QMJHL Entry Draft a week away

MONCTON – The area around Avenir Centre is starting to look ready for the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft.

With the draft one week away, signage is up on the outside on the building and banners have been placed on street lights near the facility. It's the first time the annual event will be held in Moncton since 2009.

The 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft was a big one for the Saint John Sea Dogs, selecting Pierre Durepos and Jonathan Huberdeau in the first round – both of whom were part of the team's 2011 Memorial Cup championship.

Like 2009, the Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick twice in the opening round. Via the Halifax Mooseheads website, here is where Saint John is currently picking:

Round 1, 5th overall (via GAT)
Round 1, 8th overall (via BLB)

Round 2, 26th overall (via SHA)

Round 3, 45th overall (via BAT)

Round 6, 93rd overall (via VDO)

Round 6, 95th overall

Round 7, 113th overall

Round 8, 131st overall

Round 11, 185th overall

Round 12, 203rd overall

Round 13, 221st overall

Round 14, 239th overall

Things could always change before draft day, but there's no question that the Sea Dogs will be hitting the stage Friday night to make some picks. This will be a key draft for what is a challenging rebuild given how much the team traded away during the 2022 Memorial Cup season.

Report: First overall pick on the move?

It's been widely believed and speculated that the contending Cape Breton Eagles will move the first overall pick in next week's QMJHL Entry Draft.

That pick may be on the move to the rebuilding Quebec Remparts, reports Mikael Lalancette in Le Soleil.

Les Remparts repêcheraient premiers au total lors du prochain repêchage de la LHJMQ https://t.co/jxhkhWzcU3

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) May 31, 2024

Although we don't know the full details, the move makes sense for both clubs. The Eagles, who made the league semifinals this past season and are poised to contend again, likely want to make moves that help them win immediately. The Remparts, meanwhile, are in the early stages of a complete rebuild, and drafting first overall would certainly assist in that.

Lalancette reports that the Remparts are eyeing forward Maddox Dagenais, who was ranked No. 1 by QMJHL Central Scouting, with the first overall selection.

Many top prospects for this year's draft are believed to be considering NCAA options, so there could be quite a few "fallers" and "risers" based on player intentions. The Remparts, even during this stage of a rebuild, are certainly a team that could sway a player away from college hockey.

The Eagles won the league's draft lottery with a pick that originally belonged to the Saint John Sea Dogs. Cape Breton is currently picking first followed by the Val-d'Or Foreurs at No. 2 and No. 3, the Remparts at No. 4 and the Sea Dogs at No. 5.

The QMJHL Entry Draft takes place next Friday and Saturday at Moncton's Avenir Centre.

Notebook: It's been 13 years

Embed from Getty Images

It was 13 years ago Wednesday that the Saint John Sea Dogs hoisted the Memorial Cup for the first time.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 3-1 on May 29, 2011 in the tournament's championship game. Saint John became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the trophy but have since been joined by the Halifax Mooseheads (2013) and Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2018).

The full game can be seen below.

STARTING AT HOME

For the first time since 2021, the Sea Dogs will begin the regular season at home.

Saint John will host the Moncton Wildcats on Sept. 20 to kick off regular season play. The Sea Dogs have started the past two seasons in Bathurst, defeating the Titan 6-4 last year and 4-3 the year prior.

This will also be the first time since 2013 that the Sea Dogs begin the regular season by facing the Wildcats. Saint John won in Moncton on Sept. 13, 2013.

The Sea Dogs hosted the Wildcats in their 2011 season opener, falling 3-1 with a lineup that was missing several regulars due to NHL camps.

Voltigeurs eliminated from Memorial Cup

Eric Young / CHL

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's run of Memorial Cup championships has come to a close.

The QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs had their Memorial Cup hopes come to an end on Tuesday, falling 5-3 to the Western Hockey League's Moose Jaw Warriors. The Volts leave Saginaw with an 0-3 record, becoming the first QMJHL team to go winless and not reach at least the tournament semifinal since the 2010 Moncton Wildcats in Brandon.

Moose Jaw scored the game-winner while shorthanded with 1:34 remaining in the third period. Shots ended 52-28 in favour of Drummondville with 26 of the Volts' shots coming in the third.

QMJHL teams have won the past four Memorial Cups, a stretch that began with the 2018 Acadie-Bathurst Titan and continued with the 2019 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs and 2023 Quebec Remparts. There were no tournaments held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.

History says it's not often teams recover from bad starts at the Memorial Cup – and the Voltigeurs were victims of that. Drummondville dropped their opener 4-0 to the powerhouse London Knights and then blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads in a 4-3 loss to the host Saginaw Spirit.

Drummondville's lineup included former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart and Quispamsis native Sam Oliver. The two played together on the team's third line.

Moose Jaw, 1-2, will play in Friday's semifinal game against the loser of Wednesday's London/Saginaw game. The winner of Wednesday's tilt earns a bye through to Sunday's final.

The last OHL team to win the Memorial Cup was the 2017 Windsor Spitfires. No WHL team has won the trophy since the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings.

Saint John's 2024-25 schedule released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will kick off the 2024-25 regular season by hosting a familiar friend: Gardiner MacDougall.

