Sea Dogs deal Elie to Cataractes

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made one final splash ahead of Saturday's Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade deadline, dealing 18-year-old forward Vince Elie to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

In exchange for Elie, the Sea Dogs received 16-year-old forward Olivier Groulx and a second-round pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Elie was Saint John's leading scorer before being dealt, recording 15 goals and 21 assists in 37 games. He scored his final goal as a Sea Dog last night against the Charlottetown Islanders.

A second-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, Elie took some major steps forward this season after registering 27 points in 65 games last year.

With Elie, Peter Reynolds and Noah Reinhart all traded, Saint John's top-six will have a much different look for the second half. While the team likely took a step back offensively in the immediate future, the return Saint John got for those players should help in the seasons ahead.

Groulx was a second-round pick of Shawinigan in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. He's only appeared in four games with the Cataractes this season while spending much of the year with the Châteauguay Grenadiers of the Quebec under-18 ranks.

In 26 games with the Grenadiers this season, Groulx has recorded 14 goals and 24 assists. He was named the league's offensive player of the month for December.

Shawinigan currently sits 14th overall in the QMJHL standings, so that second-round pick should be fairly high in this year's draft.

This was the only move the Sea Dogs made on Saturday. The QMJHL's trading period ended at 1 p.m. Atlantic.