Notebook: Hughes returning home

Elite Prospects

One of the Saint John Sea Dogs' top prospects is returning to Canada.

Forward Simon Hughes, a second-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, has reportedly returned home after a short stint at Mount St. Charles prep school in Rhode Island.

'04 F Simon Hughes has left Mount St. Charles & returned home to Canada. Word is stops & starts in schedule because of COVID took a toll. Hughes is 2nd round pick of @SJSeaDogs

— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) November 12, 2020

The 16-year-old is fairly highly touted prospect, recording 17 goals and 42 assists with the Charlottetown Knights last season.

It's unclear where he'll end up for the remainder of the season, but Grand Falls do own his MHL rights.

REYNOLDS WATCH

Peter Reynolds is catching the eye of some scouts early on this season.

Reynolds, playing in his first QMJHL season, was featured in Future Considerations' top-10 list of draft eligible players for October.

“Reynolds is a speedy skater who can get to top-end speed really quite quickly,” said scout Dylan Galloway. “On top of his great straight away speed and three-step acceleration, I liked the few flashes I saw of his edge work, he was able to change direction in a few instances and it was particularly evident around the puck in the offensive zone.”

Reynolds has four goals and three assists in 12 games. He has cooled down a bit lately, being held pointless in five of his past seven games.

ZBORIL'S CHANCE

Is this finally the year former Sea Dogs defenseman Jakub Zboril becomes an NHL regular?

“Real strong. Real strong,” John Ferguson Jr., the Boston Bruins’ executive director of player personnel and Providence Bruins general manager, said of Zboril to The Athletic. “He’s on a very encouraging development curve, from where he became a real go-to defenseman for us in Providence to where he is now in Brno, playing extensive and important minutes in critical situations.”

Zboril, a first-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2015, has spent the last three seasons in AHL Providence. Last season he showed his biggest improvement, recording three goals and 16 assists. He has appeared in just two career NHL games.

The 23-year-old is currently playing in his hometown of Brno, Czech Republic until the NHL starts up. 

PARE SIGNS IN ECHL

Former Sea Dogs forward Cedric Pare has signed with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies.

Pare spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs and played his final two QMJHL campaigns with the Rimouski Oceanic. Last season as an overager, Pare recorded 37 goals and 51 assists in 64 games while playing on Alexis Lafreniere's line.

Pare, a sixth-round pick of the Bruins in 2017, helped Saint John win the 2017 President Cup and scored twice at the Memorial Cup. He finished his QMJHL career with 72 goals and 191 points in 261 games.

The Grizzlies are scheduled to begin regular season play on Dec. 11.

ARSENAULT STAYING

One of the best stories from the early parts of the QMJHL season has been Acadie-Bathurst Titan netminder Chad Arsenault, the 5'7", 18-year-old who has played a major part in his club's surprising start.

Arsenault, as an affiliate, could only play a maximum of 10 games with the Titan and appeared in his ninth contest this past weekend. The Titan solved the problem on Tuesday, signing the goaltender to remain with the team.

Arsenault is 5-4 with a 3.16 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. He has appeared in three games against Saint John, going 2-1 with a 2.21 goals against average and a .945 save percentage. It's safe to say the Sea Dogs would have been okay with him leaving the league after his 10 games.