One ex-Sea Dog remains in QMJHL playoffs

Olivier Croteau/QMJHL

And then there was one.

Maxim Cajkovic of the Val-d'Or Foreurs is the only Saint John Sea Dogs alumni still playing in the 2021 QMJHL President Cup playoffs. The Foreurs are 6-0 this post-season following sweeps of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Rimouski Oceanic.

Cajkovic has four goals and four assists in six playoff games. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect has been playing on the team's decent top line that also features Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin and Calgary Flames pick Jakob Pelletier.

The Foreurs will face the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the President Cup semifinals. The Sags finished third overall in the QMJHL standings and could put up a hard fight against a loaded Val-d'Or team.

Val-d'Or eliminated former Sea Dogs goaltender Creed Jones and forward Alex Drover of the Oceanic to reach this stage. Jones, like most goaltenders in the league, couldn't contain the Foreurs offense, allowing five goals on 29 shots in 40 minutes of play in game one and six goals on 23 shots in 28:20 minutes of action in game three. He was excellent in game two though, allowing just two goals on 47 shots.

Jones, who was a key component in Rimouski's first-round upset of the Shawinigan Cataractes, finished the playoffs - the last one of his junior career - with a 3-5 record to go along with a 3.83 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.

Drover, meanwhile, recorded two goals and an assist in eight playoff games.

The Charlottetown Islanders swept the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Maritimes Division final. The Isles outscored the Titan 12-6 in the three games, all of which were played in Shawinigan.

The Islanders, who are the league's top seed, will play the winner of the Victoriaville/Blainville-Boisbriand series in the semifinal. The Tigres currently lead that series 2-1.

The league's semifinal and final will all take place inside Quebec City's Videotron Centre.