Recap: Sea Dogs lose 3-0

FINAL: Moncton 3, Saint John 0

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Goals were hard to come by in the Saint John Sea Dogs' 3-0 season opening loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday at TD Station.

Moncton broke a scoreless game with 7:51 remaining in the third period and added two more a few minutes later, giving former Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall his first regular season win in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Riley Sampson scored a pair of goals for Moncton while Alex Mercier added a solo marker. Jacob Steinman made 32 saves in the shutout win.

Charles-Edward Gravel – who was making his Sea Dogs regular season debut – made 28 stops in the loss. He came up big on more than a few occasions when the game was still scoreless.

Saint John was recording shots, but they struggled to generate a lot of high quality chances. They finished the game with just nine dangerous shots.

With Moncton missing several key regulars (Saint John was missing a few as well), the game was fairly even for much of the night. The Wildcats were definitely able to generate more quality chances than the Sea Dogs, but Saint John did a solid job at limiting those.

Saint John will look to get their offense going on Saturday night against the Halifax Mooseheads.

Game Day 1: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - The 20th season in Saint John Sea Dogs history begins tonight at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs begin the 2024-25 campaign with a matchup against the Moncton Wildcats. It'll be a game between teams at opposite ends of the rebuild cycle with the Sea Dogs looking to inch out of the basement of the standings while the Wildcats are poised to be a championship contender this year.

Tonight will be the start of a new era of Wildcats hockey – and, really, New Brunswick hockey as a whole. Gardiner MacDougall, the long time coach of the UNB Reds and one time coach of the Sea Dogs, will step behind the bench of a QMJHL regular season game for the first time tonight.

Saint John and Moncton did not meet during the pre-season. Both clubs will be missing some key regulars due to NHL training camps.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/Sea Dogs Radio/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: This is the first game of the regular season for both teams.

2024 pre-season records: The Sea Dogs were 4-2-0-0 during the pre-season while the Wildcats went 1-4-1-0.

2023-24 regular season records: The Sea Dogs were 20-39-5-4 for 49 points (sixth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Wildcats were 38-23-4-3 for 83 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/sixth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 pre-season win over the Charlottetown Islanders last Saturday in Tyne Valley, PEI. Olivier Groulx scored a pair of goals for Saint John while Elliot Dubé and Dennis Lominac added singles. Charles-Edward Gravel made 38 stops in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 loss in Bathurst last Friday. Preston Lounsbury scored Moncton's lone goal. Jacob Steinman made 22 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Pre-season roundup

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Coen Miller ended the pre-season as Saint John's leading scorer.

Miller recorded three goals and four assists to lead the team with seven points. His four assists were also a team high. 

Miller and Florian Schenk each had a team high three goals.

Elliot Dubé, Olivier Groulx, Olivier Duhamel, Julien Bonnet and Giuliano Caputo appeared in all six of Saint John's pre-season games.

Dubé led the team in shots on goal with 17.

Saint John finished the pre-season with a 4-2 record and were outscore 23-20.

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens had the best winning percentage in the pre-season (5-0-0-1) while the Charlottetown Islanders had the worst (1-5-0-0).

WEEKEND DEAL

The Sea Dogs are offering quite a deal for their first weekend of the regular season. Fans can purchase a ticket for both games for a total of $20 plus taxes and fees.

Fans can also take advantage of a two-for-one hot dog offer at TD Station concessions.

The Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats on Friday and Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

SEASON OPENING NEWSER

QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini held his season opening press conference on Tuesday. Here are the highlights.

• "On-boarding days" were held Sept. 9 in Moncton and Sept. 12 in Trois-Rivières with more than 130 first year players attending. Parents also attended the conferences virtually.
• A reminder that the league's schedule has been reduced from 68 games to 64.
• A new rule for this season, per the league's news release: "If a player unintentionally checks an opponent from the side or behind who is controlling the puck or retrieving a loose puck, this will be considered illegal."
• The Frank-J-Selke Trophy has been renamed the David-Desharnais Trophy in honour of the only player in history to have won the award three times (2005, 2006 and 2007).
• New boards were installed in Rouyn-Noranda and Rimouski. The Oceanic's home rink is undergoing further renovations ahead of hosting the Memorial Cup in May.
• The Hockey News notes that PA announcers in the league will announce why plays are being reviewed this year.

