Notebook: Big crowd expected Saturday

Vincent Ethier/CHL

A big crowd is expected for the Saint John Sea Dogs' home opener on Saturday night.

The TD Station website has ticket availability listed as "limited" for Saturday's home game against the Moncton Wildcats. 

The contest will be Saint John's first game at TD Station since lifting the Memorial Cup in June. The championship banner will be raised to the rafters before the game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. but that will likely be delayed due to the ceremony.

The Sea Dogs were scheduled to hold their home opener last Saturday but the game was postponed by Hurricane Fiona. The team always planned on raising the banner before this Saturday's contest.

OVG TAKING OVER?

There's a lot to take in from this Telegraph-Journal article (paywall) on the Sea Dogs and their lease arrangement with TD Station. It's worth a read.

The most newsworthy tidbit is that Oak View Group is in discussions to take over managing TD Station. The Harbour Station Commission is reportedly waiting on a final proposal from the company.

OVG, co-founded by former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, has become a major player in the arena industry in recent years. OVG and Spectra merged in 2021, meaning this company currently manages CHL arenas in Spokane, Windsor, Oshawa, Moose Jaw, Hamilton, Everett and London.

OVG recently built the new homes for the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken. The company is currently overseeing a renovation of Hamilton's arena.

The finances of such a deal - assuming one gets done - will be up for debate, but an OVG takeover would likely be positive from an entertainment standpoint. 

NEW NUMBERS

A couple numbers never worn in Sea Dogs history will be on display this season.

Jeremie Richard will become the first Sea Dog to wear No. 77 while Danny Akkouche will become the first to wear No. 86.

Nicolas Bilodeau becomes just the second Sea Dog to wear No. 72 (Olivier Picard); Tomasz Szczerba is the second to wear No. 91 (Tomas Jurco); and Alexis Cournoyer becomes the second to sport No. 92 (Nicholas Girouard).

Here's a look at what numbers have gotten an update this season.

2 - Nate Tivey (last worn by Yan Kuznetsov)

8 - Cole Burbidge (last worn by Carter McCluskey)

9 - Eriks Mateiko (last worn by Charles Savoie)

16 - Sam-Luca Thifault (last worn by Nicholas Deakin-Poot)

18 - Vince Elie (last worn by Josh Lawrence)

19 - Jared Cosman (last worn by Philippe Daoust)

21 - Pavel Simek (last worn by Nicholas Blagden)

24 - Jacob Beaulieu (last worn by Adam Bowness)

25 - Jake Tracey (last worn by Nathan Drapeau)

29 - Ventsislav Shingarov (last worn by Noah Patenaude)

42 - Noah Reinhart (last worn by Ben Reid)

70 - Olivier Brideau (last worn by Alex Myatt)

72 - Nicolas Bilodeau (last worn by Olivier Picard)

77 - Jeremie Richard (never been worn before)

86 - Danny Akkouche (never been worn before)

91 - Tomasz Szczerba (last worn by Tomas Jurco)

92 - Alexis Cournoyer (last worn by Nicholas Girouard)

GAMES PLAYED

An interesting little tidbit in the Sept. 26 edition of CHL Daily.

New Sea Dogs captain Charlie DesRoches got his campaign off to a nice start as he registered two assists in the victory. His 224 games in a Saint John jersey are the seventh most by a defenceman in team history. If he appears in 45 more games this year with the Sea Dogs, he’ll become the team’s new record holder in that category.

Here's a look at the top-10 for most games played by a Sea Dogs defenseman (click to enlarge).

If DesRoches plays in all 68 games this season, he'll reach the 291 total game mark, placing him second amongst all Sea Dogs skaters. Spencer Smallman holds the record with 293 games played.

PICARD IN BCHL

Olivier Picard has found a new home.

As expected, the overage forward is playing in the BCHL this season, suiting up for the Victoria Grizzlies. Picard has two goals in two games so far.

Picard recorded seven goals and 21 points in 62 regular season games with Saint John last season. He added an assist in five playoff games and was held pointless in four games at the Memorial Cup.

MONTEIRO COMMITS

American forward JJ Monteiro, a 12th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, has reportedly committed to Providence College of the NCAA.

Providence College gets commit from '06 F J.J. Monteiro of Mount St. Charles. Good stick around the net with knack for scoring goals. Makes players around him better. Compares to current Friar Nick Poisson

— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) September 29, 2022

The 16-year-old currently plays prep school hockey at the Rhode Island-based Mount St. Charles Academy.

OTHER THINGS

• There will be a "ball hockey court formal announcement" held at the new ball hockey pad beside the TD Station parking lot on Saturday afternoon. Among those expected to be in attendance is CHL president Dan MacKenzie.
• Scott Wheeler of The Athletic predicts the Sea Dogs to finish last in the Maritimes Division.
• 232 "current" CHL players are attending NHL camps this season, according to the CHL website. Seven "current" Sea Dogs are attending - but Cam MacDonald (Tampa Bay) is the only one expected to return to junior this season.
• The Medicine Hat News has a story on former Sea Dogs forward Alex Drover, who's hometown of Port-aux-Basque, NL was hit hard by last weekend's hurricane.
• Quite a few Canadians continue to play in the KHL despite the federal government's warning to stay out of Russia and Belarus, reports the Canadian Press. One of those Canadians is original Sea Dog Alex Grant, who has played in seven games with SKA St. Petersburg this season.
• Victoriaville's Colisee Desjardins has installed a new scoreboard.
• News that just makes sense: Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, home of the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers, is getting a Mary Brown's express concession. The building, which is nearly eight years younger than TD Station, also got new upper bowl seats installed this summer.