Sea Dogs sign overager Leaver

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The Saint John Sea Dogs have a new goaltender.

As expected, the Sea Dogs announced the signing of overage netminder Patrick Leaver on Tuesday, who joins the club after playing the past two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals and Guelph Storm.

“We’re very happy to add Patrick to our team,” said Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella in a news release. “With his CHL and playoff experience, we feel he’s the right person to help mentor our younger goaltenders and take on a leadership role.”

In 97 career OHL games, Leaver posted a 46-37-6 record to go along with a 3.43 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He's also appeared in 11 playoff games.

The Perth, ON native split last season between Oshawa and Guelph.

Leaver will join forward Peter Reynolds and defenseman Mathis Gauthier as the team's trio of overage players.

It's unclear who will join Leaver in the Sea Dogs crease. Saint John had three goaltenders still in camp last week: returnee Olivier Brideau (who has since been traded to Rimouski), prospect Justin Robinson and Ontario free agent Sebastian Monaco.

Leaver joins a long list of veteran goaltenders the Sea Dogs have traded for or signed since the team won the QMJHL championship in 2017. It'll be interesting to see how Saint John handles its goaltending situation moving forward with a new general manager (Anthony Stella) and goaltending coach (Max Essiambre).

Sea Dogs have been busy

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's been a busy few weeks of trades for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs made a few transactions prior to Sunday's trade deadline, complementing the blockbuster Cole Burbidge deal made on Aug. 1.

Here's a quick recap of the deals the Sea Dogs have made of late.

• Saint John acquires a 2025 seventh-round pick (Saint John) from Moncton in exchange for a 2025 10th-round pick, completing the Nathan Casey trade that was made last season.
• Saint John trades goaltender Olivier Brideau to the Rimouski Oceanic in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 10th-round pick (Saint John).
• Saint John acquires defenseman Matteo Mann from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick (Chicoutimi) and a 2026 third-round pick.
• Saint John trades a 2026 fourth-round pick to Rimouski in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick (Saint John), completing the Mathis Gauthier deal made at the draft.
• Saint John trades forward Cole Burbidge to the Cape Breton Eagles in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick (Blainville-Boisbriand), 2024 second-round pick (Chicoutimi) and a 2025 first-round pick.

The Sea Dogs will have a much different look this season. The team will have two new netminders; Cole Burbidge and Brady Burns are gone up front; and the backend will be much bigger with the additions of Matteo Mann and Mathis Gauthier.

Saint John will be adding an overage netminder from the Ontario Hockey League in the coming days and with that have released Grand Bay-Westfield defenseman Jared Cosman. Cosman looked good in camp but the Sea Dogs need to get their younger defensemen playing time.

Saint John's overagers will be this new Ontario goaltender, Gauthier and returning forward Peter Reynolds. The team's import slots will once again be taken up by forwards Eriks Mateiko and Pavel Simek.

Many teams around the league have already announced their final rosters for the upcoming season. Saint John has yet to do so.

Sea Dogs trade Brideau to Oceanic

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have two new goaltenders this season.

The Sea Dogs traded 18-year-old goaltender Olivier Brideau to the Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday in exchange for sixth- and 10th-round picks in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft. Brideau was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Gatineau native appeared in 16 regular season games with the Sea Dogs last season, posting a 2-9-0 record to go along with a 4.88 goals against average and a .870 save percentage. He also made two appearances in the playoffs.

Brideau and Ventsislav Shingarov made up Saint John's goaltending duo last season. Shingarov, who is an overager this season, was not brought back by the team.

Brideau struggled early on last season but got better as the year went on. He struggled some at training camp this year but, like last season, seemed to get better the more he played. In Friday's pre-season game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Brideau made 21 saves in just over 30 minutes of action.

Only three goaltenders remained at training camp as of Friday: Brideau, 17-year-old Justin Robinson (2022 draft pick) and 18-year-old Sebastian Monaco (free agent). Girard and Monaco have no experience at the major junior level.

The Sea Dogs are expected to announce the addition of a 20-year-old goaltender from the Ontario Hockey League in the coming days, which will impact both the goaltending and overage situations. Forward Peter Reynolds and defensemen Mathis Gauthier and Jared Cosman were the only remaining overagers at camp.

To make room for incoming 20 year old goalie, the Sea Dogs released D Jared Cosman, who leaves the team after one season playing close to his home on Grand Bay Westfield.

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) August 27, 2023

Saint John's next pre-season game isn't until Sept. 8. The team should have its final roster nearly in place by then.

Takeaways from the pre-season (so far)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It's early in the season (like, really early), but the Saint John Sea Dogs have given fans some reasons for optimism.

The Sea Dogs wrapped up the first portion of the pre-season with a 6-4 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday, giving the squad a 2-1-0-0 record. They don't return to action until Sept. 8.

Here are a few takeaways.

• Scoring hasn't been an issue so far with the team piling up 14 goals in three games. It's tough to get a good rid on the offense given the opposition hasn't been dressing their best lineup. There is room for cautious optimism though — but the team still lacks scoring depth in their top six.
• Saint John's power play is running at 35.3% (6/17).
• Chad Bellemare has been impressive so far, scoring five goals — a few of which were scored by turning on the jets. Top prospect Egan Beveridge has three goals as does free agent invite Kency Pierre-Noel.
• Returnee Luka Benoit leads the team in shots on goals with 13 in three games. Bellemare has 12.
• There's no doubt Beveridge is going to annoy a lot of opposing players (and fans) with his style of play.
• Defenseman Tristan Dassylva has a team high five assists, which is the second most recorded in the league by any player so far this pre-season.
• Defenseman Mathis Gauthier is going to be fun to watch. He had a couple big open ice hits in Friday's pre-season. The additions of Gauthier and Matteo Mann add a lot of size and experience to the backend.
• Speaking of defensemen, the Sea Dogs have some decisions to make. As of Friday, the Sea Dogs still had 11 d-men in camp: Mann (acquisition), Gauthier (acquisition), Dassylva (acquisition), Benjamin Amyot (2023 draft pick), Nicolas Bilodeau (returnee), Jared Cosman (returnee), Olivier Duhamel (2023 draft pick), Joseph Ianniello (returnee), Matthew MacLean (2023 draft pick), Jeremie Richard (returnee) and Nate Tivey (returnee).
• The defense core seems to be in an unexpectedly good place for this stage of the rebuild — to the point where you have to think the Dogs may want to move some older players to transition in some younger ones. Amyot and MacLean, in particular, have been very good in the pre-season.
• Even after a week of training camp, there are still questions surrounding Saint John's goaltending situation. Olivier Brideau did look more comfortable in net on Friday, allowing just one goal on 22 shots in the first half of the game.

The Sea Dogs should have a close-to-final roster in place when they return to pre-season play on Sept. 8.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Bathurst 2, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are entering the pre-season break with a victory.

The Sea Dogs edged the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 5-2 on Friday night at TD Station, improving their pre-season record to 2-1. Saint John doesn't play again until Sept. 8.

Egan Beveridge and Chad Bellemare each scored twice for Saint John while Danny Akkouche added a single. Olivier Brideau allowed a goal on 22 shots in the first half of the game. Sebastian Monaco allowed a goal on 13 shots in the second half.

The Sea Dogs' power play once again had an eventful night, going 2/8.

Saint John controlled much of the play in the first period with shots ending 17-11 in favour of the Sea Dogs. Saint John had three power plays in the period — including a lengthy five-on-three — but could not score.

Akkouche got Saint John on the board at 1:36 of the second period, beating Titan goaltender George Gallant on a shorthanded breakaway. 

Bathurst tied the game at 6:05 when Ty Peddigrew finished off a nice tic-tac-toe passing play, tapping the puck past Brideau from the slot. 

Saint John retook the lead at 11:21 with a power play goal. Matthew MacLean made a lovely backhand pass to Beveridge who made it 2-1 Saint John. Then at 13:52, Dawson Sharkey scored to tie things back up.

The Sea Dogs took a 3-2 lead into the dressing room thanks to a second goal from Beveridge at 17:02.

Bellemare showed off his speed once again at 6:45 of the third period, flying through the Titan defense and then beating Titan goaltender Mathis Lacroix-Goulet glove side to make it 4-2 Sea Dogs. Bellemare then scored again at 17:06, this time on a power play, to give the Dogs a 5-2 advantage.

Pre-Season Game Day 3: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The unofficial first half of Saint John Sea Dogs training camp comes to an end tonight at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs will host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in their final pre-season game until Sept. 8. Tonight's match will be the final chance for a number of players to make one final impression on the team's management and coaches.

Saint John has just 28 players remaining in camp following cuts on Wednesday and Thursday. There are a few battles remaining at every position — forward depth, defensive depth and in net.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/None

2023 pre-season records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-0-0 for two points while the Titan are 2-1-0-0 for four points.

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs finished 24-38-5-1 for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Titan were 20-40-5-3 for 48 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs fell 6-4 to the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday in Pownal, PEI. Kency Pierre-Noel scored twice for Saint John while Benjamin Beaudry and Chad Bellemare added singles. Sebastian Monaco and Charles-Antoine Girard took the loss in net. The Titan are coming off a 6-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday in Miramichi. Colby Huggan scored twice for Bathurst while singles came from Emile Perron, Dawson Sharkey, Samuel Frechette and Louis-Francois Belanger. Joshua Fleming made 23 saves in the win.

More cuts made at Sea Dogs camp

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Just 28 players remain at Saint John Sea Dogs training camp following cuts on Wednesday and Thursday.

The team announced cuts/departures before Wednesday's pre-season game in Pownal, PEI and again on Thursday. Saint John has also added defenseman Matteo Mann, who was acquired in a trade from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Here's who has been cut over the past couple days.

Forwards

Alexis Beaudoin (2023 draft)

Benjamin Beaudry (2022 draft)

Mathis Cloutier (free agent)

Colby Morin (free agent)

Jack O’Blenis (2021 draft)

Darien Reynolds* (free agent)

Defensemen

Julien Bonnet (2023 draft)

Giuliano Caputo (2023 draft)

Ian Dickie (2021 draft)

Elie Warren (trade)

Mirko Fernandez* (free agent)

Xavier Delage (free agent)

Arnaud Tardif (2023 draft)

Goaltender

Charles-Antoine Girard (2022 draft)

*Voluntarily left camp

Of all the cuts, the most notable is 20-year-old forward Mathis Cloutier, which now leaves the club with three overage players: forward Peter Reynolds and defensemen Mathis Gauthier and Jared Cosman — none of whom have played in pre-season games so far.

The goaltending situation is nearly settled as well. With Charles-Antoine Girard cut, Olivier Brideau, Sebastian Monaco and Justin Robinson remain. No goaltender has particularly stood out so far.

14 forwards and 11 defensemen remain. It will be interesting to see who plays in Friday night's pre-season game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. An updated roster can be found here.

More cuts are likely to come following Friday's game, which will be the team's last until Sept. 8.

Mann traded to Sea Dogs

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SAINT JOHN - Matteo Mann has been traded to the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The 6'6", 229 lbs defenseman was acquired in a trade from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Thursday in exchange for a 2024 second round pick (originally Chicoutimi's) and a 2026 third round pick.

The 18-year-old was a seventh round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in this year's NHL Draft.

“It’s not everyday an NHL prospect with Matteo’s package becomes available,” said Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella in a news release. “We feel this trade makes us tougher to play against, it makes us more competitive and most importantly gives us a better chance at winning hockey games.”

Mann has spent the past three seasons with the Sagueneens, recording three goals and 14 assists in 128 career QMJHL games. The defensive defenseman should help improve a Saint John d-core that is lacking in shutdown style players with some experience.

It had been reported by Chicoutimi media that Mann, a Sackville, NB native, had requested a trade to the Maritimes. 

Les Saguenéens veulent remercier Matteo Mann pour ses 3 belles saisons passées à Chicoutimi🫶

Merci Manner pour tout ce que tu as fait pour les Sags et ton implication dans la communauté💙🤍

On te souhaite le meilleur des succès avec ta nouvelle équipe !#fierdetresags pic.twitter.com/O7qg1L0LPu

— Saguenéens (@SagueneensLHJMQ) August 24, 2023

Mann's family should be familiar with the Sea Dogs organization. His father, Trent Mann, is a former assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting with the Ottawa Senators, a team that has been quite involved with Sea Dogs players in recent years. Trent Mann was let go by the Sens this summer.

The Sea Dogs return to pre-season action on Friday when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-4

FINAL: Saint John 4, Charlottetown 6

POWNAL, PEI - The Saint John Sea Dogs came up short in their second pre-season game of the year, falling 6-4 to the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday at the Pownal Sports Centre.

Kency Pierre-Noel scored twice — including on a penalty shot late in the third period — while singles came from Benjamin Beaudry and Chad Bellemare. Sebastian Monaco allowed four goals on 20 shots in the first half of the game while Charles-Antoine Girard allowed a goal on 14 shots in the second half.

Play was scoreless after one but the teams combined for six goals in the second period. Saint John led 2-1 at one point but that would be their only lead of the match.