Sea Dogs announce opening night roster

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

On the eve of the regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs have confirmed their opening night roster.

The roster consists of 25 players. Defensemen Nate Tivey and Matteo Mann along with goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel will be the team's trio of overagers. Forwards Eriks Mateiko and Florian Schenk will be the team's imports.

Mann, Mateiko and forward Tyler Peddle are all currently attending NHL training camps. The team said in a news release that all three are expected to miss this weekend's home games against the Moncton Wildcats and Halifax Mooseheads.

The Sea Dogs take on the Wildcats in Friday's season opener and then face the Mooseheads on Saturday. Both games are 7 p.m. starts at TD Station.

Returning forward Egan Beveridge, Saint John's top pick in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, has yet to report to the club this season. In Thursday's release, the team stated that "Beveridge will be joining the team at a later date and the Sea Dogs organization looks forward to welcoming him back."

Three players from Saint John's 2024 draft class will begin the season with the club: forwards William Yared and Dylan Rozzi along with defenseman Cruz Scanzano. 

TD logo to be placed on Sea Dogs jerseys

The time has come: an ad has been placed on the Saint John Sea Dogs' home and away jerseys.

The Sea Dogs announced Wednesday that TD will be the team's first jersey sponsor. The arrangement is part of a larger deal involving an extension of the TD Station naming rights.

“TD is an exemplary partner who cares deeply about the region and its people,” said Trevor Georgie, president of the Sea Dogs and president and CEO of JSM Sports & Entertainment. “Their commitment to TD Station, the Sea Dogs, and the Region has been unwavering. They have consistently demonstrated, through action and investment, their drive to enrich the lives of those in the region. We are fortunate and honoured to continue this relationship.”

TD secured the naming rights to Harbour Station in 2019.

Teams from around the CHL have been announcing jersey ad deals over the past couple weeks. To make room for the ads, the CCM logo has been moved to the middle of the jersey.

In the NHL, TD currently has ads on the Vancouver Canucks jerseys.

The CHL began allowing teams to have ads on helmets in 2022. The Sea Dogs have had ProcedureFlow logos on their helmets the past two seasons.

The Sea Dogs begin the regular season on Friday night at TD Station, hosting the Moncton Wildcats at 7 p.m.

Dates, format announced for first CHL USA Prospects Challenge

The inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge will take place this November in London and Oshawa.

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled the details of the new event on Tuesday. Games will be played Tuesday, Nov. 26 in London and Wednesday, Nov. 27 in Oshawa. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 1.

According to the news release, " the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s Member Leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – face-off against those from the U.S. National Under-18 Team in a two-game series."

News of the new event – which will replace the CHL NHL Top Prospects Game – was confirmed by the CHL in June.

This should be a fascinating event especially as the CHL/NCAA recruiting war is expected to take a major turn over the new few years. Braxton Whitehead of the Regina Pats announced his commitment to Arizona State University for the 2025-26 season even though no rules have been changed yet.

The CHL provided a few additional details about the event's future in Tuesday's news release.

Set to be a part of the calendar over the next three seasons, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and NTDP’s U18 team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. Players for the CHL team will be provided by NHL Central Scouting as selected by the NHL’s 32 clubs, and much like other national events in the CHL, the hosting duties of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will rotate between the CHL’s three Member League markets each year.

While not confirmed, next year's event will presumably take place in QMJHL territory with the Memorial Cup being held in the WHL.

Three current Dogs earn main NHL camp invites

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

All three current Saint John Sea Dogs who attended NHL rookie camps have been invited to the main training camps of their respective teams.

Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals), Matteo Mann (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tyler Peddle (Columbus Blue Jackets) have all earned invites to main camps.

Of the three, only Mann has the option to play in the AHL or ECHL this season. A seventh-round pick of the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft, Mann appeared in one game with the ECHL's Reading Royals at the end of last season. He recently scored for the Flyers rookies in a game against the New York Rangers over the weekend.

Mann is entering his overage season of junior hockey, meaning a 20-year-old spot would open up on Saint John's roster if he turned pro.

