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Saturday, July 11, 2020

Notebook: Leland joins Titan staff

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan will have a familiar face behind the bench this season.

This past week, the Titan named Greg Leland an assistant coach. Leland, from Quispamsis, was an assistant coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs for eight seasons, which included helping the club win two President Cup championships and the 2011 Memorial Cup title.

Leland has been the head coach and general manager of the MHL's Campbellton Tigers since 2016-17, where he notably coached Dawson Stairs during the 2018-19 season.

“It was not an easy decision to leave the Tigers," Leland said in a Titan news release. "I enjoyed my years there, but I’m now ready to return to the QMJHL to work with some talented young players.”

The Titan won just 12 games last season after only winning eight the year before. The club has had to rebuild completely from its 2018 Memorial Cup championship run, but seems poised to take a bigger step forward this upcoming season.

NHL DRAFT DATE SET
As we continue to move further into the unknown, it's nice to see some future dates be set - even if they are tentative.

The NHL announced Friday the tentative dates for 2020 NHL Draft - originally planned for late June in Montreal - are Oct. 9-10. If the CHL season is able to start Oct. 1-2 (which seems unlikely at this point), that would have the NHL Draft taking place the second weekend of the regular season.
It would certainly be weird to see Jeremie Poirier or William Villeneuve get drafting while playing in a game for the Sea Dogs. But... this is a scenario that we (sadly?) probably won't have to worry about.

VIRTUAL CAMP
In another "sign of the times," the Sea Dogs held their annual development camp - which typically takes place at the qplex the weekend following the QMJHL Entry Draft - online this year.
DRAFTED PROSPECTS RANKINGS
Former Sea Dogs captain Joe Veleno was ranked 41st in The Athletic's 2020 top 50 NHL drafted prospects list.

Veleno, 20, registered 11 goals and 12 assists in 54 games with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins this past season - his first year of professional hockey. He has yet to make his NHL debut.

"Questions do linger, however, on just how high Veleno’s upside can be, and just what kind of player he will be," writes Scott Wheeler. "He’s not really a natural scorer. He’s not a particularly dynamic passer. He’s just a good, consistent hockey player. I think Veleno will get there and be an important middle-six center. It’s going to be a slower burn for Veleno than for some other players though. Patience will be key."

D'ORAZIO
Craig Eagles of Rogers TV caught up with Sea Dogs goaltending prospect Michael D’Orazio recently. The 16-year-old was a third-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

“Going into the QMJHL draft day I was nervous on where I would land, but I was also enjoying the special moment with my family," he told Eagles. "I was very thrilled to be selected by Saint John Sea Dogs.

“It’s a great honour to be selected by the Sea Dogs. It’s every young hockey player’s dream to be drafted in a major junior league and Saint John is definitely a great organization.”

D’Orazio is unlikely to crack the Sea Dogs lineup this season. He told Eagles that his first option is to return to Shattuck St. Mary's for another season of prep school hockey, but he has looked at options in Canada due to border uncertainty.

D'Orazio was the highest goaltender the Sea Dogs have selected since picking Alex D'Orio in the first-round of the 2015 draft.

BREEN TO MAINE
Further confirmation that Lynden Breen, a Grand Bay-Westfield native who was drafted by the Sea Dogs in the fifth-round of the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, will join the University of Maine for the upcoming season.


Breen, a 19-year-old forward, recorded 18 goals and 30 assists in 45 games with the USHL's Fargo Force last season.

ECHL COMING TO QUEBEC
We've been following this story for some time now, and it's getting very close to becoming official: the ECHL will have a team based out of Trois-Rivieres in time for the 2020-21 season.

“This team will be the only ECHL team in the Quebec market,” said the city's mayor, Jean Lamarche, via Habs Eye on the Prize. “It will give Quebec prospects a second opportunity to prove themselves. It’s a good product, it will be a local product. I am one of the biggest fans of the ECHL, and I am also one of the biggest fans of Trois-Rivières."

The team is expected to be affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens.

What does this mean for the QMJHL? It certainly means there won't be a QMJHL team placed at the new arena in Trois-Rivières anytime soon, an idea that has always faced obstacles given its proximity to existing markets. The biggest question is will QMJHL teams lose any fan support to the ECHL? It's hard to say, but the ECHL's existing Canadian teams - the Brampton Beast and Newfoundland Growlers - aren't exactly jamming buildings full every night.

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