Pierre-Noel's penalty shot goal with 40 seconds remaining in the third made it a 5-4 game but the Islanders seemed to have an answer for the Sea Dogs throughout the match and did so again in the final minute. Simon Hughes iced things with an empty net goal at 19:37 to make it a 6-4 final.

The Sea Dogs struggled to stay out of the box in this game, allowing Charlottetown to go 3/9 on the power play.

Shots ended 35-20 in favour of Charlottetown.

Pre-Season Game Day 2: at Charlottetown

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs continue pre-season play tonight in Pownal, PEI.

The Sea Dogs opened the pre-season with a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Charlottetown Islanders last night at TD Station. The Sea Dogs were looking out of sync in the first period — understandable in the first pre-season game of the year — but really turned things around in a second period that saw them outshoot the Islanders 20-3.

Tonight's matchup with the Islanders will likely feature different looking rosters for both clubs. Both teams dressed young lineups on Tuesday with a few veterans sprinkled in.

Game time tonight at the Pownal Sports Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/None

2023 pre-season records: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 for two points while the Islanders are 0-1-0-0 for no points.

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs finished 24-38-5-1 for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Islanders were 26-33-6-3 for 61 points (fourth Maritimes/eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 5-4 last night at TD Station. Chad Bellemare scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Benjamin Beaudry, Kency Pierre-Noel and Egan Beveridge. Kian Bell, Alexis Michaud, Anthony Flanagan and Owen Conrad scored for Charlottetown. For the Sea Dogs, Olivier Brideau allowed three goals on 10 shots in the first half of the game while Justin Robinson allowed a goal on 14 shots in the second half. Niko Boudreau played the entire game for the Islanders, allowing five goals on 40 shots.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4

FINAL: Charlottetown 4, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Chad Bellemare scored a pair of third period goals to lead the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 5-4 pre-season victory over the Charlottetown Islanders on Tuesday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs trailed 3-0 at one point in the second period but stormed back by scoring four straight goals. After the Islanders tied it up late in the third, Bellemare netted the winner with 1:50 remaining.

Along with Bellemare, a young Sea Dogs group had goals from Benjamin Beaudry, Kency Pierre-Noel, and Egan Beveridge. Olivier Brideau got the start in net and allowed three goals on 10 shots in the first half of the game. Justin Robinson played the second half and allowed a goal on 14 shots.

This was the first game of the pre-season for both clubs. They meet again tomorrow in Pownal, PEI.

The Islanders led 2-0 after the first period. Kian Bell opened the scoring early, beating Brideau on a scrambly play in the crease just 39 seconds in. Then at 18:56, Alexis Michaud went upstairs on Brideau in close to make it 2-0 for the Isles.

Charlottetown made it 3-0 at 4:40 of the second when Anthony Flanagan scored — but that would be one of the few bright spots for the Isles in period.

Saint John got on the board with a power play goal at 9:23 when Beaudry finished off a nice passing play. Then at 10:44, a point shot was blocked in front and the rebound was put in by Pierre-Noel, quickly making it a 3-2 game.

The Sea Dogs tied things at 3-3 with another power play goal at 16:35. This time it was Beveridge finishing off a nice passing play.

Shots in the middle frame were 20-3 in favour of Saint John.

Bellemare gave the Sea Dogs their first lead of the night 2:45 into the third period. On a power play, Bellemare was at the side of the goal and snuck the puck in before Charlottetown's netminder could hug the post.

With 5:43 remaining in the third, the Islanders tied things at 4-4 when Owen Conrad fired a shot from the faceoff circle that beat Robinson upstairs. 

Bellemare scored what proved to be the winner with 1:50 remaining, scoring on a breakaway to make it 5-4 in favour of Saint John. The Sea Dogs killed off a penalty in the final minute to secure the victory.

Sea Dogs make first round of cuts

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a few updates to their training camp roster on Tuesday.

Eight players have either left or been cut, leaving 41 players on the team's camp roster. An updated roster can be found here.

Here's who is no longer at camp:

Forwards

Samuel Assinewai (free agent)

Luca Aziz* (free agent)

Daniel Daley* (2023 American draft)

Campbell MacIntyre (2022 draft)

Defensemen 

Zachary Cloutier (2022 draft)

Tomas Lulic* (2023 draft)

Jordan Vidicek* (free agent)

Goaltender

Kyan Labbe* (2023 draft)

*Left after 48 hours

Players who left after 48 hours are presumably doing so to maintain their college hockey eligibility.

There were no huge shocks amongst the roster moves. The biggest was likely goaltender Kyan Labbe leaving after 48 hours — but his departure makes sense given that a roster spot was not guaranteed this year. Labbe, who is just 5'07", was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Labbe's departure leaves four goaltenders at camp. Olivier Brideau is presumably a lock, leaving three netminders battling for the other spot.

The Sea Dogs take on the Charlottetown Islanders on Tuesday and Wednesday night in pre-season play. They also host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday.

There will likely be a significant amount of cuts following Friday's game. The Sea Dogs won't play again until Sept. 8.

Pre-Season Game Day 1: vs Charlottetown

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs begin pre-season play tonight, exactly one month from the beginning of the regular season.

The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders at 7 p.m. at TD Station in what will be the first exhibition match of the year for both clubs. The two teams were separated by just seven points in the standings last season.

The Sea Dogs had 49 players on their training camp roster and have announced just eight cuts, which means we should see quite a few different players in the lineup over the next few days.

The Sea Dogs and Islanders meet again tomorrow night in Pownal, PEI. Saint John then hosts the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday night, which is the unofficial end to the first portion of training camp.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/None

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs finished 24-38-5-1 for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Islanders were 26-33-6-3 for 61 points (fourth Maritimes/eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs' last game was a 6-1 loss to the Gatineau Olympiques in Game 5 of the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs. Eriks Mateiko scored Saint John's lone goal. Ventsislav Shingarov made 43 saves in the loss. The Islanders' last game was a 5-1 loss to the Quebec Remparts in Game 4 of the first round. Kiefer Lyons scored for Charlottetown while Jakob Robillard made 44 saves in the loss.

Intrasquad games come to an end

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The intrasquad portion of Saint John Sea Dogs training camp came to a close on Monday night at TD Station.

There were certainly some offensive standouts through the four games. One of the more intriguing lines to follow was that of Mathis Cloutier (free agent), Egan Beveridge (2023 draft pick) and Noah Reinhart (returnee), a combo that could possibly stick together into the regular season.

Another interesting combo was Danny Akkouche (returnee), Eriks Mateiko (returnee) and Chad Bellemare (2022 draft pick), another line that we could see together for a bit. Akkouche is listed as a forward and played as a forward during the intrasquad games after being used on the backend most of last season.

Reid Calder, who played nine games with the Sea Dogs last year, also stood out and scored a few times.

Here's a quick scoring summary of the four games.

Monday - 7-5 Team 2011 Win

2011: Simek (3), M. Cloutier, Reinhart, Benoit, Calder

2022: Akkouche, Daley, D. Reynolds, Beaudoin, Elie

Sunday Night - 8-6 Team 2022 Win

2022: Akkoucke (2), Lulic, D. Reynolds, Bellemare, Mateiko, Beaudoin, O'Blenis

2011: M. Cloutier (2), Calder, Benoit, Beveridge, MacIntyre

Sunday Morning - 9-5 Team 2022 Win

2022: Bellemare (3), O'Blenis, Fernandez, Elie, D. Reynolds, Beaudry, Mateiko

2011: M. Cloutier (2), Reinhart, Pierre-Noel, Amyot

Saturday - 8-2 Team 2011 Win

2011: Calder (2), Beveridge (2), MacLean, M. Cloutier, Pierre-Noel, Reinhart

2022: O'Blenis, Akkouche

I didn't see all four games, but here a few other random notes/observations...

• For the most part, the returning guys looked very much like the returning guys.
• Like at the summer development camp, Egan Beveridge has an impressive shot for his age and is quick on his feet. I don't think his size will have a negative impact at this level.
• On the physical side of things, Jack O'Blenis and Giuliano Caputo are not afraid to make contact.
• Looks like American forward Daniel Daley has stuck around past the 48-hour period.
• The goaltending seemed just okay. Curious to see who stands out in the pre-season games.
• Peter Reynolds did not play in any of the games but has been on the ice.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Riley Bezeau served as a coach during the games.
• Lots of players skating with their mouthguards half in/half out. It's allowed in the NHL, but it's been a no-no in recent years in the QMJHL.

CTV Atlantic was at Sea Dogs training camp on Sunday morning and got some reaction to the QMJHL's new fighting rules.

Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard had an interesting comment about how the new rules may impact roster decisions.

Notebook: Sea Dogs hire new coach

SAINT JOHN - Max Essiambre has been named the Saint John Sea Dogs' new goaltending and video coach.

Essiambre replaces long-time video and goaltending coach Brian Fleming, who has left the club for other career opportunities.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join the Saint John Sea Dogs,” said Essiambre in a news release. “The opportunity to work with a talented group of players and contribute to the team’s success is a dream come true.”