Mateiko and Peddle will be returned to junior unless they surprise and make their respective NHL teams.

The 18-year-old Mateiko is attending his first camp with the Capitals after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Peddle, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick of Columbus last year. The 19-year-old is entering his fourth season in the QMJHL.

All three could miss Saint John's first two games of the regular season, which will be played this Friday and Saturday at TD Station.

Current, former Sea Dogs take part in NHL rookie camps

Embed from Getty Images

We know three current Saint John Sea Dogs are taking part in NHL rookie camps this year, but there are also a few former Sea Dogs participating.

Current Dogs Matteo Mann, Tyler Peddle and Eriks Mateiko have all been on the ice this weekend with their respective organizations. Below is a full list of current and former players who earned invites this year.

Vancouver: Jonathan Lemieux

Utah: Drew Elliott

Columbus: Tyler Peddle

New York Islanders: William Dufour

New York Rangers: Kale McCallum

Philadelphia: Matteo Mann

Washington: Eriks Mateiko

Montreal: Charles Savoie

Ottawa: Philippe Daoust

Elliott (UNB), McCallum (UNB) and Savoie (Concordia) are all attending as free agent invites.

It's good to see Philippe Daoust at Ottawa camp, who has had a rough run of injuries since turning pro. William Dufour, meanwhile, will be looking for a bounce back year with the New York Islanders organization. Dufour posted 25 points in 55 AHL games last season after registering 48 in 69 games in his rookie season.

Dufour #Isles pic.twitter.com/rccCTumzyp

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 14, 2024

A few Sea Dogs draft picks from over the years are also taking part in rookie camps: Matt Stienburg (Colorado), Justin Hryckowian (Dallas) and Fedor Svechkov (Nashville).

Main NHL training camps begin later this week.

Mann scores, Peddle fights in eventful Saturday at NHL rookie camps

Philadelphia Flyers

It was an eventful Saturday for a couple Saint John Sea Dogs currently attending NHL rookie camps.

In Allentown, PA, Matteo Mann scored for the Philadelphia Flyers rookies in a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers rookies. Mann's power play goal opened the scoring.

You're the Mann, Matteo. 🚀 #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/XTjL5ahhLt

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 14, 2024

Not many would have predicted Mann to score in this game. The Sackville native has scored just nine goals in his entire 170-game QMJHL career.

Here's Mann speaking after the game.

Mann made some headlines earlier in the week for practicing some fighting techniques in practice.

Sawyer Boulton and Matteo Mann working on fighting technique 👊🏻 @NastyKnuckles pic.twitter.com/6IoWzprCB6

— Travis Ballinghoff (@travieballin26) September 13, 2024

Saturday's game was the second and final rookie matchup of this portion of Flyers camp. Mann, who is eligible to turn pro this season and appeared in one ECHL game with the Reading Royals last year, is likely to earn an invite to the next stage of training camp.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-2

FINAL: Saint John 4, Charlottetown 2

TYNE VALLEY, PEI - The Saint John Sea Dogs are heading into the regular season on a winning note.

The Sea Dogs won their pre-season finale on Saturday night at the Cavendish Farms Community Event Centre in Tyne Valley, PEI, defeating the Charlottetown Islanders 4-2. The win gives the Sea Dogs a 4-2 record in exhibition play this year.

Olivier Groulx scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Elliot Dubé and newcomer Dennis Lominac. Charles-Edward Gravel played the entire game in net, making 38 stops in the win.

It was a much stronger performance from Saint John compared to last weekend's games, which saw them get outscored a combined 16-1. The Sea Dogs were engaged at both ends of the ice and – even though they allowed 40 shots – were much more aggressive and organized defensively.

Saint John was outshot 14-2 in the first period but managed to grab a 1-0 lead. The Dogs led 3-0 with seven minutes remaining in the third but goals from Simon Hughes and Matthew Butler got Charlottetown back in it. Groulx iced the game with a long empty net goal with 1:32 remaining.

Nicolas Ruccia made 18 saves in the loss.

Pre-Season Game Day 6: at Islanders

TYNE VALLEY, PEI - As many mainlanders head to PEI for the Greta Van Fleet show tonight, the Saint John Sea Dogs will travel across the bridge to play their final game of the pre-season.

The Sea Dogs play their sixth and final pre-season content tonight at 7 p.m. against the Charlottetown Islanders. The game will be played at the Cavendish Farms Community Events Centre in the small community of Tyne Valley.

The Sea Dogs started the pre-season 3-0, which included two wins over the Islanders. But, since the exhibition schedule resumed following Labour Day weekend, Saint John has struggled, dropping both of their games and getting outscored a combined 16-1.

It's pre-season, and you can only put so much value in the results. But there are no doubt a few things the Sea Dogs will look to clean up tonight in their final tuneup before the regular season begins.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/YouTube

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-2-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 1-4-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Islanders met last Sunday at TD Station where Charlottetown won 6-0. Mathis Valente, Matthew Butler, Spencer Caines, Nikita Voyaga, Ross Campbell and Madden Steen all scored. Donald Hickey made 33 saves in the win. Justin Robinson made 32 stops in the loss.

2024 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-1-0-0 against the Islanders this pre-season while Charlottetown is 1-2-0-0.

Last meeting: See above.

2023-24 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-0-2 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 6-3-0-0 against Saint John.

MHL season begins Friday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BOUCTOUCHE, NB - The Maritime Hockey League begins its 2024-25 regular season on Friday night and, as usual, there are some Saint John Sea Dogs connections to keep an eye on.

Here's a quick look at where the Sea Dogs connections – a large chunk of whom were invites to training camp this year – will start start the season.

Amherst - Jack O'Blenis

Amherst - Charles-Antoine Lavallee*

Amherst - Jeremie Richard*

Fredericton - Jake Tracey

Fredericton - Joshua Henry*

Grand Falls - Matthew Ferdinand*

Grand Falls - Brayden Campbell*

Miramichi - Will Allen*

Miramichi - Jack Flanagan*

Pictou County - Owen Arnold*

Truro - Frederic Cousineau

Valley - Nathan Casey

Valley - Cael MacDonald

West Kent - Kiefer Lyons

*attended Sea Dogs training camp this season

Former Sea Dogs coaches Greg Leland and Jeff Cowan, meanwhile, continue to work behind the bench of the Grand Falls Rapids.

Lyons, who is playing his overage season, is a player to keep an eye on. He posted 32 goals and 26 assists in 42 MHL games last year and has the potential to be amongst the league scoring leaders this season. The Quispamsis native appeared in one playoff game with the Sea Dogs last year.

Henry, a sixth-round pick, is the only member of Saint John's 2024 draft class to appear on an MHL roster.

CHL TV packages and prices released

CHL TV prices and packages for the 2024-25 season have been released.

CHL season packages remain the same price as last year while the league season pass has increased once again. League monthly and daily prices remain the same in price while the CHL is introducing a CHL wide day pass this year.

From the CHL:

Among the many packages available this season, fans can enjoy complete access to both the 2024-25 regular season and the 2025 playoffs from all three Member Leagues of the CHL by purchasing a CHL All-Access Pass for $274.99 plus applicable taxes. Only with this exclusive CHL TV pass can fans watch more than 2,100 regular season and playoff games from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL covering 60 markets across Canada and the United States.

Viewers can alternatively enjoy complete access to every regular season game from their favourite league over the duration of the 2024-25 campaign by purchasing a WHL, OHL, or QMJHL Regular Season Pass for $129.99 plus applicable taxes.

This will be the fourth season of CHL TV. Below is how the season packages have been priced over the years (taxes not included).

CHL All-Access Pass (with playoffs) 

2024-25: $274.99

2023-24: $274.99 

2022-23: $279.99 

2021-22: Not offered 

CHL All-Access Pass (no playoffs) 

2024-25: $184.99

2023-24: $184.99 

2022-23: $179.99 

2021-22: $159.99 

League Pass (no playoffs) 

2024-25: $129.99

2023-24: $124.99 

2022-23: $119.99 

2021-22: $109.99

There was some major streaming news announced in the AHL on Thursday. AHL TV is no longer its own platform as the league has shifted its streaming service over to FloHockey, which has had an expanding portfolio for years now.

OHLer Lominac added to Dogs roster

Sarnia Sting

As the regular season inches closer, the Saint John Sea Dogs don't appear to be done with roster tweaks just yet.

The Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting announced Wednesday afternoon that 18-year-old forward Dennis Lominac has been "re-assigned" to the Sea Dogs.

“Dennis is a great teammate, and a player that put the work in this summer," Sting general manager Dylan Seca said in a news release. "We felt he deserves the opportunity to play more, so this decision helps him in that regard. We wish him all the best in St. John's.”

The team presumably (hopefully?) meant Saint John.

Lominac, a Michigan native, had three goals and two assists in 53 games with Sarnia last season, his first in the OHL. Lominac signed with the Sting in May 2023 after getting passed over in the OHL draft.

The Sea Dogs' online roster shows the 5'09", 175 lbs forward wearing No. 93.

Lominac's numbers in the OHL were underwhelming but you just never know what will happen when they hit the QMJHL. There have been countless examples over the years of players who couldn't stick in OHL lineups but thrived in the QMJHL.

Saint John's roster also shows that forward Billy Kollias has been added to the team's protected list. The 19-year-old split last season between the Gatineau Olympiques and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, posting a combined five goals and four assists in 59 games.

Kollias has been playing with the QJHL's Montreal Rangers this season. He's recorded three goals and an assist in two games.

Saint John could start the regular season without forwards Tyler Peddle and Eriks Mateiko due to NHL camps. Forward Egan Beveridge, meanwhile, has been absent from training camp.

The Sea Dogs play their final pre-season game on Saturday in Tyne Valley, PEI against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Notebook: Regular season coming soon

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season.

Just one more weekend of pre-season play remains before the games get real. Saint John closes out exhibition action next Saturday, taking on the Charlottetown Islanders in Tyne Valley, PEI.

Then things get serious. The Sea Dogs will play their first two games of the regular season on home ice, hosting the Moncton Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 20 and the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday, Sept. 21.

There will be plenty of excitement around Saint John's season opener as Gardiner MacDougall returns behind a TD Station bench for the first time since leading the Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup championship.

LAFORGE TO ONTARIO

Former Sea Dogs forward Nico Laforge has found a new home for the 2024-25 season.

The MHL's Grand Falls Rapids have traded Laforge's rights to the OJHL's Cobourg Cougars. The 20-year-old forward made his Cougars debut in the club's season opener on Friday, scoring in a 7-4 loss to the Trenton Golden Hawks. 

Nico LaForge with his first OJHL Goal! Assists to Liam Oravsky (First OJHL Point) and Duncan Schneider!#DoTheROAR pic.twitter.com/EI1EEwE7J2

— Cobourg Cougars (@CougarsHockey) September 7, 2024

Laforge has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Sea Dogs, which included 21 games during the Memorial Cup year of 2021-22. He leaves the QMJHL having posted eight goals and 17 assists in 126 career games.

The 5'7", 170 lbs Laforge was a long shot to make this year's Sea Dogs team as an overager. He did not attend training camp.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-0

FINAL: Charlottetown 6, Saint John 0

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It was another rough outing for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon.

Coming off a 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday, the Sea Dogs once again struggled defensively in a 6-0 pre-season loss to the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs are now 3-2-0-0 in pre-season play with all three of their wins coming in the first half of camp.

Like the Eagles, the Islanders were able to take advantage of the many odd man chances the Sea Dogs gave them. Charlottetown also went 2/4 on the power play.

Saint John had some decent scoring chances throughout the game but just couldn't get the bounces to go their way. There were a couple chances where Saint John players began to celebrate only to realize the puck didn't cross the line.

The Sea Dogs were once again missing a few key regulars. But, it's not like half of this team were call ups. Saint John clearly has some things to work on as the regular season inches closer.

Charlottetown entered this game having scored five goals in all of their previous four pre-season games combined. Mathis Valente, Matthew Butler, Spencer Caines, Nikita Voyaga, Ross Campbell and Madden Steen all scored. Donald Hickey made 33 saves in the win.

Justin Robinson played the entire game in net – and made a few big stops – in the loss.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - For the first time this pre-season, the Saint John Sea Dogs will play a true home game.

Officially, today's contest is Saint John's third home game of the QMJHL's pre-season following contests in St. Stephen and Fredericton. But this afternoon, the team will take to the ice at the familiar confines if TD Station.

The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders this afternoon at 3 p.m. It's the third of four meetings between the clubs with Saint John having won the previous two. They'll also meet next Saturday in Tyne Valley, PEI.

Saint John will look to rebound from a tough 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday, a game that saw the Sea Dogs dress a shorthanded lineup.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-1-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 0-4-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday in Port Hawkesbury. Elliot Dubé scored Saint John's lone goal while Charles-Edward Gravel and Justin Robinson split the loss in net. The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Logan Biser scored Charlottetown's lone goal. Nicolas Ruccia made 29 saves in the loss.

2024 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-0-0-0 against the Islanders this pre-season while Charlottetown is 0-2-0-0.

Last meeting: Aug. 21 in Pownal, PEI where the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 5-1. Coen Miller scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Reid Calder, Jeremie Richard and Darien Reynolds. Logan Biser scored Charlottetown's only goal. Charles-Antoine Girard and Luciano Ruggiero split the win in goal. Hudson Bradley took the loss.

2023-24 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-0-2 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 6-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Ianniello joins Bold

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Joseph Ianniello is joining the TMU Bold of U Sports for the upcoming season, the school announced Saturday on Instagram.

The 20-year-old defenseman joins the Bold after spending parts of the past two seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs. He posted 10 goals and 37 assists in 90 career QMJHL games.

The Woodbridge, ON native joined the Sea Dogs during the 2022-23 season that also saw him appear in 28 games with the CCHL's Navan Grads.

Ianniello was an eighth-round pick of of the Barrie Colts in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.

Ianniello was in a fight for one of Saint John's three overage spots. With Ianniello gone, three 20-year-olds remain on the team's current roster: goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel along with defensemen Matteo Mann and Nate Tivey.

The Bold begin pre-season play on Friday night against the University of Toronto.

Sea Dogs unveil centre ice design

Sea Dogs X

SAINT JOHN - A day before the team hits the TD Station ice for the first and only time this pre-season, the Saint John Sea Dogs have unveiled this year's centre ice design – and it's spectacular.

So fresh and so clean, clean 🥶#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/aeS55MEVba

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 7, 2024

The Sea Dogs wisely had their 20th anniversary logo made into a circle design, allowing it to fill up the entire centre ice circle.

The logo is much more creative than previous anniversary markings.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 10-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Cape Breton 10

PORT HAWKESBURY, NS - It was a mismatch on paper and turned into a mismatch in reality.

A Cape Breton Eagles lineup filled with veterans hammered a much less experienced Saint John Sea Dogs squad 10-1 on Friday night in QMJHL pre-season play at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.

The Sea Dogs had very few moments of sustained offensive pressure and struggled mightily to contain Cape Breton's offense. The Eagles scored on a number of odd man rushes and tap-ins that came courtesy of defensive mistakes.

It's obviously not a result the Sea Dogs wanted – but that's just the way the pre-season shakes down sometimes. Saint John was without their three NHL campers – Eriks Mateiko, Tyler Peddle and Matteo Mann – along with other regulars like Nicolas Bilodeau and Egan Beveridge.

The loss drops the Sea Dogs to 3-1 in pre-season play.

Elliot Dubé scored Saint John's lone goal, which came in the second period with Cape Breton already up 6-0.

Charles-Edward Gravel allowed six goals on 26 shots in the first half of the game while Justin Robinson allowed four on 21 shots in the second half. Those stat lines are ugly but, again, they weren't getting a lot of defensive help in front of them.

Emile Ricard scored a hat trick for Cape Breton; Noah Reinhart scored twice; and singles came from Callum Aucoin, Cam Squires, Jacob Newcombe, Xavier Daigle and Tomas Lavoie.

Jakub Milota made 16 saves in the win.

Shots in the game were 47-17 in favour of Cape Breton. Saint John was credited with just eight dangerous shots.