MacDougall and the Moncton Wildcats will visit the Sea Dogs on Friday, Sept. 20 – the opening day of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season. MacDougall, who joined the Wildcats a couple weeks ago, and Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard helped bring a Memorial Cup title to Saint John two years ago and recently teamed up to win gold with Team Canada at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship.

The game is the first of 64 for the Sea Dogs, a four-game reduction from the 68 the league has been scheduling for some time now. According to a league press release, 93% of all QMJHL games will be played between Thursdays and Sundays and/or during school holidays.

Here's a breakdown of Saint John's 2024-25 schedule.

• As mentioned, Saint John will start the season at home, hosting the Wildcats on Sept. 20 and the Halifax Mooseheads the following night.
• Saint John's first road game will be Friday, Sept. 27 in Charlottetown, the first of three straight games away from TD Station.
• The Sea Dogs will welcome a non-Maritimes Division team to TD Station for the first time on Oct. 11 when they host the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
• Saint John will make four trips into Quebec:
• Oct. 25-27: Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Gatineau
• Nov. 7-9: Victoriaville, Quebec and Rimouski
• Jan. 29 - Feb. 1: Blainville-Boisbriand, Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or
• Feb. 20-23: Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi and Shawiniagn
• The Sea Dogs host the Wildcats on Halloween night, which falls on Thursday. 
• Saint John will make their lone visit to Rimouski – this season's Memorial Cup hosts – on Nov. 9. The Oceanic visit Saint John on Jan. 24.
• The Sea Dogs will play their final game before the holiday break on Dec. 14 at home and return to action on Dec. 28 in Moncton. Saint John will not play at home during the holidays, returning to TD Station ice on Jan. 8.
• Saint John plays in Bathurst on New Year's Eve, which will be a first. They'll host the Cape Breton Eagles on Family Day (Monday, Feb. 17), which comes a couple days after playing a 3 p.m. Saturday home game against the Shawinigan Cataractes.
• Saint John's Wednesday, Feb. 5 game in Blainville-Boisbriand is scheduled for 11 a.m. local time, which is presumably a school day game. The Sea Dogs have never taken part in one of these games.
• Saint John ends the regular season on Saturday, March 22, hosting the Cape Breton Eagles in a 4 p.m. matchup.
• Saint John's longest home stretch: five games (Jan. 12-24 and Feb. 5-17).
• Saint John's longest road stretch: five games (Nov. 7-16)

Saint John's full regular season schedule can be found here.

Notebook: Sea Dogs have job openings

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

If these job postings are any indication, we may see the business side of the Saint John Sea Dogs change things up this season.

The Sea Dogs posted three prominent job openings on LinkedIn this past week.

• Manager, Season Tickets and Groups
• Manager, Sales and Partnerships
• Director of Business Operations

These positions will be come with challenges for whoever takes them. Saint John's attendance has not rebounded from the pandemic like most other teams and the squad is likely in for another rough year on the ice.

One of the postings also mentioned something that has perhaps been forgotten: this upcoming season will be the team's 20th.

SCHEDULE COMING

According to a tweet from the Cape Breton Eagles, the QMJHL will release its 2024-25 regular season schedule on Monday at 12:30 p.m.

The season will likely open on the weekend of Sept. 20-21. The Sea Dogs played their first game of the season on Sept. 22 last year – which was also game No. 1 for the entire QMJHL.

The biggest adjustment to this year's schedule is the league moving to a 64-game slat, which removes four matches. For Maritimes Division teams, that is expected to mean four less games within the division and four less mid-week games.

NCAA CHANGES

Major changes are coming to the NCAA following a $2.7 billion court settlement this past week.

This is still messy (and will be for the next few months) and it's not clear how much it will impact hockey. The changes will have a much bigger impact on college football and basketball, but there will definitely be some impacts to hockey as well.

The biggest expected changes:

• There will likely be opportunities for hockey players to be straight up paid by some schools.
• Those same schools and others will be able to increase the number of scholarships they can offer hockey players.
• On top of that – and the biggest change for the sport as a whole – is CHL players will very likely be able to play NCAA hockey in the near future. This will not be an automatic change based on last week's settlement, though. Either the NCAA will have to willingly drop the current rule or a player(s) will have to challenge the rule in court (which the player(s) will almost certainly win).

TSN's Darren Dreger touched on the possible impacts to the CHL on Friday.

New CHL event coming in 2025-26?

Is a new event coming to the Canadian Hockey League calendar in 2025-26?

During the second intermission of Friday's Memorial Cup opener on TSN, Darren Dreger reported that the CHL is looking to add a third national event, joining the Top Prospects Game (whatever that looks like in the future) and the Memorial Cup.

Dreger discusses the event – and what the NCAA's latest court rulings mean for the CHL – beginning at the 1:04 mark of the video below.

Dreger indicated that it will be some sort of in-season event – but what that event looks like seems to still be in the ideation phase.

It's a bit surprising it's taken the CHL this long to add a third national event with the Canada-Russia Series on hiatus. You'd have to think TSN, the league's television rights holder, would also like a third event.

It was reported in January that next year's Top Prospects Game could have a new format.

I've written about this before, but the CHL has to find a way to get the league's best players (and/or teams) facing each other during the season. Whether that be creating Memorial Cup "qualifiers," creating inter-league play or, at minimum, some kind of national all-star event, something needs to be done to make these matchups happen.

How ex-Dogs performed in QMJHL playoffs

QMJHL

Noah Reinhart and the Drummondville Voltigeurs begin their quest for the Memorial Cup on Saturday in Saginaw.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward, who was traded to Drummondville during the holiday trade period, posted 13 goals and 16 assists in 30 games in the second half with the Volts. He added another five goals and six assists in 19 playoff games, helping Drummondville win their first QMJHL title since 2009.

Reinhart's 11 points placed him second in playoff scoring amongst former Sea Dogs. Cam MacDonald, who helped the Cape Breton Eagles reach the league semifinals, led the way with 13 points in 13 games.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Cam MacDonald	CAP	13	7	6	13
Noah Reinhart	DRU	19	5	6	11
Cole Burbidge	CAP	14	3	5	8
Leighton Carruthers	ROU	10	2	3	5
Mathis Gauthier	GAT	5	3	1	4
Vince Elie	SHA	4	1	3	4
Charles Savoie	RIM	5	1	2	3
Simon Hughes	CHA	4	2	0	2
Danny Akkouche	GAT	5	1	0	1
Connor Trenholm	MON	4	0	1	1
Chad Bellemare	SHE	7	0	1	1
Peter Reynolds	HAL	4	0	0	0

This was the final QMJHL playoffs for three key players in Saint John's 2022 Memorial Cup victory: MacDonald, Connor Trenholm and Peter Reynolds.

Reinhart is the lone Sea Dogs alumnus playing in this year's Memorial Cup, which also features the host Saginaw Spirt, OHL champion London Knights and WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Former Sea Dogs forward Charles Savoie helped the Quebec Remparts win last year's Memorial Cup in Kamloops.

Notebook: Labbé commits to BCHL

Quebec AAA League Twitter

According to the BCHL website, Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé has committed to the Nanaimo Clippers.

Labbé previously committed to the NCAA's Union College for the 2026-27 season, so the move to the BCHL does not come as a huge surprise. BCHL players remain eligible to play college hockey.

The 16-year-old goaltender was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Labbé is coming off an impressive second season with the Magog Cantonniers, helping the team capture both the Quebec under-18 title and the Telus Cup national championship.

The BCHL website also shows that 17-year-old defenseman Anthony Biakabutuka, a 10th-round pick of Saint John in 2022, has committed to the Clippers. Biakabutuka is committed to the NCAA's College of the Holy Cross.

ANSONS, LATVIA DONE

The IIHF World Championship has come to an end for former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons and Team Latvia.

Latvia failed to qualify for the elimination round following a 4-3 record in the preliminary round, placing them fifth in Group B. Three of the team's wins came in extra time.

Ansons, who split this past season between the AHL and ECHL, had an assist in five worlds games. He saw less ice time as the tournament went on, playing just 5:20 in the team's 6-3 loss to the United States on Tuesday.

This was Ansons first trip to the World Championship. He's played previously for Latvia at the under-20 and under-18 levels.

Sea Dogs to play in Port Hawkesbury

The Saint John Sea Dogs will visit Port Hawkesbury this September.

The Cape Breton Eagles announced Monday that they'll host the Sea Dogs in a pre-season game on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Cape Breton Eagles returning to Port Hawkesbury this Fall! 🦅

Tickets on sale on Friday, May 24 at 10am by visiting the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre website or by calling their box office at 902-625-2591. 🎟#GoEaglesGo #HockeyIsland pic.twitter.com/73uE9yGWLQ

— Cape Breton Eagles (@CBEHockey) May 20, 2024

Going to Port Hawkesbury for a pre-season game is certainly a trek for the Sea Dogs – but it's at least a shorter drive than going all the way to Sydney. It's a nearly five hour drive from TD Station to the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre compared to six-and-a-half hours to Centre 200.

This will be the Sea Dogs' first time playing in the Civic Centre, which has 1,000 seats for hockey, according to the venue's website. 

This will presumably be Saint John's first pre-season game after Labour Day, when the team should have its final roster mostly set.

The full QMJHL pre-season schedule should be released soon. Saint John played three games at TD Station during last year's pre-season and another three on the road, visiting the Pownal Sports Centre (PEI), Centre Culturel de Saint-Quentin and UPEI's Bell Aliant Centre.

What's coming up and some news

It's been a quiet few weeks for the Saint John Sea Dogs – but that will change soon.

While it may still be the early goings of the off-season, there are a number of off-ice events that will keep the team busy over the next month-and-a-bit.

First up is the QMJHL Entry Draft, which takes place June 7-8 at Moncton's Avenir Centre. The Sea Dogs currently own two first round picks, so they'll be busy on both Friday night and Saturday. Plus, the QMJHL's trade window will open that week, which could bring even more activity. 

On June 28-29, the NHL Draft will be held in Las Vegas where Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko should hear his name called.

Lastly, on July 3, the CHL Import Draft will be held. Both of Saint John's imports from last season – forwards Mateiko and Pavel Simek – are eligible to return. But their statuses could be impacted during June's trading period – or Saint John could use one or both of their picks anyways, which the team has done in the past.

The "real off-season" begins after the Import Draft. Training camp will open mid-August.

A few other news and notes...

