MHL training camps underway

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It looks like a number of now former Saint John Sea Dogs have found homes in the Maritime Junior Hockey League for this upcoming season.

Ben Cross (Chaleur Lightning), Reid Calder (Grand Falls Rapids), Mitchell Wagner (Miramichi Timberwolves) and Matthew MacLean (Summerside Western Capitals) are all on MHL training camp rosters. All four spent last season with the Sea Dogs (or in Wagner's case, the second half) but were among the final cuts from this year's team.

Below is a look at all the notables on MHL training camp rosters. The list includes former Sea Dogs, draft picks and a few players who attended this year's training camp as free agents.

Amherst Ramblers - Jack O'Blenis, Joshua Henry and Jeremie Richard

Campbellton Tigers - None

Chaleur Lightning - Ben Cross, Carter McIllwraith and Jesse Dunlap

Edmundston Blizzard - None

Grand Falls Rapids - Brayden Campbell, Jonah Leard and Reid Calder

Miramichi Timberwolves - Mitchell Wagner

Pictou County Weeks Crushers - None

Summerside Western Capitals - Matthew MacLean, Coen Miller and Jase MacPherson

Truro Bearcats - None

Valley Wildcats - None

West Kent Steamers - Bryce Cunningham and Elliot Tozer

Yarmouth Mariners - None

It's worthing noting that these are training camp rosters, so not all of these players may end up in the MHL this season.

Joshua Henry, who appeared in one game with the Sea Dogs last season, was part of a trade on Aug. 25, which saw his rights go from Chaleur (formerly the Fredericton Red Wings, who have relocated to Bathurst) to Amherst. 

The MHL pre-season is already underway. Regular season play begins Sept. 11.

Duhamel commits to Clarkson

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier Duhamel has committed to Clarkson University of the NCAA.

Duhamel made the announcement on his Instagram on Saturday. The enrolment year was not included in his post, but Elite Prospects has it listed as the 2026-27 season – which could always change, of course.

Duhamel, who will turn 18 in November, appeared in 39 games with the Sea Dogs last season, posting four goals and five assists. He split the 2023-24 season between the Sea Dogs and the Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains of the Quebec under-18 league.

The Longueuil, QC native was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Clarkson, located in the small town of Potsdam, NY, is a member of the ECAC – the same hockey conference the Ivy League teams play in – and is only a two-and-a-half hour drive from the Montreal area.

Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard played NCAA DIII hockey at SUNY-Potsdam.

It's not easy keeping track of all these, but here, in no particular order, are the current Sea Dogs committed to NCAA programs for future seasons: Duhamel (Clarkson), Alexander Donovan (Denver), Zachary Morin (Boston University), Everett Baldwin (Providence), Cameron Chartrand (Boston College) and Oskar Drabczynski (Harvard).

You can check out our NCAA commitment page for more info on current, former and maybe future Sea Dogs.

Catching up on some alumni news

Marc Henwood/Station Nation

FREDERICTON - A lot of former Saint John Sea Dogs have been on the move lately. Let's catch up on some signings.

