Courteau: QMJHL will host '22 Memorial Cup

The 2022 Memorial Cup will be hosted by a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.

In an interview on Sportsnet's 31 Thoughts podcast, QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau confirmed that his league will host next year's event. The event has not been held since 2019 - which was hosted by the Halifax Mooseheads - due to the pandemic.

"We're not able to have a Memorial Cup tournament this year so we've decided to keep the rotation in place," Courteau said. "It's awarded to the Q next year."

The 2020 edition of the tournament was supposed to be hosted by the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. This year was the OHL's turn, but the league wasn't able to name a host (it was down to either the Oshawa Generals or Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) thanks to COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, the only QMJHL teams to publicly express interest in hosting the event were the Saint John Sea Dogs and Quebec Remparts.

"We certainly have interest in hosting but given all that has gone on in the last 12 months, the landscape has changed considerably," said Sea Dogs President and General Manager Trevor Georgie.

"First and foremost, we have to understand what the requirements are. What does planning a Memorial Cup during a global pandemic look like? What are the financial commitments? What is our team on the ice going to look like? There are the usual factors, but there are also some new layers given the state of the world right now."

The Sea Dogs previously bid to host the 2012 Memorial Cup which ultimately was awarded to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

The Remparts have hosted the event twice since 2003 - both of which were played in their old digs, the Colisee Pepsi.

Playoff Game Day 5: at Bathurst

BATHURST - It's the biggest game of the season for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs, Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Moncton Wildcats all enter the final weekend of this round-robin tournament with 2-2 records. The Sea Dogs and Titan meet tonight at the KC Irving Regional Centre in, obviously, a massive game for both clubs.

The Titan have lost back-to-back games including a late-game collapse against the Wildcats on Wednesday.

Saint John lost 7-5 to the Titan on April 22 but rebounded with a 6-2 win over Bathurst last Sunday.

Both of Saint John's losses in this round-robin have come away from TD Station.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Playoff Standings:

1.Saint John: 2-2; 4 PTS

2. Bathurst: 2-2; 4 PTS

3. Moncton: 2-2; 4 PTS

Records: The Sea Dogs finished the regular season with a 15-14-3-1 record for a .515 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan finished with a record of 21-10-1-1 for a .667 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 win over the Titan last Sunday at TD Station. Brady Burns scored a pair of goals while singles came from Josh Lawrence, Zachary Alchorn, Cam MacDonald and Nicholas Girouard. Zachary Emond made 23 saves in the win. The Titan are coming off a 5-3 loss in Moncton on Wednesday. David Doucet, Mathieu Desgagnes and Bennett MacArthur had Titan goals. Jan Bednar made 30 saves in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 5-6-1-0 against the Titan in the regular season while Bathurst went 7-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last Sunday at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 6-2. Brady Burns registered a pair of goals while singles came from Josh Lawrence, Zachary Alchorn, Cam MacDonald and Nicholas Girouard. Felix-Antoine Marcotty and Mathieu Desgagnes scored for Bathurst. Zachary Emond made 23 saves in the win. Chad Arsenault made 24 saves in the loss.

It comes down to this weekend

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It all comes down to this weekend.

A stunning third period comeback by the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday night has produced a three-way tie in the QMJHL's New Brunswick round-robin playoff tournament. Three games remain and all will be played this weekend.

The winner of the tournament advances to play the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final. The winner of the division final will travel to Quebec to play in the league semifinals and, potentially, the league final.

The Wildcats, Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan all have 2-2 records heading into action this weekend. Each club has two games remaining.

Friday: Sea Dogs at Titan

Saturday: Wildcats at Titan

Sunday: Sea Dogs at Wildcats

If we've learned anything in the restart it's that any result is possible. As weird as this playoff format is, the fact that it's producing "must-win" games in its final weekend is awesome.

The Titan will no doubt be looking to produce a much more complete effort on Friday against Saint John. Bathurst controlled much of the first half of Wednesday's game in Moncton but slowly let things slip away. Jacob Hudson tied the game at 18:21 of the third and former Sea Dogs forward Connor Richard put Moncton in front 16 seconds later. The 'Cats added an empty netter to make it a 5-3 final.

A challenging season for Sea Dogs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's been a trying season both on and off the ice for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The team saw gradual improvements on the ice, finishing the season with a 15-14-3-1 record and giving them an above-.500 points percentage for the first time since 2017. Off the ice, the team has taken a significant financial hit due to the pandemic.

"This year's going to be our worst year on record," Sea Dogs President and General Manager Trevor Georgie said last week about the team's financial situation. 

The Sea Dogs were only able to average 1,478 fans per game during the regular season due to social distancing requirements. That average was good enough for third best in the league but far below the team's typical crowd levels.

Georgie praised the team's season ticket holders for continuing to support the team under the unusual circumstances the pandemic created. He added that the team's sponsors, including founding sponsors Irving and Moosehead, and naming rights sponsor TD Bank, have been instrumental in mitigating the team's losses.

Of course, team owner Scott McCain has also played a major roll in keeping the team moving forward - and not just this season. The Sea Dogs have lost millions of dollars since the 2012 campaign, according to Georgie.

"He cares about what's best for the players and for the fans," Georgie said of McCain. "The Sea Dogs enhance the livability of the region.

"Without season ticket holders, our sponsors and having Scott, this season would have been even more devastating than it was. We could not operate a team without them in normal conditions, and certainly not under these conditions. Thank you to them."

Veleno makes NHL debut with Red Wings

Embed from Getty Images

Joe Veleno became the latest Saint John Sea Dogs alumnus to appear in an NHL game on Tuesday.

Veleno played 14:59 in the Detroit Red Wings' 1-0 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wearing No. 90, Veleno recorded two shots, one hit, two blocks, and one takeaway in the game. He also went 57% in faceoffs and saw 0:54 of time on the power play.

Detroit prospect Joe Veleno, drafted 30th overall in 2018, has been through the gauntlet to get to the NHL. After ups, downs, injuries, and detours, he made his Red Wings debut tonight. He speaks with the media post game. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/NSgWEEekqK

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) April 28, 2021

The Red Wings, who have had another rough season as their rebuild continues, play again on Thursday, visiting the Carolina Hurricanes.

Veleno, a first-round pick of the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft, recently joined Detroit's taxi squad and was recalled earlier in the day.

The 21-year-old spent most of this season playing in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks where he recorded 11 goals and nine assists in 46 games. He spent last season - his first as a pro - with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

Veleno became the 11th former Sea Dog to appear in an NHL game this season. He also became the sixth member of Saint John's 2016-17 President Cup-winning squad to play an NHL game this year.

Former Sea Dogs to play in the NHL this season are: Veleno (Detroit Red Wings), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers), Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators), Mike Hoffman (St. Louis Blues), Mathieu Joseph (Tampa Bay Lightning), Charlie Coyle (Boston Bruins), Julien Gauthier (New York Rangers), Jakub Zboril (Boston Bruins), Matthew Highmore (Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks), Nathan Beaulieu (Winnipeg Jets) and Tomas Jurco (Vegas Golden Knights).

Boko Imama (Los Angeles Kings), Spencer Smallman (Carolina Hurricanes), Alex D'Orio (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Callum Booth (Boston Bruins) have all spent the majority of their seasons in the minors but have been placed on NHL taxi squads at times.

Notebook: Under-18 tourney underway

This is Frisco.

The IIHF World Under-18 Championship is underway in Texas.

The tournament got underway on Monday with games in Frisco and Plano. Team Canada's first game will be on Tuesday against Sweden. The tournament concludes on May 6 with the gold and bronze medal games.

There are a couple Sea Dogs connections in the tournament. Canada features defenseman Guillaume Richard, a University of Maine commit who Saint John selected in the fourth-round of the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft. Richard spent this season with the USHL's Tri-City Storm.

Russia, meanwhile, features forward Fyodor Svechkov, who was Saint John's top pick in last year's CHL Import Draft. Svechkov spent this past season in Russia and it seems unlikely he'll report to Saint John.

Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News recently had Svechkov ranked 12th overall for this year's NHL Draft.

The photo above is of a ballpark I visited in Frisco a few years ago. It was nice! This is likely the only time I'll ever be able to share that photo on here, so there you go!

STANDINGS UPDATE

Sunday's Sea Dogs win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan means there are still quite a few scenarios possible for the QMJHL's New Brunswick round-robin tournament.

Here's a quick breakdown of the standings:

1. Bathurst: 2-1; 4 PTS

2. Saint John: 2-2; 4 PTS

3. Moncton: 1-2; 2 PTS

Remaining games on the schedule:

Wednesday: Bathurst at Moncton

Friday: Saint John at Bathurst

Saturday: Moncton at Bathurst

Sunday: Saint John at Moncton

The winner of the "tournament" advances to play the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final. It's unclear how that final series will be played at this point.

TIME CHANGE

Sunday's round-robin finale between the Sea Dogs and Wildcats at Avenir Centre has been rescheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The game was originally scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

The Wildcats play the night before in Bathurst.

Sunday night games are rare in the QMJHL until the post-season begins. Saint John's home game this past Sunday also began at 7 p.m.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-2

FINAL: Bathurst 2, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' hopes of winning the New Brunswick round-robin playoff tournament are very much alive.

The Sea Dogs, playing possibly their final home game of this bizarre season, picked up their second win of the tournament on Sunday night at TD Station, defeating the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-2. The win improves the Sea Dogs to 2-2 while the Titan fall to 2-1.

Playoff Standings

1. Bathurst: 2-1; 4 PTS

2. Saint John: 2-2; 4 PTS

3. Moncton: 1-2; 2 PTS

It wasn't perfect, but the Sea Dogs had a much better showing than Sunday's 4-2 loss in Moncton. Saint John rebounded from a slow start with a much better all around effort. They were able to take advantage of an undisciplined Titan squad, going 4/7 on the power play. Saint John also produced a couple of strong penalty kills in the third period when the game was still in reach for the Titan.

Josh Lawrence, Zachary Alchorn, Cam McDonald, Brady Burns (two) and Nicholas Girouard all scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond, making his fourth straight start, made 23 saves in the win.

The Titan, who saw key forwards Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson tossed from this game, had goals from Felix-Antoine Marcotty and Mathieu Desgagnes. Chad Arsenault made 24 saves in the loss.

Some random regular season stats

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The most unique regular season in Saint John Sea Dogs history came to an end last weekend.

Saint John played in 33 games and recorded a 15-14-3-1 record. Their .515 points percentage placed them third in the Maritimes Division and 11th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Here's a look at a few other noteworthy numbers from the regular season (and remember that some teams played quite a few more games than others, which impacts where players finished in certain statistical categories):

• Ryan Francis finished sixth overall in league scoring (50 points) and fifth in assists (34).
• Sherbrooke's Joshua Roy, who the Sea Dogs traded to Sherbrooke a couple months ago, finished fifth in goals with 22.
• Peter Reynolds finished second in rookie scoring (31 points) and tied for second in rookie goals (15). Only Halifax's Bobby Orr, who the Sea Dogs traded last summer, had more rookie points (32) but did play eight more games.
• Jeremie Poirier finished fourth in defensemen scoring (37 points); fifth in goals (nine); and fifth in assists (28).
• Former Sea Dog Nathan Larose led all QMJHL defensemen in goals with 17.
• Saint John scored first in just 11 of their 33 games. Teams averaged a .738 points percentage when scoring first this season... so improving on that is a good idea.
• Saint John finished with the league's third best power play (26.8%) but fourth worst penalty kill (74.1%).
• The Sea Dogs allowed seven shorthanded goals, the second most in the league. Halifax allowed eight but played 10 more games.
• Saint John outscored opponents 57-41 in second periods but were outscored 43-34 in firsts and 48-44 in thirds. It didn't feel like it at times, but the Dogs ended with a +2 goal differential. 
• The Sea Dogs averaged 4.12 goals per game (fourth best) while also allowing 4.06 goals against per game (fourth worst). The team averaged 35.43 shots per game (second best) but allowed 31.33 shots against per game (eighth worst). So... maybe over a full season that goals per game average drops a little more.
• Saint John outshot opponents in 21 of their 33 games.
• The Sea Dogs had a seven-game road losing streak in the first half but rebounded with a five-game road winning streak in the restart.

