Notebook: More draft details released

The QMJHL's first virtual Entry Draft is less than a week away.

Next Friday night, the QMJHL will hold its first round which will feature 20 picks. The remainder of the draft will be held the following day.

This year's Entry Draft won't feature the "miniature NHL Draft" pageantry, but a few more details on what the event will look like have come out. Here's what Le Droit reported this past week:

• There have been some worries about the draft's broadcast after the problems that came about during the Draft Lottery. That shouldn't be a problem this time: the broadcast will be headquartered from a studio in Granby rather than the league's office.
• Commissioner Gilles Courteau will announce all the picks and trades. Typically team officials announce picks from the stage.
• League communications manager Maxime Blouin said they are expecting the first round to last around two hours. Obviously that could change depending on how many trades take place.
• Teams will have three minutes to make a selection.

Also of note: the league considered moving its draft later into June if the NHL had decided to hold its draft the same weekend.

DOGS PICKS
The QMJHL posted the draft order for all rounds this past week. Here's where Saint John is currently picking:

Round 1, 3rd overall (via Baie-Comeau)
Round 1, 15th overall (via Drummondville)
Round 2, 34th overall (via Rimouski)
Round 4, 70th overall (via Charlottetown)
Round 5, 88th overall (via Charlottetown)
Round 7, 120th overall
Round 9, 156th overall
Round 11, 192nd overall
Round 13, 228th overall
Round 14, 246th overall

The first round begins Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and rounds 2-14 will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. The trade period is believed to be beginning on Wednesday.

Nine years ago tonight...

It was nine years ago tonight that the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 3-1 to win the 2011 Memorial Cup.

Because there is nothing else to do right now, the CHL has been posting quite a bit about past Memorial Cups. Here's Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino remembering the tournament:

2011 #MemorialCup Highlights 🏆

A shorthanded snipe by Simon Despres plus a goal and an assist from both Zack Phillips and tournament MVP Jonathan Huberdeau led the @QMJHL’s @SJSeaDogs to a 3-1 championship win over host Mississauga.

FULL GAME 🖥: https://t.co/Tlf8hspPxb pic.twitter.com/hKZnvGKKMT

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) May 29, 2020

The CHL aired the championship game on its website last night.

As Cosentino mentioned, the Majors outshot the Sea Dogs 26-14 in the final two periods. While Jordan Binnington was probably the right choice for the tournament's top goaltender award, it really can't be understated just how good - and how valuable - Jacob DeSerres was in the Saint John goal.

As the highlight package shows, DeSerres essentially had the game of his life in net. He was named the game's first star and finished the tournament with a wild .946 save percentage and 1.82 goals against average - this a year after allowing nine goals in the Brandon Wheat Kings' 9-1 loss to the stacked Windsor Spitfires.

DeSerres didn't celebrate much when the final horn sounded. “I was almost so excited and so happy you don't show it. It's just all inside," he told NHL.com after the game.

“I have the simplest job title in the world — just stop the puck," he added.

Report: Cameron joining Sea Dogs?

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It's been so quiet on the Saint John Sea Dogs coaching front that the rumour/report dropped last night felt like a bit of a bomb.

Rogers TV QMJHL analyst Craig Eagles reported in a blog post that Dave Cameron's "name has surfaced as recently as this week as a possible candidate" for the Sea Dogs head coaching position.

Eagles added that "there’s a sense that the Sea Dogs will possibly make a decision very soon ahead of arguably the most important draft in franchise history."

Jeff Cowan has been the team's interim head coach since Josh Dixon was fired mid-season. Cowan, a long-time assistant and associate coach with the team, did a solid job in the immediate aftermath of the promotion, improving the team in all aspects. But the final month or two of the regular season was a rough go - and it no doubt created some uncertainty around Cowan's future role with the Sea Dogs.

Fast-forward to right now - just over a week away from the QMJHL Entry Draft - and the Sea Dogs have made very few mentions of the head coaching position. Until Eagles brought up this Cameron rumour, there hasn't been much speculation floating around.

