Phoenix, Remparts both go up 2-0

HALIFAX - The Sherbrooke Phoenix and Quebec Remparts have grabbed 2-0 series leads in their respective Giles Courteau Trophy semifinal playoff matchups.

Tyson Hinds scored at 8:45 of overtime to give the Phoenix a 3-2 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Centre. Sherbrooke took Game 1 of the series 5-2 on Saturday night.

It was all Phoenix in the first period, taking a 2-0 lead and outshooting the Mooseheads 17-3. But Halifax found their groove in the second period and, although they didn't score, looked much more like the offensively gifted Mooseheads we are used to seeing.

Mathieu Cataford got Halifax within one at 7:43 of the third. Then, with goaltender Mathis Rousseau on the bench, former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence made a great feed down low to Alexandre Doucet who redirected the puck past Olivier Adam, tying the game with 8.5 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Let's hear you Scotiabank Centre 📢

🚨 Doucet (7) 19:51 3rd period
🍎 Lawrence, Furlong #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/87viZRofna

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 30, 2023

The Phoenix had the better of the chances in overtime and secured the win with Hinds' goal. Hinds, a member of Team Canada at this year's world junior tournament in Halifax, knows all about winning in overtime at Scotiabank Centre.

The series now shifts to Sherbrooke for Games 3 and 4. There are certainly some concerns over the health of the Mooseheads who went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to captain Attilio Biasca missing the game with an illness. QMJHL scoring champion Jordan Dumais, meanwhile, left the game in the second period with an upper body injury and did not return.

Phoenix take Game 1 from Mooseheads

HALIFAX - Jacob Melanson scored a first period hat trick to lead the Sherbrooke Phoenix to a Game 1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night.

Melanson, who had eight shots, opened the scoring and added two more in the opening frame to guide the Phoenix to a 5-2 victory. The Seattle Kraken prospect now has eight goals and six assists in nine playoff games.

Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy also scored in the win. Roy sits second in QMJHL playoff scoring with 22 points.

Anthony Munroe-Boucher added Sherbrooke's other goal. Olivier Adam made 17 saves in the win.

The high powered Mooseheads offense registered just 19 shots in the loss while allowing 43. Former Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence scored a shorthanded marker in the first period that made it a 1-1 game at the time.

That gets the building shaking early. Oh baby.

🚨 Lawrence (7) SH 8:29 1st period
Unassisted | #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/SWTAS72vdO

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 29, 2023

The Mooseheads have rebounded from rough Game 1 performances in these playoffs. They'll look to do the same on Sunday when the two meet for Game 2 at Scotiabank Centre. Game time is 4 p.m.

Some other things...

• Game 2 of the Quebec/Gatineau series is also on Sunday afternoon. The Remparts lead that series 1-0.
• Josh Lawrence sits third in QMJHL playoff scoring with 20 points.
• In the OHL conference finals, London leads Sarnia 1-0 and Peterborough leads North Bay 1-0. Those series resume on Sunday.

Hurtubise, Cobras win QJHL championship

Vincent Ethier/CHL

HALIFAX - Nikolas Hurtubise and the Terrebonne Cobras are QJHL champions.

Hurtubise earned the win in net as the Cobras defeated the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Condors 6-2 in Game 7 of the league final, capturing the Napa Cup.

With the win, the Cobras advance to Centennial Cup national championship tournament that begins May 11 in Portage la Prairie.

 

Hurtubise faced 23 shots in the win - his fourth appearance of the series and third victory. The overager has been splitting the crease with Alexandre Marchand, who was named a finalist for CJHL goaltender of the year earlier this week.

CHAMPIONS DE LA COUPE NAPA 2023 🏆🏆#UneHistoireDeFierté l #LHJAAAQ pic.twitter.com/om27umMmEY

— Cobras de Terrebonne (@cobraterrebonne) April 29, 2023

Hurtubise helped the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup last season. He started the 2022-23 season with Saint John but struggled to stay healthy, appearing in just 11 games. He joined the Cobras for the second half where he played in seven regular season games and seven playoff matches.

There will now be two former Sea Dogs competing at the Centennial Cup: Hurtubise and defenseman Ben Roode of the Maritime Hockey League champion Yarmouth Mariners.

The Mariners begin tournament play on May 11 against the Alberta Junior Hockey League champs while the Cobras' first game is on May 12 against the Central Canada Hockey League champions.

A few other notes...

• What a start to the semifinals. The Quebec Remparts defeated the Gatineau Olympiques 5-2 to take a 1-0 series lead on Friday night. The third period, in particular, was tremendous with the two teams going back-and-forth with both goaltenders making some great saves. It was also physical (the clean variety) at times, which sets up a fun series.
• Justin Robidas scored his fifth goal of the playoffs late in the third period to make it 4-2. James Malatesta added an empty net goal with 10 seconds remaining.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Charles Savoie had an assist and four hits in the win. Cam MacDonald, meanwhile, was held pointless with one shot and three hits.
• Attendance at Centre Videotron was 17,416, the second largest playoff crowd in QMJHL history.
• Game 2 is Sunday at 4 p.m. Atlantic.
• The Sherbrooke/Halifax series gets going on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre.
• Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins are heading to Game 7 in their first round matchup against the Florida Panthers. Coyle has a goal and an assist in the series. Jakub Zboril has not played. Game 7 is on Sunday in Boston.

Notebook: Wildcats win lottery

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

The Moncton Wildcats were the winners of Wednesday's QMJHL Draft Lottery.

The Wildcats had the second best odds of winning the draft lottery behind the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, who will be picking second. Moncton hasn't selected first overall since 2018 when they drafted defenseman Brandon Gormley.

Here's who will (currently) be picking in the top-five of June's QMJHL Entry Draft.

1st pick – Moncton Wildcats (from Val-d’Or)

2nd pick – Chicoutimi Saguenéens (from Acadie-Bathurst)

3rd pick – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

4th pick – Val-d’Or Foreurs (from Saint John)

5th pick – Rimouski Océanic (from Charlottetown)

Val-d'Or's pick was originally Saint John's and was dealt to the Foreurs in the Jonathan Lemieux trade.

At this time, it looks like forward Caleb Desnoyers will be picked first overall. Desnoyers' older brother, Elliot Desnoyers, was taken 18th overall by the Wildcats in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft and was traded to the Halifax Mooseheads two seasons later.

The 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place Saturday, June 10 in Sherbrooke.

FIRST ROUND PICKS

Here's how the first round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft is currently scheduled to go. There will no doubt be some trades and movement.

L’ordre de sélection de la première ronde pour le repêchage de la LHJMQ

1st round draft order for the QMJHL Draft #Qdraft @ScoutingService pic.twitter.com/2L9lpKv3hQ

— Jérôme Bérubé (@Jerome_Berube) April 26, 2023

Chicoutimi has two compensation picks for players who did not report to the club. The rights of those players have been relinquished. 

World under-18s end for Mateiko, Simek

IIHF

The IIHF Under-18 World Championship came to a close for both Eriks Mateiko and Pavel Simek on Thursday.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forwards were both eliminated from the tournament following quarterfinal losses. Saturday's semifinals will feature Team Canada taking on Sweden and the United States battling Slovakia.

Mateiko and the Latvians fell 6-1 to Sweden on Thursday. The Latvian captain had one shot in 17:45 of ice time to finish the tournament with a goal and an assist in five games.

"I think our game got better through the tournament," Mateiko told the IIHF website after the game. "It was little details, teamwork and working together. We did a good job in every game and we played like a team in the end."

Following the game, Mateiko was named one of Latvia's top three players at the tournament.

Simek and Czechia fell 4-1 to the United States. Simek had one shot in 12:08 of ice time to finish the tournament with two assists in five games.

Both Mateiko and Simek, coming off strong rookie seasons in the QMJHL, are eligible to return to the Sea Dogs in the fall.

Final fours set across CHL

Saskatoon Blades Facebook

The Saskatoon Blades completed a rare reverse sweep on Tuesday.

After defeating Connor Bedard's Regina Pats in seven games in the first round, the Blades lost the first three games of their second round series against the Red Deer Rebels. The Blades then rattled off four straight wins against the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed to advance to the Western Hockey League's final four for the first time since 1994.

REVERSE SWEEP BABY!!!! pic.twitter.com/qfQJ7xEzNi

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) April 26, 2023

Saskatoon becomes just the third team in WHL history to win a series after losing the first three games, joining the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets.

The Blades will face the loaded Winnipeg Ice in the WHL's Eastern Conference final.

The WHL's Western Conference final could be quite a show with the stacked Seattle Thunderbirds taking on the Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers. Logan Stankoven and Olen Zellweger of the Blazers sit in a tie for the WHL's playoff scoring lead with 21 points each.

Eastern Conference Final

Saskatoon (3) vs Winnipeg (1)

Western Conference Final

Kamloops (2) vs Seattle (1)

The big news out of the OHL is that the No. 1 seeds have fallen. The Windsor Spitfires were upset in the first round while the Ottawa 67's, who finished first in the overall league standings, lost in six games to the Peterborough Petes in the second round.

Quarterfinals set at world under-18s

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Two Saint John Sea Dogs forwards will play in the quarterfinals of the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Switzerland.

Eriks Mateiko and Team Latvia will take on Sweden while Pavel Simek and Team Czechia will face the United States. The other quarterfinal matchups will feature Canada taking on Switzerland and Slovakia battling Finland.

All four quarters will take place Thursday. The semifinals are Saturday and the gold and bronze medal games will be played Sunday.

The Latvians finished 1-3-0 in the preliminary round, placing fourth in Group B. Mateiko, who is captaining Latvia, had a goal and an assist in four games.

"Eriks Mateiko‘s name has been one that has circulated in the media tribune over the past few days," writes Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff. "The Saint John Sea Dogs winger grabbed his second point of the tournament and has been one of the few Latvians to really be putting in the effort every shift. He’s not eligible until the 2024 NHL Draft, but he’s been noticeable."

Simek had two shots in 10:51 of ice time in Czechia's 8-3 loss to Canada on Tuesday. Simek finished the preliminary round with two assists in four games.

Czechia finished fourth in Group A with a 1-2-1 record.

Team Canada, meanwhile, will have a second QMJHL player joining them. Moncton Wildcats defenseman Etienne Morin will join Victoriaville Tigres goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle as the only Q players on the squad.

Etienne Morin des #Wildcats va rejoindre l’équipe canadienne des
Moins de 18 ans pour remplacer Quinton Burns qui s’est blessé lors du dernier match.

Morin (72 pts en saison) ne sera pas en uniforme aujourd’hui mais sera dispo pour la ronde des médailles a partir de jeudi. #RDS

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) April 25, 2023

Notebook: Oceanic fire Beausoleil

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The Rimouski Oceanic made a major move Monday, firing head coach and general manager Serge Beausoleil.

Beausoleil led the Oceanic to nearly 500 wins over his 12 years in Rimouski and won the President Cup in 2015. The Oceanic fell to the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2012 President Cup final and then pulled off a shocking upset over the Sea Dogs in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs.

The often vocal Beausoleil also got into it with Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard earlier this season after the Sea Dogs took a late-game timeout in a blowout win.

Beausoleil was named the QMJHL's general manager of the year in 2018.

The Oceanic announced that Danny Dupont will be the club's interim general manager. The QMJHL Entry Draft is roughly six weeks away.

Beausoleil's impressive resume with the Oceanic will likely make him a wanted man around the QMJHL. There is already speculation of him taking the reins of the Quebec Remparts if Patrick Roy chooses to move on.

MORE CAMERAS INCOMING?

Le Journal de Quebec is reporting that the QMJHL may require teams provide more camera angles in their home arenas to assist with video replay.

The news comes after a couple controversial calls this post-season - most notably the Baie-Comeau Drakkar's overtime goal in Game 7 of the first round that was not allowed. The Moncton Wildcats went on to win the game and advance to the second round.

Il y en avait des vidéo, voici le but refusé du Drakkar. Tranquillement les vidéos commence à sortir. C’est un vol pic.twitter.com/eOOIQ45fTI

— Sébastien Chouinard (@sebchou1) April 24, 2023

QMJHL's final four set; Mateiko scores in U-18 Latvia loss

HALIFAX - The top four teams from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's regular season will all play in the semifinals of the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoffs.

The Halifax Mooseheads secured the final semifinal spot on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Moncton Wildcats 7-3 to complete a 4-1 series win. Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence had an empty net goal in the third period.