• Another former Sea Dog will play in the Beausejour Senior Hockey League this coming season. It was announced on Aug. 21 that Zack Phillips will play for the Miramichi Northmen. The 32-year-old appeared in 11 games with the Melbourne Mustangs of the Australian Ice Hockey League this summer, posting four goals and 16 assists.
• Jakub Zboril will play a second straight season in Czechia. It was announced a couple weeks ago that the 28-year-old defenseman has signed with HC Vítkovice Ridera for the 2025-26 campaign. Zboril spent last season with HC Dynamo Pardubice where he recorded two goals and 12 assists in 30 games.
• Charles Savoie now appears on the Lindenwood University roster for the upcoming season. Cape Breton Eagles radio man Pat McNeil reported this a while back. The former Sea Dogs forward spent last season at Concordia University of U Sports, recording eight goals and 12 assists in 20 games. Lindenwood is an independent NCAA D1 school based in the St. Louis area.
• Kevin Gursoy has signed with the ECHL's Toldeo Walleye. The 26-year-old has spent the past five seasons with Ryerson/TMU of U Sports.
• The Annapolis Valley Register has an article on former Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge, who will spend his overage season playing with Acadia University of U Sports.
• Former Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres has signed with Saint-Hyacinthe Bataillon of the LNAH for the upcoming season. The 34-year-old spent last season with the Glasgow Clan of the EIHL.
• Ryan Francis has re-signed with the ECHL's Atlanta Gladiators, the team announced earlier this week. Francis appeared in six games with Atlanta last season, posting three goals. He also played 30 games with the Adirondack Thunder last year, recording 10 goals and six assists.
• Elite Prospects has Nathan Drapeau playing for the University of Brock of U Sports this coming season. The defenseman, who will turn 21 in December, played 11 games with the Val-d'Or Foreurs last season along with 34 contests with the BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors.
• Looks like Dennis Lominac will play with the NAHL's Bismarck Bobcats this season. The Bobcats drafted the 19-year-old forward in the fifth-round of this year's NAHL Entry Draft. Lominac appeared in seven games with Saint John last year and also spent some time with the MHL's Summerside Western Capitals and BCHL's Vernon Vipers.
• Technically not a former Sea Dog, but 19-year-old goaltender Vladislav Bryzgalov, who attended Sea Dogs training camp as a free agent earlier this month, will return to the NAHL's Corpus Christi IceRays for a second season.
• There's been so many signings and movement in the Maritime Hockey League that it will require a separate post. Stay tuned.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-4

FINAL Saint John 4, Newfoundland 7

FREDERICTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs are still looking for their first win of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season.

The Sea Dogs fell to 0-2-2-0 with a tie this exhibition season with a 7-4 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on Thursday at Willie O'Ree Place. The Regiment improved to 5-0.

Saint John led multiple times in this game but Newfoundland never looked back after a three-goal second period.

Justin Larose had a hat trick for Newfoundland; Tyson Goguen scored twice; and Dawson Sharkey and Maddex Marmulak also connected. Mikus Vecvanags allowed two goals on 18 shots in the first half of the game while Chase Anderson allowed two goals on 13 shots in the second half.

Everett Baldwin scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Natan Éthier and Oskar Drabczynski. Raphaël Courchesne allowed two goals on 11 shots in the first half of the game. Justin Robinson allowed five goals on 18 shots in the second half.

The Sea Dogs led 2-1 after one. Baldwin opened the scoring at 1:07, scoring on Saint John's first shot of the game. The Regiment tied it up at 11:06 when Larose scored on a power play.

Saint John took the lead into the dressing room thanks to a Éthier goal at 13:27, a goal that came courtesy of a perfect feed from Zachary Morin.

Newfoundland tied the game at 4:31 of the second period when Sharkey finished off a nice passing play. The Sea Dogs would then, once again, take the lead when Drabczynski pinched into the slot, took a pass a beat Anderson glove side.

The Regiment would carry a 4-3 lead into the room thanks to back-to-back goals. First, Larose netted his second of the game at 13:26 and then, at 16:06, Goguen converted to give Newfoundland their first lead.

Marmulak made it 5-3 just two-minutes into the third thanks to a great feed from Max Dinneen. Soon after at 3:41, Goguen sped through the Saint John defense, drove to the net and slipped the puck five-hole on Robinson.

Baldwin scored his second of the game at 10:49 to make it 6-4 only to have the Regiment get the goal right back when Larose completed his hat trick on a power play at 13:00.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: at Newfoundland

Newfoundland Regiment

FREDERICTON - With their regular season roster nearly set, the Saint John Sea Dogs resume pre-season play tonight.

The Sea Dogs made a big wave of cuts on Sunday, reassigning 16 players. The cuts came after the Sea Dogs played four pre-season games, which included a Saturday night contest against the Newfoundland Regiment in Fredericton.

The Sea Dogs and Regiment will meet again tonight at Willie O'Ree Place. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs are still looking for their first win of the pre-season. Two of their three losses have come in overtime while their first game ended in a tie after five minutes of extra time.

As of Sunday, 14 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders remained on Saint John's training camp roster. Tonight should give fans a better look at the team's opening night roster.

The Regiment, meanwhile, are a perfect 4-0 this pre-season. This will be the team's final exhibition game as their camp makes the move to St. John's. They won't play again until Sept. 18 at Mary Brown's Centre – the club's regular season opener against the Moncton Wildcats.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Regiment YouTube

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs 0-1-2-0 and have a tie this pre-season while the Regiment are 4-0-0-0.

Last games: The Regiment defeated the Sea Dogs 6-5 in overtime at Willie O'Ree Place on Saturday. Tyson Goguen scored a pair for Newfoundland while Max Dinneen, Tyler Wood, Aleksei Zhukov and Blake Pilgrem-Edwards added solo markers. Angelo Fullerton scored twice for Saint John while Alexis Gauthier, Olivier Duhamel and Kaidan Sahajpal added singles. Antoine Proulx allowed four goals on 30 shots in the first half of the game for Newfoundland while Chase Anderson allowed a goal on 17 shots in the second half. David Di Girolamo allowed two goals on 12 shots in the first half of the game for Saint John while Sam Pitcher allowed four goals on 16 shots in the second half.

2024-25 records: The Sea Dogs finished 21-43-0-0 for 42 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/17th QMJHL) last season while the Regiment – as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan – where 33-28-2-1 for 69 points (third Maritimes/sixth Eastern/11th QMJHL)

2024-25 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 4-4-0-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 4-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: See above.

Could the QMJHL return to Lewiston?

Could the QMJHL be returning to Lewiston?

There were reports this week that the league could potentially be eyeing a return to the city that was home to the Maineiacs from 2003 to 2011. The franchise folded at the end of the 2010-11 season and the QMJHL has not had an American-based franchise since.

With the league expected to become much more of a destination for American players in the coming years thanks to the NCAA rule change, US expansion has been a growing topic of conversation. The QMJHL is the only CHL circuit without teams in the United States.

Portland, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire have always been the most obvious destinations for the QMJHL. But with Portland currently home to the ECHL's Maine Mariners – who seem to have a decent thing going right now as the Boston Bruins' affiliate – that basically leaves Lewiston as the best landing spot for the league in Maine.

Here's this from Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal.

No details right now but rumor in the rinks points to Lewiston, Maine, as possible site for QMJHL franchise

City had QMJHL team from 2003-10, playing out of the Colisee, capacity 4,000

— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) August 26, 2025

The QMJHL, as you would expect, did not have much to say about the rumours.

Reached out to the Q on the report of Lewiston of a potential spot for a team. A spokesperson said: "We don't have any comment to make on Lewiston, since it's a market that hasn't been in our League since 2011.

We don't comment rumours and we focus on our 18 markets."

— Nathan Fournier (@jrhockeywriter) August 27, 2025

Lewiston's Colisee had been home to the NAHL's Maine Nordiques since 2019. This year, the NCDC's Lewiston Maineiacs are moving in.

Sea Dogs announce single-game ticket info

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a significant ticketing announcement on Tuesday.

The team shared on social media that single-game ticket prices for Sea Dogs home games have been lowered for the 2025-26 season – but there's a catch. The prices before taxes and fees have been lowered to make room for the additional Ticketmaster fees.

"Single-game tickets go on sale one week from today — now with lower prices to offset those extra Ticketmaster fees," wrote the team on social posts.

This will be the first season the Sea Dogs and TD Station use Ticketmaster, a platform famously known for its exuberant service fees.

It certainly looks like ticket prices will be pretty similar to last year. Here's what Saint John's single game ticket prices were for the 2024-25 season, before taxes and fees (which were much lower on the old ticketing platform).

Oddly, this is one of the first public announcements about TD Station using Ticketmaster. The building never made a formal announcement about the switch, which happened a few months ago.

While the additional fees are certainly annoying, there are some benefits with Ticketmaster. The platform is significantly more user friendly than the old ticketing system, especially on mobile.

Four of the six Atlantic QMJHL teams now use Ticketmaster. The Newfoundland Regiment and Charlottetown Islanders do not use it.

The Sea Dogs announced season ticket pricing back in July.

Sea Dogs give peek at new look

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The past couple weeks have given fans the first true look at the Saint John Sea Dogs' new uniform setup.

The Sea Dogs debuted their new blue Bauer branded helmets, pants and gloves at training camp and sported them during pre-season play. The new look is quite noticeable given that the Sea Dogs have moved away from the black equipment they've worn nearly every season since they entered the league.

The pants also include the team's updated logo, which was unveiled this summer.

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs have been wearing old jerseys and socks during training camp and pre-season games. The team's full new uniform – which will include Under Armour branded jerseys – will presumably debut at their regular season opener, which will take place Sept. 19 at TD Station.

Sea Dogs announce big wave of cuts

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Some major roster decisions were made by the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday.

16 players were reassigned, which includes a number of returning players, overage forward Chris Barlas and first-round pick Nolann Héroux.

Here are the 16 players who were reassigned:

Forwards 

Chris Barlas (free agent) 

Reid Calder (returnee) 

Brayden Campbell (free agent) 

Max Donatelli (free agent) 

Josh Frenette (free agent) 

Nolann Héroux (2025 draft) 

Dylan Krayer (returnee) 

Darien Reynolds (returnee) 

Kaidan Sahajpal (free agent) 

Mitchell Wagner (returnee) 

Defensemen 

Benjamin Amyot (returnee) 

John Lumsden (returnee) 

Kabir Shahi (free agent) 

Goaltenders 

David Di Girolamo (loan) 

Jase MacPherson (2025 draft) 

Sam Pitcher (2025 draft)

The Sea Dogs signed Barlas, an OHL veteran, on Aug. 15 and he appeared in three pre-season games. His status was certainly in question Sunday afternoon when the team acquired 20-year-old forwards Natan Éthier and Angelo Fullerton, who had been attending training camp on loans.

With Barlas and the injured Mitchell Wagner reassigned, it looks like Saint John's trio of overagers will be Éthier, Fullerton and recently signed defenseman Alexis Daviault. 

Sea Dogs acquire Éthier, Fullerton

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs made a couple trades prior to Sunday's Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League summer deadline.

The Sea Dogs acquired the rights to two overage forwards: Natan Éthier from the Shawinigan Cataractes for a fifth-round draft pick in 2028 and Angelo Fullerton from the Cape Breton Eagles for a sixth-round pick in 2027. Both had been attending Sea Dogs training camp on loans.

The deals certainly create some questions about Saint John's overage situation. The team previously signed forward Chris Barlas and defenseman Alexis Daviault from the OHL. We'll see how this all plays out.

Éthier appeared in two pre-season games with the Sea Dogs, scoring once. He appeared in just five games with the Cataractes last season after suffering an early season injury that required surgery.

In 169 career QMJHL games, Éthier has 24 goals and 45 assists.

Fullerton scored twice in Saint John's 6-5 overtime loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on Saturday, giving him three goals in three pre-season games. He posted six goals and 10 assists in 46 games with Cape Breton last season.

In 156 career QMJHL games, the Quispamsis native has 19 goals and 21 assists.

The Sea Dogs are back in pre-season action on Thursday, taking on the Regiment in Fredericton again. Saint John will presumably have announced quite a few roster moves prior to that match.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-5 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 5, Newfoundland 6 (OT)

FREDERICTON - The Newfoundland Regiment climbed back from an early 3-0 deficit in a 6-5 overtime win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday at Willie O'Ree Place.

The Sea Dogs led 3-0 in the first period and were up 4-2 and 5-3 at other points of the contest. The Regiment netted three goals in the third period and Tyson Goguen scored the winner on a power play at 3:37 of overtime, improving Newfoundland's Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season record to 4-0.

The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, are still looking for their first win – and they came painfully close in this game. Saint John controlled much of the play in the first half of the game but couldn't hold onto the lead. Shots ended 47-28 in favour of Saint John.

Saint John's lineup was mostly filled with players who are on the bubble as more roster cuts are imminent. For many, this was their final chance to make an impression. 

Angelo Fullerton scored twice for Saint John while Alexis Gauthier, Olivier Duhamel and Kaidan Sahajpal added singles. David Di Girolamo allowed two goals on 12 shots in the first half of the game while Sam Pitcher allowed four goals on 16 shots in the second half.

Tyson Goguen scored a pair for Newfoundland while Max Dinneen, Tyler Wood, Aleksei Zhukov and Blake Pilgrem-Edwards added solo markers. Antoine Proulx allowed four goals on 30 shots in the first half of the game while Chase Anderson allowed a goal on 17 shots in the second half.

Pre-Season Game Day 4: at Newfoundland

FREDERICTON - For the first time since 2009, the Saint John Sea Dogs will travel to Fredericton's north side for a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season game.

The Sea Dogs last played at Willie O'Ree Place on Sept. 2, 2009, falling 6-1 to the Lewiston Maineiacs. To give you a sense of how long ago that was, Kevin Gagne scored Saint John's only goal.

Like that 2009 game, the Sea Dogs will be the road team tonight, taking on the Newfoundland Regiment for the first time. The Regiment are holding the first portion of their training camp and playing their entire pre-season schedule in Fredericton with the Canada Games taking over St. John's.

The Sea Dogs are still looking for their first win of the pre-season. They've fallen twice and produced one tie so far, all against the Moncton Wildcats.

The team formerly known as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, meanwhile, is 3-0, with all their wins coming against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Regiment YouTube (maybe)

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs 0-1-1-0 and have a tie this pre-season while the Regiment are 3-0-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night at Fredericton's Aitken Centre. The Regiment, meanwhile, played a doubleheader against the Charlottetown Islanders yesterday at Willie O'Ree Place, producing 6-2 and 6-5 wins.

2024-25 records: The Sea Dogs finished 21-43-0-0 for 42 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/17th QMJHL) last season while the Regiment – as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan – where 33-28-2-1 for 69 points (third Maritimes/sixth Eastern/11th QMJHL)

2024-25 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 4-4-0-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 4-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: New Year's Eve in Bathurst where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 5-2. Liam Arsenault, Louis-Francois Belanger, Alexandre Lallier, Mathieu St-Onge and Tyson Goguen all scored for Bathurst. Olivier Groulx and Dylan Rozzi had Saint John goals. Joshua Fleming made 31 stops in the win. Justin Robinson made 31 saves in the loss.

Sea Dogs reassign five more

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

FREDERICTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs announced some significant roster moves on Saturday morning.

Overage goaltenders Eric Young and Rhett Stoesser along with returning defenseman Matthew MacLean were among the reassignments. Five players were reassigned in total, bringing Saint John's camp roster down to 40 players.

Here's who was reassigned Saturday.

Defensemen 

Jesse Dunlap 

Matthew MacLean 

Louis Métivier 

Goaltenders 

Rhett Stoesser 

Eric Young

Young left the BCHL to join the Sea Dogs late last season following the departure of Charles-Edward Gravel. Stoesser, meanwhile, was a free agent camp invite from the WHL.

There are now four goaltenders remaining at Sea Dogs camp: Justin Robinson, Raphael Courchesne, Jase MacPherson and Sam Pitcher. Of the four, Robinson and Courchesne are the likeliest to make the team – but that's if no other moves are made.

The departures of Young and Stoesser also mean Saint John's third and final overage spot will likely go to Natan Éthier or Angelo Fullerton – again, assuming no other moves are made. It appears forward Chris Barlas and defenseman Alexis Daviault – both of whom come from the OHL and have signed with the club – have secured spots. 20-year-old forward Mitchell Wagner also remains on the camp roster, but has yet to play due to an injury.

MacLean, Dunlap and Métivier were all in tough to make the team given how crowded the backend is. MacLean, 19, has spent the past two seasons with the Sea Dogs and appeared in 46 games last year. Métivier was a free agent invite while Dunlap was a 2025 draft pick.

24 forwards, 12 defensemen and four goaltenders remain on Saint John's camp roster. An updated roster can be found here.

The QMJHL's summer trade deadline is Sunday.

The Sea Dogs continue pre-season play on Saturday night in Fredericton, facing the Newfoundland Regiment at 7 p.m.

Sea Dogs sign overage defenseman

Embed from Getty Images 

FREDERICTON - An already crowded blue line got even more crowded on Friday.

Prior to their pre-season game at Fredericton's Aitken Centre, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced the signing of overage defenseman Alexis Daviault.

Daviault has spent the past four seasons in the OHL, most recently with the Erie Otters.

“We’re really excited about the changes made to our back end. The group is young but very exciting,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a statement. “That said, we identified a need to add someone who brings a lot of experience, and adding a 20-year-old defenceman of Alexis’ calibre will bring tremendous value to our team. He is a swift-skating, puck-moving defender who will be a strong complement to those we have locked up on our right side.”

Daviault, originally from Gatineau, was a third-round pick of the Sarnia Sting in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. He spent a season-and-a-half with the Sting before being moved to the Otters.

In 259 career OHL games, Daviault recorded 22 goals and 94 assists. Last season, the 6'0", 185 lbs d-man recorded five goals and 31 assists in 64 games.

Saint John is poised to have an almost entirely different defense core this season. Prior to this signing, the Sea Dogs still had 14 defensemen on their training camp roster. The addition of Daviault makes the battle for spots even more interesting.

From an overage perspective, it certainly looks like Daviault and forward Chris Barlas – who also recently signed from the OHL – have spots secured. Other overagers still officially on Saint John's camp roster include forwards Natan Éthier, Angelo Fullerton and the injured Mitchell Wagner along with goaltenders Rhett Stoesser and Eric Young.

On the goaltending front, 18-year-old David Di Girolamo has been added to Saint John's online roster. He spent most of last season in the QJHL with the Laval Prime, posting a 12-7 record to go along with a 3.08 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. The 6'2", 176 lbs netminder also appeared in one QMJHL game with the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

It's worth noting as well that the QMJHL's trade deadline is this Sunday.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Moncton 4 (OT)

FREDERICTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs were able to get their offense going Friday night but it wasn't enough in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats.

Teddy Mutryn's goal 41 seconds into overtime gave the Wildcats the extra point in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season play the Aitken Centre. Moncton erased a 3-1 deficit in the win.

Saint John dressed a much more veteran-filled lineup compared to their previous two pre-season games. Returning forward Dylan Rozzi, overager Natan Éthier and newcomer Everett Baldwin all scored for Saint John.

The Sea Dogs struggled to generate much offense in their two other games this week – which didn't come as a big surprise given the lineups they dressed. On Friday, Saint John was able to get things going, firing 23 shots in the loss.

Rozzi scored on Saint John's first shot of the game, beating Moncton goaltender Jacoby Weiner with a perfectly placed shot top corner. The Wildcats tied it up nine-minutes later when Natan Grenier scored.

The Sea Dogs took a 3-1 lead into intermission thanks to goals from Éthier and Baldwin. At 14:57, Matthew Krayer dropped the puck to Éthier who beat Weiner with a low shot. Then at 15:17 and on a delayed penalty, Baldwin scored with a shot through a screen.

Elliott Mullen scored on a power play 1:43 into the second, redirecting a point shot/pass past Justin Robinson's pad. Then at 6:24, Mutryn beat Robinson clean with a wrist shot from near the top of the circle to make it a 3-3 game.

Robinson allowed three goals on 10 shots in the first half of the game while Raphael Courchesne allowed a goal on 13 shots.

Weiner played the entire game for Moncton, making 20 stops in the win.

Pre-Season Game Day 3: at Moncton

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

FREDERICTON - You're not going to believe this, but the Saint John Sea Dogs play... the Moncton Wildcats tonight.

For the third time in four days, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats will battle in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season play. The two met on Wednesday in St. Stephen where the Wildcats posted a 4-1 win and on Tuesday in Moncton where they fought to a 1-1 tie.

Tonight, the two teams will travel to Fredericton to play at UNB's Aitken Centre, which is notable for a couple reasons. This is a Wildcats "home" game, which makes sense given that UNB legend Gardiner MacDougall is Moncton's head coach. But the Aitken Centre will be the Sea Dogs' secondary home this season with the team playing three regular season "home" matches in the building.

Both teams still have quite a few bodies at training camp, so we could see some more lineup adjustments tonight.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Wildcats YouTube maybe?

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs 0-1-1 this pre-season for one point while the Wildcats are 1-0-1 for three points.

2024-25 records: The Sea Dogs finished 21-43-0-0 for 42 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/17th QMJHL) last season while the Wildcats were 53-9-2-0 for 108 points (first Maritimes/first Eastern/first QMJHL).

2024-25 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-6-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-0.

Last meeting: Wednesday night in St. Stephen where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 4-1. Simon Binkley, Charles-Olivier Giguere, Jack Hayne and Grayden Robertson-Palmer all scored for Moncton. Angelo Fullerton scored Saint John's lone goal. Victor Regis allowed a goal on seven shots in the first half of the game for Moncton while Will Cole stopped all nine shots he faced in the second half. On the Saint John side, Anthony Alessi allowed three goals on 17 shots in the first half while Jase MacPherson allowed a goal on 18 shots in the second half.

Sea Dogs reassign eight more

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' training camp roster is now down to 44 players.

The Sea Dogs reassigned another eight players on Thursday. The cuts come after the Sea Dogs fell 4-1 to the Moncton Wildcats in pre-season play on Wednesday.

The following players have been released:

Forwards

Madison Bouchard

Ryan Hodkinson

Cole Renaud

Elliot Tozer

Dax Vader

Defensemen

Matas Janulis 

Julien Lacroix 

Goaltender 

Anthony Alessi

All eight players appeared in at least one pre-season game with the Sea Dogs. Renaud, Tozer, Janulis and Alessi all played in Wednesday's contest. Alessi allowed three goals on 17 shots in the first half of the game.

Renaud (sixth-round), Lacroix (10th-round), Bouchard (10th-round) and Tozer (12th-round) were all selected by Saint John in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft and were long shots to crack this year's squad. Janulis, an American, was a 13th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in 2024.

Hodkinson, Vader and Alessi were all free agent invites.

A total of 18 players have been released since Saint John's training camp opened last weekend – but there has yet to be a big surprise. 24 forwards, 14 defensemen and six goaltenders remain in camp. An updated roster can be found here.

The Sea Dogs play two more pre-season games this week, both of which will be in Fredericton. On Friday the Sea Dogs take on the Moncton Wildcats (again) at the Aitken Centre and on Saturday they'll face the Newfoundland Regiment at Willie O'Ree Place.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 1

ST. STEPHEN, NB - A four-goal second period pushed the Moncton Wildcats to a 4-1 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season play on Wednesday.

Simon Binkley, Charles-Olivier Giguere and Jack Hayne all scored less than two-minutes apart in the middle frame to give the Wildcats a commanding lead. Grayden Robertson-Palmer added another Moncton goal late in the frame.

Angelo Fullerton scored Saint John's only goal – which also came in the second period – converting on a breakaway.

The first period – which had some big hits – was fairly close with shots 8-5. The Sea Dogs got into some penalty trouble in the opening frame but were able to escape with no damage.

The penalty trouble continued early in the second which led to Moncton's opening goal at 5:15. The Wildcats finished the night 2/5 on the power play while the Sea Dogs went 0/3.

Shots ended 35-16 in favour of the Wildcats. Shots in the second period were 14-3 in favour of Moncton.

For Moncton, Victor Regis allowed a goal on seven shots in the first half of the game. Will Cole stopped all nine shots he faced in the second half.

On the Saint John side, Anthony Alessi allowed three goals on 17 shots in the first half. Jase MacPherson allowed a goal on 18 shots in the second half.

Both teams, as you would expect at this point of training camp, dressed lineups with only a handful of players with any significant amount of QMJHL experience. 

Sea Dogs release four more from camp

ST. STEPHEN, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a few roster moves on Wednesday.

The following four players were all released from the team's training camp roster:

Forwards 

Niko Baljak 

Dylan-Alec Chery 

Tristan Gravenor 

Defensemen 

Brian McFadden

All four played in Tuesday night's pre-season game in Moncton.

Chery, 17, was a 12th-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Blainville native spent last season in the United States.

McFadden, also 17, was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in 2024. The Massachusetts native spent last season playing US prep school hockey with Thayer Academy along with the East Coast Militia under-16 team. He is expected to return to Thayer for another season.

Baljak and Gravenor were both attending Saint John's training camp as free agents.

This is the second round of cuts the Sea Dogs have made. On Tuesday, forwards Bryce Cunningham, Ben Cross and Carter McIllwraith; defensemen Frederick Bourque and Joshua Henry; and goaltender Vladislav Bryzgalov were all released.

Saint John now has 52 players remaining on their camp roster.

The Sea Dogs were back in pre-season action on Wednesday, facing the Moncton Wildcats in St. Stephen. They also play this weekend, taking on the Wildcats on Friday at Fredericton's Aitken Centre and Newfoundland on Saturday at Fredericton's Willie O'Ree Place.

Pre-Season Game Day 2: vs Wildcats

ST. STEPHEN, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats are in action again tonight.

After playing to a 1-1 tie in Moncton last night, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats head south for a pre-season contest at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center. Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Charlottetown Islanders 4-1 in St. Stephen last year. Matthew Ferdinand, Jonah Leard, Charles-Antoine Lavalleé and Florian Schenk all scored in that game. Luciano Ruggiero and Jack Flanagan split the win in net.

Prior to last year's visit, the Sea Dogs hadn't played an exhibition game in St. Stephen since 2019 when they lost 4-2 to the Halifax Mooseheads.

Both the Sea Dogs and Wildcats still have fairly large camp rosters, so there is a good chance we'll see very different lineups tonight. 

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/None

Pre-Season Records: Both the Sea Dogs and Wildcats are 0-0-1 following a 1-1 tie last night.

2024-25 records: The Sea Dogs finished 21-43-0-0 for 42 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/17th QMJHL) last season while the Wildcats were 53-9-2-0 for 108 points (first Maritimes/first Eastern/first QMJHL).

2024-25 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-6-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-0.

Last meeting: Last night at Avenir Centre where the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie. Simon Binkley scored for Moncton while Dax Vader replied for Saint John. Jacoby Weiner and Victor Regis split the game for Moncton while Rhett Stoesser and Eric Young played for Saint John. Shots ended 44-39 in favour of the Wildcats.

Recap: Sea Dogs tie 1-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Moncton 1

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs opened the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season with a 1-1 tie against the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday.

Free agent forward Dax Vader scored Saint John's lone goal, which came in the second period. Free agent netminder Rhett Stoesser allowed a goal on 21 shots in the first half of the game while returnee Eric Young stopped all 22 shots he faced in the second half.

The Wildcats outplayed the Sea Dogs in the first period, leading 1-0 on a Simon Binkley goal. Shots were 18-12 in favour of the Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs were able to turn things up a notch in the second period, leading to Vader's goal. Much of the offensive pressure on the night was produced by the top line of Natan Éthier, Alexis Gauthier and Brayden Campbell.

After a scoreless third period, the game headed to an entertaining overtime period with both teams having a few good chances. The game didn't go to a shootout, instead ending in a 1-1 tie.

Shots ended 44-39 in favour of the Wildcats.

Sea Dogs make first roster moves

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs have made their first roster moves of training camp.

The following players were released on Tuesday.

Forwards 

Bryce Cunningham 

Ben Cross

Carter McIllwraith 

Defensemen 

Frederick Bourque 

Joshua Henry

Goaltender

Vladislav Bryzgalov

The Sea Dogs noted that overage forward Ben Cross left for personal reasons. He was on the team's training camp roster but didn't play in scrimmages. Cross recorded 11 goals and 13 assists in 60 games with Saint John last season.

Overagers still on Saint John's training camp roster include forwards Christopher Barlas, Mitchell Wagner, Natan Éthier and Angelo Fullerton along with goaltenders Rhett Stoesser and Eric Young. Wagner remains out with an injury.

Cunningham (free agent), McIllwraith (free agent), Bourque (2024 QMJHL Entry Draft), Henry (2024 QMJHL Entry Draft) and Bryzgalov (free agent) were all long shots to make the team. Henry appeared in one game with the Sea Dogs last season.

56 players remain on the team's training camp roster. An updated roster can be viewed here.

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play Tuesday night in Moncton. They also face the Wildcats on Wednesday in St. