Notebook: New goaltender added to camp

A new netminder has been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs announced via Twitter on Saturday that overage goaltender Daniel Moody will take part in the team's camp, replacing Mathias Savoie.

Training Camp Update: (G) Daniel Moody will attend Sea Dogs camp on loan from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. (G) Mathias Savoie will not be attending training camp. #SJCamp20

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 29, 2020

Moody, a Blackville native, has played with Drummondville, Chicoutimi and Baie-Comeau during his QMJHL tenure. Moody is a graduate of the Miramichi Rivermen program.

Savoie, 18, was a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in 2018. He has been recalled a few times over the past two seasons as an injury replacement. The Memramcook native spent last season with the Moncton Flyers and Amherst Ramblers.

Moody, returnee Noah Patenaude and overager Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo are the only three goaltenders listed on the Dogs camp roster.

FIRST DAY

Here's Sea Dogs head coach Greg Gilbert discussing Sunday's first practice of training camp.

5 things to watch for at Sea Dogs camp

It feels great to write this: Saint John Sea Dogs training camp is officially underway.

The team hit the ice at TD Station this morning in what will be - without question - the strangest camp in team history due to COVID-19 guidelines. Seeing photos and video from inside the rink made things seem almost normal. Then you remember what the date is; you see how few players are the ice for opening day; and you realize that typically you're in the building to see this. This is not a normal training camp, but it's great to have something sort of normal back.

An exciting season is in front of us. We've arrived at the point where this Sea Dogs core should be hitting an upswing - and a major one at that. This team has the potential to be one of the CHL's best not just this season, but next season and the one after that as well. Potential is the key word though. Now is the time to begin showing that this potential is real.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on as training camp ramps up over the next few days and weeks.

GILBERT'S IMPACT

There will be plenty of new faces at training camp. Veterans like Christopher Inniss, Nicholas Girouard and Liam Leonard were acquired via trades. NCAA commits Peter Reynolds and Cam MacDonald signed with the club. Leighton Carruthers and Nathan Drapeau were picked in the first-round of the QMJHL Entry Draft. With all these major additions, it's easy to forget perhaps the team's biggest acquisition: head coach Greg Gilbert. Gilbert has coached in the NHL, AHL and OHL previously, and that experience could prove pivotal over the next few seasons. His impact on the Sea Dogs could be huge.

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

Speaking of Gilbert, it will be interesting to see how differently the team's structures are this season compared to the last two. The biggest question, as it has been over those last two seasons, is if Saint John can play better in their own end. We know that Saint John's defensive core can score, but now is the time to show that it can defend as well. Improving defensive play could be the difference between this Sea Dogs core being a good team or a great one.

SCORING

On the flip side of defense, Saint John's offense is an interesting one. The team has lost four of its top 10 scorers from last season: Jeffrey Durocher, Anderson MacDonald, Maxim Cajkovic and Nicholas Deakin-Poot. Three of the other top 10 scorers were defensemen: William Villeneuve (who led the team in scoring), Jeremie Poirier and Charlie DesRoches. Saint John is going to need more offensive production from its returning forwards. On paper the offense should be better - but they need some things to go right. Brady Burns, Joshua Roy and Josh Lawrence - who all finished top 10 in team scoring last season - are back. Hopefully returnees like Dawson Stairs, Alex Drover and Charles Savoie can step up. Vladislav Kotkov (assuming he gets to Saint John) and Nicholas Girouard should help, as should Peter Reynolds and Cam MacDonald. The potential for scoring is there, the team just needs to put it all together.

Sea Dogs acquire Kotkov from Sagueneens

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The Saint John Sea Dogs made a major trade on the eve of training camp.

The Sea Dogs announced Saturday the acquisition of  overage import Vladislav Kotkov from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft and a 10th-round choice in the 2022 draft. Both picks are conditional, meaning this deal could end up looking different down the road.

“Kotkov is an elite offensive weapon and has pro hockey camp and playing experience," said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. "We think that he has the chance to be a very dominant player this season.