Bringing in Cameron would be similar to the Sea Dogs' move in 2009 when the club hire Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly - all three of whom are coincidentally from Prince Edward Island. The Gallant/Kelly hiring turned out to be a good move to say the least.

Cameron has a lengthy coaching resume and was the head coach and general manager of the OHLs' Mississauga St. Michael's Majors for many years - which included losing to Sea Dogs in the 2011 Memorial Cup final nine years ago this week.

Cameron joined the Ottawa Senators after the 2011 Memorial Cup, working as both an assistant and head coach. He has been the head coach of the Vienna Capitals in Austria for the past two seasons.

The 61-year-old played one game with the Saint John Flames in 1994-95.

City, Spectra moving into negotiations

The Telegraph-Journal is reporting (paywall) that Global Spectrum (now "Spectra"), one of North America's largest arena management companies, will enter into negotiations with the City of Saint John for the lease and operation of TD Station.

The company was one of four groups that responded to the city's expression of interest to either purchase or lease the arena. Mayor Don Darling told the Telegraph-Journal that this means the other three groups are out of the running to either purchase or lease the building.

Spectra currently manages OHL rinks in London, Hamilton, Oshawa and Windsor, three of which - the exception being Hamilton - are considered to be among the most modern in junior hockey. The company also manages the WHL arena in Everett (which was recently named the best arena in the CHL by @chl_discussion on Instagram) along with a number of current and former AHL and NCAA facilities.

Given the COVID-19 situation, it's good to see this process still moving forward. And given the COVID-19 situation, it's hard to say when (if all goes all) this deal will be finalized.

While there are plenty of question marks around what this deal may mean for TD Station - most fans are probably wondering about potential upgrades to the nearly 30-year-old facility and the possibility of more major events coming to the city  - but having a global brand take over the building certainly seems like a good thing.

Spectra must still honour the existing contracts in place with the Sea Dogs and TD, reports the Telegraph-Journal.

JSM Sports Entertainment Inc. (the Scott McCain led organization), ASM Global (the company that manages Moncton's Avenir Centre) and Nustadia Recreation Inc. had also expressed interest in TD Station.

Notebook: Who will draft Nause?

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft is less than two weeks away, which means speculation and conversation about this year's virtual event is heating up.

One of the big questions heading into draft weekend is this: where will Evan Nause end up?

Nause, a Riverview, NB native, was taken sixth overall by the Val-d'Or Foreurs in last year's Entry Draft but did not report to the club (which is why the Foreurs have been compensated with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft). Although he remains uncommitted to a NCAA team at this time, it's believed college hockey remains very much an option.

The 17-year-old spent two seasons with Newbridge Academy before spending the 2019-20 campaign with the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede, recording a respectable three goals and 14 assists in 44 games as a rookie.

Since Nause is a Maritimer who spent last season in the USHL and has apparent NCAA intentions, there's obviously been speculation that the Sea Dogs could select the d-man in this year's Entry Draft. It's just speculation at this time, but when you have players like Peter Reynolds leaving NCAA commitments to sign with your club, this talk is going to happen.

Nause would obviously fit well into Saint John's core even though he'll be joining a crowded blue line. It would also give Saint John an even more impressive group of 2003-born players with Nause joining Reynolds, Joshua Roy, Charles Savoie and potentially Cameron MacDonald.

Saint John currently has the third and 15th overall picks in the first round of this year's Entry Draft.

Villeneuve named to second all-star team

William Villeneuve is often overshadowed by Jeremie Poirier - but that didn't happen with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's all-star teams.

Villeneuve was named to the league's second all-star team on Friday, joining Cape Breton Eagles d-man Adam McCormick on the backend. Forwards Felix Robert (Sherbrooke), Alex-Olivier Voyer (Sherbrooke) and Jakob Pelletier (Moncton) along with goaltender Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke) were also named to the team.

Villeneuve, the second overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, had a breakout season offensively, recording nine goals and 49 assists in 64 games. He led all QMJHL defensemen in both points (58) and assists (49).

