Cournoyer signs in BCHL as Saint John's overage situation gets interesting

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Alexis Cournoyer is heading west.

The BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings announced Monday the signing of the Saint John Sea Dogs forward. Cournoyer will be an overager with the Spruce Kings.

“We expect Alexis to fill some of the void left behind from our graduating players, especially at the centre position,” said Prince George head coach Alex Evin in a press release. “We were impressed with his personality and character and his desire to win. Alexis will be a great fit within our organization both on and off the ice.”

Cournoyer is coming off a strong season with the Sea Dogs where he recorded 13 goals and 28 points in 67 games — his first full year in the QMJHL. He spent the 2021-22 season with the Maritime Hockey League's Grand Falls Rapids.

It's not uncommon to see overage players from the QMJHL head to the BCHL — but it's a bit more noteworthy this year given some of the new restrictions on BCHL players following the league's decision to leave Hockey Canada.

The departure of Cournoyer would seem to make Saint John's overage situation a bit less complicated — but that doesn't appear to be the case. Kevin Barrett of Postmedia (paywall) reports that the team has let go 20-year-old goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov and added overage forwards Alexis Brisson and Mathis Cloutier.

The overage situation with @SJSeaDogs takes an interesting turn on the eve of the August trading period. @QMJHL https://t.co/OdVcVugKux

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) July 31, 2023

Brisson posted 11 goals and 22 assists in 51 games with a bad Blainville-Boisbriand Armada team last year while Cloutier had 11 goals and 21 assists in 56 games split between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Val-d'Or Foreurs.

With the departure of Cournoyer and Shingarov, the Sea Dogs have five overagers competing for three spots: forwards Brisson, Cloutier and veteran Peter Reynolds along with returning defenseman Jared Cosman and the newly acquired Mathis Gauthier.

Reynolds was very good for Saint John when healthy last season, posting 44 points in 43 games. There's likely some contending teams interested in acquiring the veteran forward.

While the overage situation has become more intriguing, so too has Saint John's goaltending. With Shingarov gone, that leaves second-year netminder Olivier Brideau without a partner at the moment. The big question is: will Saint John try and find a veteran (like Shingarov last year) or look to the future and go with a young netminder?

Brideau, a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, has only appeared in 18 career QMJHL games.

Saint John's first pre-season game now appears to be on Tuesday, Aug. 22 against the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station, a slight change from the original exhibition slate.