2018-19 QMJHL schedule released

The Saint John Sea Dogs will open the 2018-19 regular season at home on Sept. 21.

The Sea Dogs will host the Halifax Mooseheads in what will be the season opener for both clubs. The QMJHL's regular season opens one night earlier with the Moncton Wildcats visiting the defending President Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Saint John has a home heavy first month of the season, playing nine of their first 13 games at Harbour Station, only leaving the province twice (Charlottetown both times). That's good because the Sea Dogs have a comically large road stretch in November due to the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge invading Harbour Station. Here's a look at Saint John's schedule from Nov. 1-16.

That will not be an easy stretch. The Sea Dogs return to Harbour Station ice on Nov. 21.

Here's a few other notes on Saint John's schedule:

• Not surprisingly, the Sea Dogs will be the Wildcats' first opponent at the new downtown arena on Sept. 28. The Sea Dogs have never been a part of an arena opening before.
• Most of Saint John's Sunday home games will start at 2 p.m. again this year, but their are a handful of 3 p.m. starts.
• The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders on New Year's Eve this season, which falls on a Monday. The game will start at 2 p.m. Typically the Sea Dogs and Wildcats play each other, alternating cities each year.
• Saint John will end the regular season on Saturday, March 16 in Moncton. The Sea Dogs have been ending the regular season with back-to-back road games in Sydney for what feels like forever.
• Saint John will play back-to-back games in Bathurst on Jan. 11 and 12. Bathurst will do the same in Saint John on March 7 and 8. Weird.
• Joe Veleno and the Drummondville Voltigeurs visit Harbour Station on Nov. 23.
• If you haven't heard, the Mooseheads will be playing their first 15 games of the season on the road due to floor renovations at Scotiabank Centre. Saint John will not play in Halifax until Nov. 16.
• What's with Val-d'Or starting a lot of weekend games at 6 p.m. local time?

No details on Sea Dogs training camp or pre-season have been released yet, other than the fact that the team will host the Wildcats in an exhibition tilt in St. Stephen on Sunday, Aug. 26.