The 18-year-old will no doubt hear his name called in the first few rounds of the NHL Draft (whenever that takes place).

Villeneuve was nominated for the league's defensemen of the year along with Jordan Spence (Moncton) and Justin Bergeron (Rimouski). Spence won the award (which was presented by former Sea Dog Thomas Chabot).

No Sea Dogs made the league's first all-star or rookie all-star teams.

Sea Dogs rookie forward Joshua Roy, the first overall pick in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft, had a strong rookie campaign - especially in the second half - but it's hard to argue that he had a better overall season than those who made the team. Roy finished the season with 16 goals and 28 assists in 60 games. 26 of his 44 points came in the new year.

Does Gatineau want the No. 3 pick too?

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The Gatineau Olympiques currently have the first, second and fourth overall picks in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. But could they possibly be looking to... move up?

That was speculated by the Gatineau newspaper Le Droit today. The Saint John Sea Dogs, of course, currently own the third overall pick - a pick that would have been Gatineau's had the Dogs not slid up to No. 3 through the draft lottery.

After Tristan Luneau at No. 1, predictions for how the first round will shake down vary. Gatineau obviously would have three players they badly want in order to spend the assets to move up a spot.

The Olympiques also have the 13th and 23rd overall picks in this year's Draft, one of which would likely have to be packaged to Saint John along with the No. 4 pick in order to acquire the No. 3 spot.

Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told Rogers TV last week that he expects his team to be picking at No. 3. Of course, at this time of year, things can change quickly.

"I don't suspect that we'll move that pick," Georgie said. "I expect us to pick at three. But if something makes a lot of sense for us - not just for this year but more multiple seasons - we'll certainly look at it. But as of now I would expect to pick at three."

HockeyProspect.com releases final rankings

HockeyProspect.com has unveiled its final rankings for the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft.

As expected, Trois-Rivières Estacades defenseman Tristan Luneau was ranked No. 1. Luneau was also ranked first by QMJHL Central Scouting and, even though he is committed to the University of Wisconsin, it appears as though he will indeed be the first player taken in this year's Draft.

After Luneau is where things will get interesting. HockeyProspect.com has ranked defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico second and another d-man, Antonin Verreault, third. Central Scouting has those two players flipped in its final rankings.

Forward Leighton Carruthers of the Halifax McDonald's was ranked fourth by HockeyProspect.com while defenseman Maveric Lamoureux of the Jonquière Élites was fifth.

HockeyProspect.com's QMJHL Entry Draft Guide - an extremely insightful resource - can be purchased here.

The Gatineau Olympiques currently have the first, second and fourth overall picks in this year's Draft while the Saint John Sea Dogs will pick third. Will the Sea Dogs trade the pick?

"I don't suspect that we'll move that pick," Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told Rogers TV last week. "I expect us to pick at three. But if something makes a lot of sense for us - not just for this year but more multiple seasons - we'll certainly look at it. But as of now I would expect to pick at three."

The Sea Dogs also own the 15th overall pick in the opening round. There are expected to be 20 picks in the first round due to compensation.

The 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 5-6 online. Only the first round will be held on Friday, June 5.

CHL settles class action lawsuit

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The Canadian Hockey League dropped some unexpected news on Friday afternoon.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was first to report that the CHL had settled its long lasting class action lawsuit over minimum wage payment. The lawsuit had been going on since 2014 when the controversial (and bizarre) CHL Players Association popped up.

According to Friedman, "each CHL team will be responsible for paying approximately $250,000 in damages. Some clubs can handle that easier than others, but it is not an insignificant amount at a time when the COVID-19 shutdown is wreaking havoc on businesses worldwide."

As Friedman mentioned, $250,000 is not an insignificant amount of money for many - if not most - CHL clubs. Settling this now is likely better than continuing on with the lawsuit, but still... this is going to hurt some teams. The lawsuit was settled before the COVD-19 pandemic shut the league down, making the financial implications of this situation even worse.

The CHL issued a statement on Friday, saying that "this settlement does not mean that we agree with the plaintiffs. It means that we wanted to end the lawsuits so we could continue to focus on being the best development league in hockey.