“He has been in the playoffs every season since he joined the league. Last season, he was an important part of a team that finished third in the overall standings and was poised for a run at the President Cup. If it wasn’t for the sudden cancellation of the season, his playoff totals would be much higher.”

The Russian has recorded 77 goals and 79 assists in 177 career QMJHL games over three seasons. Last year he registered 22 goals and 24 assists in 51 games on a very good Chicoutimi team.

Kotkov signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent in 2018. He appeared in one game with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda in 2018-19, recording a goal.

The move gives the Sea Dogs a significant jolt of offense - but it creates a number of questions as well. The Dogs made no mention of Kotkov's current location, so just getting him to Saint John may be an issue. The team also seemed to be set on the overage front with Liam Leonard, Matt Gould and Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo. Gould, an American, faces travel issues. But, the overage situation may have a simple solution if the CHL moves to allow four 20-year-olds this season - which is apparently still a possibility.

Czech defenseman Jan Hampl was the lone import listed on the Sea Dogs' training camp roster. The team previously said that he and Gould "will attend camp, but will be joining at a later date."

QMJHL training camps begin on Sunday. Saint John's pre-season game is scheduled for Tuesday night at TD Station.

Notebook: QMJHL teams follow other leagues in supporting Black Lives Matter

All 18 QMJHL teams, along with the league itself, released social media statements Friday morning supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/iKJSIh14Zo

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 28, 2020

This comes a day after the NHL and its players postponed playoff games.

Hopefully this turns out to be more than a public relations move and these high profile junior teams use their public platforms to help make change. Teams have not shared any details on the ways they plan to support more inclusiveness in communities.

The OHL, WHL and CHL did not release statements.

CHL RETURN TO PLAY UPDATE

While the QMJHL's return to play plan has been moving forward quite nicely, thongs remain uncertain and complicated in the OHL and WHL.

Both leagues have targeted early December for their returns - but several obstacles remain. One of the biggest challenges surround American teams and how they will - if they can - operate if border restrictions are not loosened.

This kind of move would require Canadian govt support, of course, which cannot be taken for granted.
Several agents also say there may be issues acquiring student visas for international players to enter Canada this fall, given the uncertainty over schooling.

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) August 25, 2020

British Columbia has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks and the province isn't loosening restrictions any time soon.

Looks like a good decision by @TheWHL to start December 4th. BC health minister Adrian Dix today said they aren't moving from a maximum of 50 people at gatherings. "In BC we don't have a lot of rules, but this is one of the main ones and I wouldn't expect any relaxation of it".

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) August 25, 2020

Hopefully both leagues are able to start in early December even if buildings are empty.

Gallery: QMJHL arenas are installing ice

In these dark times, it's good to shine some light on Good Things. So here are some very nice images from the past week showing arenas around the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League putting ice in.

Yes, it's happening. Hockey is coming back.

The QMJHL's pre-season begins next Tuesday. Most teams will be playing in their home rinks with a few exceptions - including the Gatineau Olympiques who will, at least to start the season, call Arena Baribeau home (although, as you can see below, it will look like home).

Notebook: Coyle, Bruins moving on

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Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Coyle has two goals and an assist in eight playoff games this year, which includes the Bruins' seeding games and a first-round series win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Bruins will face Mathieu Joseph and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second-round. Joseph has yet to appear in any playoff games for the Lightning.

Coyle and Jospeh are the only two Sea Dogs alumni left in the NHL playoffs after Matthew Highmore and the Chicago Blackhawks were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. Highmore leaves the bubble with three goals and an assist in nine playoff games.

CARRUTHERS READY FOR CAMP

Leighton Carruthers, a first-round pick of the Sea Dogs, was one of the few players from Saint John's 2020 draft class to receive an invite to training camp. John Moore recently caught up with the forward.

Carruthers recorded 18 goals and 37 points in 35 games with the Halifax McDonald's last year.

The Wildcats have raised ticket prices too

The Moncton Wildcats have followed the Saint John Sea Dogs in raising season ticket prices for the COVD-19 impacted 2020-21 season.

The Wildcats unveiled their season ticket pricing on Friday in a letter posted online. According to the team, "pricing for the 2020-21 season will include a $75 + HST price increase on all season ticket packages (with the exception of youth 3-14 years old). Ticket revenue accounts for a large percentage of our business, and this season we are operating at reduced capacity. We have also made significant investments to enhance our health and safety procedures to best protect our community, fans, players and staff during events at the Avenir Centre."

The Sea Dogs' adult season ticket prices were also raised by $75 to $575. That's still quite a bit cheaper than the least expensive Wildcats adult season ticket package, which is priced at $635.95 (end zone seats).

Sea Dogs invite 28 players to training camp

There was at least one notable omission from the Saint John Sea Dogs training camp roster.

Overage forward and Saint John native Anderson MacDonald was left off the squad's roster, which was released on Wednesday by the team. MacDonald was acquired mid-season last year and recorded seven goals and nine assists in 23 games. Saint John was his fourth QMJHL team in as many seasons.

No reasoning was given for MacDonald's omission. The move means there will be just three 20-year-olds at the team's camp: goaltender Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo and forwards Liam Leonard and Matt Gould. Gould, an American, will attend camp at a later date, according to the team.

Saint John's 28-man roster - which is well below the 34 player limit that the league put in place for this COVID-19 impacted season - includes 15 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders.

Assuming Saint John goes with the typical 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders, there could be some intense battles for the final few spots on a team that is expected to make a major step forward.

Pagliarulo and returnee Noah Pateneaude will likely make up the team's net presence, leaving Mathias Savoie on the outside.

On the backend, there's not much room. Assuming Charlie DesRoches, Jan Hampl, Christopher Inniss, Kale McCallum, Jeremie Poirier and William Villeneuve are basically locks to make the team, that leaves room for just one more d-man (again, assuming the team goes with the usual seven D). That battle could come down to 19-year-old returnee Brendan Sibley and 16-year-old first-round pick Nathan Drapeau.

18-year-old Isaac Dixon, who spent last season with MHL Grand Falls, and 16-year-old Hunter Gartley, a sixth-round pick of Saint John, are the two other d-men in camp. Both are New Brunswickers.

Season ticket memberships will look - and cost - a lot different this season

The Saint John Sea Dogs became on of the first QMJHL teams to release detailed information on season tickets for the COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season on Tuesday.

Season tickets will be much different than in past seasons, obviously, and they'll also be quite a bit more expensive.

Adult season ticket memberships have been priced at $575, an increase of $76 compared to the 2019-20 season. This upcoming season will also feature four fewer home games due to the schedule being cut to 60 games.

Here's a comparison:

	2019-20 Price	2020-21 Price
Adult	$499	$575
Senior	$444	$495
13-25	$170	$250
Kids Pass	$35	$150

"With the limited number of fans in the arena, and the growing cost of ensuring safety for our fans, players, and staff, prices have changed for this season," read the Sea Dogs news release.

A lot of fans are struggling financially through this pandemic. The price increase is unfortunate, but junior hockey teams, like many businesses, are going to struggle to survive over the next year or two. A lot of businesses will be making similar price increases with their product, no doubt - and it's not like the Sea Dogs can simply say "let's sell more tickets."

According to the news release, TD Station's capacity will be around 25% of seats - which means around 1,500 fans or so. That's less than half of last season's average attendance of 3,345 fans.

There's a strong chance only season ticket members will be watching live games in Maritime arenas this season. "We anticipate that only those who have season tickets will be able to get a seat at the Sea Dogs games this year," said the team.

Pre-season schedule released

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their first pre-season game of the COVID-19 era on Sept. 1 at TD Station.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League unveiled its 2020 exhibition schedule on Tuesday and, other than it starting and ending later than usual, looks pretty normal.