• The Maritime Hockey League champion Miramichi Timberwolves had their season come to an end in the Centennial Cup semifinals on Saturday, falling 5-2 to the OJHL's Collingwood Blues. Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Foston had an assist in the loss. Foston finished the tournament with two goals and two assists in six games.
• At the IIHF World Championship, Raivis Ansons and Latvia now own a 4-2-0 record to place them fifth in Group B. Ansons has not played in the last two games for Latvia (vs Sweden and Slovakia). Latvia plays their final preliminary round game on Tuesday against the United States.
• The Fargo Force completed one of the best seasons in USHL history by winning the Clark Cup on Saturday. The Force's roster includes 20-year-old Montreal native Michael La Starza, a seventh-round pick of the Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2020. 
• The Memorial Cup begins on Friday in Saginaw with the host Spirit facing the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors. The QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs take on the OHL's London Knights on Saturday.

Notebook: Beaten by the champs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs can at least say they were eliminated from this year's QMJHL playoffs by the eventual champions.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs took down the Sea Dogs in a four game sweep in the opening round en route to a league championship. It's the third time in franchise history that the Sea Dogs were eliminated from post-season play by the league champion.

2010: Moncton Wildcats (league final)

2013: Halifax Mooseheads (first round)

2024: Drummondville Voltigeurs (first round)

Saint John, although they did win the 2022 Memorial Cup tournament, has not won a playoff series since the 2017 QMJHL final.

ROUGH PLAYOFFS

In terms of entertainment, this was a rough post-season in the QMJHL. There was only one Game 7 and, remarkably, only two series went six games or longer. There were eight sweeps.

What an incredibly disappointing #QPlayoffs from an entertainment standpoint. Only two of 15 series make it past Game 5 👎

— David McKnight (@mcknight_david) May 15, 2024

The situation is probably a one off but, even before this year, there was a valid conversation to be had about adjusting the league's playoff format, whether that be returning to the 1vs 16 setup or simply reducing the amount of teams that get in.

It wasn't a great year of playoff hockey across the CHL, as Ken Campbell of The Hockey News points out. There are high hopes for this year's Memorial Cup given how each champion earned their spot via sweep in the league final.

Coyle, Bruins eliminated; Maple Leafs pass on Gallant

Embed from Getty Images

The Stanley Cup will not be lifted by a former Saint John Sea Dog this year.

Charlie Coyle, the lone Sea Dogs alumnus playing in this year's NHL playoffs, was eliminated on Friday night when his Boston Bruins fell 2-1 to Florida Panthers in Game 6 of their second round series.

Coyle recorded one shot, three hits and took a minor penalty in 20:36 of ice time, the third most amongst Bruins forwards.

The 32-year-old finishes the post-season with a goal and four assists in 13 games. The Bruins advanced to the second round by eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the opening round.

The Panthers will face the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final – the team formerly coached by former Sea Dogs coaches Gerard Gallant, Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley.

Gallant remains unemployed heading into next season but, according to reports, spoke to the Maple Leafs about their head coaching vacancy that has since been filled by Craig Berube.

Leafs met with Berube last weekend both Saturday and Sunday, then Todd McLellan Monday-Tuesday, then spoke with Gerard Gallant on Wednesday. https://t.co/piQpqeBx2u

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 17, 2024

On Friday's 32 Thoughts podcast, Jeff Marek reported that the Moncton Wildcats would have been interested in hiring Gallant if the MacDougall situation didn't work out. The only other QMJHL Maritimes Division team without a head coach right now are the Halifax Mooseheads, who likely wouldn't be of interest to Gallant given they are (very likely) entering a rebuild.

NHL teams currently without a head coach include the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets.

Field set for 2024 Memorial Cup

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The field is now set for the 2024 Memorial Cup.

The London Knights and Moose Jaw Warriors secured their spots in the tournament on Wednesday night, joining the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs and host Saginaw Spirit. The tournament begins next Friday in Michigan.

All four championship series ended in sweeps, which is a CHL first. Drummondville and London had fairly easy times with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Oshawa Generals, respectively, while Moose Jaw had a few close games with the Portland Winterhawks.

🗓️ Plan accordingly! #MemorialCup

📺💻📱TSN | RDS | NHL Network (🇺🇸) | #CHLTV (🌍) pic.twitter.com/vF65CknKdZ

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 16, 2024

Both Saginaw and Moose Jaw will be making their Memorial Cup debuts. This was the first WHL championship for the Warriors despite their franchise dating back 40 years.

Drummondville will be making their fourth appearance and first since 2009.

London, meanwhile, has been no stranger to this tournament over the past 20 years. The Knights will be playing in their sixth Memorial Cup since 2005 and will be looking for a third title. They'll likely be favourites going into this given how they handled the OHL with relative ease this season – which included eliminating Saginaw in the third round of the playoffs.

All three league champions will have over a week to prepare for the Memorial Cup. Saginaw hasn't played since May 5.

The QMJHL has won the past four Memorial Cups. The OHL last won it in 2017 (Windsor Spitfires) while no WHL team has won since 2014 (Edmonton Oil Kings).

Wildcats begin MacDougall era

Moncton Wildcats

The Moncton Wildcats officially became one of the most intriguing teams heading into the 2024-25 season on Wednesday.

At a press conference held at Avenir Centre, the Wildcats named Gardiner MacDougall the team's new head coach while his son, agent and former QMJHL player Taylor MacDougall, will be the club's new general manager and director of hockey operations.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era," said Wildcats president Robert K. Irving in a news release. "I’m thrilled to announce that Gardiner and Taylor will be working together to lead the Moncton Wildcats. It’s great to have them in place as we prepare to host the upcoming Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League draft in June. I want to personally welcome them to our organization. I know our fans will be excited by the dynamic, fast-paced, entertaining, and most importantly… winning style of hockey that Gardiner and Taylor bring to the game.”

This is a big time move by Irving, one that has presumably been in the works for some time given the unexpected Ritchie Thibeau announcement last month. Everyone that follows the QMJHL knows that Irving badly wants to win a Memorial Cup and these hirings are his biggest push yet.

Having the MacDougalls in the league brings everything: excitement, expectations and mystery. For Wildcats fans, this is a huge shot of adrenaline after a disappointing season. Given Gardiner's success at UNB, a Memorial Cup with Saint John and a world under-18 gold medal, expectations are very high. But there is also some mystery and intrigue given Gardiner's limited junior hockey coaching experience (although he's been quite successful in what he has done) and the fact that Taylor is a first time general manager.

The two inherit a team that is hitting the upswing of its cycle but there's little doubt the 2024-25 Wildcats will have a different look and style compared to what we've seen in recent years. This will be a fascinating off-season.

The pressure is now on the Wildcats organization to make high expectations a reality. They have a committed owner with deep pockets. They have one of the best facilities in junior hockey. They now have (we think) one of the best hockey ops staffs in the league. They've got everything to be one of the CHL's top franchises. It's time for the Wildcats to start landing some big recruits, consistently winning and grabbing some championships.

Voltigeurs win Gilles-Courteau Trophy

TSN

For the first time since 2009, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are champions of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The Voltigeurs completed a sweep of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Tuesday night with a 4-3 win. The victory gives the Volts the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and a spot in the Memorial Cup.

The Volts winning the QMJHL title doesn't come as a huge surprise. They loaded up this year and finished the regular season with the second best record. The surprise was how they handled the Drakkar, the league's top team all year, with ease.

A 15-year wait ends! @VoltigeursDRU are @QMJHL champions again! 🏆#RoadtoMemorialCup pic.twitter.com/7plM9gMpzy

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 15, 2024

With the exception of Game 2 that needed overtime, Drummondville had little trouble with Baie-Comeau. The Volts outscored the high powered Drakkar 16-5 with almost all of Baie-Comeau's goals coming in the final two games when they were already out of reach.

Veteran defenseman Vsevolod Komarov was named playoff MVP. Other strong candidates for the Guy Lafleur Trophy were forward Ethan Gauthier and goaltender Riley Mercer.

Another standout for the Voltigeurs was Saint John native Sam Oliver, who finished the series with three goals – two of which came in Tuesday's clinching game.

The Volts also feature former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart, who was held pointless in the series.

Thanks to the sweep, Drummondville has plenty of time to prepare for the Memorial Cup. Their first game will be Saturday, May 25 against the Ontario Hockey League champion.

MacDougall retires from UNB; expected to join Wildcats

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Gardiner MacDougall announced his retirement from the UNB Reds on Tuesday evening.

MacDougall, who has been the head coach of UNB since the 2000-01 season and leaves with nine national championships, is expected to be named the new head coach of the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday.

Hockey Icon.
Legendary Leader.
All-Time Great.

Gardiner MacDougall announces his retirement from UNB.

Thank you, Coach.#goredsgo pic.twitter.com/HnExqJZgiA

— UNB Reds (@UNBAthletics) May 14, 2024

MacDougall leaves UNB as one of the greatest coaches in Canadian university hockey history, turning the Reds into a national powerhouse. He leaves the program on top having won back-to-back national titles and not losing a single game this past season.

There are plenty of questions about the future of the Reds program, but the future of MacDougall appears to be known.

According to sources and several reports, MacDougall will be named the new head coach of the Wildcats at a news conference on Wednesday while his son, former QMJHL and UNB player Taylor MacDougall, will take the reins as general manager.

QMJHL News - Sounds like UNB's Gardiner McDougall will be the next head coach of the Moncton Wildcats, with his son Taylor MacDougall taking over the GM position. Taylor, who is considered a major up-and-comer, had been working as an agent with Roy Sports Group.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) May 14, 2024

The duo will replace coach Dan Lacroix (fired soon after Moncton was eliminated from the playoffs) and director of hockey operations Ritchie Thibeau (who took a new position within the JD Irving company). 

Crucial Game 3 awaits Drakkar

Baie-Comeau Drakkar

It goes without saying but it will be said anyways: Monday's game is a big one for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

After losing at home (on back-to-back nights) for the first this post-season, the Drakkar head to Drummondville down 2-0 in the Gilles Courteau Trophy final. Game 3 takes place Monday night at 8 p.m. at the Marcel Dionne Centre. The game can be seen on TSN.

Not only did the Drakkar lose the first two games, they've yet to score a single goal. Voltigeurs netminder Riley Mercer has been outstanding, stopping all 76 shots he's faced in the series. In a scoreless third period on Friday, Mercer kept Drummondville in the game by making a few ridiculous saves.

The Volts are 7-1-0-0 on home ice this post-season. This will not be an easy task for the Drakkar – but a win Monday is essentially a must.

