Campoli joining Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - After years of struggling to land players with NCAA experience or intentions, the Saint John Sea Dogs have had an extremely encouraging week.

After officially announcing that Josh Lawrence had decommitted from Boston University to sign with the Sea Dogs, the team has added overage defenceman Michael Campoli, who played a season at Boston College.

Saint John acquired Campoli at last weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft in a deal with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. The Dogs sent fourth and sixth round picks in 2019 to the Armada.

Really excited to announce that I will be beginning a new chapter in my career with the @SJSeaDogs for the upcoming season! Looking forward to a great season with such a prestigious organization. #DogsGonnaEat

— Michael Campoli (@michaelcampoli) June 7, 2018

Campoli was a fourth round pick of Blainville-Boisbriand in the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft but has never appeared in a Quebec league game. He spent the 2016-17 season at BC where he recorded an assist in 12 games (and presumably got very little ice time).

The Pointe-Claire, Que. native spent last season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees where he registered three goals and eight assists in 19 games.

Campoli will be part of a revamped Sea Dogs defence core, which will likely include three of the teams top 2018 draft picks in William Villeneuve, Jeremie Poirier and Charlie DesRoches (who has decommitted from Northeastern University). It will be young and inexperienced, but certainly a lot more promising and intriguing than last season's group.

It's believed that Saint John will deal defenceman Radim Salda in the coming weeks in order to make room for a new import. The Sea Dogs hold the first overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft.