Notebook: Richard named to U-18 team

Photo: USHL

SAINT JOHN - Defenseman Guillaume Richard will represent Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Texas.

25 players - three goaltenders, eight defensemen and 14 forwards - were named to the team this past week. As expected, there were no current QMJHL players named to the squad with the league's regular season and playoffs continue to roll along.

Richard, a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft, has two goals and 10 assists in 43 games with the USHL's Tri-City Storm this season. He is committed to join fellow Sea Dogs draft pick Lynden Breen at the University of Maine this fall.

The under-18 tournament takes place April 26 - May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas.

SAVOIE INJURED; LEONARD SUSPENDED
The Sea Dogs announced a couple roster moves before Friday's game at TD Station.

🗒️Player Notes

Following an upper body injury sustained in Tuesday's game in Moncton, Charles Savoie will be out 2-4 weeks.

Liam Leonard has been suspended for 3 games for a high sticking penalty during last night's game against Acadie-Bathurst.

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 2, 2021

Forward Charles Savoie will miss 2-4 weeks with an upper body injury suffered in Tuesday's game in Moncton. Savoie took a push from Moncton's Nicolas Pavan in the third period and went hard into the corner boards. He left the game appearing to favour his shoulder.

Savoie, playing mostly on Saint John's third and fourth lines, has four goals and seven assists in 24 games this season.

Leonard, meanwhile, received a three-game suspension for a high stick in Thursday's game in Bathurst. Leonard was given a five-minute major and a match penalty for the play. The league website also notes that Leonard being a repeat offender factored into the decision.

Thursday's match was Leonard's first game back after serving a two-game suspension and missing another due to injury.

POINT LEADERS
Brady Burns' red-hot play of late has pushed him into the Sea Dogs lead for goals this season with 15. Ryan Francis had been the team's goals leader since he was acquired from the Cape Breton Eagles.

Francis continues to lead the club in points with 39 and assists with 27. Defensemen Jeremie Poirier (22) and Charles DesRoches (20) are gaining ground in the assists race though.

Poirier is now seventh in the league in points by defensemen (30) and fourth in points per game (1.15).

D'ORIO GETS FIRST AHL WIN
Former Sea Dogs goaltender Alex D'Orio got his first AHL win on Wednesday, making 22 saves in a 3-2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton overtime victory over the Binghamton Devils.

D'Orio has posted strong numbers with the baby Pens so far, going 1-1 with a 2.07 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc, meanwhile, made his AHL debut with the Belleville Senators on March 24, recording two shots.

WHL MAY DELAY START

There's still a ways to go this season, but the three CHL leagues are no doubt starting to turn some attention to the 2021-22 campaign - one that is hopefully much less chaotic than this one.

When could the 2021-22 season start? Dub Nation reports that the WHL may push their season back a bit.

“We’ve moved our schedule back to start in October,” WHL Chairman of the Board Bruce Hamilton told Sportsnet 650. “Somewhat similar to what the NHL is doing, just as a precaution and I think to get out of that September start date.

“We used to always base it on because of school starting and things like that. We’ll get our players in school and going but I think we’re better off starting in October and then if we have to go a week longer then that’s fine.

“But I think just for safety sake we’re gonna look at that and then we will evaluate after we go through a year if that’s a good time to start.”

The WHL's 2019-20 season began on Sept. 20 - a day later than the QMJHL's start.

The Canadian federal government has repeatedly said that there will be enough vaccines to fully vaccinate the country's population by the end of September, which could certainly be playing a role in this decision.

COVID PROBS
The Sherbrooke Phoenix had their regular season abruptly end last week because of a positive COVID-19 case. The league said in a news release Friday that "the contact between this individual and the players was considered low risk by Public Health. As a result, the Sherbrooke Phoenix are authorized to resume their activities. Their mandatory isolation period has now been lifted."

Sherbrooke, who played just 27 games this season, will take on the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the first-round of the playoffs.

Out west things are not so promising. The Kelowna Rockets have had to suspend operations for 14 days due to several positive cases.