Sea Dogs draft 12 players

QUEBEC CITY - Despite having the first overall selection, the 2019 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft will be remembered as a fairly quiet one for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs kept all 12 picks they entered the draft with and selected eight forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender. The team took some swings, drafting several players with NCAA intentions, and time will tell if they hit home runs or not.

Here's a closer look at Saint John's selections.

Round 1, Pick 1
Joshua Roy, forward, 5'11", 180 lbs
Full article here.

Round 2, Pick 21
Peter Reynolds, forward, 5,9", 160 lbs
The Sea Dogs rolled the dice early in the second round and took Fredericton native Peter Reynolds. The forward played at Shattuck St. Mary's the past few seasons and has already committed to Boston College for 2022. He is believed to be heading to the BCHL next season.

Reynolds recorded 27 goals and 44 assists in 51 games last season. He was ranked as the third best player available for this year's draft by every publication, but his NCAA commitment dropped him significantly on draft day.

Les Sea Dogs ont pu parler à Peter Reynolds depuis sa sélection. Le jeune se dit honoré d'avoir été repêché par l'équipe de son enfance mais le plan demeure.

L'organisation va le rencontrer dans les prochains jours. St-Jean espère l'attirer au camp de développement. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) June 8, 2019

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out. Reynolds obviously fits into Saint John's core... but this a core that's getting crowded. This will be something to follow as the off-season move along.

Round 2, Pick 34
Charles Savoie, forward, 6'1", 161 lbs
Savoie had 19 goals and 18 assists in 41 games with the midget AAA Saint-Eustache Vikings last season.

Sea Dogs select Roy first overall

QUEBEC CITY - The Saint John Sea Dogs selected Joshua Roy with the first overall pick in Saturday's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft at Videotron Centre.

Roy, a 5'11", 180 lbs forward from St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., was ranked first by QMJHL Central Scouting and second by HockeyProspect.com.

Roy recorded excellent numbers with the Levis Chevaliers of the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League this past season, putting up 38 goals and 50 assists in 42 games.

From HockeyProspect.com:

Roy is great with his ability to read the play and anticipate what comes next, which allows him to excel at both ends of the rink. On the offensive side of the puck, Roy possesses an elite scoring touch, but also likes to hold onto the puck and control the pace of the game in the offensive zone. As a shooter, he possesses excellent shot velocity and accuracy with his wrist shot and snapshot, fooling goalies while subtly changing his shooting angles. Even if he is more recognizable by his scoring abilities, Roy can make high-end plays in all three zones. He will make you pay for lazy coverage in the offensive zone with cross-ice offensive zone saucer passes from anywhere. Roy is more of a cerebral player, but his lack of compete level at even-strength leaves us with question marks.

Roy can play both wing and centre, but HockeyProspect.com believes he will start his junior career on the wing - which is probably good news for the Sea Dogs.

The selection of Roy comes after 24 hours of reports and rumours that perhaps he wasn't/isn't committed to playing in the QMJHL. His presence at the Draft and on stage appearance with a Sea Dogs jersey would seem to diminish those concerns.

The Sea Dogs pick again in the second round, 21st overall (at the time of this writing).

Drama filled first round coming up

QUEBEC CITY - There's plenty of drama ahead of Saturday's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft at Videotron Centre.

The Sea Dogs have the first overall pick - but who they select is still up in the air if you believe any media reports. The top players available are forwards Joshua Roy and Justin Robidas - both from Quebec. Roy seems to have the edge on Robidas, but now there is a report questioning if he is committed to the QMJHL.

According to Kevin Dube le Journal de Quebec, Roy may not attend the Entry Draft:

Bombe dans la #LHJMQ : à quelques heures du repêchage, l'espoir Joshua Roy est en réflexion et reconsidère ses options. Il pourrait ne pas être présent demain au Centre Vidéotron.

— Kevin Dubé (@KDubeJDQ) June 8, 2019

The Sea Dogs could easily go with Robidas - who was ranked as the top prospect by HockeyProspect.com - or go with a riskier move and draft Fredericton native Peter Reynolds, who is a Boston College commit.

According to JF Plante of the Gatineau le Droit, Reynolds may not be at the draft either:

Les #Seasogs auraient confirmé à Peter Reynolds qu’il serait le 1er choix du repêchage #lhjmq demain. Sa réponse. Je n’y vais pas. #pourlemoment

— jf plante (@jfplante_Droit) June 8, 2019

There are always reporting concerns at the QMJHL Entry Draft, but they are more prominent this year than perhaps ever before.

Believed 9 of 21 top ranked players are considering NCAA.  Interesting Patrick Roy in Quebec is among most vocal about wanting to make a change despite the fact the Remps have benefited from NCAA "bluffs" in the past.  Also worth noting- two smallest markets won Q last 2 years.

— Patrick McNeil (@CBSE_pbp) June 7, 2019

Who will the Sea Dogs take first overall? Will any players be at the draft? We'll find out this morning beginning at a 11 a.m.

Sea Dogs poised to pick first overall

QUEBEC CITY - It appears as though the Saint John Sea Dogs will in fact be taking to the stage first at Saturday's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft.

There had been reports and mild conversations that the Sea Dogs were listening to offers for the first overall pick, but with less than 24 hours until draft time, it looks like Saint John will use the pick.

Despite multiple offers don't expect @SJSeaDogs to trade 1st overall pick. 'We take info, distill it and make as sound of a decision as we can for the organization. Teams have shown interest but none have presented anything that would lead us to move the pick' GM @georgietrev

— John Moore (@rinkrant) June 7, 2019

Forwards Joshua Roy and Justin Robidas are projected to go first and second overall, respectively. The order they go in is up for debate, but it seems Roy has the edge right now.

There's also an outside chance the Dogs could take Fredericton's Peter Reynolds - ranked third by QMJHL Central Scouting - first overall. The left shooting forward played at Shattuck St. Mary's last season and has already committed to Boston College for 2022.

The 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft begins at 11 a.m. at Videotron Centre and can be seen live on TVA Sports.

2019 QMJHL Mock Draft

By Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - Ahead of Saturday's 2019 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft in Quebec City, here is a look at how things could break down with our annual mock draft.

1. Saint John Sea Dogs - Joshua Roy - F
Elite scoring forward picked up 88 points in just 42 games last season. Scores but can set up teammates as well. Plays both left wing and centre.

2. Val d’Or Foreurs - Justin Robidas - F
Son of former NHL defenseman Stephane Justin is carving his own path as an elite level forward. Elite level skating and can fill the net.

3. Moncton Wildcats - Zachary Dean - F 
Dean can score plenty but is also a very good play maker. He has a high end skill level mixed with excellent skating.

4. Gatineau Olympiques - Zachary L’Heureux - F 
Complete player with very good offensive awareness. Strong showings at both the Gatorade Challenge and the Canada Winter Games.

 5. Shawinigan Cataractes - Zachary Bolduc - F 
Another very talented two-way forward, Bolduc has elite level hockey sense. Can contribute on both special teams.

6. Val d’Or Foreurs - Nathan Gaucher - F 
Younger brother of current Foreurs forward Jacob Gaucher. Nathan is a powerful skater that likes to play a strong physical game.

7. Victoriaville Tigres - Maxime Pellerin - F
Pellerin is the son of the Tigres’ President but that doesn’t mean Maxime’s spot here isn’t without merit. Pellerin has excellent puck handling skills and is versatile, playing both centre and wing.

8. Quebec Remparts - Guillaume Richard - D 
The Quebec City native is an elite level offensive defenseman. Richard moves the puck exceptionally well and can quarterback his team’s power play.

9. Sherbrooke Phoenix - Olivier Nadeau - F 
Nadeau is a powerful skater and a very good two way player.

QMJHL releases full draft order

SAINT JOHN - The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has released the full order of Saturday's Entry Draft.

The Saint John Sea Dogs have the first overall pick along with two second round selections (21st and 34th overall) and a third (51st). All four of these picks were acquired through previous deals.

The Sea Dogs hold a lot of power heading into the draft. The team could very easily keep the pick and draft a very high end player - but there are interesting options as well, like trading down and picking up another high pick(s) and/or player.

According to media reports, the Sea Dogs are willing to listen to offers for the top pick - which is, obviously, a good idea.

Here is where Saint John is currently picking:

The Sea Dogs will also complete a few transactions on the weekend - including the acquisition of Nicolas Guay from the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Nicolas Guay des #Voltigeurs sera échangé aux #SeaDogs de Saint-Jean au prochain repêchage #LHJMQ. Drummondville recevra un choix de 2e tour et deux choix de 3e tour. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) April 30, 2019

The QMJHL Entry Draft takes place on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Quebec City.

The schedule is out

SAINT JOHN - For a third straight season, the Saint John Sea Dogs will host the Halifax Mooseheads on opening night at Harbour Station.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League released its 2019-20 pre-season and regular season schedules this past week . Teams will once again play 68 games - 34 at home and 34 away.

The Sea Dogs will open up the 2019-20 campaign on Friday, Sept. 20, taking on the Memorial Cup runner-up Mooseheads. Halifax defeated Saint John 5-4 in overtime to open up last season and 4-1 the year before.

Saint John will get a good taste of what the Maritimes Division will be like this year right out of the gate. The team will play all five division rivals within the first six games of the season.

Some other schedule notes:

• The Sea Dogs will play five straight home games between Oct. 19-31. That includes a 7 p.m. home game on Halloween against Rimouski.
• Saint John will play five straight road games - all in Quebec - between Nov. 9-15. That includes stops in Boisbriand, Victoriaville, Shawinigan, Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda.
• The holiday break will begin Dec. 15 for the Sea Dogs. They'll resume play on Dec. 28 in Bathurst - which is typically where the second half begins for the club.
• The Sea Dogs will visit Halifax on New Year's Eve for the first time. That will be a 2 p.m. start at Scotiabank Centre.
• The Dogs will host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Family Day - which falls on Monday, Feb. 17 - at 3 p.m.
• Saint John will play back-to-back games in Charlottetown on March 5-6, which is unusual.
• The Sea Dogs will end the regular season on home ice - which is extremely rare - with back-to-back games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on March 20-21. Saint John has closed out the regular season at home only two times previously - 2005-06 and 2010-11.

According to a press release, "the schedule features eight Friday home games, nine Sunday home games, and 11 Saturday home games." All of Saint John's afternoon games are listed as 3 p.m. starts.