Notebook: Stella responds to news

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Anthony Stella took to X on Friday afternoon, just a few hours after being relieved of his duties as Saint John Sea Dogs general manager.

Bitter sweet day today as I’ve been let go by the Sea Dogs. 11 years with this organization and I’ve grown so much and have countless memories. Thank you to the scouts who gave everything to building these teams. Thank you to all the players who have battled for the logo.

— Anthony Stella (@AnthonyStella_) October 4, 2024

The Sea Dogs made the move Friday morning, replacing Stella with head coach Travis Crickard. Crickard will handle both roles.

Stella had been the team's general manager since April 2023. He had been with the club since the 2014-15 season, steadily working his way up to the GM position.

One notable response to Stella's tweet came from one of the player's he assisted in drafting: defenseman William Villeneuve.

Good luck in the future Anthony, you are a real one. Excited to see what’s next for you. Take care

— William Villeneuve (@WilliamVillene9) October 4, 2024

BEVERIDGE BACK

After welcoming Matteo Mann back on Thursday, the Sea Dogs could soon be getting another key piece back in their lineup.

Kevin Barrett of Postmedia reports that forward Egan Beveridge will soon rejoin the team and will make his season debut in the near future.

Second year SJ Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge en route to the Port City and will be in town this weekend. Possibility he could play this weekend but his seasonal debut more than likely the following week. All could change.

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) October 3, 2024

Beveridge did not take part in the team's training camp, staying home due to personal matters.

The 17-year-old forward recorded nine goals and 10 assists in 62 games with Saint John last year. The New Hampshire native was a second-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Beveridge, along with the (likely) impending signing of Zachary Morin, will be huge additions to Saint John's offense.

Sea Dogs fire Stella; Crickard named GM

The Saint John Sea Dogs have never been afraid to make bold moves – and they made another one on Friday.

The Sea Dogs announced that general manager Anthony Stella has been fired and will be replaced by head coach Travis Crickard. Crickard will hold both the head coach and general manager roles.

Stella has been Saint John's general manager for a year-and-a-half, taking on the position on April 6, 2023.

“Anthony is a passionate identifier of talent, cares deeply about hockey, and has great work ethic,” said team president Trevor Georgie in a news release. “He has been an important part of the Sea Dogs for many years. We have so many fond memories working together, highlighted by the journey and eventual victory at the 2022 Memorial Cup here in Saint John. We wish him the very best in the future.”

Stella joined the organization in 2014-15, starting as a scout and progressively taking on additional responsibilities and senior roles. He was promoted to director of player development in 2016-17 before being named assistant general manager and head scout in 2017-18. He remained in that role before being promoted to general manager in 2023, replacing Trevor Georgie.

Stella leaves the organization having helped the club win the President Cup in 2017 and the Memorial Cup in 2022.

Crickard, meanwhile, is in his third season as head coach. He joined the team as an assistant coach in 2021-22, helping Saint John win the Memorial Cup, and was promoted in 2022-23.

“We are pleased to reward Travis with these additional responsibilities,” said Georgie. “Travis’ ability to get the most out of players, handling of player personnel, and high EQ are hallmarks of his. We believe that those tools will allow him to develop and be successful in the new role.”

The 37-year-old does have some managing experience. He was the general manager of the Botany Swarm of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League for four seasons.

This move comes at a critical time in Saint John's rebuild. The foundation is beginning to get set and the team will likely have another very important draft in 2025. There's also the holiday trade period to think about, which could be the final deadline for some time where Saint John is amongst the sellers.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-3

FINAL: Saint John 6, Bathurst 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - A four-goal third period pushed the Saint John Sea Dogs to their third straight win on Thursday.

Tyler Peddle and Jacob Beaulieu each scored twice in a 6-3 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Elliot Dubé and Nate Tivey also scored while Justin Robinson made 27 saves to earn his first win of the season. Ben Cross added three assists.

Saint John was struggling in the first few minutes but still managed to open the scoring on a Peddle goal. The Dogs led 2-1 after one.

In the second, the Titan scored twice to grab a 3-2 advantage heading into the third. But just 4:09 into the third, Dubé scored to make it 3-3 and then, at 7:17, Beaulieu scored his first of the season to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 lead – a goal that proved to be the winner.

Tivey and Beaulieu scored later in the period to add to the lead.

Titan goals came from Dawson Sharkey, Colby Huggan and Francois-James Buteau. Joshua Fleming made 27 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs are now 3-2-0-0 on the season thanks to this winning streak – with all of those wins coming on the road.

Mann returns to Sea Dogs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs made a literally large addition to their lineup on Thursday.

6'06", 234 lbs defenseman Matteo Mann made his season debut with the Sea Dogs at the KC Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst. He was placed on the team's second pairing with Nicolas Bilodeau.

Mann immediately made an impact, assisting on Tyler Peddle's goal just 5:34 in. The goal was originally credited to Mann but soon changed.

