailed reports I’ve had in about his skill set," said Panthers head coach and Oromocto native Corey Neilson in a press release. "He can play centre or right wing and we see him on the first line leading the offence."

ICYMI: The Panthers finalised the signing of @zackphillips7! What do you think of the new man & what can he do in the @officialEIHL? pic.twitter.com/DdxCuKIQIm

— Nottingham Panthers (@PanthersIHC) July 4, 2017

After spending four seasons professionally in the AHL and ECHL, the Fredericton native spent last season in Sweden.

Phillips played with the Sea Dogs from 2009 - 2012 and was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Gagne signs in Sweden

Former Sea Dogs defenceman Kevin Gagne is also staying overseas as well.

After spending the past two seasons with the Swedish club Mora IK, Gagne has signed with Rogle BK - also in Sweden - for the upcoming year. Rogle plays in the SHL, the highest tier of hockey in Sweden.

John Moore recently caught up with Gagne in Halifax.



The 25-year-old recorded seven goals and 25 points in 51 games with Mora last season and was named the Allsvenskan league defenceman of the year. He helped the club get promoted to the SHL for the 2017-18 season.

Lightning prospect rankings

Mathieu Joseph was named the ninth best prospect in the Tampa Bay Lightning system by Bolt Prospects this week.

"Joseph, who dominated the 3v3 tournament at the Lightning’s prospect camp, comes into the Lightning organization as a pro next year an excellent skater with above-average creativity and hands," wrote the website. "We look at him at this juncture as a PK-specialist and energy guy who has enough offensive flair to spot fairly often on a scoring line. He's a real darkhorse to make the Lightning out of camp this fall and he's another forward we expect to make it to Tampa Bay sooner rather than later in a 1-3 year window."

Joseph was mic'd up for a game at Lightning development camp.

Guy is mad about Pare

Comcast Sportsnet New England's Joe Haggerty really didn't like what he saw in Cedric Pare on day one of Bruins development camp.

"Clearly, Pare might not be a guy with the kind of skills that jump out at you at these prospect drills and perhaps game situations will show more of what he brings to the table," wrote Haggerty. "Still, he didn’t show much on his first day of drills with more polished, skilled players surrounding him on the ice."

Geez, Joe. It was day one.

Zboril looking better

A more positive article from Boston development camp comes from Bruins Daily where Tim Rosenthal writes about the maturity of Sea Dogs defenceman Jakub Zboril.

“He’s come leaps and bounds, and I think it’s a comfort level for him,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, the Bruins’ Player Development Coordinator. “I think he’s a cautious kid in that regard, and the maturation process that he went through last year from rookie camp to the end of the year has been fantastic. You can kind of see that in the way he integrates himself in the group now and becoming more of a leader.”

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation