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| Michael Hawkins/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."
On the ice, the Sea Dogs have had their ups and downs throughout a season of stops and starts. The biggest struggle - as anybody who has followed the Sea Dogs since September will say - has been the club's inconsistency.
"I think it's a tale of two teams," Georgie said. "Our second half, when our best players are our best players, you see what we're capable of doing. We're still inconsistent. I think consistency is the key word for these playoffs. We're going to need to be better and more consistent."
Unfortunately for the Sea Dogs, consistency has bitten them in the playoffs. They had a strong showing in game one, defeating the Moncton Wildcats 6-2. That was followed by back-to-back loses - 7-5 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and 4-2 to the Wildcats. Saint John kept its playoff hopes alive with a big 6-2 win over Bathurst on Sunday.
Saint John's most glaring problem over the past few seasons has been defensive play. The team allowed the second most goals against in the QMJHL in 2017-18; the most in 2018-19; and the most again last season. Goals against is a difficult stat to rank this year given the disparity in games played - but the Sea Dogs did average 4.06 goals against per game, the fourth most in the league.
"I've seen some improvement," Georgie said of Saint John's defensive play, adding that it's the team as a whole that needs to improve and not just its defensemen. "I've seen some great things and commitment in spurts - but it's the consistency. They can do it. The group can do it. We've seen that. But it can’t be sometimes - it has to be all the time. Sometimes isn’t good enough.
"We're not there yet. We need to be better and we need to be more consistent. I'm pleased to see that we're capable of doing it but we're not there yet. We need to do it more consistently. I'm pleased to see it's possible but it needs to be far more consistent than it has been."
Goals have not been an issue for the Sea Dogs for much of this season, especially with the addition of 19-year-old Ryan Francis, who Georgie expects to return as an overager next season.
Saint John did lose a bit of offensive depth during the trading period though, notably dealing Joshua Roy and Dawson Stairs. Vladislav Kotkov will also be turning pro next season.
"We would definitely like to add to that group," Georgie said about his forwards.
"The strength of our group is our depth. If we can add a forward or two via trade, Euro draft or any different capacity, we'll definitely look to add."
What exactly next season looks like will be determined by COVID-19. There's hope that the majority of Canadians will be fully vaccinated by the end of September which, fingers crossed, could mean a much more normal junior hockey season.
Even if many of the restrictions in place today are still in place come the fall, the Sea Dogs still plan on pushing forward - just as they have over these past 13 difficult months.
"I would anticipate that whatever the league decides to do, given the restrictions, that we'll go in that direction and we'll support it and do it," Georgie said. "It doesn't come without pain though.
"Even with limitations and restrictions and even with a potential seven-figure loss just this year alone, we're here for the community. There's a lot of good that comes out of having the Sea Dogs here - from job creation for full-time team staff and game day staff at TD Station, to the contributions the Sea Dogs Foundation makes to the region, and of course the positive impact on mental health by providing some fun and normalcy during hard times. Whether we’re operating at 100% or operating at 25%, we know that we are contributing in so many meaningful ways and that keep us going. No matter how hard it is for everyone."
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