"All Canadian provincial governments reviewed the issue of player status and clarified in their legislation that our players are amateur student athletes and not employees covered by minimum wage or employment laws. While this ended the issue going forward, the lawsuits continued to be a distraction and would continue to damage the financial position of our teams by costing millions of dollars in legal fees for 5 to 10 more years. Millions of dollars that would pay lawyers and add nothing to our player experience or the strength of our teams."

Georgie talks off-season moves on Rogers

Saint John Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie was a guest on Rogers TV this week. On the show, Georgie discussed the Peter Reynolds signing; the upcoming QMJHL Entry Draft; the team's goaltending situation; and a variety of other topics.



A few takeaways:

• As Georgie has mentioned publicly in the past, the team does have "a few trades lined up" which will presumably be finalized when the league's trading period opens up ahead of the draft next month.
• On the No. 3 pick in next month's Entry Draft: "I don't suspect that we'll move that pick. I expect us to pick at three. But if something makes a lot of sense for us - not just for this year but more multiple seasons - we'll certainly look at it. But as of now I would expect to pick at three."
• The Reynolds signing seemed to solidify that the Dogs could very well remain a strong team after the "all-in" season of 2021-22. Georgie said he's hoping the team can remain competitive for the next three seasons.
• As expected, it sounds like the Sea Dogs are in the market for a veteran goaltender to split the load with Noah Patenaude this season. "I think that Noah has all the potential to be a starting goalie," said Georgie. "It's probably too early to give him that right away next season... a platoon situation makes most sense. There are a lot of goalies out there that are 19 and 20 that I think could be good mentors for Noah or share the duties. We're going to look at getting a goalie in here to share those duties with Noah and may the best goalie win."
• On COVID-19 and the possibility of a delayed or cancelled season impacting trades: "We won't be making any moves for one-year guys if there isn't clear compensation from the other team should there be a hold up to the season."

Notes: Catching up on COVID

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The Portland Winterhawks situation may not exactly be a sign of things to come, but it's not great news, either.

The Western Hockey League club made news this week with a surprising announcement, confirming its ownership had filed for bankruptcy, meaning the club would be put up for sale. The news is concerning given that the Winterhawks are one of junior hockey's most successful franchises both on and off the ice. Portland averaged 5,540 fans per game this past season.

"This bankruptcy has more to do with owner Bill Gallacher’s issues in the gas and oil industry and having to file Chapter 11 for his parent company than anything to do with the Winterhawks," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Insider Trading this week. While this may be a rare situation for the time being, there are still concerns about what the COVID-19 pandemic may do to some junior franchises.

"Junior hockey needs to put people in the stands for people to see the games and for junior hockey to be successful," said McKenzie. "If there’s no fans in the stands for 2021, there may not be any junior hockey to speak of and that could dramatically financially impact a lot of owners then. But, for now, it’s a one off."

CHL president Dan MacKenzie did a Q&A with Sportsnet this week and was asked about the possibility of teams playing games with no fans in attendance.

"We normally would not contemplate playing games without fans in our buildings as it would make the economics very hard for our teams," said MacKenzie. "Having said that, these are extraordinary times and we are going to explore all options and will re-examine whether playing with a limited number of fans is feasible."

The idea of playing in empty buildings continues to look like a non-starter for CHL clubs. MacKenzie's wording would seem to indicate that the idea of playing games with limited capacities is not an impossible idea, though. There's still tons of challenges with this concept - how do people get in/out of the building, how will the concourse work, etc. - but it's an idea that may be able to get junior hockey started again in the fall/winter if the coronavirus remains a threat.

Attention now turns to MacDonald

With Peter Reynolds signed, attention now turns to Cameron MacDonald.

Like Reynolds, MacDonald is a 2003-born forward who is committed to Boston College. And like Reynolds, MacDonald slid to Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft due to his college hockey intentions and spent last season continuing his path in that direction.

Yesterday's signing has created some wondering though: is MacDonald the next to sign with Saint John?