The Wildcats, who feature former Sea Dogs forward Connor Trenholm, were without Yoan Loshing, Oscar Plandoswki, Jonas Taibel and a couple others for this game due to injuries. Moncton hung around as best they could despite being heavily outshot most of the game. Moncton got within two in the third period but couldn't get any closer, struggling to get shots on net.

Lawrence and the Mooseheads will face Joshua Roy and the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the semifinals, a 2-2-1-1-1 series that begins Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre. Roy currently sits second in QMJHL playoff scoring with 21 points.

The other semifinal will feature Charles Savoie and the Quebec Remparts taking on Cam MacDonald and the Gatineau Olympiques. That series begins Friday in Quebec City.

After a fairly uneventful second round, these two series should have a real playoff feel to them. All four teams loaded up and are threats to win the Gilles Courteau Trophy.

Some other notes...

• St. Andrews native Gabe Smith scored his first career QMJHL playoff goal in the third period. A few minutes later, it was announced that somebody from St. Andrews won the 50/50.
• Connor Trenholm finishes the playoffs with three assists in 12 games.
• Moncton's Etienne Morin leaves the playoffs as the league's scoring leader amongst defensemen with an impressive 17 points (two goals and 15 assists) in 12 games.
• At the IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Switzerland, Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko scored Latvia's only goal in a 5-1 loss to the host Swiss. The Latvian captain had three shots in 18:42 of ice time. Latvia faces Norway on Monday.
• Pavel Simek and Team Czechia fell 2-0 to Sweden on Sunday. Simek had one shot in 13:52 of ice time. On Saturday, Team Czechia defeated Germany 7-1. Simek had an assist and two shots in 15:46 of ice time. Czechia plays Canada on Tuesday.

Mariners win MHL championship

Percy Picard/MHL

The Yarmouth Mariners are Maritime Hockey League champions.

The Mariners defeated the Edmundston Blizzard 5-1 on Friday night in northern New Brunswick, completing a sweep of the league final. The Mariners went 12-0 in the post-season, becoming the first MHL team to post a perfect record en route to the Metalfab MHL Cup.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Ben Roode, wearing the 'C' for Yarmouth, recorded two assists in Game 4. Roode's biggest offensive performance of the series came in Game 2 when he posted a goal - which was the game-winner - and three assists in a 7-5 victory.

Congratulations to @MarinersHockey, who have captured the #MetalfabMHLCup and will now represent the MHL at the 2023 #CentennialCup, scheduled for May 11-21 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. pic.twitter.com/e25ge0GD9s

— The MHL (@THEMHL) April 22, 2023

The overager finishes the playoffs with three goals and 11 assists in 12 games, placing him first in scoring amongst defensemen. 

Roode has spent parts of the past three seasons in Yarmouth. He appeared in two games with the Sea Dogs during the 2020-21 COVID season. He's committed to playing at Ontario Tech University next season where he'll join a rookie class that includes Sea Dogs forward Alex Drover.

The Mariners now have a few weeks to prepare for the Centennial Cup, the national junior 'A' championship tournament. The 10-team event takes place May 11-21 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. 

The Blizzard, meanwhile, featured former Sea Dogs defenseman Brandon Casey. Casey, also an overager, had six assists in 14 playoff games.

In the QJHL final, Nikolas Hurtubise and the Terrebonne Cobras are tied 2-2 against the Cegep Beauce-Appalaches Condors following a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday. Hurtubise has played in three of the four games of the championship series, including Friday's loss.

Game 5 is Sunday afternoon in Terrebonne.

Catching up on some news

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko and Team Latvia fell to 0-2 at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship on Friday.

The Latvians fell 5-2 to Finland a day after opening the tournament with a 7-1 loss to the United States.

Mateiko, who is captaining Latvia, was held pointless in 19:01 of ice time. He recorded one shot on goal while playing on the team's top line - a line that includes Kristers Ansons, the brother of former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons.

Latvia returns to action on Sunday, taking on host Switzerland.

Sea Dogs forward Pavel Simek and Team Czechia are back in action on Saturday, taking on Germany. Czechia dropped their opener 3-2 in a shootout to Slovakia on Thursday.

Team Canada, meanwhile, rebounded from an ugly 8-0 loss to Sweden on Thursday with an 8-0 win over Germany on Friday. Victoriaville Tigres goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle, the only QMJHL player on the Canadian roster, was the backup.

Some other notes on this Friday evening...

• The Halifax Mooseheads can secure a spot in the QMJHL semifinals with a win over the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Centre. The Mooseheads took a 3-1 series lead on Thursday, defeating the Wildcats 3-0. Josh Lawrence was held pointless in the win.
• Les 2 Rives has a story on Sea Dogs forward Alexis Cournoyer and his solid season.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens will release the rights of first-round pick Sacha Boisvert and receive a first-round pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft as compensation. Boisvert spent this past season in the USHL and has committed to the University of North Dakota. UND is one of the premier college hockey programs but rarely recruits from QMJHL territory. 
• CBC Nova Scotia spoke with Sea Dogs forward Brady Burns about his friend and fellow Nova Scotian Jacob Quillan, who scored the overtime winner in the NCAA championship game.
• The NCAA men's hockey final had record TV ratings on ESPN. TSN owns the NCAA hockey rights in Canada (along with the CHL rights) and only aired the game online through TSN+.
• In the Maritime Hockey League final, Ben Roode and the Yarmouth Mariners carry a 3-0 series lead over Brandon Casey and the Edmundston Blizzard heading into action Friday.
• In Ontario, former Sea Dogs forward Jacob Chantler and the St. Marys Lincolns were eliminated in the conference championship of the GOJHL playoffs. Chantler had two goals and 12 assists in 13 playoff games with the Lincolns.
• Former Sea Dogs defenseman Matt Murphy will be working with the Champions Hockey spring and summer program this off-season. Murphy spent parts of this past season in the AHL, ECHL and Austria.
• It feels like the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads are entering an important season off the ice.
• Cape Breton's Centre 200 needs some upgrades, reports CTV Atlantic.
• Bill Schurman has passed away. Schurman, a PEI native, spent many years involved with the QMJHL, working in front offices in Moncton and Lewiston and most recently in Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre.
• On this week's episode of The Hockey News on the Q, Will MacLaren and I discuss the QMJHL playoffs, awards season, St. Louis Blues prospects and Cole Burbidge.