A few other news and notes...

• At the IIHF World Championship on Sunday, former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons and Latvia defeated France 3-2 in overtime. The Latvians are now 2-0 with both of their wins coming in overtime. Ansons played 9:19 but did not record a point or shot on goal. Latvia plays Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
• Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins are now down 3-1 in their second round playoff series to the Florida Panthers following a 3-2 loss on Sunday. Coyle led all Bruins forwards in ice time with 20:13 and recorded three shots. Game 5 is Tuesday in Florida.
• At the Centennial Cup in Oakville, the Maritime Hockey League champion Miramichi Timberwolves improved to 2-1 with a 5-3 win over the Sioux Lookout Bombers. The Timberwolves return to action on Tuesday when they face the Winkler Flyers.
• In the other CHL championship series: London leads Oshawa 2-0 and Moose Jaw leads Portland 2-0. Note that the WHL final is a 2-3-2 series with Portland having home ice advantage.

Notebook: Q prospects picked in USHL Draft

Two of the top prospects for the upcoming QMJHL Entry Draft were high picks in last week's USHL Draft.

Defenseman Cameron Chartrand, ranked as the fifth best skater for this year's Entry Draft by QMJHL Central Scouting, went 17th overall to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders while Maddox Dagenais, the top ranked prospect, went 25th overall to the Sioux City Musketeers. 

These selections could end up meaning nothing in terms of the QMJHL Entry Draft and these players report to the league... but it could also be the beginnings of a college hockey pathway.

Been talk about @ridertownusa Phase I draft pick Cameron Chartrand being high pick in QMJHL draft. Riders Coach/GM Mark Carlson said "We're thrilled with Cam. He is real excited to play in Cedar Rapids, really excited about going the college route. We couldn't be happier." #USHL

— Jeff Johnson (@jeje66) May 8, 2024

Other notable selections in Phase I of the draft:

• Maxim Dubé went 31st overall to the Madison Capitols (ranked 27th by QMJHL Central Scouting).
• Dylan Rozzi went 56th overall to the Youngstown Phantoms (ranked 11th).
• Frisco, Texas native Loic Nasreddine went 123rd overall to the Des Moines Buccaneers. He's eligible for the QMJHL Entry Draft because of his father. 
• Alexandre Taillefer went 125th overall to the Chicago Steel (ranked 12th).

Check out this Twitter feed for more on the QMJHL prospects picked.

WILDCAST

I went on the Wildcast podcast this week to discuss the Gardiner MacDougall rumours and the status of the Sea Dogs heading into next month's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Voltigeurs take 2-0 series lead over Drakkar

HALIFAX – I tried the Tim Hortons pizza on Friday. It was... alright. Definitely a bit undercooked. But I've had worse pizza.

I give it a 5/10. Like most things at Tims, quality probably varies from pizza to pizza.

Anyways, onto the hockey...

• The Drummondville Voltigeurs won a tremendous goaltending battle on Friday, defeating the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 1-0 in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead in the Gilles Courteau Trophy final. Ethan Gauthier scored the game winner 5:23 into overtime.

Ethan Gauthier in OT❕

The #GoBolts prospect gives the @VoltigeursDRU a 2-0 series lead in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final! #RoadtoMemorialCup | #QPlayoffs

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 11, 2024

• High powered Baie-Comeau has, shockingly, yet to score a goal in this series, losing 5-0 Thursday and 1-0 Friday. On top of that, the Drakkar were 7-0 on home ice in the post-season heading into this series and have dropped both games at the Henry Leonard Centre. The series now shifts to Drummondville for Games 3 and 4.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart of the Voltigeurs has been held pointless in both games of this series and in his past five playoff games overall. 
• The offensive struggles continued for the Boston Bruins on Friday, recording just 16 shots in a 6-2 home loss to the Florida Panthers. Florida now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1. Boston's Charlie Coyle, the lone former Sea Dog playing in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, was held pointless in 18:15 of ice time.
• At the Centennial Cup in Oakville, ON, the Miramichi Timberwolves rebounded from a Thursday loss (4-1 to the Melfort Mustangs) by defeating the host Oakville Blades 7-4 on Friday. Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Foston had a goal in the win. The Timberwolves are back in action on Sunday against the Sioux Lookout Bombers.

  Goal! Cole Foston finishes off the play on a turnover to give @MTimberWolves a 4-1 lead over the @OakvilleBlades.#CentennialCup pic.twitter.com/TsoNO0Pui7

  — The MHL (@THEMHL) May 11, 2024

What will Eagles do with top pick?

QMJHL

Could the first overall pick in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft be available?

The Cape Breton Eagles said all the right things at a recent season ending town hall, saying they plan to use the pick at the moment... but that could always change.

General Manager Sylvain Couturier discussed his plans for the first overall draft pick during last night’s Town Hall press conference. #goeaglesgo pic.twitter.com/ztvKU2r8b9

— Cape Breton Eagles (@CBEHockey) May 8, 2024

Logic says the pick is likely in play. While no team would refuse picking first overall, it just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for the Eagles right now. They are a team that will likely contend this coming season and a 16-year-old probably isn't what they are looking to add to their lineup – but you never know. While Cape Breton had an impressive run this year, they are a franchise that's done more than a few odd an unexpected things over the years.

