Notebook: Dufour on fire

Micheal Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Saint John Sea Dogs forward William Dufour was named to the QMJHL's Team of the Week on Monday after recording four goals and three assists in three games the week prior.

The New York Islanders prospect is off to a strong start again this week, registering a goal and two assists in Friday's 4-3 Sea Dogs loss to the Charlottetown Islanders.

Dufour now has 10 goals in 11 games this season which continues to lead the league (as of Saturday afternoon). His three-point night on Friday also pushed him into third overall in scoring with 18 points (again, as of Saturday).

Dufour entered Saturday tied with a few others for the most goals in the entire CHL.

COMING UP

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Sunday, hosting the Halifax Mooseheads at 3 p.m. at TD Station.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Mooseheads. The last time they met in regular season play was Nov. 14, 2020.

Following Sunday's contest, the Sea Dogs will play 10 straight games against Quebec-based teams. That stretch gets rolling on Thursday when the team begins in a three-in-three road trip with stops in Quebec City, Shawinigan and Drummondville.

The Sea Dogs' next home game isn't until Nov. 12.

SPOOKY SUNDAY

Sunday will mark the sixth time in Sea Dogs history that the team has played on Halloween. Saint John is 3-2-0-0 all-time in games played on Oct. 31.

2010-11: 7-0 win at Rouyn-Noranda

2012-13: 2-1 loss vs Blainville-Boisbriand

2015-16: 5-3 win vs Val-d'Or

2019-20: 6-1 loss vs Rimouski

2020-21: 5-3 win vs Cape Breton

2021-22: ? vs Halifax

KUZNETSOV WATCH

With Ryan Francis reassigned to the Sea Dogs, attention now turns to another player on the Stockton Heat roster.

Defenseman Yan Kuznetsov, a first-round pick of Saint John in this year's CHL Import Draft, has appeared in all four of Stockton's games this season. He's been held pointless with two shots and a +1 rating.

Kuznetsov being sent to Saint John is much more of a long shot than Francis - but there is a chance, especially with the Sea Dogs playing into June.

The 19-year-old is eligible to play in the AHL at his age because he comes from the NCAA and not the CHL. He was part of Russia's world junior team last year and presumably has a good chance of being on that squad again.

Stockton plays two games this weekend, hosting the Colorado Eagles and San Jose Barracuda.

MEMORIAL CUP INFO COMING

The Sea Dogs released some updated ticketing info regarding the 2022 Memorial Cup this week. Pricing is coming soon.

From the Sea Dogs website:

Official pricing will be released by the Host Committee in the coming weeks, but we wanted to share with you the information that we have.

In the spirit of the 2022 Memorial Cup theme of One for All, Full Tournament packages have been priced affordably to sell out the Station on the national stage. With the first Memorial Cup since 2019 and the first one broadcast by TSN, we anticipate a full building rocking every night in June during this once in a lifetime event.

2025 TOURNAMENT

Would the Cape Breton Eagles be interested in bidding to host the 2025 Memorial Cup? That's a question that was asked to Gerard Shaw, president and governor of the Eagles, by the Cape Breton Post last week.

“The short answer is that we would absolutely love to, but the biggest single thing that’s going to be considered when you’re going for the Memorial Cup hosting rights is if the team is ready that year on the ice,” Shaw told the Post. 

“I truly believe our cycle will be before the 2025 tournament. The next year will really determine that.”

With the CHL now seemingly interested in bringing the tournament back to smaller areas, a Sydney Memorial Cup seems like a more legitimate option than in the recent past.

ECHL NEWS?

Yes, we've got plenty of ECHL news for you:

• The Newfoundland Growlers continue to have arena issues. The team will play its first six home games in Toronto Conception Bay South, NL after the City of St. John's suspended the team from using Mary Brown's Centre (formerly known as Mile One Centre). The city is investigating "disrespectful workplace conduct" by team ownership, reports CBC.
• The Growlers started their season on the road and are off to a 4-0-0-0 start. That stretch included three wins over the expansion Trois-Rivieres Lions. Former Sea Dogs forward Nathan Noel has two assists in three games with the Growlers.
• I attended Tuesday's Growlers/Lions game at the new Colisee Videotron. Very nice minor league building with a good atmosphere for a Tuesday night.
• The new ECHL team in Savannah, Georgia - which will begin play next season - will be called the Ghost Pirates. The city's minor league baseball team, the Savannah Bananas, has been extremely successful. 

OTHER THINGS

• The WHL's Winnipeg Ice suffered their first loss of the season Friday, falling 3-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Ice remain atop the WHL standings with an 11-1-0-0 record.
• In the OHL, the London Knights remain undefeated with an 8-0-0-0 record.
• The Baie-Comeau Drakkar defeated the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-4 on Friday, earning just their second win of the season. The Titan have lost five straight games heading into Saturday's contest in Chicoutimi.
• Friday's Ottawa/Kingston match was aired online at TSN.ca and the TSN app. TSN didn't produce the game, picking up the YourTV local broadcast instead.
• A reminder that next Saturday's Sea Dogs game in Drummondville will air nationally on CBC. It's a 4 p.m. Atlantic start.