The Sea Dogs will play seven pre-season contests - two against Bathurst, two against Halifax, two against Cape Breton and one against Moncton. Saint John played seven pre-season games last year as well - but none of them took place at TD Station. All of Saint John's home games will be played in their usual home this time around.

Here's a look at Saint John's schedule:

Tuesday, Sept. 1 vs Bathurst - 7 p.m. at TD Station

Thursday, Sept. 3 at Bathurst - 7 p.m. at KC Irving Regional Centre

Saturday, Sept. 5 at Halifax - 4 p.m. at RBC Centre

Sunday, Sept. 13 vs Halifax - 3 p.m. at TD Station

Friday, Sept. 18 at Cape Breton - 7 p.m. at Centre 200

Saturday, Sept. 19 at Cape Breton - 1 p.m. at Centre 200

Friday, Sept. 25 vs Moncton - 7 p.m. at TD Station

The Sea Dogs have not released details on if fans will be able to attend home pre-season games. Most teams - including the Wildcats and Mooseheads - have said fans will not be allowed to attend training camp of pre-season contests. Several teams have said home pre-season games will be broadcast on YouTube.

The QMJHL's regular season schedule has not yet been released. The Sea Dogs have said, however, that their home opener will take place on Saturday, Oct. 3.

QMJHL teams are expected to begin training camps on Aug. 30.

Notebook: Plenty of questions ahead

Following this week's positive news that the QMJHL is moving forward with its Oct. 1 start, here is some more good news: it sounds TD Station will indeed be installing ice.

This would hardly be noteworthy in normal times, but these are far from normal times. The Gatineau Olympiques, for example, may not have a home for several months. The Charlottetown Islanders will be holding their training camp at UPEI and starting the regular season on the road while Eastlink Centre gets converted from a coronavirus testing site back to an arena.

TD Station, meanwhile, has released public ice rental information, which includes a number of COVID related rules. The rules include the mandatory wearing of face masks inside the building; maintaining a 2m social distance; and different doors for entering and exiting. While some of the rules listed will likely be different for Saint John Sea Dogs home games, this, at least, gives us a bit of an idea of what we may see.

Quebec media has reported that the New Brunswick government has given the province's three QMJHL teams the green light to have fans in the stands. How many fans and how that will all work is the big question.

Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told CBC last week that capacity may be even less than the current season ticket base, which is roughly 1,500 (sponsors included).

Public health guidelines are always changing as well - but hopefully guidelines aren't forced to take a step back come Oct. 1. 

Starting Monday, August 17, physical distancing of 1 metre with the continuous use of a mask in public venues with seating (such as theatres or arenas) will be permitted. No food or drink allowed. ⁰https://t.co/PxSdWB7dz3 pic.twitter.com/zdvgOQobHW

— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) August 14, 2020

WEBCAST UPDATE
No matter how many fans will be allowed inside rinks this season, there's likely going to be more people than ever streaming games.

The QMJHL, along with the OHL and WHL, will have a new webcast provider this season. That new provider will be Verizon - but that's just about all the info known at this time.

As previously reported, it's expected there will be a new minimum standard in place, which includes multiple cameras in each arena and replays.

The QMJHL typically waits until the last minute to release webcast pricing details - often just a day or two before the start of the regular season - but hopefully that improves this year.

Ex-Dogs eliminated from NHL playoffs

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A few Saint John Sea Dogs alumni had their NHL seasons come to a close over the past couple weeks.

Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida), Mike Hoffman (Florida), Nathan Beaulieu (Winnipeg) and Julien Gauthier (New York Rangers) were all eliminated in the Stanley Cup qualifying round.

Huberdeau recorded a goal and two assists in the Panthers' four games against the New York Islanders while Hoffman registered three goals and two helpers. The team has fired Dale Tallon has their general manager, so changes may be on the way this off-season. Florida has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 1996.

Beaulieu, meanwhile, recorded one assist in four games with the Jets, who were eliminated by the Calgary Flames. Beaulieu's playoff run will likely be remembered by his fight with Milan Lucic more than anything.

Gauthier was held pointless in the three games he played in with the Rangers, who were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes - Gauthier's former team.

QMJHL moving forward with Oct. 1 start

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is moving forward with its plan to return to action later this month.

The league announced this afternoon that training camps will open on Aug. 30 - a few days later than originally planned - and the regular season will kick off on Oct. 1. The QMJHL has been planning on an Oct. 1 restart all summer and has met enough public health protocols to move forward.

"In order to begin the season on October 1st, with training camps and return to school deadlines coming up at end of August, the league had to decide on whether or not to start the 2020-2021 season," stated a QMJHL news release. "The League’s mission is to develop players both academically and athletically while providing the safest possible environment. In view of the urgency of the situation and in line with our mission, the members voted in favour of returning to play on October 1st.

"Following our conversations with both the Provincial Governments and Public Health Agencies, it has been determined that the 2020-2021 season will be played behind closed doors in Quebec, while details are currently still being discussed for the Maritimes."

As expected, work is continuing on getting fans safely into buildings in the six Maritimes cities. It's unclear how many fans or just how that will work at this time. Teams seem to be favouring opening rinks up only to season ticket members, which would help with logistics. The Saint John Sea Dogs recently sent fans a survey regarding ticketing for the upcoming season.

The QMJHL also confirmed reports that training camp rosters will be capped at 34 players; the regular season will be 60 games instead of the usual 68; there will be three divisions of six teams each and teams will not play outside those divisions; the league will announce its playoff format no later than December.

OHL planning on December return; Memorial Cup pushed into June

The Ontario Hockey League has become the latest hockey league to announce its intentions to start the 2020-21 season in December.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the OHL said that it's "planning to return to play on December 1, 2020, subject to ensuring that the players, fans, staff and community are able to play and attend games safely. Over the next four months the league will continue to work with government and health agencies to finalize outstanding issues such as safe attendance at venues and cross border travel for teams and players."

The OHL said that its season will include a 64-game schedule and a 16-team playoff format. The league will reportedly adjust its scheduling to reduce travel, which is something the QMJHL is expected to do.

Just spoke with OHL commissioner David Branch. The Dec. 1 target start date gives the league some runway to deal with the border problem. No out-of-conference games this year and teams to be clustered based on proximity.

— Ryan Pyette (@RyanatLFPress) August 5, 2020

The regular season is scheduled to end on April 29, 2021, which the other CHL leagues will, presumably, roughly target as well. The 2021 Memorial Cup is scheduled to be played June 17-27, 2021 in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie.

Sea Dogs acquire overage forward

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a surprising deal on Tuesday, acquiring overage forward Liam Leonard from the Moncton Wildcats.

In exchange for Leonard, the Sea Dogs dealt 18-year-old forward Connor Richard to the Wildcats.

The move raises some questions about Saint John's overage situation. The team currently has six 20-year-olds listed on its pre-season roster: forwards Leonard, Ben Badalamenti, Anderson MacDonald and Matt Gould; defenseman Jordan Spadaore; and goaltender Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo.

Gould, MacDonald and Pagliarulo were presumed to be the leading candidates for Saint John's three overage slots, but the acquisition of Leonard certainly creates some questions. Of course these are unusual times, so it's difficult to even guess what situations may have come up (Gould is an American, for example, which could create some complications given the border situation).

Leonard split last season with the Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan, recording four goals and seven assists in 46 games. He had 27 points in 65 games the season prior (which included six goals and eight points against Saint John). Leonard would presumably be used more as a role player on the bottom two lins, which is something the Sea Dogs could use.

Richard, a Quispamsis native who was taken by Saint John in the 10th round of the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, appeared in three games with the Sea Dogs in 2018-19, recording no points. He spent last season with the MHL's Campbellton Tigers.

“Connor had a really good season in the MHL last year," said Wildcats director of hockey operations, Ritchie Thibeau, in a news release. “He’s a very good skater who is also very competitive and will bring skill. We are looking forward for him to battle for a roster spot at training camp.”

The Sea Dogs have not made any statements regarding the trade.