Stay hot, Peds. 😤#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/oFJ7VAHo5x

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) October 3, 2024

With Mann back, Saint John has a full set of overagers on their roster: Mann, defenseman Nate Tivey and goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel.

There was a chance Mann cracked a professional roster this season. The Sackville, NB native appeared in one game with the ECHL's Reading Royals last season and, after attending Philadelphia Flyers camp, was assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms camp.

Mann was a seventh-round pick of the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Sea Dogs acquired Mann last year. He appeared in 42 games with Saint John, recording six goals and seven assists.

Game Day 5: at Bathurst

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs will put their two-game winning streak on the line tonight at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The Sea Dogs are coming off back-to-back road wins over the Charlottetown Islanders and Cape Breton Eagles last weekend. They'll look to keep that momentum going tonight against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Titan are 3-1 this season and have allowed a league low seven goals. Saint John's offense, meanwhile, has scored just 10 goals, the second fewest in the league.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-0 for four points (fifth Maritimes/eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL) while the Titan are 3-1-0-0 for six points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/fifth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Cape Breton on Sunday. Dylan Rozzi scored Saint John's only goal while Charles-Edward Gravel made 29 saves. The Titan are coming off a 2-0 home loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday. Mathis Langevin made 19 stops in the loss.

Report: Morin returns home from USHL

Could Zachary Morin soon be a Saint John Sea Dog?

Mikael Lalancette reported this morning that Morin, an eighth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, has returned home from the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, fuelling speculation that the highly touted forward could be bound for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

L'excellent espoir québécois, Zachary Morin, a quitté les Phantoms de Youngstown #USHL dans les dernières heures. Il est de retour chez lui et étudie l'option de se joindre aux Sea Dogs.

Choix de 1er tour de l'Armada en 2023. Repêché au 8e tour (131) par SNB en juin. #lesoleil

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) October 2, 2024

Morin has recorded an assist in four games – where he saw limited playing time – with the Phantoms this season, his second year with the club. He recorded eight goals and 11 assists in 54 USHL games last season.

The 17-year-old is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. He is committed to Boston University, the long time recruiting rival of the Sea Dogs.

This would be a massive addition to a Sea Dogs lineup that lacks offensive depth. It would also be quite a signing given that Saint John used an eighth-round flyer on the talented forward, who has been viewed as a long shot to report.

"We've been taking swings all night, let's continue the theme and why not? We just grabbed him," Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella said of the Morin pick following the conclusion of the 2024 draft. "If he'd report he'd be the best eighth-round pick in the history of the league."

Morin was a first-round pick of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Armada opted to relinquish his rights and receive a compensation draft pick.

Notably (perhaps?), Sea Dogs forward Dylan Rozzi attended Youngstown camp this summer before signing with the Sea Dogs.

Something else to consider: Morin could, possibly, remain committed to Boston University through all this, assuming CHL players do earn the ability to play NCAA hockey in the near future.

AUS season begins Wednesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Atlantic University Sport men's hockey season begins this week and there will be plenty of Saint John Sea Dogs alumni hitting the ice.

All seven AUS teams will feature at least one former Sea Dog. Both the Acadia Axemen and UNB Reds will feature four.

Here's a look at all the Sea Dogs alumni that will play AUS hockey this season.

Acadia Axemen: Brady Burns, Charlie DesRoches, Thomas Couture and Cam MacDonald

Dalhousie Tigers: Jared Cosman and Zach Welsh

SMU Huskies: Will Thompson and Connor Trenholm

StFX X-Men: Patrick Leaver

UNB Reds: Peter Reynolds, Kale McCallum, Nick Blagden and Drew Elliott

UdeM Aigles Bleus: Jeremie Jacob

UPEI Panthers: Carter McCluskey and Yanic Crete

All eyes will be on the Reds, of course, for a number of a reasons. The team went a combined 48-0 in pre-season, regular season and post-season games combined last year en route to a national championship. It's hard to imagine UNB going undefeated again, but when will that loss come?

The Reds will also be trying to defend their national championship without Gardiner MacDougall behind the bench. The Reds still received six of the seven first place votes in the annual coaches poll even with MacDougall gone. Moncton received the other vote.

The Reds' lineup will include Fredericton native and former Sea Dogs captain Peter Reynolds, likely one of the most sought after recruits in U Sports this off-season.

Reynolds joins Drew Elliott, Cam MacDonald, Jared Cosman, Zach Welsh, Connor Trenholm, Patrick Leaver and Carter McCluskey as Sea Dogs alumni who will be skating in the AUS as rookies.

One Sea Dogs alumnus who is far from a rookie is defenseman Will Thompson who, at age 27, will be playing his fifth year of U Sports eligibility with the Saint Mary's Huskies. Thompson, a first-round pick of Saint John way back in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, spent four years with the StFX X-Men (including the cancelled 2020-21 season) before playing professional hockey in France in 2022-23. He did not play last season.

The AUS season begins Wednesday with the Saint Mary's Huskies visiting the UPEI Panthers.