Playoff Game Day 4: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - It's essentially a must-win game tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Saturday's disappointing 4-2 road loss to the Moncton Wildcats dropped the Sea Dogs to 1-2 in the QMJHL's round-robin playoff tournament. A loss tonight to the 2-0 Acadie-Bathurst Titan would drop the Port City squad to 1-3, meaning they would have to win both of their remaining games and hope the Titan lose their final three contests just to force a one-game playoff.

Long story short: a win tonight keeps the Sea Dogs' chances of winning the round-robin significantly higher.

The Sea Dogs lost 7-5 to the Titan in Bathurst on Thursday night.

It'll be a rare Sunday evening contest at TD Station. Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Playoff Standings:

1. Bathurst: 2-0-0-0; 4 PTS

2. Saint John: 1-2-0-0; 2 PTS

3. Moncton: 1-2-0-0; 2 PTS

Records: The Sea Dogs finished the regular season with a 15-14-3-1 record for a .515 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan finished with a record of 21-10-1-1 for a .667 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss in Moncton last night. Riley Bezeau and Cam MacDonald scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 25 saves in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 5-2 home win over the Moncton Wildcats on Friday. Bennett MacArthur scored twice while singles came from Felix-Antoine Marcotty, Ben Allison and Jaxon Bellamy. Jan Bednar made 29 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 5-6-1-0 against the Titan in the regular season while Bathurst went 7-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Thursday at the KC Irving Regional Centre where the Sea Dogs fell 7-5 to the Titan. Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson both scored a pair for Bathurst while singles came from Riley Kidney, Felix-Antoine Marcotty and Logan Chisholm. Jeremie Poirier scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Nicholas Girouard, Cam MacDonald and Ryan Francis. Chad Arsenault made 23 stops in the win. Zachary Emond made 23 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Moncton 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - There weren't too many positives in the Saint John Sea Dogs' 4-2 loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at Avenir Centre.

The Sea Dogs seemed to lack intensity and urgency against a team - their biggest rival - that was missing six regulars and coming off a road game the night before. Saint John struggled all night - even on the power play - to create sustained offensive zone pressure and generate quality chances.

The loss puts Saint John in a hole in this round-robin playoff tournament. The team now has a 1-2 record which puts some serious pressure on them Sunday night when they host the 2-0 Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Maxim Barbashev, Connor Richard, Alexis Daniel and Jacob Hudson all scored for the Wildcats. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 22 saves in the win.

Riley Bezeau and Cam MacDonald scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 25 saves in the loss.

Playoff Game Day 3: at Moncton

MONCTON - Tonight's game feels like a big one.

The Moncton Wildcats find themselves in an 0-2 hole to start this round-robin playoff tournament. The Saint John Sea Dogs, meanwhile, are 1-1 and while plenty of scenarios are still possible, any loss to the Wildcats will make keeping pace with the 2-0 Acadie-Bathurst Titan more challenging.

The Sea Dogs posted a strong 6-2 win over the Wildcats on Tuesday at TD Station. Saint John produced strong forechecking and cranked up the physicality in the victory. 

Game time tonight at Avenir Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Playoff Standings:

1. Bathurst: 2-0-0-0; 4 PTS

2. Saint John: 1-1-0-0; 2 PTS

3. Moncton: 0-2-0-0; 0 PTS

Records: The Sea Dogs finished the regular season with a 15-14-3-1 record for a .515 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats finished with a record of 11-17-2-1 for a .403 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-5 loss in Bathurst on Thursday. Jeremie Poirier scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Nicholas Girouard, Cam MacDonald and Ryan Francis. Zachary Emond made 23 stops in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-2 loss in Bathurst last night. Francis Langlois and Thomas Darcy scored for Moncton. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 27 stops in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 8-5-0-0 against the Wildcats during the regular season while Moncton went 5-7-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Tuesday at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 6-2 in the playoff opener. Nicholas Girouard, Jeremie Poirier, Brady Burns, Leighton Carruthers, Peter Reynolds and Riley Bezeau scored for Saint John. Francis Langlois and Jacob Hudson scored for Moncton. Zachary Emond made 22 stops in the win. Vincent Filion made 27 saves in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Forward Connor Richard.

Another unusual QMJHL Draft ahead

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft is just over two months away.

The league announced Thursday the 2021 draft will be held virtually June 25-26. Like last year's event, which was also held virtually for the first time, the first-round will be held on Friday night and rounds 2-14 along with the American Draft will take place the following day.

This is sure to be an interesting and challenging draft given how limited player viewings have been this year due to the pandemic - especially for Quebec-born players.

"I don't think we're ever stressed," said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie about preparing for this year's draft. "I think we're always excited about what's coming up. The draft is a nice window into the future."

According to the French message board, here is where Saint John is currently picking:

1-1CHA-2BAT-4CHI-5VDO-6RIM-6QUE-7CHA-9-11-13-14

Saint John's first pick is expected to be eighth overall and its second, which was originally Charlottetown's, will be 19th (still technically in the first-round due to compensation picks).

"Those are good picks," Georgie said about his two first-round selections. "We'll be ready whether we select or whether we trade or a variety of things. We'll be ready to make the right moves."

Four players from last year's draft have played for the Sea Dogs this season: Leighton Carruthers (round 1, No. 3 overall), Nathan Drapeau (1, 15), Simon Hughes (2, 38) and Hunter Gartley (6, 103).

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-5

FINAL: Bathurst 7, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs' power play couldn't come through on Thursday night.

The Sea Dogs went 1-for-5 on the man advantage and allowed a shorthanded goal in a 7-5 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in QMJHL round-robin playoff action at the KC Irving Regional Centre. The Sea Dogs and Titan are now tied at the top of the standings with two points each.

Saint John's power play woes were a major storyline in this one. The team struggled to generate quality scoring chances - especially during a five-on-three advantage that lasted for 1:25 in the third period when the Dogs were trailing 6-4. Riley Kidney scored not long after play returned to even strength to make it 7-4 with 6:19 remaining in the period.

Even with Vladislav Kotkov back in the lineup, the Sea Dogs fired just 15 shots in the first two periods combined despite some power play time.

On the other side, Bathurst went 1-for-2 on the power play and scored a shorthanded marker. Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson - who was celebrating his birthday - both scored a pair while singles came from Kidney, Felix-Antoine Marcotty and Logan Chisholm. Chad Arsenault made 23 stops in the win.

Jeremie Poirier scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Nicholas Girouard, Cam MacDonald and Ryan Francis. Zachary Emond made 23 saves in the loss.

Playoff Game Day 2: vs Titan but actually at Bathurst

BATHURST - Tonight the Saint John Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in... Bathurst.

Saint John will be the designated home team for tonight's 7 p.m. contest at the KC Irving Regional Centre. The odd setup means that, when this nine-game round-robin tournament ends, all three New Brunswick clubs will have played 19 games in their own buildings this season.

The Sea Dogs opened up this strange playoff setup with a 6-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday at TD Station. 

Bathurst won seven of the 12 meetings with Saint John during the irregular season.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Standings:

1. Saint John: 1-0-0-0; 2 PTS

2. Bathurst: 0-0-0-0; 0 PTS

3. Moncton: 0-1-0-0; 0 PTS

Records: The Sea Dogs finished the regular season with a 15-14-3-1 record for a .515 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan finished with a record of 21-10-1-1 for a .667 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday at TD Station. Nicholas Girouard, Jeremie Poirier, Brady Burns, Leighton Carruthers, Peter Reynolds and Riley Bezeau scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 22 stops in the win. The Titan are coming off a 5-3 home win over the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday. Jaxon Bellamy scored a pair of goals while singles came from Mathieu Desgagnes, Adam McCormick and Cole Huckins. Chad Arsenault made 25 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 5-6-1-0 against the Titan in the regular season while Bathurst went 7-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Friday at TD Station where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 5-4. Bennett MacArthur netted a pair of goals for Bathurst while solo markers came from Jacob Melanson, Ben Allison and Adam McCormick. Saint John had two goals from Peter Reynolds and singles from William Villeneuve and Nicholas Girouard. Jan Bednar made 26 saves in the win. Zachary Emond left the game with apparent injury in the second period after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal on 11 shots in relief.

QMJHL playoffs keep rolling on

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

And then there was one.

Only one of the three CHL leagues will attempt to crown a playoff champion this season. The Western Hockey League announced Monday it will not hold playoffs while the Ontario Hockey League will not have a season at all.

That leaves the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as the lone CHL circuit that will try and end its season with a trophy presentation.

The QMJHL's President Cup playoffs began on Tuesday with the first match of the unique nine-game round-robin tournament between the three New Brunswick-based teams. The winner will advance to play the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final - a series that will be logistically difficult due to travel restrictions if possible at all.

The league confirmed a number of details for the round-robin on Tuesday. One of the biggest questions: will there be the usual playoff overtime format? The answer is.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-2

FINAL: Moncton 2, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Special teams led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 6-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday night at TD Station.

Saint John went 1-for-3 on the power play (unofficially 2-for-3 as Saint John scored with the man still sitting in the box) and killed off 3-of-4 penalties to earn a victory in the opening game of the QMJHL's nine-game round-robin tournament between the the three New Brunswick-based clubs.

Brady Burns' man advantage marker at 9:37 of the middle frame proved be the game-winner. Nicholas Girouard, Jeremie Poirier, Leighton Carruthers, Peter Reynolds and Riley Bezeau also scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 22 saves in the win.

Francis Langlois and Jacob Hudson scored for Moncton. Vincent Filion made 27 saves in the loss.

Playoff Game Day 1: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - For the first time since 2017, the Saint John Sea Dogs will play a playoff game.

Tonight's game will be played during a worsening global pandemic; in front of a small yet close-to-allowed-capacity crowd; and it will be the first match of a nine-game round-robin series between the QMJHL's three New Brunswick clubs with the winner advancing to face the Charlottetown Islanders in a logistically challenging Maritimes Division final. But, hey, playoffs!

The Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats have had a back-and-forth season series, especially since the restart. Saint John won eight of the 13 meetings during this irregular season. The Wildcats will be missing several key regulars to start this unique playoff round.

Game time tonight at TD Station is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV (check your listings)/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs finished the regular season with a 15-14-3-1 record for a .515 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats finished with a record of 11-17-2-1 for a .403 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday. Josh Lawrence scored Saint John's only goal. Noah Patenaude made 29 stops in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-3 loss in Bathurst on Sunday. Maxim Barbashev, Tristan Sanchez and Mathis Cloutier all scored for Moncton. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 29 saves in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 8-5-0-0 against the Wildcats during the regular season while Moncton went 5-7-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Saturday at TD Station where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 2-1. Alexis Daniel and Jacob Hudson scored for Moncton. Josh Lawrence had Saint John's lone goal. Vincent Filion made 26 saves in the win. Noah Patenaude made 29 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Dogs see small steps forward

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Even in a 33-game regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs were able to earn more wins and points than their woeful 2018-19 campaign.

The Sea Dogs earned a franchise low 13 wins and 32 points during the 2018-19 campaign. The team played 35 fewer games this year but still managed to have a better record in the end.

Here's a look at the bottom four seasons in Sea Dogs history based on points.

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS
2018-19	68	13	49	2	4	32
2020-21	33	15	14	3	1	34
2005-06	70	15	47	2	6	38
2017-18	68	14	43	9	2	39

Obviously, comparing past point totals to this season's is pointless (pun intended!). When looking at points percentage though, this season's mark of .515 falls ninth best in team history, which is where you'd expect a close-to-.500 mark to land.

That 2018-19 team featured rookie seasons for the core group of Brady Burns, Josh Lawrence, Jeremie Poirier, William Villeneuve and Charlie DesRoches. This group had a .235 points percentage in 2018-19; a .477 mark last season; and a .515 mark this year. The team was no doubt hoping for a larger percentage increase year-over-year but it improved a bit, at least.

PLAYOFF RETURN

The last time the Sea Dogs appeared in a playoff game, the team left the ice with the President Cup.

Tuesday's game will mark Saint John's first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 season which ended with the club winning its third league championship. Saint John failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2019 playoffs. The 2020 post-season - which the Sea Dogs did officially qualify for - was cancelled due to the pandemic.

While the format is significantly different, this will technically be the second time in franchise history the Sea Dogs have faced the Wildcats (previously in 2010) in post-season play and the third time they've taken on the Titan (2008 and 2016).

Alumdate: Ex-Dogs playing in the QMJHL

Cape Breton Eagles Facebook

Two former Saint John Sea Dogs had their seasons come to an end this weekend.

Nathan Larose and Dawson Stairs, members of the Cape Breton Eagles, will not be advancing to the President Cup playoffs. Cape Breton's season - the first of a rebuild - came to an end on Friday with another loss to the Charlottetown Islanders.

As an overager this was Larose's final season of junior hockey. The defenseman led the Eagles in the scoring with 33 points. His 17 goals were the most for a defenseman in the QMJHL this season.

Stairs was traded to Cape Breton mid-season. After recording three goals and five assists in 13 first half games with the Sea Dogs, the Fredericton native took off with the Eagles, registering 12 goals and nine assists in 21 contests.

Here's a statistical outlook on how all former Sea Dogs skating in the QMJHL this season performed.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Joshua Roy	SNB SHE	35	22	13	35
Nathan Larose	CAP	31	17	16	33
Dawson Stairs	SNB CAP	34	15	14	29
Isiah Campbell	DRU SHA	29	9	8	17
Alex Drover	SNB RIM	37	8	9	17
Maxim Cajkovic	VDO	12	6	8	14
Connor Richard	MON	30	5	3	8

Joshua Roy also led his new team in scoring. The 2021 NHL Draft eligible forward had 13 goals and five assists in 20 games with the Phoenix.

Alex Drover, also traded near the deadline, slowed down quite a bit after a blistering start with the Oceanic. Drover recorded just one point - a goal - in his final 12 regular season games.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 2-1

FINAL: Moncton 1, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A Saint John Sea Dogs lineup missing several regulars dropped the team's final game of the regular season on Saturday night at TD Station.

The Moncton Wildcats scored twice in the second period and hung for a 2-1 win over the Sea Dogs. It was Saint John's fourth straight loss on home ice. The two meet again on Tuesday night in the opening game of the QMJHL's nine-game round-robin tournament featuring the three New Brunswick clubs.

The Sea Dogs were once again without Vladislav Kotkov due to injury and opted to sit several key regulars: Ryan Francis, Nicholas Girouard and Christopher Inniss. As a result, the Sea Dogs played a man short and had a lineup filled with rookies and callups.

Moncton's lineup featured similar constraints due to injuries. The result was a fairly evenly placed game on Saturday, one that was sloppy and choppy at times and didn't feature too many terrific scoring chances.

Josh Lawrence scored Saint John's lone goal. Noah Patenaude made 29 stops in the loss.

Alexis Daniel and Jacob Hudson scored the Wildcats. Vincent Filion made 26 stops in the win.

Daniel opened the scoring just eight seconds into the game. Then at 10:40 of the opening frame, Hudson walked into the slot and ripped a wrist shot that made it 2-0 Wildcats.

Saint John started to turn it on the second half of the second period. Finally, on a power play at 17:43, Lawrence carried the puck in and fired a low wrist shot from the top of the circle that beat Filion, making it 2-1.

Playoff tournament schedule released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The schedule for the QMJHL's New Brunswick Only Nine-Game Round-Robin President Cup Playoff Tournament Extravaganza has been released.

Each of the three New Brunswick clubs will play six games. The team with the best record at the completion of the "tournament" will advance to the Maritimes Division final to play the Charlottetown Islanders.

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

Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. vs Wildcats

Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Saturday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Sunday, April 25 at 7 p.m. vs Titan

Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Sunday, May 2 at 4 p.m. at Moncton

Saint John will play just two of their six games at TD Station while Bathurst will have four games on home ice - although the Sea Dogs are technically listed as the home team for the April 22 game at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Moncton will have an even split of three home and three away games.

The odd arrangement will mean all three New Brunswick clubs will have played 19 total games in their home buildings at the completion of the "tournament."

The move could, perhaps, benefit the Sea Dogs. The team enters Saturday's regular season finale at TD Station on a three-game home losing streak and have lost their past four home games against the Titan.

Also note that the Sunday, April 25 game at TD Station is listed as a 7 p.m. start.

Of all the weird and strange things that have happened this season, this playoff format is near the top of the list. At this point, might as well just embrace it.

On the other side of the Maritimes Division, the Cape Breton Eagles played their final game of the season last night while the Halifax Mooseheads will close up shop tonight. The Islanders will take a breather before, fingers crossed, playing the New Brunswick champion in the division final.

Game Day 33: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - The most bizarre regular season in Saint John Sea Dogs history comes to a close tonight at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats will meet for a 13th time this evening. Saint John has won eight of the previous 12 meetings but Moncton won the last one, earning a 6-3 win at Avenir Centre last Sunday.

Saint John enters play today with a 15-13-3-1 record. A victory would give them more wins than their 70-game, 15-win 2005-06 expansion season.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-13-3-1 for a .531 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats are 10-16-2-1 for a .397 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 home loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last night. Peter Reynolds scored a pair of goals while singles came from William Villeneuve and Nicholas Girouard. Zachary Emond left the game in the second period after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal on 11 shots the rest of the way. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-1 home loss to the Titan on Wednesday. Tristan Sanchez scored Moncton's only goal. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 25 stops in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 8-4-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 4-7-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last Sunday at Avenir Centre where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 6-3. Jacob Hudson and Francis Langlois each scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Maxim Barbashev and Thomas Casey. Cam MacDonald had two goals for Saint John and Zachary Alchorn also scored. Vincent Filion made 29 saves in the win. Zachary Emond made 25 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4

FINAL: Bathurst 5, Saint John 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A late third period goal pushed the Acadie-Bathurst Titan past the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday.

Bennett MacArthur scored his 28th goal of the season to lift the Titan to a 5-4 victory over the Sea Dogs at TD Station. It was the 12th and final meeting of the regular season between the two provincial rivals.

MacArthur had a pair of goals in the game while Jacob Melanson, Ben Allison and Adam McCormick added singles. Jan Bednar made 26 stops in the win.

It looked like the game would be a shootout after a seven-goal first period that had the Titan up 4-3. Things settled down in the second period with Saint John controlling much of the play until the late stages of the frame. Nicholas Girouard scored near the midway point of the second to tie things up at 4-4.

Play was fairly even in the third until MacArthur put Bathurst ahead for good at 14:12. The Sea Dogs pulled their goaltender in the final minute but could not get much going in the offensive zone.

Peter Reynolds netted a pair of goals for Saint John while Girouard and William Villeneuve also scored. Zachary Emond left the game in the second period with an apparent injury after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal on 11 shots the rest of the way.

Big change made to Maritime playoffs

SAINT JOHN - The delayed reopening of the Atlantic Bubble has forced the QMJHL to make yet another change to its playoff format - and it's a big one.

The QMJHL's two Nova Scotia clubs will end their seasons this weekend while the three New Brunswick teams will play a nine-game round robin tournament with the winner advancing to the Maritimes Division final to take on the Charlottetown Islanders.

From the league:

With the reopening of the Atlantic bubble delayed until May 3rd, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today that the regular season in the Maritimes Division will come to an end on Sunday, April 18th.

The Halifax Mooseheads’ and the Cape Breton Eagles’ seasons will officially come to an end on Sunday. They will not take part in the 2021 President Cup Playoffs. The three New Brunswick-based teams will play in a nine-game round-robin tournament with the winner facing off against the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final. The league will determine the format of the round-robin tournament and the schedule in the upcoming days.

The QMJHL President Cup semifinals will group three teams from Quebec and one team from the Maritimes in a single protected environment event. Teams will be seeded based on the 2020-2021 overall standings. The date and location of the event will be determined at a later date.

The delayed reopening of the Atlantic Bubble - which was originally scheduled for this coming Monday - meant that the New Brunswick teams would not play the Nova Scotia clubs or the Islanders again in the regular season. There was a chance the league could pull off its previously announced playoff format if the bubble does reopen on May 3 - but there's certainly a chance that gets pushed even further.

There are plenty of questions still to be answered about this nine-game tournament. Perhaps the biggest: what happens when it ends? What if the bubble is still not open? Fingers crossed the bubble reopens and there is a true Maritimes Division final.

No matter how you feel about this format, it's still better than what the WHL and OHL will likely have to do: which is no playoff games at all.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin April 23 for four of the six Quebec-based playoff series.

Game Day 32: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs ended a four-game losing streak to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan with a big 9-2 victory on Tuesday.

The Sea Dogs have had their struggles against the Titan this season, losing six of the 11 meetings - but Tuesday's showing once again proved that anything can happen on any night in this bizarre New Brunswick mini-division.

Saint John's big guns came to play Tuesday - Ryan Francis had six points and Peter Reynolds had a hat trick - while the Titan's top offensive players had uncharacteristically quiet showings.

We'll see what happens this evening when Saint John and Bathurst meet for a 12th time. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at TD Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-12-3-1 for a .548 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan are 19-10-1-1 for a .645 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 9-2 win in Bathurst on Tuesday. Ryan Francis and Peter Reynolds both had hat tricks while solo markers came from Josh Lawrence, Brady Burns and Nicholas Girouard. Zachary Emond made 20 saves in the win. The Titan are coming off a 5-1 win in Moncton on Wednesday. Mathieu Desgagnes scored a pair of goals while singles came from Bennett MacArthur, Alexis Dube and Riley Kidney. Jan Bednar made 25 stops in the victory.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-5-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 6-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Tuesday at the KC Irving Regional Centre where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 9-2. Ryan Francis and Peter Reynolds both had hat tricks while singles came from Josh Lawrence, Brady Burns and Nicholas Girouard. Bathurst goals came from Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson. Zachary Emond made 20 saves in the win. Chad Arsenault was pulled after allowing six goals on 23 shots through 40 minutes of play. Jan Bendar allowed three goals on 15 shots in the third.

Notebook: Francis ties franchise record

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Ryan Francis made some Saint John Sea Dogs history on Tuesday night.

Francis recorded three goals and three assists for a six-point night, tying the franchise record for most points in a single game. Only two other Sea Dogs have had six-point nights: Alexandre Picard-Hooper and Steven Anthony.

Oddly, just like Francis on Tuesday, Picard-Hooper's six-point night also came in a 9-2 road win in Bathurst - this one on Dec. 27, 2007. Picard-Hooper's goal and five assists weren't enough for him to be named one of the game's three stars, proving some things never change at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Anthony's big night came on Jan. 11, 2009 in an 8-1 home win over the Gatineau Olympiques. Anthony registered two goals and four assists in the game.

Francis' six points were a career high. It was his second hat trick of the season after recording four goals in his Sea Dogs debut on March 9 - which also tied a single game franchise record.

RAINING HAT TRICKS

Ryan Francis and Peter Reynolds each recorded hat tricks on Tuesday. This was only the third time in team history that two Sea Dogs recorded three goals in a single game.

Saint John Sea Dogs games with multiple hat tricks:

January 18, 2008 vs. PEI - Payton Liske & Michael Kirkpatrick

November 12, 2016 vs. SHE - Bokondi Imama & Mathieu Joseph

April 13, 2021 vs. BAT - Peter Reynolds & Ryan Francis https://t.co/IQTu7CcvaE

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) April 14, 2021

SCHEDULE AHEAD

We don't know what the schedule will look like for the Sea Dogs beyond this weekend's games. Here's a quick look at what we do know (at the time of this writing) around the junior hockey world.

Friday, April 16: Titan vs Sea Dogs

Saturday, April 17: Wildcats vs Sea Dogs

Friday, April 23: President Cup playoffs begin for Quebec teams

Monday, April 26: IIHF U-18 World Championship begins

Saturday, May 1: Final day of reg. season for QMJHL Maritime teams

Tuesday, May 4: Maritimes Division knockout game one

Wednesday, May 5: Maritimes Division knockout game two

Saturday, May 8: President Cup playoffs begin for Maritime teams

Wednesday, May 12: Last day of WHL reg. season

Sunday, June 20: Last possible day of QMJHL playoffs

Friday-Saturday, July 23-24: NHL Draft

Literally all of these dates could change, of course. 

Report: CHL games moving to TSN

Are Canadian Hockey League games making their way to TSN?

According to the well connected and often accurate Toronto Sports Media website, the CHL will soon announce its leaving the Rogers-owned Sportsnet for the Bell-owned TSN.

Sources tell me today that in the days ahead the Canadian Hockey League will announce a new TV deal with @TSN_Sports ..leaving Rogers

— jonah (@yyzsportsmedia) April 14, 2021

So by all accounts Rogers divested out of the CHL tv deal. Had term left but bought out the term. More details to come as I learn more .. told @TSN_Sports will announce a three year pact with the CHL but not sure for what exactly ...

— jonah (@yyzsportsmedia) April 14, 2021

Junior hockey fans have debated for decades that a move to TSN would be beneficial for the CHL. While it's hard to say if the quantity of nationally broadcasted games will increase, the CHL could certainly use the hype machine that has turned the World Junior Hockey Championship into such a marque event.

TSN has the broadcast rights to all IIHF and Hockey Canada events. It's main junior attraction has always been the world juniors but in recent years has started to amp up its coverage of the under-18s and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Having CHL games air on the same station as those events seems like a natural fit.

It may not be related, but TSN used the tag line "the future of hockey lives here" during this year's world junior.

The CHL signed a 12-year-deal with the Rogers-owned Sportsnet in 2014. Interestingly, there have been well sourced rumours that the CHL's 12-year deal with french-language TVA Sports, also inked in 2014, will soon end, shifting games back over to the Bell-owned RDS.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 9-2

FINAL: Saint John 9, Bathurst 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs flipped the script on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Tuesday.

After losing four straight games to the Titan the Sea Dogs delivered a statement victory at the KC Irving Regional Centre, defeating the home side 9-2.

The Sea Dogs corrected a number of problems that have plagued them of late and led them to victory:

• Titan struggles: The Sea Dogs have had some ugly showings against Bathurst over the past couple weeks. Those issues didn't show up in this game.
• Bad starts: The Sea Dogs scored just 2:22 into the game and controlled most of the play in the opening period.
• Offense slowing down: Saint John looked a little lethargic on offense the past few games and hadn't been clicking like earlier in the restart. They looked quite good in this one.

It's just one game, but it's got to be a confident boosting win for the Sea Dogs. These two teams seemed destined for an opening round playoff series and Saint John's inability to solve the Titan has obviously been a concern. These two meet again on Friday in Saint John and will likely meet a few more times before the playoffs begin.

Peter Reynolds and Ryan Francis each recorded hat tricks while singles came from Josh Lawrence, Brady Burns and Nicholas Girouard. Francis and William Villeneuve also had three assists each. Zachary Emond made 20 saves in the win.

Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson scored for the Titan. Chad Arsenault, who entered the game with a 6-1 record against the Sea Dogs this season, allowed six goals on 23 shots through 40 minutes of play. Jan Bednar allowed three goals on 15 shots in the third.

Memorial Cup cancelled again

The Memorial Cup will not be awarded for a second straight season.

The Canadian Hockey League announced the inevitable on Tuesday afternoon, cancelling the championship tournament due to COVID-19. This year's edition was scheduled to take place June 17-27 - it's typically held in late May - in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie.

From the CHL:

The Canadian Hockey League, in association with our three member leagues, the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, has made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Memorial Cup.

“The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families and billets, our teams, staff and officials, and the communities in which we play. That has driven all of our difficult decisions for the last year as we have dealt with this global pandemic,” said CHL President Dan MacKenzie. “The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions, and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.”

The Memorial Cup is steeped in tradition and is one of the most difficult trophies to win in all of sport. The CHL looks forward to presenting it next season to the championship club that has earned the right to hoist it.

Further decisions regarding the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup will be announced at a later date.

Last year's tournament, which was supposed to be held in Kelowna, was also cancelled to COVID-19. The 2022 edition will be hosted by a QMJHL city if the league maintains its current rotation - which was not confirmed in the news release.

Game Day 31: at Bathurst

BATHURST - The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have become a real problem for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After winning the first three meetings of the restart, the Sea Dogs have now lost four straight games to the Titan. A few of those four games were not particularly close.

Acadie-Bathurst 7 @ Saint John 4 (Apr 8 2021)

Acadie-Bathurst 6 @ Saint John 3 (Apr 4 2021)

Saint John 2 @ Acadie-Bathurst 4 (Apr 1 2021)

Acadie-Bathurst 8 @ Saint John 2 (Mar 27 2021)

The bigger problem is that the Sea Dogs seemed destined to play the Titan in the opening round of the Maritimes Division playoffs. So... figuring out how to beat Bathurst is key for Saint John. These two meet again on Friday night at TD Station for possibly the final time this regular season.

Game time tonight at the KC Irving Regional Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV (some areas?)/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 14-12-3-1 for a .533 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan are 18-9-1-1 for a .655 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-3 loss in Moncton on Sunday. Cam MacDonald scored a pair for Saint John while Zachary Alchorn added a solo marker. Zachary Emond made 25 saves in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 3-2 home win over the Wildcats on Friday. Julien Bourget, Bennett MacArthur and Riley Kidney had Bathurst goals. Jan Bednar made 25 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-5-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 6-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last Thursday at TD Station where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 7-4. Mathieu Desgagnes and Bennett MacArthur each scored twice for Bathurst while singles came from Cole Huckins, Logan Chisholm and Riley Kindey. Saint John had goals from Brady Burns, Zachary Alchorn, Cam MacDonald and Josh Lawrence. Chad Arsenault made 22 saves in the win. Noah Patenaude made 25 stops in the loss.

Alumdate: Highmore traded to Canucks

Embed from Getty Images

Matthew Highmore is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Chicago Blackhawks traded Highmore to the Canucks on Monday in exchange for Adam Gaudette. The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward had been with the Blackhawks organization since turning pro in 2017.

Highmore has had a bit of an underwhelming season on a Chicago team that surpassed expectations in the first half of this bizarre NHL season. The 25-year-old has just two assists in 24 games after a strong showing in The Bubble where he recorded three goals and a helper in nine playoff games.

Obviously the Canucks, who are a mess right now due to COVID, believe they can get the Halifax native going.

Jim Benning: With Adam Gaudette, we just felt it was time for a change of scenery for him. Bringing in Matthew Highmore, we really like him. He's a guy that plays with a lot of energy. We've kind of had our eye on him ever since he was a junior free agent. #Canucks

— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) April 12, 2021

No picks coming back in the Gaudette for Highmore swap.#Canucks pro scouts are said to believe that Highmore has some untapped upside. Club is high on his speed and work rate.

Highmore is signed for next season on a one-way deal with a $725k cap hit.

— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) April 12, 2021

Highmore has now appeared in 73 career NHL games, registering four goals and six assists. He appeared in 24 AHL games last season with the Rockford IceHogs.

