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.