This tweet yesterday from Acadie Nouvelle has created more speculation.

Le Néo-Brunswickois Peter Reynolds abandonne l'idée de jouer dans la NCAA et s'entend avec les Sea Dogs. Mais ce n'est pas tout, l'équipe serait aussi sur le point d'annoncer l'arrivée d'un autre solide espoir, le Néo-Écossais Cameron MacDonald.

— Robert Lagacé (@RobLagace) May 11, 2020

Craig Eagles of Rogers TV also speculated, writing in a blog post that there are "also rumours circulating that Cam MacDonald may potentially be opting out of the NCAA route as well."

We will see what happens.

Signing MacDonald would be another huge get for the Sea Dogs. The Halifax native spent last season in the USHL with Sioux Falls, recording six goals and 14 assists. He is still listed as a BC commit for the 2021-22 season by College Hockey Inc.

HockeyProspect.com had MacDonald ranked as the 21st best player ahead of last year's draft. He fell to Saint John in the third round, 51st overall.

Reynolds cited the coronavirus pandemic as a reason for signing with Saint John, opting to stay closer to home. You have to wonder if some other top prospects - whether they've been drafted in years past or will be drafted next month - may opt to do the same. These uncertain times have created, well, plenty of uncertainty.

Reynolds signing is a big one

The Saint John Sea Dogs have done it again.

After a decade long struggle of getting already NCAA committed players to report to the team, the Sea Dogs have seen an influx of highly touted prospects choose to remain in Canada and play major junior hockey over the past couple years.

The latest addition to this group is Fredericton native Peter Reynolds, who de-committed from one of college hockey's premier programs, Boston College, to play for his (sort of) local team. The forward turned 17 in January and perfectly compliments the team's core.

“I am really excited to come home and be close to my family," Reynolds said in a news release. "I am also extremely excited to play for such a world class organization in my backyard.”

As noted in a Sea Dogs release, the team has been able to sway already NCAA committed players Charlie Desroches (Northeastern), Josh Lawrence (Boston University) and Matt Gould (Providence College) to join the club along with Dawson Stairs and Kale McCallum, who had college intentions. Some draft day gambles have really paid off for Saint John recently - far more than they once did.

Report: Reynolds to sign with Saint John

Sportsnet's Jeff Marek dropped a bomb on Monday morning, reporting that Peter Reynolds has decommitted from Boston College to sign with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

An official announcement could come today.

QMJHL News - Peter Reynolds has de-committed from Boston College and will join the Saint John Sea Dogs. Expect an official announcement as early as today.

Reynolds was ranked as high as 3rd in the 2019 Q draft but fell to SJ at 21 due to college plans.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) May 11, 2020

Reynolds, who turned 17 in January, fell to the Sea Dogs in the second round in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft due to his intentions to play NCAA hockey. He was considered a top prospect for last year's draft by many.

The Fredericton native spent last season with the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs, recording just under a point-per-game as a 16-year-old with 14 goals and 33 assists in 53 games. He was scheduled to join Boston College for the 2022-23 season.

The signing is a huge boost for the Sea Dogs who could use some help up front. The team's defensive core is pretty much set for the next couple years, but they could definitely use some more forward depth.

More to come...

Remparts interested in 2022 Memorial Cup

At least one other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team is eyeing the 2022 Memorial Cup.

Reports surfaced this week - via le Journal de Quebec - that the Quebec Remparts are considering a bid to host the 2022 tournament. Quebec was awarded the fifth overall pick in June's QMJHL Entry Draft this week, a pick that could prove crucial in their efforts to build a strong team for the 2021-22 campaign.

The Saint John Sea Dogs have expressed interest in hosting the tournament for a number of years now. Despite the team's rebuild still having quite a few question marks and the troubling financial conditions surrounding basically the entire planet right now, Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie made note in a video shared before the league's Draft Lottery on Wednesday that 2022 remains the target.

No other teams have publicly brought up a potential 2022 bid of late.

The Cape Breton Eagles came out last year saying they had interest in a 2022 bid, but they seemed to have stepped back from that talk.

