Alumdate: Will ex-Dog(s) lift the AHL's Calder Cup this year?

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No former Saint John Sea Dogs player will lift the Stanley Cup this season. But what about the American Hockey League's Calder Cup?

Only a few former Sea Dogs remain in the hunt for the AHL championship - which include Jeremie Poirier and Yan Kuznetsov, members of the Calgary Wranglers who have a real shot at the Calder Cup after finishing first overall in the regular season standings.

The Wranglers currently have a 2-0 series lead over the Abbotsford Canucks in the Pacific Division semifinals. Calgary had a bye through the first round.

Poirier has one assist - which was a nifty one-handed pass to Clark Bishop - so far in the series while Kuznetsov has not played.

Clark Bishop, off to a 𝙝𝙤𝙩 start in the #CalderCup Playoffs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5Q1MO8sCqo

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 29, 2023

The Colorado Eagles also feature two former Sea Dogs in forwards Cedric Pare and Spencer Smallman. The Eagles, who defeated the Ontario Reign in the first round, currently lead the Coachella Valley Firebirds 2-1.

Pare sits fifth in AHL playoff scoring with four goals and two assists in five games. Smallman has been held pointless in three games.

Maxim Cajkovic, who played in just two regular season games with the Syracuse Crunch, has appeared in one playoff game. The Crunch are tied 2-2 with the Rochester Americans in the North Division semifinals.

William Villeneuve and the Toronto Marlies are currently tied 1-1 with the Utica Comets in the North Division semifinals while Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers trail the Hershey Bears 2-0 in the Atlantic Division semifinals. Bezeau has appeared in one playoff game while Villeneuve has yet to play.

Matthew Highmore (Springfield Thunderbirds) and Boko Imama (Tucson Roadrunners) were eliminated in the opening round.

Here's a quick look at how former Sea Dogs performed in the AHL's regular season.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Matthew Highmore	SPR	68	19	42	61
William Dufour	BRI	69	21	27	48
Jeremie Poirier	CGY	69	9	32	41
Spencer Smallman	COL	61	13	13	26
William Villeneuve	TOR	54	3	22	25
Cedric Pare	BEL/COL	46	9	15	24
Yan Kuznetsov	CGY	63	5	14	19
Vincent Sevigny	BRI	53	5	12	17
Bokondji Imama	TUC	50	5	10	15
Riley Bezeau	CLT	51	5	3	8
Philippe Daoust	BEL	9	2	5	7
Raivis Ansons	WBS	44	2	4	6
Brett Gallant	CLE	32	4	0	4
Julien Gauthier	HFD	4	2	0	2
Oliver Cooper	CHI	8	2	0	2
Nathan Beaulieu	SD	4	1	0	1
Samuel Dove-McFalls	BAK	16	1	0	1
Ryan Francis	LAV	4	0	1	1
Maxim Cajkovic	SYR	2	0	0	0
Matt Murphy	IA	3	0	0	0
Olivier LeBlanc	CLE	7	0	0	0

Some notes...

• Callum Booth was the only former Sea Dogs goaltender to appear in an AHL game this past year, playing in two contests with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
• Matthew Highmore finished 19th in AHL scoring.
• William Dufour finished seventh in AHL rookie scoring while Jeremie Poirier was 21st. Poirier finished second in rookie defensemen scoring.
• Not a bad first year for undrafted Vincent Sevigny and Riley Bezeau, who both signed professional deals last summer. According to HockeyFights.com, Bezeau finished in a tie for the third most fights in the regular season with eight.
• Bezeau had eight fights, Boko Imama six and 34-year-old Brett Gallant two. Gallant remains one of the few members of Saint John's inaugural season team that is still active in high-level hockey.
• Imama has been named the Tucson Roadrunners' "man of the year" award winner. The award represents "outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2022-23 season."
• Philippe Daoust missed most of the season with an injury. It will be interesting to see how he performs next year.
• Julien Gauthier (New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators) and Nathan Beaulieu (Anaheim Ducks) spent most of the season in the NHL.
• Oliver Cooper (Fort Wayne Komets), Samuel Dove-McFalls (Fort Wayne Komets), Matt Murphy (Iowa Heartlanders) and Olivier LeBlanc (Kalamazoo Wings and Florida Everblades) - all Sea Dogs and UNB Reds alumni - spent the majority of their seasons in the ECHL. Murphy later headed to Austria to play pro. Ryan Francis (Trois-Rivieres Lions) and Maxim Cajkovic (Orlando Solar Bears) also spent most of their seasons in the ECHL.