A historic night for Bilodeau

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Some great offensive defensemen have been developed by the Saint John Sea Dogs over the years, but very few accomplished what Nicolas Bilodeau did on Friday night.

Bilodeau, 17, posted a hat trick in Saint John's 7-3 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, becoming just the third Sea Dogs defenseman to record three goals in a single game. Luke Green recorded a hat trick once in his Sea Dogs career while Jeremie Poirier did it twice.

Bilodeau scores on the power play to complete his FIRST QMJHL Hat Trick! Congratulations Nicolas! #CityofChampions pic.twitter.com/DTj6q0DdRD

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) January 28, 2023

Bilodeau was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft but is in his first QMJHL season. He is the first Sea Dogs rookie defenseman to record a hat trick. Only four other Sea Dogs rookie defensemen - Green, Alex Grant, Jakub Zboril and Radim Salda - ever recorded a multi-goal game.

The Gatineau native now has seven goals and 22 points in 44 games this season which leads all QMJHL rookie defensemen in scoring.

Bilodeau is having a great season offensively, but he'll need to turn up his production even more down the stretch if he wants to match the franchise record for goals in a single season by a rookie defenseman.

Brady Burns, meanwhile, is inching closer to franchise history. With a goal on Friday, the 20-year-old is just one away from tying Michael Kirkpatrick's franchise record of 108.

Burns now has 234 points as a Sea Dog. He needs 23 points in Saint John's final 24 games to match Jonathan Huberdeau's franchise points record of 257.