.@willmacwriter and @station_nation discuss the second round of the QMJHL playoffs, the @QMJHL Awards, @StLouisBlues prospects and more: https://t.co/v3KgaHQtSo

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) April 19, 2023

Mateiko captains Latvia; Canada struggles

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A nightmare start for Team Canada at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship grabbed most of the attention on Thursday, but the player wearing the 'C' for Team Latvia is certainly noteworthy.

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko captained Latvia in their 7-1 loss to the heavily favoured United States. Mateiko, playing on Latvia's top line, had one shot on goal in 20:33 of ice time.

Mateiko, a second-round pick of Saint John in last year's CHL Import Draft, had two goals in four games with Latvia at last year's under-18 event.

"Eriks Mateiko should provide some offensive punch after a decent season in the QMJHL," wrote Tony Ferrari in The Hockey News. "The 6-foot-4 winger should bring some of the experience from last year’s team to the tournament and build off the two goals he scored last time."

The 17-year-old played on a line with Kristers Ansons, the brother of former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons. Chicoutimi Sagueneens defenseman Peteris Bulans is wearing an 'A' for the Latvians.

Mateiko recorded 16 goals and 20 assists in 62 games with Saint John this past season.

Latvia is back in action on Friday, taking on Finland. The tournament is being held in Switzerland.

Saint John's other import forward, Pavel Simek, is suiting up for Czechia. Simek had an assist in 17:13 of ice time in Czechia's 3-2 shootout loss to Slovakia on Thursday.

Simek, Saint John's first-round pick in last year's CHL Import Draft, had 12 goals and 17 assists in 61 QMJHL games this past season.

Czechia is back in action on Saturday, facing Germany.

The big shock of the day was Team Canada's disastrous start, falling 8-0 to Sweden. There is only one QMJHL player on the Canadian roster - Victoriaville Tigres goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle, who allowed three goals on 17 shots in a relief appearance.

Mooseheads win; three teams sweep

The Halifax Mooseheads have taken a 2-1 series lead in their second round playoff matchup against the Moncton Wildcats.

Zachary L'Heureux, who delivered a controversial open ice hit on Yoan Loshing in Saturday's Game 2, netted a hat trick in the Mooseheads win. L'Heureux, who was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit, was not suspended while Loshing missed Wednesday's game with an injury.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence had two assists in the Moose victory. Connor Trenholm, meanwhile, was named the game's second star with an assist in the loss.

Halifax led 3-0 in the third period before Moncton scored twice to make a game of it. L'Heureux scored into an empty net with 38 seconds remaining to make it a 4-2 final.

Hat Trick into the empty net for Zach to seal Game #3!

4-2 Mooseheads | #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/ZTaRCUJAri

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 20, 2023

Game 4 is Thursday night in Moncton. The series will return to Halifax for Game 5 on Sunday afternoon.

This Moncton/Halifax series is the only second round matchup that will not end in a sweep. Sherbrooke, Quebec and Gatineau all advanced to the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoff semifinals with Game 4 victories over Drummondville, Rimouski and Rouyn-Noranda, respectively, on Wednesday.

In Sherbrooke, former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy now has 10 goals and 11 assists this post-season, placing him second in scoring.

In Quebec, Charles Savoie has two goals and three assists for the league-leading Remparts.

Cam MacDonald and the Gatineau Olympiques had little trouble with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, outscoring them 23-4. MacDonald now has four goals and two assists this post-season.

For the Huskies, former Sea Dogs goaltender Thomas Couture has wrapped up his QMJHL career. He has committed to play at Acadia University this fall.

Teams are reseeded based on the overall standings in the semifinals. If the Mooseheads advance, it'll be Quebec vs Gatineau and Halifax vs Sherbrooke. If the Wildcats advance, it'll be Quebec vs Moncton and Sherbrooke vs Gatineau.

Burbidge makes final Central Scouting list

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Cole Burbidge has made NHL Central Scouting's final rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward was ranked 110th amongst North American skaters in the rankings that were released Tuesday. This is the first time Burbidge has been ranked all season.

The 17-year-old had an impressive rookie season with the Sea Dogs, posting 19 goals and 30 assists in 68 games. He recorded 33 points after the calendar flipped to 2023, playing a key role in getting Saint John into the playoffs.

Burbidge was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft. He spent his 16-year-old season playing at the Mount St. Charles prep school in Rhode Island.

Burbidge was one of 31 QMJHL players in the final listing. Sherbrooke's Ethan Gauthier, who has yet to play in the second round of the playoffs due to an injury suffered in practice, was the top ranked Q player at No. 16.

Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats remains the No. 1 ranked skater.

Bradly Nadeau of St-Francois-de-Madawaska, a University of Maine commit who has spent the past couple seasons with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, was ranked 17th.

The full rankings can be found on the NHL website.

The 2023 NHL Draft takes place June 28-29 in Nashville. The NHL Draft Lottery, which could be just as entertaining, takes place May 8.

Coyle, Zboril and Bruins set to begin playoffs

Embed from Getty Images

Will a former Saint John Sea Dog win the Stanley Cup this year? Those hopes rely on the Boston Bruins.

Charlie Coyle and Jakub Zboril, both members of the Bruins, are the only Sea Dogs alumni playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. The odds of Boston winning the Cup seem pretty good after completing one of the best regular seasons in NHL history.

Coyle appeared in all 82 games for his hometown Bruins this season and recorded 45 points, one of the best offensive seasons of his career. Zboril, meanwhile, was an extra defenseman for most of the year and appeared in 22 games.

The Bruins will face the Florida Panthers in the first round. Game 1 is Monday night.

It's worth noting that there are a few former Sea Dogs coaches who have a shot at the Stanley Cup this season. Gerard Gallant, Mike Kelly, Jim Midgley and the New York Rangers will face the upstart New Jersey Devils in what should be a fun first round matchup.

It was a disappointing season for Jonathan Huberdeau and the Calgary Flames. Huberdeau, coming off a 115-point season with the Florida Panthers, posted just 55 points with a Calgary team that struggled to finish its scoring chances.

Thomas Chabot, Mathieu Jospeh, Julien Gauthier and the Ottawa Senators continue to show promise but are just not quite there yet. Same with Joe Veleno and the Detroit Red Wings.

Mike Hoffman and the Montreal Canadiens along with Nathan Beaulieu and the Anaheim Ducks continue to rebuild/tank.

Big Game 2s for Lawrence and Roy

Embed from Getty Images 

HALIFAX - The Halifax Mooseheads looked much more like the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence was named the game's first star with two goals and three assists, leading the Mooseheads to a dominant 7-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats. The victory evens the second round series up at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 taking place in Moncton later this week.

Lawrence also had seven shots in the game. The overage forward now has five goals and 11 assists in just six playoff games, placing him third in league scoring.

It was a much better performance by the Mooseheads offense that struggled in Friday's 4-1 loss. Halifax outshot Moncton 29-10 in the first two periods and 37-14 overall.

Former Sea Dogs looking to win Jr A titles

Terrebonne Cobras Facebook

Nikolas Hurtubise made 25 saves to help the Terrebonne Cobras defeat the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Condors 7-3 in the first game of the QJHL final on Friday.

Hurtubise has appeared in four playoff games with the Cobras, posting a 3-0 record to go along with a 1.58 goals against average and a .940 save percentage. He played in seven regular season games since joining Terrebonne for the second half, going 5-2 with a 3.17 GAA and .889 SV%.

The 20-year-old Hurtubise and 19-year-old Alexandre Marchand form quite a goaltending duo in Terrebonne. Marchand, who has played in seven of the Cobras' playoff games, has been one of the QJHL's top goaltenders all season.

Game 2 of the league final is Sunday afternoon in Terrebonne.

Hurtubise, who backstopped the Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup title last year, is expected to join the Concordia Stingers for the 2023-24 season.

The Cobras are a threat to win a national junior A title this season, finishing third in the final CJHL Top 20 rankings. The Maritime Hockey League's Yarmouth Mariners, meanwhile, finished 10th while the Edmundston Blizzard were 19th. 

The Mariners and Blizzard will meet in the MHL final, which begins Sunday night in Yarmouth. The Mariners had the MHL's best regular season record (41-9-2-0 for 84 points) while the Blizzard were second (38-13-0-1 for 77 points).

The Mariners feature former Sea Dogs defenseman Benjamin Roode while the Blizzard have ex-Dogs d-man Brandon Casey.

It's not a short drive between Yarmouth and Edmundston and this marks the second time the two franchises have met in the MHL final. In 2018, Edmundston defeated Yarmouth in six games.

For the second straight season, all nine CJHL league champions and the host team (Portage Terriers) will participate in the Centennial Cup national championship tournament, which begins May 11 in Portage la Prairie, MB.

Wildcats upset Mooseheads to take Game 1

HALIFAX - The Moncton Wildcats pulled off a Game 1 surprise on Friday, defeating the Halifax Mooseheads 4-1 at Scotiabank Centre.

The Wildcats scored four goals on just 18 shots in the first two periods to take the opening game of the second round playoff series. While Moncton's offense made the most of their chances, goaltender Jacob Steinman was star of the match, making some huge stops to carry Moncton to victory. The rookie netminder made 39 saves and held a shutout into the final half of the third period.

The Wildcats were able to keep Halifax's big three of Jordan Dumais, Josh Lawrence and Alexandre Doucet of the scoresheet for the most part. Lawrence and Doucet recorded assists on Brady Schultz's goal at 14:16 of the third period.

There are two former Saint John Sea Dogs in this series: Lawrence and Moncton's Connor Trenholm.

The Moncton win makes for a much more intriguing series as the favoured Mooseheads will need to rebound from this loss. Game 2 is Saturday night in Halifax.

A few other notes...

• It's worth mentioning that the Moncton/Halifax series has a bit of a funky schedule. Following Game 2 on Saturday, Games 3 and 4 will be played Wednesday and Thursday in Moncton. Game 5 won't be until Sunday afternoon in Halifax with Game 6 scheduled for the following Monday in Moncton and Game 7 on Wednesday back in Halifax.
• Wildcats defenseman Natan Grenier, a first-round pick of Saint John in 2021 who was traded to Moncton in the Philippe Daoust deal, scored his first career playoff goal - which proved to be the game-winner.
• The Gatineau Olympiques shutout the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-0 to take Game 1. Cam MacDonald scored his fourth goal (an empty netter) of the playoffs in the win. Thomas Couture allowed five goals on 39 shots in the loss.
• Joshua Roy had a goal and an assist in the Sherbrooke Phoenix's 7-3 Game 1 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
• Charles Savoie and the Quebec Remparts defeated those pesky Rimouski Oceanic 6-3 to take a 1-0 series lead.

Will an ex-Dog win a QMJHL championship?

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs have been eliminated from the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoffs. But could a former Sea Dog win the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship this year?

There are quite a few ex-Dogs still alive in the playoffs, including four (Josh Lawrence, Cam MacDonald, Connor Trenholm and Thomas Couture) who helped Saint John win the Memorial Cup last year. Marshall Lessard was eliminated in the first round.

The league's top four regular season teams - the Quebec Remaprts (Charles Savoie), Halifax Mooseheads (Josh Lawrence), Sherbrooke Phoenix (Joshua Roy) and Gatineau Olympiques (Cam MacDonald) - all feature ex-Dogs. It's safe to say the odds of a former Sea Dog lifting the Gilles Courteau Trophy in May are quite good.

Before round two begins on Friday night, here's a look at how former Sea Dogs have performed in the playoffs so far.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Joshua Roy	SHE	4	5	5	10
Josh Lawrence	HAL	4	3	7	10
Cam MacDonald	GAT	5	3	0	3
Charles Savoie	QUE	4	2	1	3
Marshall Lessard	BAC	6	1	2	3
Connor Trenholm	MON	7	0	1	1
Leighton Carruthers	ROU	4	0	0	0
Simon Hughes	CHA	4	0	0	0

Rouyn-Noranda goaltender Thomas Couture is 4-1 with a 2.74 goals against average and a .889 save percentage in five playoff games.

Nathan Drapeau and the Val-d'Or Foreurs joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titan as the two teams that did not qualify for this year's post-season.

Poirier makes AHL All-Rookie Team

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Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Jeremie Poirier has been named to the American Hockey League's All-Rookie Team.

In 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers this season, Poirier has nine goals and 32 assists, placing him second in AHL rookie defenseman scoring.

From the AHL's news release:

A third-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft, Jeremie Poirier has collected nine goals and 32 assists for 41 points in 66 games for the league-leading Wranglers in 2022-23. The puck-moving defender is also a perfect 4-for-4 in shootout attempts this season, the best mark in the entire AHL. Poirier, 20, is a native of Valleyfield, Que., and turned pro after four junior seasons with Saint John (QMJHL).

The AHL website also has a feature on Poirier and his adjustment to the pro game.

The first-place Wranglers also feature another Sea Dogs defenseman Yan Kuznetsov, who has five goals and 14 assists in 60 games. Both Poirier and Kuznetsov helped Saint John win a Memorial Cup championship last season.

Other members of last year's Sea Dogs team playing in the AHL this season: William Villeneuve (Toronto Marlies), William Dufour (Bridgeport Islanders), Vincent Sevigny (Bridgeport Islanders), Riley Bezeau (Charlotte Checkers) and Raivis Ansons (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins). Philippe Daoust (Belleville Senators) has missed most of the season with an injury while Ryan Francis (Laval Rocket) has spent the majority of the year in the ECHL.

QMJHL's second round matchups set

The second round matchups of the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoffs are locked in.

Maxim Barbashev scored at 14:53 of overtime to give the Moncton Wildcats a 5-4 Game 7 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Tuesday at Avenir Centre. The Wildcats will face the Halifax Mooseheads in a Maritimes Division showdown in the second round.

It’s all over! Barbashev scores the OT winner in Game 7 to send the @monctonwildcats to the second round! 🚨 #QPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BWhyE9xxDG

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 12, 2023

The Wildcats and Drakkar went to overtime five times in the seven game series, a new QMJHL record. It was, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining playoff series in recent league history.

The Drakkar loss ends the junior career of overage forward Marshall Lessard, who had a goal and two assists in the series. Lessard helped the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup last season.

Now we look ahead to the next round where it would seem the much "juicer" matchups will be in the Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference

1) Quebec vs 5) Rimouski

2) Halifax vs 3) Moncton

Western Conference

1) Sherbrooke vs 6) Drummondville

2) Gatineau vs 4) Rouyn-Noranda

All four series are expected to begin Friday.

The four teams that advance to the third round will all be reseeded based on the overall league standings.

Over in the Ontario Hockey League, the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit both advanced to the second round with wins on Monday. The Spirit, who will host the 2024 Memorial Cup, needed seven games to eliminate the state rival Flint Firebirds.

Drakkar, Wildcats heading to Game 7

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The Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Moncton Wildcats have had an excellent first round playoff series - and it's not over yet.

The Drakkar forced a Game 7 with a 4-3 overtime win over the Wildcats on Monday at Avenir Centre. Matyas Melovsky scored just 23 seconds into the extra frame to secure the Drakkar the victory.

It wasn't looking like the game would even need overtime. The Drakkar held a 3-2 lead into the final minute when Vincent Labelle scored from a bad angle to tie things up. The goal came at five-on-five but with Moncton on a penalty kill and their goaltender pulled.

Labelle sends it to OT with a late shortie! https://t.co/UYssA7EM2x pic.twitter.com/paVZfBSbTM

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) April 11, 2023

Earlier in the third period, former Sea Dogs forward Marshall Lessard was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding. Baie-Comeau killed off that penalty though.

This was the fourth game of this series that required overtime.

Game 7 will take place Tuesday night at Avenir Centre. It's the only first round series still going in the QMJHL.

A few other notes...

• Brandon Casey and the Edmundston Blizzard will face Benjamin Roode and the Yarmouth Mariners in the Maritime Hockey League final (a very long distance one at that). The Blizzard completed a sweep of the Summerside Western Capitals on Monday.
• No teams from the 2022 Memorial Cup are still alive in the CHL playoffs. The Hamilton Bulldogs blew a 3-0 lead and fell 5-4 to the Barrie Colts on Monday, dropping the series in six games. The Edmonton Oil Kings missed the WHL post-season while the Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes were eliminated in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs.
• This was the final Bulldogs game in Hamilton for at least the next three seasons. The Bulldogs will be relocating to Brantford while the FirstOntario Centre undergoes massive renovations.
• The Prince George Cougars have advanced to the second round of the WHL playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Cougars eliminated the Tri-City Americans in six games in the opening round. Former Sea Dogs head coach Josh Dixon is an associate coach with the Cougars.
• Worth nothing as well that the Spokane Chiefs did not make the WHL playoffs. Former Sea Dogs assistant coach Stefan Legein is an associate coach with the Chiefs.

Notebook: First round nearly completed

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Moncton Wildcats can book a trip to the second round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs with a win on Monday night against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Wildcats took a 3-2 series lead with a 3-2 overtime win on Friday in Baie-Comeau. It's been an extremely tight series with three of the five games requiring overtime.

The Wildcats/Drakkar series is the only first round matchup remaining. Gatineau, Rouyn-Noranda, Drummondville and Rimouski all earned trips to the second on Friday with Game 5 victories over Saint John, Shawinigan, Victoriaville and Chicoutimi, respectively.

There were a couple upsets in round one. The Tigres finished 25 points ahead of the Voltigeurs and most predicted Victoriaville to take the series. The Volts kept those receipts.

Et bien… #GoRouges pic.twitter.com/YUy6FnjeFj

— Voltigeurs de Drummondville (@VoltigeursDRU) April 8, 2023

The Oceanic, meanwhile, technically upset the Sagueneens although they were seperated by just one point in the standings. Rimouski is quite familiar with first round upsets as the Saint John Sea Dogs found out last year.

2020-21 : 0,385 vs 0,662 vs SHA
2021-22 : 23 points d'écart vs SNB
2022-23 : 1 point d'écart vs CHI https://t.co/8hoY4zQXBY

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) April 8, 2023

In the Western Conference's second round, Sherbrooke will take on Drummondville and Gatineau will face Rouyn-Noranda. Quebec, Halifax and Rimouski have all advanced on the Eastern Conference side but are awaiting the outcome of the Wildcats/Drakkar series to see who they play.

FINAL NUMBERS

The Sea Dogs were outscored 30-5 in their five game first round playoff series against the Gatineau Olympiques.

Peter Reynolds finished with a team high three points (all assists). Nicolas Bilodeau, Brady Burns and Noah Reinhart each had a goal and an assist.

In net, Ventsislav Shingarov has recorded a league high 185 saves despite being pulled after 40 minutes twice in the series. Gatineau averaged 46 shots per game.

Gatineau's Zach Dean (six goals and seven assists) and Riley Kidney (two goals and nine assists) currently sit atop the playoff scoring leader board. Alexis Gendron has scored a league best eight goals.

Zachary Dean ties Maxime Talbot and Claude Giroux for 3rd most points (13) in a best-of-seven series, and Giroux for 2nd most in series to end in 5.

Olivier Nadeau scores for 4th time in series, tacking on an assist in each game in April. 217 points in 217 combined QMJHL GP. https://t.co/OVi4YIzqn5

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) April 8, 2023

Plenty of positives as Sea Dogs begin rebuild

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - When looking at just the numbers, it wasn't a pretty season for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

But, in reality, it's fair to say the Sea Dogs exceeded expectations this year and, less than a year removed from a Memorial Cup championship, the vibe for this rebuild feels good.

Saint John snuck into the playoffs with a strong final few weeks, a late season stretch that's rare for a rebuilding team coming off an "all in" year. While the Sea Dogs lost their first round playoff series in five games to the powerhouse Gatineau Olympiques (and were outscored 30-5 in the series), the fact that they won one game is certainly impressive. Saint John played hard against Gatineau, and that's really all you can ask for in a mismatch like that.

The playoff series with Gatineau, in a way, was representative of the Sea Dogs' season as a whole. It ended in a loss, but there were a lot of small wins and positives to build off that should help this team moving forward. And playing a team like Gatineau, the Sea Dogs now really know where the bar is if they want to be a contending team again in the near future.

We are just a few hours into Saint John's off-season, but here are a few random thoughts...

• Saint John's overagers - Charlie DesRoches, Brady Burns and Alex Drover - played their final games of junior hockey Friday night. Drover will be playing university hockey next year while nothing official has come out on the status of DesRoches and Burns.
• Players who could return as overagers next season: forwards Peter Reynolds and Alexis Cournoyer; defensemen Jared Cosman and Vincent Despont; and goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov. Despont is expected to play pro hockey in Switzerland next season.
• With DesRoches and Despont (expectedly, at least) both departing, there isn't a ton of QMJHL experience on Saint John's backend. While not "true rookies" (i.e. 16-year-olds), Nate Tivey, Joseph Ianniello, Danny Akkouche and Nicolas Bilodeau were all classified as rookies this past season.
• Bilodeau's numbers got most of the attention, but Cole Burbidge had 50 points in 68 games. He's looking like a bit of a second-round steal for Saint John.
• Ventsislav Shingarov has played in 62 career QMJHL games. 55 of those were played this past season. He had a slow start to the year, but he really found his groove in the second half. If he does return as an overager, you have to think the team will want to give Olivier Brideau some more game action though.
• Peter Reynolds had an excellent second half and likely would have pushed for the team scoring lead if he had stayed healthy. He'll obviously be a key contributor to Saint John's offense next year, but you also have to think some contending teams would like his point producing abilities as well.
• Whatever pipeline the Sea Dogs have found in Ontario - Tivey, Ianniello, Noah Reinhart, Luke Benoit, etc. - seems to be a good one.
• Nico Laforge, wearing an 'A' on his sweater, was the last player off the ice Friday. Have to wonder if that 'A' will be a 'C' next year.
• Rookie import forwards Pavel Simek and Eriks Mateiko both had pretty good seasons. Saint John will have a high import pick this year, so some decisions will have to be made there.
• Jacob Beaulieu and Jeremie Richard were the only members of Saint John's 2022 draft class to spend the full season with the Sea Dogs. There should be a few players from the 2023 draft class on next year's team with Saint John picking a few times in the top four rounds.
• Travis Crickard and assistants Mark Lee and Jeff Hansen seem like a good fit for this rebuild. It feels like things are off to a good start, but now their challenge is to keep it going in an upward direction.
• Lastly, thank you to everyone who read the blog and listened to the podcast this year.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-1

FINAL: Gatineau 6, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' season came to a close on Friday night at TD Station.

The Gatineau Olympiques skated away with a 6-1 win to clinch the best-of-seven first round series 4-1. Gatineau, a contender to win the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship, was heavily favoured in this series and outscored Saint John 30-5.

Vincent Maisonneuve, Tristan Luneau, Cam MacDonald, Olivier Nadeau, Samuel Savoie and Zach Dean all scored for the Olympiques on Friday. Luneau also had two assists.

Francesco Lapenna made 30 saves in the win.

Much like Wednesday's contest, the Sea Dogs hung around in the first period and found themselves down just 1-0 despite being outshot 17-6. But in the second, the Olympiques started to finish on their chances, scoring three teams to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

To Saint John's credit, they didn't mail it in in the third despite falling behind 5-1. They even pulled goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov for an extra attacker.

Eriks Mateiko scored Saint John's only goal in the loss. 

Shingarov made 43 saves in the loss. It was the third time in this series that he faced 46 or more shots.

Playoff Game Day 5: vs Olympiques

SAINT JOHN - It's do or die for the Saint John Sea Dogs tonight.

The Sea Dogs are facing elimination following Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Gatineau Olympiquues, a loss that puts them down 3-1 in the best-of-seven first round series.

Saint John kept it a one-goal game through 20 minutes thanks to another solid goaltending performance from Ventsislav Shingarov. But Gatineau blew it open in the second, scoring four times.

The Sea Dogs had a hard time staying disciplined on Wednesday, something they'll need to do if they want to extend this series. Shingarov, who has probably been Saint John's best player in this series, will likely need to be excellent again as well.

Game time for tonight's Game 5 is 7 p.m. Tickets to the game are just $7.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Series status: Gatineau leads the first round best-of-seven series 3-1.

Last game: The Olympiques defeated the Sea Dogs 6-0 on Wednesday at TD Station. Alexis Gendron had a hat trick while singles came from Cam MacDonald, Riley Kidney and Zach Dean. Francesco Lapenna made 26 saves in the shutout win. Ventsislav Shingarov allowed five goals on 37 shots in the first two periods. Olivier Brideau allowed a goal on 10 shots in the third.

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs finished with a 24-38-5-1 record for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Olympiques were 49-12-5-2 for 105 points (first West/second Western/fourth QMJHL).

Notebook: Game 5 goes Friday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs' season will be on the line Friday night at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs trail the Gatineau Olympiques 3-1 in their first round best-of-seven playoff series heading into Friday evening's Game 5. Saint John edged Gatineau 3-2 in Tuesday's Game 3 before the heavily favoured Olympiques rebounded with a 6-0 win in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Both games featured some of the smallest crowds in Sea Dogs franchise history. The team is offering $7 tickets for Friday's contest.

#SaintJohn
Pack the Station for Game 5 on Friday, the 7th at 7PM with $7 tickets!
Get yours today at https://t.co/lIDh3lSuEE or stop in the Box Office before tonight's game! #CityofChampions pic.twitter.com/LlQSpDqiqQ

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 5, 2023

Game time for Game 5 is 7 p.m.

SERIES LEADERS

With 11 points in four games, Gatineau forward Zach Dean leads the entire QMJHL in playoff scoring. Alexis Gendron, meanwhile, has a league high eight goals. Gendron has record two hat tricks already.

Riley Kidney of the Olympiques leads the league in assists with eight.

Gatineau has outscored Saint John 24-4 in the series. Francesco Lapenna is the only netminder to record two shutouts so far.

On the Saint John side, Peter Reynolds has carried his strong end to the regular season into the playoffs, registering three assists. Brady Burns and Noah Reinhart, meanwhile, each have a goal and an assist.

Stella named Sea Dogs general manager

Anthony Stella has officially been named the new general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Stella, who has been the team's head scout and assistant general manager since the 2017-18 season, replaces Trevor Georgie, who was named president and CEO of the Sea Dogs' parent company, JSM Sports Entertainment, earlier this week.

Georgie will remain president of the Sea Dogs and, given how involved Stella has been with hockey operations, should make for a smooth transition.

From the news release:

“I’m incredibly proud to accept the role as General Manager of the Sea Dogs,” said Stella. “Next year I will be entering my 10th season with the organization and have been lucky to have grown and developed over that time. Saint John has become my second home and I look forward to continuing my time in the city and community. I’ve represented the logo for the past decade, was lucky enough to win a President Cup and a Memorial Cup and I couldn’t think of a better place to continue my growth as an executive and as a person. I look forward to carrying the torch, to continue to build and continue the traditions of this organization. I want to thank Scott and Trevor for their confidence and this opportunity.”

Stella has been the Head Scout of the team at important drafts for the franchise, including the 2018 QMJHL Draft that produced six players on the 2022 Memorial Cup Championship team, and the most games and points of any single Sea Dogs draft class.

“Anthony is determined, loyal, and committed to his craft,” said Sea Dogs President Trevor Georgie. “He has been an important part of our team for a long time and we are proud to promote him. We have worked side by side for the past 7 seasons and I look forward to continuing to work together and watching him take this next step in his career.”

Stella becomes the seventh general manager of the Sea Dogs in franchise history. He joined the organization as a scout in 2014-15 and gradually worked his way up.

The focus for Stella and the team's scouting staff will be on the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, which takes place June 10 in Sherbrooke.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-0

FINAL: Gatineau 6, Saint John 0

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have been pushed to the brink.

The Gatineau Olympiques looked much more like their usual selves on Wednesday at TD Station, defeating the Sea Dogs 6-0 to take a 3-1 lead in the first round best-of-seven series. Gatineau can book a trip to the second round with a victory over the Sea Dogs in Friday's Game 5 at TD Station.

Alexis Gendron netted a hat trick for Gatineau while singles came from Cam MacDonald, Riley Kidney and Zach Dean. Dean and Antonin Verreault each had two assists.

Francesco Lapenna wasn't tested too much, making 26 saves in the shutout victory.

Similar to Game 1, Ventsislav Shingarov kept the Sea Dogs in the game for as long as he could but, eventually, the Olympiques were too much. Gatineau scored just once on 21 shots in the opening frame but blew things open in the second, scoring four times to take a 5-0 lead.

Penalties were a big problem for Saint John in this one. While there may have been a few questionable calls, the team was far too undisciplined against a loaded team like the Olympiques. Gatineau finished the game 3/8 on the man advantage.

Shingarov allowed five goals on 37 shots through the first two periods. Olivier Brideau played the third and allowed a goal on 10 shots.

Pre-game notes: Sea Dogs look to even up first round series

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Unsurprisingly, the Saint John Sea Dogs will be going with the same lineup as last night.

The Sea Dogs earned a hard fought 3-2 win over the Gatineau Olympiques on Tuesday night at TD Station, handing the CHL's top-ranked team their first loss in regulation since January. The Olympiques now lead the best-of-seven first round series 2-1 heading into tonight's Game 4 in Saint John.

Saint John will go with 12 forwards and six defenseman with Danny Akkouche, who has been used on the backend most of the season, remaining on the third line.

Burns - Reynolds - Reinhart

Matieko - Cournoyer - Beaulieu

Akkouche - Burbidge - Elie

Simek - Laforge - Drover

Tivey - DesRoches

Ianniello - Cosman

Bilodeau - Despont

Shingarov

Brideau

Ventsislav Shingarov will get the start after his first star, 44-save performance last night. He'll need to be at his best again tonight as the Olympiques will no doubt be testing him all game long.

Game time tonight at TD Station is 7 p.m.

A few other notes...

• Olympiques overage forward Cole Cormier picked up a match penalty for a slew foot on Peter Reynolds last night, meaning he'll miss tonight's game with an automatic one-game suspension. Cormier has a goal and an assist in the series.
• Sea Dogs goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov faced 52 shots in Game 1 and 46 in Game 3.
• Following Tuesday's historically small crowd at TD Station, the Sea Dogs are offering $7 tickets for Friday's Game 5.
• Every series plays Game 4 tonight. Quebec, Halifax, Rimouski and Sherbrooke can all complete sweeps.
• The Moncton Wildcats were fined $2,000 for "inappropriate publication in the media." The fine is presumably related to this tweet, which has since been deleted. That tweet was in relation to this hit that took place in last night's Game 3.
• In the OHL, Shane Wright and the Windsor Spitfires are now down 3-0 in their first round series against the Kitchener Rangers. The Spitfires finished first in the OHL's Western Conference and were third overall. Game 4 is Thursday in Kitchener.
• The Saskatoon Blades got back into their first round series with Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, earning a 4-3 overtime win last night. Bedard had a goal and two assists. The Pats lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 tonight in Regina.
• On the latest episode of The Hockey News on the Q, Will MacLaren and I discuss the playoffs, some league news, Nashville Predators prospects and more.

.@willmacwriter and @station_nation discuss the first days of the #QMJHL playoffs, @PredsNHL players in and from the QMJHL, Daniil Bourash and more: https://t.co/TZuLHGvt1n

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) April 5, 2023