The demand for the first overall pick may not be as high as in past years. This draft class does not have the star power of previous drafts – or last year's, which is looking like an impressive class.

The Eagles won the QMJHL's draft lottery with a pick that originally belonged to Saint John. The Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick fifth and eighth overall in the opening round and again in the second and third rounds. 

League finals set; Memorial Cup host out early again

OHL

Winning the Memorial Cup as the host team? That's hard. Winning your league as the Memorial Cup host team? That's proven to be even harder.

The Saginaw Spirit, the host of this year's Memorial Cup tournament, were eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in the third round by the London Knights. The Spirit's last game was on May 5 and they won't play again until May 24 when they host the Western Hockey League champions.

Remarkably, Saginaw's elimination means no Memorial Cup host team has won their respective league since the 2008 Kitchener Rangers. No host team has won both the Memorial Cup and their respective league since the 2005 London Knights, considered one of the greatest junior teams of all-time.

Here is how each Memorial Cup host has done in their league playoffs since the last host champion (Kitchener) in 2008.... pic.twitter.com/W0Xx0JglIM

— Steve McLean (@SteveMcLean888) May 5, 2024

Since 2008, three host teams have managed to lift the Memorial Cup on home ice: the 2012 Shawinigan Cataractes, the 2017 Windsor Spitfires and the 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs (the Sea Dogs were, oddly, involved in all three of those tournaments).

It's fair to say that this is officially a trend – and can the Rimouski Oceanic stop it by winning the Gilles Courteau Trophy next year?

For the 14th straight CHL season the Memorial Cup host will not win their league title. Last time the host did win their league was Kitchener in 2008.
The longest stretch before this one was 7 seasons on two different occasions, 1988-1994 & 1998-2004.

— Steve McLean (@SteveMcLean888) May 5, 2024

With Saginaw out in the third round, all three league championships will have a berth in the Memorial Cup on the line.

Final QMJHL Entry Draft rankings released

OMHA

QMJHL Central Scouting has unveiled its final rankings ahead of next month's Entry Draft.

Topping the list is Maddox Dagenais, a Montreal born forward who spent this past season playing with the Quinte Red Devils in the Ontario under-16 circuit. Dagenais posted 42 goals and 81 points in 35 games.

Ranked second is Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence, the brother of former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence. The 15-year-old posted 22 goals and 49 points in 50 games at Shattuck St. Mary's this past season.

In a perfect world, the Sea Dogs trading up to land Lawrence would make a lot of sense. But Lawrence has tendered with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks for next season and seems poised to take the college hockey route. This all makes Lawrence a wildcard in terms of where he'll get picked on draft day.

There are a number of higher end prospects believed to be playing the college hockey card, which will complicate this year's draft. Lawrence's teammates from the Youth Olympic Games – where Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard was an assistant – appear to both be looking at other options. Nova Scotia forward Aiden O'Donnell was already picked in the OHL Draft while defenseman Cameron Chartrand, ranked fifth after playing this past season at a US prep school, is believed to be looking at college hockey options.

With O'Donnell gone to the OHL, Lawrence was the lone Atlantic Canadian ranked in the top-20 by Central Scouting.

The Sea Dogs currently pick fifth and eighth in this year's draft – but that could always change. The Cape Breton Eagles currently own the first overall pick.

The QMJHL Entry Draft takes place June 7-8 in Moncton.

Notebook: QMJHL final begins Thursday

Baie-Comeau Drakkar

The Gilles Courteau Trophy final between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Drummondville Voltigeurs will begin on Thursday at the Henry Leonard Centre.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has unveiled the full schedule for the championship series. The winner advances to the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw.

Here's the full schedule:

1- Thursday, May 9, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau 

2- Friday, May 10, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau 

3- Monday, May 13, 8 p.m., in Drummondville 

4- Tuesday, May 14, 8 p.m., in Drummondville 

5- Thursday, May 16, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau* 

6- Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m., in Drummondville* 

7- Tuesday, May 21, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau* 

*if necessary

All games will be broadcast on TSN and RDS.

Noah Reinhart of the Voltigeurs is the lone former Saint John Sea Dog taking part in the final.

MACDOUGALL POST-GAME

Here's former Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall speaking after leading Team Canada to an IIHF Under-18 World Championship on the weekend.

Team Canada wins U18 gold

TSN

Team Canada has won gold at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship.

Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers netted a hat trick while Owen Sound Attack goaltender Carter George was phenomenal, leading Canada to a thrilling 6-4 win over the United States in Sunday's gold medal game.

The Americans were the better team through two periods (shots were 31-9) and led Canada 3-2 in the third. Midway through the final frame, a five-minute major was given to Trevor Connelly – an already controversial prospect – for a check to the head. The penalty changed everything, allowing Canada to score three times and take control of the game. Shots in the third ended 14-4 in favour of Canada.

UNB's Gardiner MacDougall, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup championship, was Canada's head coach. Current Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard, who was an assistant under MacDougall at the Memorial Cup, was one of Canada's assistants for this tournament.

Gardiner MacDougall with 56 straight wins in all competitions with Team Canada and UNB now.

Since May 2021:
3 AUS titles
1 FISU Gold
2 U Cups
2022 Memorial Cup
2024 U18 World Champs gold

Canada wins a crazy gold medal game v USA today for an undefeated U18 Worlds.

— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) May 5, 2024

QMJHL players on Team Canada included Maxime Masse (Chicoutimi), Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton) and Spencer Gill (Rimouski).

The tournament will be remembered for the showdown between American forward James Hagens, the top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, and McKenna. Hagens, the tournament MVP and a Boston College commit, finished with nine goals and 13 assists. McKenna, who won't turn 17 until late December, finished with 10 goals and 10 assists.

Despite his age, McKenna has a strong shot at making Canada's world junior team. And you have to wonder... could MacDougall also be part of the world junior team? We'll see.

Volts, Drakkar to meet in QMJHL final

QMJHL X

The two best teams from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season will meet in the Gilles Courteau Trophy final.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs secured their spot in the final with a 3-2 overtime win over the Victoriaville Tigres on Friday, taking the semifinal series in five games. Alexis Gendron scored the winner just 11 seconds into overtime.

Game over! Alexis Gendron nets his second of the game after only 11 seconds of OT to send the @VoltigeursDRU to the #QPlayoffs Final!

Hats off to the @TigresVicto on their great 2023-24 campaign. 👏 pic.twitter.com/QlUheHnOY1

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 4, 2024

The Voltigeurs will face the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the championship series. The Drakkar secured their spot on Thursday with a Game 5 overtime win over the Cape Breton Eagles.

Drummondville advancing means one former Saint John Sea Dog still has a shot at the Gilles Courteau Trophy. Forward Noah Reinhart has five goals and six assists in 15 playoff games with the Volts.

The Drakkar will have home ice advantage in the series after finishing first in the regular season standings with a 53-12-2-1 record for 109 points. The Voltigeurs were second with a 48-14-5-1 record for 102 points.

Baie-Comeau has lost just one game this post-season and are 7-0 at home. Drummondville, meanwhile, is 12-3.

This is the Drakkar's first trip to the league final since 2014 and will be looking for their first championship. For the Voltigeurs, this is their first time in the league final since winning in 2009.

The winner of this series will represent the QMJHL at the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw.

No other league final has been locked in yet in the CHL. In the OHL, the London Knights lead the Saginaw Spirit 3-2 while the Oshawa Generals lead the North Bay Battalion 3-2. In the WHL, the Portland Winterhawks lead the Prince George Cougars 3-2 while the Saskatoon Blades lead the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-2.

Drakkar advance to QMJHL final

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar are heading to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League final.

The Drakkar secured their spot with a 2-1 overtime win over the Cape Breton Eagles on Thursday in Baie-Comeau, winning the series 4-1. The Drakkar have yet to lose a home game this post-season and have just one loss overall.

pic.twitter.com/kYodaCUImC

— 🦀Drakkar de Baie-Comeau🦀 (@DrakkarBAC) May 3, 2024

The Drakkar fell in the league final in 2013 to the Halifax Mooseheads and in 2014 to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

The Eagles loss means no Maritimes Division team will appear in the league final for the first time since 2021. It also ends the junior career of overage forward Cam MacDonald, who was part of the Saint John Sea Dogs' 2022 Memorial Cup championship team. Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge is also a member of the Eagles.

Cape Breton was one of the QMJHL's best teams in the second half and this playoff run has rejuvenated its fan base. Hopefully that can carry over into next season.

Who will the Drakkar play in the league final? It will be either the Drummondville Voltigeurs or Victoriaville Tigres. The Volts lead that series 3-1 heading into Game 5 on Friday in Drummondville.

Notebook: Tigres stay alive

Alexandre Garneau/Victoriaville Tigres

The Victoriaville Tigres staved off elimination on Wednesday night.

Benjamin Vigneault scored just 1:35 into overtime to give the Tigres are a 3-2 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs and avoiding a sweep. The Volts will try once again to earn a spot in the QMJHL final in Friday's Game 5, which will take place in Drummondville.

95 seconds into overtime! ⏲️

Benjamin Vigneault's point shot keeps @TigresVicto in their series with Drummondville! #RoadtoMemorialCup

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 2, 2024

The Drakkar/Eagles series resumes Thursday in Baie-Comeau following a nasty Game 4 that ended in an 8-2 Drakkar win. Eagles forward Cam MacDonald and Drakkar goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel recieved match penalties on separate plays – but no players will be suspended for Game 5, according to reports.

Il n’y aura pas de suspension liée au match Drakkar vs Eagles d’hier. #lesoleil

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) May 1, 2024

The Drakkar can clinch a spot in the league final with a win while an Eagles victory would send the series back to Sydney for Game 6 on Saturday.

JOB OPENINGS

There are some high profile job openings in the Maritimes Division right now.

The Halifax Mooseheads are looking for a new head coach after firing Jim Midgley after just one season. Midgley is a former Sea Dogs assistant coach and Rothesay Netherwood head coach.

The Moncton Wildcats, meanwhile, are looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Dan Lacroix. That move was long expected – but what wasn't expected was Moncton also starting the search for a new general manager. The team announced on April 18 that general manager Ritchie Thibeau "has accepted a senior position with J.D Irving effective May 6 and will be leaving the team."

Both the Mooseheads and Wildcats were swept in the first round of the playoffs and underperformed in the second half. The two teams are heading in different directions though with Halifax likely starting a rebuild and Moncton entering its contention window.