Grant named to Canada's Olympic team

KHL

The original Saint John Sea Dog is going to the Olympic Games.

33-year-old defenseman Alex Grant, Saint John's first ever draft pick, was named to Canada's men's hockey team for Beijing 2022 on Tuesday. He'll become the first Sea Dogs alumnus to play for Canada at an Olympic Games.

Meet Team Canada! 🇨🇦

25 men have been selected to represent 🇨🇦 at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

ROSTER ➡️ https://t.co/d8OVCa3Ceh@TeamCanada | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/pcIv42Qkf6

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) January 25, 2022

Grant was one of 25 players named to the Canadian roster. Other notables on the team's backend include Buffalo Sabres prospect Owen Power and former Moncton Wildcats Brandon Gormley, Mark Barberio and Jason Demers.

Grant was selected first overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2005 QMJHL Entry Draft and spent most of his junior career with the club. He was team captain in 2007-08 and again 2008-09 before being traded mid-season to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

The Antigonish native recorded 44 goals and 143 points in 245 career regular season games in the QMJHL. He added seven goals and 23 points in 35 career playoff games.

A fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2007 NHL Draft, Grant has appeared in seven career NHL games split between the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes. Most of his North American professional career was spent in the AHL and ECHL before heading to Europe in 2018-19.

Grant is in his fourth KHL season with Jokerit. He has five goals and 12 points in 27 games this season.

Grant's previous Team Canada experience includes the under-17 and under-18 programs as well as the Spengler Cup.

Former Sea Dogs forward Chris DiDomenico, meanwhile, was one of the six players named as a reserve for Team Canada. Former Cape Breton Eagles defenseman Morgan Ellis was also named a reserve.

The 32-year-old DiDomencio spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs and was the first offensive star in team history. The Woodbridge, ON native was part of the John Tavares led 2009 world junior team that won gold. DiDomenico, who has spent the past four seasons in Switzerland, has also played with Canada at several Spengler Cup tournaments. 

Other Sea Dogs alumni heading to the Beijing include Tomas Jurco who will play with Slovakia and Stanislav Galiev who will be a reserve player with Russia. 2015 draft pick Marc McLaughlin will suit up for the United States.