Notebook: Lawrence takes over scoring lead

CHL TV

Following a three-point performance on Saturday, former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence now leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in playoff scoring.

After being held pointless in Game 1, Lawrence recorded a goal and two assists in the Halifax Mooseheads' 6-3 win over the Quebec Remparts at Videotron Centre. The victory evens up the best-of-seven Gilles Courteau Trophy final at 1-1.

The 20-year-old now has 10 goals and 18 assists in 17 games this post-season. Lawrence also continues to take the majority of important faceoffs for the Mooseheads, taking 30 in Game 1 and 29 in Game 2.

Josh Lawrence takes the lead in the playoff scoring race with his 10th! 🔥 That’s five unanswered for the Moose! #QPlayoffs | @HFXMooseheads pic.twitter.com/Hzm5FGkHsy

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 14, 2023

Lawrence finished the regular season with 119 points - second only to his teammate, Jordan Dumais. With Dumais out of the lineup since Game 2 of the semifinals, much of the Mooseheads offence has been led by Lawrence and Alexandre Doucet.

The league final now shifts to Halifax where Games 3 and 4 will be played Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively. All remaining games of the series will be broadcast by TSN.

WHO'S LEFT?

Of the four teams who played in the QMJHL semifinals, two of them have never faced the Sea Dogs in the playoffs.

The Sea Dogs have never faced the Quebec Remparts or the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoffs. The Remparts are the lone Eastern Conference franchise the Sea Dogs have never met in the post-season. Saint John has never played the Charlottetown Islanders either, but they did meet twice when the franchise was known as the PEI Rocket.

In the Western Conference, the Sea Dogs have never played the Phoenix of the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

VILLENEUVE GETS RING

On a recent trip to Toronto, Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie presented William Villeneuve with his Memorial Cup championship ring.

President @georgietrev recently presented @WilliamVillene9 with his #MemorialCup championship ring! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Mh0lgpciXD

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) May 13, 2023

Villeneuve, a fourth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft, had three goals and 22 assists in 54 games with the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies this season.

NEW POD EP

On this week's episode of The Hockey News on the Q, Will MacLaren and I discuss the QMJHL semifinals, the Gills Courteau Trophy final and Buffalo Sabres prospects.

Either the @quebec_remparts or the @HFXMooseheads will be @QMJHL champions and head to the Memorial Cup. @willmacwriter and @station_nation preview the final and more: https://t.co/fyDFVB6M2q

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) May 11, 2023

KELLY, MIDGLEY LET GO

As expected, the New York Rangers have dismissed assistant coaches Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley following the "parting of ways" with Gerard Gallant.

Assistant coaches Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley have been relieved of duties, Post has learned. Gord Murphy remains on staff with ultimate determination to be made by incoming head coach. Benoit Allaire remains in place (but you knew that one).

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) May 9, 2023

Gallant, Kelly and Midgley are all former Sea Dogs coaches.

This was Midgley's first NHL position. Kelly worked as Gallant's assistant in Florida and Vegas as well.

CRETE HEADED TO UPEI

Former Sea Dogs forward Yanic Crete is returning to the east coast.

The Rockland Nationals confirmed recently that the 21-year-old will play for the UPEI Panthers this coming season.

The Rockland Nationals are pleased to announce that our captain, Yanic Crête has committed to @UPEIMHockey for the 2023-24 season.#CCHL #WeWillRockYou #NatsNation pic.twitter.com/J0qRmkVHOW

— Rockland Nationals (@RocklandNatsJrA) April 22, 2023

Crete captained the Nationals this past season and posted 21 goals and 37 assists in 48 Central Canada Hockey League games.

Crete, who appeared in 55 games with the OHL's Ottawa 67's over three seasons with the club, had one goal and five assists in 21 games with the Sea Dogs during the first half of the 2021-22 season.

BULLDOGS (SORT OF) REPEAT?

The Hamilton Bulldogs, who lost to the Sea Dogs in the Memorial Cup final last year, have already been eliminated from the OHL playoffs. But five players from that Bulldogs team are playing in the OHL final.

From 980 CFPL:

Goerge Diaco, Ryan Humphrey and Ryan Winterton of the Knights will be facing former teammates Avery Hayes and Gavin White of the Petes and the winning trio or duo will return to the Memorial Cup tournament.

The OHL final between the London Knights and Peterborough Petes is tied 1-1.

OTHER THINGS

• Three of the six franchises still playing in the CHL playoffs have faced the Sea Dogs at Memorial Cup tournaments: Winnipeg Ice (2011), London Knights (2012) and Seattle Thunderbirds (2017). The Ice franchise was based in Cranbrook, BC at the time and known as the Kootenay Ice.
• Former Sea Dogs assistant coach Paul Boutilier will be one of the speakers at the IIHF World Championship coaching symposium on May 20.
• Interesting tweet here: William Dufour, a fifth-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2020, was named QMJHL MVP last year. This year, Matthew Maggio of the Saginaw Spirit, a fifth-round pick of the Islanders in 2022, was named OHL MVP.
• Halifax forward Jordan Dumais, who had 140 points in the regular season, has been named the QMJHL's most valuable player. Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy was also nominated.
• Roy was named the QMJHL's personality of the year. The award goes to the individual "who provides a positive media impact and helps contribute to the well-being of the QMJHL’s image."
• Stephane Julien of the Sherbrooke Phoenix has been named the league's general manager of the year. According to a QMJHL release, "Julien becomes just the fourth hockey operations member of a QMJHL franchise to be named as both general manager and head coach of the year in the same season. The others are Jim Hulton, who accomplished the feat in 2020-21 with the Charlottetown Islanders, Mario Pouliot with the 2018-19 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Gilles Bouchard in 2015-16, also with Rouyn-Noranda."
• The Phoenix will look significantly different next season. La Tribune reports that rumours indicate Justin Gill will be traded to Baie-Comeau and Ethan Gauthier to Drummondville.
• OHL teams playing in the league final are back wearing Memorial Cup jersey patches, which was a tradition pre-pandemic. WHL and QMJHL league finalists are not wearing them.
• Bouctouche's new Maritime Hockey League franchise will be known as the West Kent Steamers. The franchise is relocating from Bridgewater this summer.
• The ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions owe quite a bit of money to the city, it was reported by Quebec media this week. The team's ownership group, Deacon Sports and Entertainment, also own the Newfoundland Growlers who had lease problems with the city of St. John's in 2021. Trois-Rivieres' new Colisee Videotron regularly pops up as a relocation possibility for QMJHL teams. The Lions say there is nothing to worry about and confirmed the team will return for the 2023-24 season.
• The North American Hockey League's Maine Nordiques, who play out of the former home of the QMJHL's Lewiston Maineiacs, have changed ownership. The new owners plan to sign a five-year lease to stay at The Colisee. According to the NAHL website, the Nordiques averaged just 322 fans per game this past season, the sixth fewest in the league.