The 33-year-old has spent the past couple seasons in the Ottawa area, working with the University of Ottawa men's hockey team last season and the CCHL's Hawkesbury Hawks in 2021-22. His previous experience also includes working as a goaltending coach with the Miramichi Rivermen under-18 team.

INJURY UPDATES

The Sea Dogs are dealing with a few injuries before the season even begins.

Forwards Sam-Luca Thifault and Nico Laforge along with defenseman Jeremie Richard all had surgery during the off-season and aren't quite ready to go yet, reports Kevin Barrett of Postmedia.

Richard may be able to return after Labour Day while Thifault may be October and Laforge is anytime between October and December. All three underwent surgeries in the off-season.

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) August 16, 2023

The news creates a few more holes in Saint John's lineup that the club will need to — at least temporarily — fill.

Sea Dogs training camp begins today

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Today's the day.

Saint John Sea Dogs training camp truly kicks off this afternoon at TD Station with a couple of on-ice sessions. The team will hold an intra-squad game tonight at 7:30 p.m.

#SJSeaDogs Training Camp almost is here! Below is the schedule for week one.

On-ice activities take place at TD Station and are open to the public. pic.twitter.com/if6TIuM35t

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 16, 2023

49 players are scheduled to attend with free agent invite Alexis Brisson opting not to attend. The group includes a mix of returning players, prospects and free agent invites.

Among the notable new faces are 16-year-old American forward Egan Beveridge, the team's top pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, and 20-year-old defenseman Mathis Gauthier, who captained the Rimouski Oceanic last season.

There are a number of questions facing the team heading into training camp, which should make for a competitive few weeks. Here are some of the major questions facing the club.

The Sea Dogs have a few days of on-ice sessions before their first pre-season game on Tuesday night at TD Station when they host the Charlottetown Islanders.

Plenty of questions facing Sea Dogs at training camp

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

An intriguing training camp begins Saturday for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs will have battles at every position as there are holes to be filled in net, up front and on the backend. There are some strong returning players, a large group of prospects and a couple handfuls of free agents all attending the club's camp this year. 

It should be a very competitive camp — which should make for a fun camp.

Here are five of the biggest questions facing the Sea Dogs heading into the week.

1. The goaltending

One of the most glaring questions facing the Sea Dogs is their goaltending. 18-year-old Olivier Brideau, who has just 16 games of QMJHL experience but looked better and better as last season went along, will presumably take one of the spots. Who joins Brideau is the big question.

The Sea Dogs have four other goaltenders coming to camp: Kyan Labbe (2023 draft pick), Charles-Antoine Girard (2022 draft pick), Justin Robinson (2022 draft pick) and Sebastian Monaco (free agent). It'll be an exciting competition to follow given that any of these netminders could win a job.

2. The overage situation

Postmedia reported Friday (paywall) that free agent invite Alexis Brisson will not be attending camp, which leaves four players competing for three overage spots: returning forward Peter Reynolds, returning defenseman Jared Cosman, newly acquired defensman Mathis Gauthier and free agent forward Mathis Cloutier.

Reynolds and Gauthier are likely the favourites to take two of the three spots, which would leave Cosman and Cloutier battling for the final slot.

3. Who will join the D core?

The Sea Dogs have a whopping 20 defensemen coming to training camp and there are spots to be won.

Returning from last year's team are Nicolas Bilodeau, Jared Cosman (who is an overager), Joseph Ianniello, Jeremie Richard (who is currently injured) and Nate Tivey. QMJHL veteran Mathis Gauthier, who captained Rimouski last season, has also been added to the mix.

The rest of the d-men attending camp are a mix of draft picks, acquisitions and free agents. There are spots to be filled and it will be interesting to see who stands out.

Sea Dogs announce camp roster

The Saint John Sea Dogs have released their roster and schedule for the first week of training camp.

50 players will attend this year's camp, which begins with on-ice sessions on Saturday at TD Station. The roster includes 25 forwards, 20 defensemen and five goaltenders.

The headliners up front include returning players Peter Reynolds, Pavel Simek, Eriks Mateiko and Noah Reinhart - the four that will be expected to carry much of Saint John's offense with Brady Burns gone and Cole Burbidge traded.

The Sea Dogs drafted just two forwards in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft: highly touted American Egan Beveridge (second round) and Alexis Beaudoin (seventh round). Both will be attending camp.