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton on Matthew Highmore:

"The one thing you appreciate about Highmore is his work ethic and attention to detail. It’s hard to find a bigger team guy, with his willingness to do the right thing for the team at all times."

Via @MarkLazerus. #Canucks

— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) April 12, 2021

Highmore appeared in 289 regular season games with the Sea Dogs over five seasons and posted 247 points. He also played in 44 playoff games, helping Saint John win the President Cup in 2017. He is among the franchise leaders in games played and scoring.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Moncton 6

Moncton Wildcats

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats proved once again Sunday that they are far from an easy out.

The Wildcats, dressing 17 skaters, defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 6-3 at Avenir Centre, ending a two-game losing streak. The Sea Dogs had won the past five meetings between the two teams.

Moncton led 3-0 and 4-1 at times in this game. Saint John started to claw back into the game in the third period, making it 4-3 with 6:17 left to play in regulation. With momentum shifting in the Sea Dogs' favour, Jacob Hudson scored a dagger at 15:23, giving the 'Cats some added insurance. Moncton added an empty net goal to make it a 6-3 final.

The Sea Dogs continued an odd trend they've fallen into of late, struggling to get things going offensively in the opening two periods and then finally turning things on for a bit in the third. Saint John had 16 shots in the first two periods combined and then outshot Moncton 16-8 in the final frame.

Saint John mixed up their forward lines prior to this game but it didn't seem to produce much of a spark. The Sea Dogs entered the contest with a 4.10 goals per game average but have now scored less than four goals in two of their past four games.

Cam MacDonald scored a pair of goals for Saint John while Zachary Alchorn also connected. Zachary Emond made 25 saves in the loss.

Francis Langlois and Jacob Hudson each scored a pair of goals for Moncton while singles came from Maxim Barbashev and Thomas Darcy. Vincent Filion made 29 stops in the win.

Game Day 30: at Moncton

MONCTON - After a rare Friday and Saturday off, the Saint John Sea Dogs return to game action this afternoon in Moncton.

Since that 6-2 Wildcats win in Saint John on March 17, the Sea Dogs have defeated the Wildcats in five straight meetings. Only two of those meetings were decided by one-goal - including the last meetup that saw the Dogs edge the 'Cats 4-3 this past Wednesday at Avenir Centre.

Game time this afternoon is 4 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 14-11-3-1 for a .552 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats are 9-15-2-1 for a .389 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-4 home loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Thursday. Brady Burns, Zachary Alchorn, Cam MacDonald and Josh Lawrence scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 25 saves in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 loss in Bathurst on Friday. Jacob Hudson and Owen Stammer scored for Moncton. Nicholas Sheehan made a rare start and stopped 20 shots in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 8-3-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 3-7-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Wednesday at Avenir Centre where the Sea Dogs hung on for a 4-3 win. Nicholas Girouard scored two goals for Saint John while singles came from Vladislav Kotkov and Ryan Francis. Jacob Stewart, Nicolas Pavan and Connor Richard scored Wildcats goals. Zachary Emond made 32 saves in the win. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 29 saves in the loss.

Notebook: Where will Svechkov land?

Where will Fyodor - or is it Fedor? - Svechkov land in this year's NHL Draft?

"Plays with his head up and on a swivel," writes Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino, who ranked the Russian forward 16th in his latest rankings. "Can process the play at speed and presents both shooting and playmaking options."

Selected by the Saint John Sea Dogs with 23rd overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, Svechkov has been ranked as a mid-first round pick by a number of publications and outside the opening round by others.

"Svechkov is known as one of the best defensive forwards in the entire 2021 class," writes Kyle Pereira of Last Word on Sports. "If it wasn’t for Matt Beniers, he would be arguably the best. However, the knock on Svechkov’s overall game is his explosiveness, as well as a fast pace. His offensive production hasn’t been bad, necessarily, but his offensive game isn’t what many scouts would consider high-end."

Svechkov had four goals and 11 assists in 15 games with MHL Ladia Togliatti this season. He had another five goals and 10 assists in 38 games at the VHL level.

"He is a well-rounded player who isn’t spectacular at any one thing," writes Corey Pronman of The Athletic, who has him ranked 20th overall, an improvement of five spots from his previous ranking. "He’s very skilled, showing a lot of confidence and creativity as a puck handler. He skates well and can make highly skilled plays on the move."

It seems like a long shot that he'll report to the Sea Dogs... but you never know - and the team that drafts him this summer may have some say in that.

COMING UP

Only four games remain on Saint John's previously announced New Brunswick only schedule.

The Sea Dogs travel to Moncton on Sunday to face the Wildcats at 4 p.m. and then head up to Bathurst on Tuesday to take on the Titan at 7 p.m.

Saint John has two home games remaining: Friday, April 16 against the Titan and Saturday, April 17 against the Wildcats.

After that... we'll see what happens. If the Atlantic Bubble does indeed open on April 19, there will likely be a couple weeks of non-New Brunswick games ahead for the Sea Dogs.

The Maritimes Division regular season schedule ends on May 1.

Playoff format adjusted again

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League unveiled its latest playoff format on Friday.

Many of the league's Quebec-based clubs were scheduled to begin playoffs this week but COVID-19 had other plans, putting five teams into isolation.

The latest format has no byes as originally planned. Instead, all 12 teams will play first-round series beginning on Friday, April 23. Here's what the league has come up:

• The round of eight (best-of-five series) will take place from April 23 to May 1. The playoff matchups will be based on the regular season’s final standings, with teams ranked from positions one through twelve, based on points percentage:
• Baie-Comeau vs Val-d’Or
• Sherbrooke vs Chicoutimi
• Rimouski vs Shawinigan
• Rouyn-Noranda vs Victoriaville
• Gatineau vs Blainville-Boisbriand
• Drummondville vs Quebec
• The quarterfinals will oppose the round of eight winners either in a best-of-five or a best-of-seven series. The length of the quarterfinals will depend on the evolution of the pandemic and the duration of the previous round.
• The three winners of the quarterfinal round will advance to the four-team semifinals.

No changes were made to the Maritimes Division playoff format, which will begin with its first single-elimination game on May 4. One winner will come out of the Maritimes and advance to the league semifinal series.