Pre-Season Game Day 4: at Cape Breton

PORT HAWKESBURY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs have traveled through Port Hawkesbury plenty of times but tonight, for the first time, they'll stop in and play a pre-season game.

The Sea Dogs continue QMJHL exhibition play this evening when they take on the Cape Breton Eagles at the 1,000-seat Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

Saint John is 3-0 in pre-season play following two wins over the Charlottetown Islanders and one over the Eagles. Those games featured plenty of rookies and fringe QMJHL players. Games from here on out will be a much better representation (although still not perfect) of how teams will stack up this season.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/YouTube

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-0-0-0 this pre-season while the Eagles are 1-2-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Eagles last played on Aug. 24 in Fredericton where Saint John won 6-3. Florian Schenk had a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Jeremie Richard, Will Allen, Coen Miller and Dylan Rozzi. Cape Breton goals came from Aiden McCullough, Mavrik Duhaime and Antoine Roy. 

2024 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Eagles this pre-season while Cape Breton is 0-1-0-0.

Last meeting: See above.

2023-24 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-6-1-0 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 7-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Reinhart back in Maritimes Division

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A former Saint John Sea Dogs forward is back in the Maritimes Division.

The Cape Breton Eagles acquired 20-year-old forward Noah Reinhart from the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Thursday in exchange for second- (2025) and third-round (2027) picks.

Reinhart spent the second half of last season with the Voltigeurs where he helped the club win the Gilles Courteau Trophy and qualify for the Memorial Cup tournament. The Dundas, ON native had 13 goals and 16 assists in 30 regular season games with Drummondville and another five goals and six assists in 19 playoff games.

“We are very excited to have Noah, he is a proven winner,” said Eagles general manager Sylvain Couturier in a news release. “With Brayden Schmitt out for a period of time to recover from injuries, this was a move we had to make. The message from the organization is clear; we want to give our team the best chance to win every night.”

The Eagles announced earlier this week that Schmitt, along with teammates Angelo Fullerton and Lucas Romeo, were in a car accident on Monday en route to Cape Breton. Schmitt was released from hospital on Wednesday and is resting at home with family.

Reinhart spent parts of two seasons with Saint John. In 131 career QMJHL games, he's recorded 43 goals and 60 assists.

The Sea Dogs traded Reinhart to the Voltigeurs in January as the main part of a package to acquire forward Tyler Peddle.

Reinhart joins Cole Burbidge as former Sea Dogs currently on the Eagles roster.

The Sea Dogs and Eagles meet on Friday night in pre-season play in Port Hawkesbury, NS. They meet in the regular season for the first time on Sept. 29 in Sydney.

Pre-season set to resume for Dogs

It's almost that time.

The Saint John Sea Dogs resume pre-season play this weekend as the grind of the junior hockey campaign officially gets going. This past weekend was the team's last without game action until the Christmas break.

Saint John has three pre-season games remaining before the regular season begins on Friday, Sept. 20. This Friday the team travels to Port Hawkesbury to take on the Cape Breton Eagles before hosting the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday afternoon at TD Station.

Tickets to the Sunday game went on sale earlier this week. It's Saint John's only pre-season game at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs end the pre-season on Saturday, Sept. 14 in Tyne Valley, PEI taking on the Islanders for a fourth and final time.

The Dogs were 3-0 in the first half of the pre-season schedule, outscoring opponents 15-5. They defeated the Islanders twice and the Eagles once. Their last game action was Aug. 24 in Fredericton where they beat Cape Breton 6-3.

Most teams have trimmed their rosters down to a point where they will start the year with the group they have now. The Sea Dogs reduced their roster to 25 players on Aug. 27 but have since added forward Ben Cross off waivers from the Rimouski Oceanic while forward/defenseman Jeremie Richard will be returning to the Maritime Hockey League's Amherst Ramblers.

This weekend will likely be the Sea Dogs debut of overage goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel, who the team acquired on Aug. 25.

The Sea Dogs will have three players attending NHL camps in the coming weeks – forward Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals), firward Tyler Peddle (Columbus Blue Jackets) and defenseman Matteo Mann (Philadelphia Flyers) – meaning some corresponding moves may need to be made to fill those gaps.

Following the last round of cuts, Saint John still has 10 defensemen on their roster.