There appears to be some spots up for grabs up front, but on the backend, available space seems to be more limited. The camp roster includes returning defensemen Nicolas Bolideau, Jared Cosman, Joseph Ianniello, Jeremie Richard and Nate Tivey. Also attending is overager Mathis Gauthier, who the Sea Dogs acquired at the draft.

Gauthier, Cosman, Reynolds, Mathis Cloutier and Alexis Brisson will compete for the team's three overage spots.

As expected, 20-year-old Ventsislav Shingarov was left off the camp roster, meaning there will be a competition to see who will join Olivier Brideau in the Saint John crease. Kyan Labbe, who the Sea Dogs drafted in the fourth round of June's draft, looked good at development camp but his size is a concern (5'7" and 148 lbs).

The full camp roster can be found here.

#SJSeaDogs Training Camp almost is here! Below is the schedule for week one.

On-ice activities take place at TD Station and are open to the public. pic.twitter.com/if6TIuM35t

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 16, 2023

The Sea Dogs will play a few intra-squad games before opening the pre-season on Tuesday against the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

Notebook: Hockey is near

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Hockey season is almost here.

The Saint John Sea Dogs begin training camp next weekend before playing three pre-season games in the days ahead.

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at TD Station against the Charlottetown Islanders. The next night the two teams will travel to Pownal, PEI to play a second game.

On Friday, Aug. 25, the Sea Dogs conclude the "first half" of pre-season play with a home contest against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs then resume pre-season play on Sept. 8. The team will play six pre-season matches in total before opening the regular season on Sept. 22 in Bathurst.

SEASON TICKET INFO

The Sea Dogs have announced the list of benefits season tickets will receive this season.

Secure your Season Tickets to take advantage of numerous perks and benefits including concessions discounts, complimentary preseason tickets, and much more.

Season Tickets go on sale Monday, August 14th at the TD Station box office. Subscription plans are available! pic.twitter.com/FEzyIjQYYB

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 10, 2023

Along with the classics, there are a few new ones. From the team's website:

• Concessions Vouchers: "One of the new benefits for Season Ticket Members this season are exclusive vouchers which can be redeemed at the TD Station concessions for discounts on food and beverages."
• Free Preseason Tickets: "Preseason games return to TD Station this year with the Sea Dogs are set to play six times, including three home games. Season Ticket Members get tickets to all home preseason games for free."
• Presale access for JSMSE Events: "Another new benefit for Season Ticket Members this season is access to presales for all JSM Sports & Entertainment events that are held at TD Station."

The team also confirmed that tribute performances will be returning again this season.

Few more camp invites announced

Embed from Getty Images

As training camp gets closer, the Saint John Sea Dogs have announced another four free agent invitees.

The team announced Thursday that forwards Alexis Brisson, Mathis Cloutier and Luca Aziz along with defenseman Xavier Delage are all expected to attend training camp, which is set to begin Aug. 18 at TD Station.

Brisson and Cloutier are both overagers with QMJHL experience. Postmedia previously reported on their invites a couple weeks ago.

At this time, 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.

The 17-year-old Aziz spent last season with the the Lac St-Louis Lions in the Quebec under-18 circuit where he registered nine goals and 16 points in 42 games. He added one goal in 10 playoff games.

Delage, 19, appeared in 25 QJHL games split between the Princeville Tigers and Cegep Beauce-Appalaches Condors. He also played in 13 games with the Asbestos Nordiks Blades of the Ligue Regionale de Hockey. Delage was a seventh-round pick of the Charlottetown Islanders in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft.

A few QMJHL teams have already released their training camp rosters. The Sea Dogs, in recent years anyways, have been one of the final teams to release their camp roster.

Saint John's training camp begins Aug. 18 and the team's first pre-season game is on Tuesday, Aug. 22 against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Sea Dogs release new hype video

With the start of training camp less than two weeks away, the Saint John Sea Dogs unveiled a new hype video on Wednesday.

The video was posted on the team's social media channels and is titled "What Lurks Beneath: The Legend of the Sea Dog."

"Do not fear what lies ahead," reads the description. "Fear what lurks... beneath."

The video is quite a change from what the team has been doing over the past decade or so. It's no doubt inspired by the Seattle Kraken who have similar style hype videos.

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at TD Station against the Charlottetown Islanders.

A few Sea Dogs alumni updates

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Jonathan Lemieux is turning pro.

It was announced Tuesday that the former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender has signed a one-year deal with the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks. Lemieux is represented by former QMJHL goaltender Nick Riopel's sports agency.

Really happy to announce that I have signed my first professional contract with the @abbycanucks ! pic.twitter.com/WoQo8BaRU9

— Jonathan Lemieux (@JoLemieux35) August 8, 2023

The 22-year-old spent last season with the Concordia University Stingers where he posted very strong numbers, finishing with a 16-4 record in the regular season to go along with a 1.98 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.

From the Canucks:

Lemieux, 22, is signing his first professional contract out of Concordia University (OUA), where he led the league’s goaltenders in goals-against average (1.98) and lead rookie goaltenders in wins (16) during the 2022-23 USports regular season. The 6’1, 185-pound netminder recorded three shutouts and a .933 save percentage for the Stingers this past season and posted a 4-2-0 record with two shutouts during the 2023 OUA Playoffs. A native of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Lemieux played five major junior seasons in the QMJHL with Val-d’Or, Saint John and Moncton, earning QMJHL Second Team All-Star honours in 2020-21.

Lemieux spent the first half of the 2021-22 season in Saint John before being dealt to the Moncton Wildcats in the Philippe Daoust deal.

Of note, former Sea Dogs goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise — who took over as Saint John's No. 1 netminder following the 2022 trade deadline — is heading to Concordia this fall.

Sea Dogs draft picks at Hlinka Gretzky Cup

USA Hockey

Two Saint John Sea Dogs connections are taking part in this year's under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Forward Joseph "JJ" Monteiro and defenseman Will Felicio, who were both picked by the Sea Dogs late in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, are skating for Team USA at this year's event.

Team USA, who finished second in Group A with six points in three games, will face Team Canada in Friday's semifinal. That game will air at 2 p.m. Atlantic on TSN. 

The other semifinal, which will take place at the same time, will feature Finland and Czechia. The championship game takes place Saturday.

Monteiro just finished up his third season with Mount St. Charles Academy and Elite Prospects has him playing with the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks this season. He is committed to Providence College of the NCAA.

Felicio, meanwhile, had one of the best offensive seasons by a rookie defensemen in USHL history last year, posting four goals and 24 assists in 55 games with the Madison Capitols. He is committed to the University of Denver.

Will Felicio with a hell of a shot. DU got a good one. pic.twitter.com/Yy2AXM2BNv

— Robert Chalmers (@IvanIvanlvan) August 1, 2023

It's looking unlikely that either will opt for major junior hockey and join the Sea Dogs — but you never know.

Team Canada does have one Sea Dogs connection in forward Justin Poirier, who is the brother of former Saint John defenseman Jeremie Poirier. Poirier of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, forward Maxim Masse of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle of the Victoriaville Tigres are the only QMJHL players suiting up for Team Canada at this year's tournament, indicating that it's likely going to be another light year for the league early in the 2024 NHL Draft.

D'Aigle is not draft eligible until 2025.

Sea Dogs deal Burbidge to Eagles

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a major move on the opening day of the pre-season trade period, dealing forward Cole Burbidge to the Cape Breton Eagles in exchange for a package of picks that include two first-rounders.

The Sea Dogs acquired a 2024 first-round pick (Blainville-Boisbriand), a 2024 second-round pick (Chicoutimi) and a 2025 first-round selection (Cape Breton) in the deal.

Burbidge, who will turn 18 on Aug. 26, had an impressive first-year in the QMJHL, posting 19 goals and 31 assists in 68 games. His performance in the second half was one of the reasons why Saint John was able to qualify for the playoffs.

Burbidge was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft. He earned an invite to Ottawa Senators development camp earlier this summer.

Losing Burbidge is a big blow to Saint John's offense for this coming season — but the package the Sea Dogs received in the trade would be hard to turn down.

The Sea Dogs are still restocking their bank of draft picks following the 2022 Memorial Cup run. Saint John now owns five first-round picks over the next three drafts — including two in 2024 that could be lottery selections (Blainville-Boisbriand and Gatineau).

“It was a tough decision for us to trade a player like Cole, but we’re happy with the return and proud of what he’s done here,” said Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella in a news release. “We’ve added another high draft pick this year to go along with Gatineau’s first-round pick and we get two other valuable picks. Now it’s up to us to hit on those picks and continue to build towards another championship.”

Via the French fan boards, here are the picks the Sea Dogs currently own for the next three drafts:

2024: 1BLB-1GAT-2CHI-3BAT-6-7-8-10-11-12-13-14

2025: 1-1CAP-2-6-8-11-12-13-14

2026: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

The pre-season trade period ends on Aug. 28