Notebook: Zboril traded to Blue Jackets

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Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Jakub Zboril is now a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.

Zboril, who has been sliding down the Boston Bruins depth chart over the past couple seasons, has been assigned to AHL's Cleveland Monsters — one of the AHL's top teams.

We have acquired defenseman Jakub Zboril and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft from the Bruins in exchange for Andrew Peeke.

Zboril has been assigned to @monstershockey.

📝 https://t.co/1wz7Luepme@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/t24rLWUuvh

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 8, 2024

The 27-year-old has nine assists in 31 games with the Providence Bruins this season. He hasn't appeared in any NHL games this year after playing in 22 last year, 10 the season prior and 42 before that.

Zboril spent three seasons with the Sea Dogs, ending his junior career by helping the club win the 2017 President Cup championship.

PLAYOFF UPDATE

The Sea Dogs woke up this morning sitting outside the QMJHL's playoff picture.

The Quebec Remparts defeated the Gatineau Olympiques 2-1 in a shootout on Friday, moving them two points ahead of the Sea Dogs and taking sole possession of the 16th and final playoff spot.

The Remparts take on the Olympiques again on Saturday while the Sea Dogs will once again face the Cape Breton Eagles. Both clubs have seven regular season games remaining.

Of note, the first tiebreaker is wins in regulation or overtime. The Sea Dogs currently have 16 while the Remparts have 14.

FIGHT

Here's the late-game fight between Matteo Mann and Gabe Smith on Wednesday in Moncton.

Mann was suspended one-game for fighting in the final five minutes of a game that had a two goal or more differential. Smith earned an extra game for accumulating codes.

LAWRENCE WINS AWARD

Josh Lawrence has been named Fredericton's 2023 athlete of the year.

The former Sea Dogs forward joined the Halifax Mooseheads for their playoff run last year, helping the team reach the QMJHL final where they lost to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Quebec Remparts. 

The 22-year-old then went pro for 2023-24, joining the Swiss League's EHC Winterthur. Lawrence posted 30 goals and 22 assists in 45 regular season games to lead the team in scoring by a significant amount. EHC Winterthur were eliminated in the Swiss League playoff quarterfinals.

MARKET SLIP DEAL

JSM Sports Entertainment, the parent company of the Sea Dogs, has signed an agreement to operate and organize events at the new stage area at Market Slip.

“The restaurant tenants and Market Square operators have expressed their desire to contract with JSM Sports Entertainment Inc. to provide the management service,” said a City of Saint John staff report, via Country 94. 

“But since the space is owned by the city, the license to operate the space must come from the city.”

Construction on the new area is expected to finish in the spring.

"They claim to have a connection with the entertainment world, so we'll sign that and see where it goes," said Saint John mayor Donna Reardon, via Saltwire. "I'm thrilled with it because we have a perfect stage down there... the tenants' association used to do it in the past, but it's a professional group that will do that for us, so I think it's great."

ICED

Here are some highlights from Ice Cube's recent performance at TD Station.

The kind of artist I wanted to be. pic.twitter.com/QiZAsPIcqi

— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 6, 2024

OTHER THINGS

• Harold Nason, a long-time statistician and penalty box attendant at TD Station for both the Flames and Sea Dogs, passed away on March 4. He was 68.
• Saltwire has a story on former Sea Dogs forward Peter Reynolds, who is looking to win another junior hockey championship with the Halifax Mooseheads.
• The Sea Dogs have lost 11 straight road games. The franchise record is 17, set in 2006-07.
• The Acadie-Bathurst Titan defeated the Halifax Mooseheads yet again on Friday. The Titan are 4-4-0-1 against the Mooseheads this season. If the playoffs started today they would meet in the first round.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Matthew Highmore is back up with the Ottawa Senators. Highmore has two assists in seven games at the NHL level this season.
• Joshua Roy is having a pretty decent start to his NHL career, posting three goals and five assists in 18 games with a bad Montreal Canadiens team.
• The OUA's Queen's Cup championship takes place Saturday in Toronto between UQTR and TMU. The Bold, who feature former Sea Dogs forward Kevin Gursoy, will be playing in their first ever championship game. The Patriotes have won back-to-back Queen's Cup titles.
• QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini visited Cape Breton this week. Saltwire did a Q&A with him.