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.

“Now where it’s not necessarily a priority, those kind of players might take a backseat to potentially more skilled players for sure,” Crickard told CTV. “It is something we are talking about daily.”

According to HockeyFights.com, the Sea Dogs had just four fights all of last season. Two involved Jacob Beaulieu while the others featured Sam-Luca Thifault and Vincent Despont.

The Sea Dogs have posted a few videos from the first few days of camp as well.

Day three featured a pair of intrasquad games with Team 2022 coming out with a win in both matchups.#SeaDogsCamp pic.twitter.com/3ItUHJr6RO

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 21, 2023

A look back on a busy day two of training camp that included fitness testing and the first intrasquad matchup.#SeaDogsCamp#SeaDogsCamp pic.twitter.com/Awz3VnOITp

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 20, 2023

Player arrivals ✅
Staff introductions ✅
Headshots ✅

Our 2023 Training Camp is officially underway! On-ice activities begin today including an intra-squad game at 7:30pm.#SeaDogsCamp pic.twitter.com/Q2q8cYwCNb

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 19, 2023

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Tuesday night at home against the Charlottetown Islanders.