The Gatineau Olympiques have also been brought up as a potential host. 2022 may be just a bit early for their rebuild (although they could very well be strong contenders by then) and there is now some uncertainty about when their new arena will be completed due to pandemic related financial challenges mid-construction.

If Quebec does host in 2022, it would be the third time they've held the tournament since 2003. Saint John has never hosted before, previously bidding in 2012 when they lost to Shawinigan.

The host of next year's Memorial Cup in Ontario has not been announced yet. Oshawa and Sault Ste. Marie have put bids forward. The expectation is that the tournament will be pushed into June to allow for more scheduling wiggle room should next season not start on time due to the pandemic.

QMJHL Central Scouting releases rankings

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QMJHL Central Scouting unveiled its final rankings for the 2020 Entry Draft this afternoon.

As expected, defenseman Tristan Luneau was the top ranked prospect. Listed at 6’01" and 182 lbs, the defenseman recorded six goals and 24 assists in 37 games with the AAA Trois-Rivières Estacades this past season. He added two goals and three assists in five playoff games.

Luneau has previously committed to the University of Wisconsin and was drafted into the USHL by the Sioux Falls Stampede just this week. That is obviously a bit of concern for both the QMJHL and the Gatineau Olympiques, who will be selecting first, second and fourth overall.

Saint-Eustache Vikings forward Antonin Verreault was ranked second while defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico of the Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal was third. The Saint John Sea Dogs currently own the third overall selection.

The top ranked Atlantic player was Moncton Flyers forward Samuel Savoie, ranked fourth. The Dieppe native recorded 18 goals and 38 assists in 37 games with the Flyers this season. He had another six goals and two assists in four playoff games.

Six players from the Maritimes were projected as first rounders (top 18 - although there will likely be 20 picks due to compensation picks) by Central Scouting.

The full rankings can be found here.

The 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 5-6 online. Only the first round will be held on Friday, June 5.

The trading period is expected to begin on June 3, according to Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie.

QMJHL apologizes for lottery broadcast

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's first experiment with a live YouTube broadcast did not go as planned.

Only small portions of the broadcast could be heard while the screen stayed frozen for most of the event. The league was shredded in the comments section for its poor quality and the broadcast issues have raised concerns about the upcoming QMJHL Entry Draft, which will be aired live online a month from now.

The league issued an apology tonight.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner's Office wants to apologize to its fans, players and media who were watching the 2020 Entry Draft Lottery this afternoon on the League's YouTube channel. 

The main objective was to offer the best possible broadcast to those who were watching the live draw. The three General Managers involved in the lottery were participating in a Skype conference with the QMJHL Director of Communications in order to get instant reactions and analysis. However, we faced technical issues that forced us to abandon the production. Thereafter, we issued a press release that contained the results, and we shared it on our website and social channels a few minutes later.

The league has deleted the attempted live video from its YouTube channel but has posted the below recap.



While it's easy to rip on the league for this performance, it's better this happened today than a month from now when a lot more eyes will be watching. Hopefully the issues get resolved.

Sea Dogs move up to No. 3

It wasn't what the Saint John Sea Dogs were hoping for, but given the odds, they'll likely take the result from Wednesday's QMJHL Draft Lottery.

The Sea Dogs had just a 9.5% chance of winning this year's lottery, which were higher odds than they had going into last year's event that saw them move up to No. 1. It wasn't meant to be this year though, as the Sea Dogs only moved up a single spot into the No. 3 position.

The Gatineau Olympiques, who had the best odds to win the first, second and third overall picks, won the the top two selections. Saint John moved up to third, Gatineau dropped to fourth and the Quebec Remparts closed out the top five.

#QDraft | Following the draft lottery, here is the order of the five teams that will be selecting first next month!

1. @LesOlympiques (via Halifax)
2. @LesOlympiques (via Acadie-Bathurst)
3. @SJSeaDogs (via Baie-Comeau)
4. @LesOlympiques
5. @quebec_remparts

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 6, 2020

The Olympiques have, remarkably, never before picked first overall in their long and decorated history.

The QMJHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 5-6 and will take place online. Only the first round will take place on June 5.

Draft Lottery to be held Wednesday

Wednesday will be an important day for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will hold its annual Draft Lottery at 3 p.m. Atlantic, which will determine the top five picks for this year's Entry Draft.

Fans can watch the lottery on the QMJHL's YouTube channel.

The Sea Dogs will have just two of the 21 balls in the lottery, giving them a slim chance (9.5%) of winning. However, Saint John has a successful history in lotteries/coin flips, including last year's when they won with just a 4.8% chance of doing so.

Last year was the seventh time Saint John was in contention for the first overall pick. 2018 marked the first time in team history that the Sea Dogs did not win a Draft Lottery they were involved in, finishing second. Before that, the team had won all five they were involved with - which, at the time, were coin flips with the bottom two teams, giving them better odds of winning.

Early January latest season could start

It's a question we all have but would prefer not to think about: what's the latest the 2020-21 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season could start before it gets axed entirely?

As we know, the league has been working on a number of contingency plans for the upcoming season, a season that seems very unlikely to start on time in September. Obviously, the later the season start gets pushed, the more complicated things become.

The Sherbrooke La Tribune reported last night that the latest the QMJHL season could start is Jan. 6. It seems like a random date, but in normal times, that would be the day after the World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game and presumably the final day of trading in the QMJHL (so basically, the real start of the second half).

Sherbrooke Phoenix governor Ronald Thibault said that a January start would result in a 30-game schedule, with the regular season ending in April - a couple weeks later than usual. That would then allow for playoffs before a Memorial Cup that would be pushed into early June - which has been reported by several national media outlets.

It remains unlikely that the league will start up if fans are not allowed in buildings. In La Tribune, Thibault even wondered if limiting building capacity to allow for social distancing would be financially possible for teams.

Ideally, fans get the green light from government authorities to return to arenas at some point between September and January. Fingers crossed.

Looking back at the iconic Gallant moment in Moncton

Perhaps the greatest moment in the history of the Saint John Sea Dogs/Moncton Wildcats rivalry took place 10 years ago today.

The iconic image of Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant climbing the Moncton Coliseum glass to yell at the Wildcats coaching staff has, somewhat sadly, been overshadowed by so many of the great moments that came in the two seasons that followed (... which isn't that sad).

But let's try to remember this incident on this special anniversary. #NeverForget

10 years ago today, @monctonwildcats took a 2-0 series lead with a 9-3 win in front of a sold out crowd at the Moncton Coliseum.

Randy Cameron 2🚨1🍏, Scott Brannon 2🚨 & Gabriel Bourque 2🚨led the #Wildcats.#SeaDogs coach Gerard Gallant got a little heated at the end of it.👇 pic.twitter.com/I4quespHAm

— Denis Leblanc (@DenisL_1981) May 2, 2020

The moment came in the dying seconds of Game 2 of the 2010 President Cup final, which ended up being one of the worst losses in Sea Dogs playoff history. With the Wildcats leading 9-3 - and already up 1-0 in the series - Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn replaced starting goaltender Nicola Riopel with backup Shane Owen out of fear his star netminder may get forced into some rough stuff.

"It showed no respect,'' said Gallant to the Telegraph-Journal after the game. "It's two nights in a row he's done that (Owen entered the contest in the late going of Game 1). Like I said, win or lose, you don't do that. It's showing no respect for my coaching, like I'm going to run his goalie over or something like that.

"If I had done that in the past, that would be different, but it really upset me. I'll take it once, but not two nights in a row. Is my team a dirty team? (Did) we do something stupid? We took a couple of penalties, but there was nothing vicious. The last game he did it, that's fine. I can live with it, but two nights in a row in a 9-3 score. It's saying that Gerard Gallant is an idiot coach and he's going to try and run my goalie. That's what it's saying to me. You can ask him, but that's what it is.''

Flynn, who ironically went on to coach the Sea Dogs a few years later, had this response to the Times & Transcript.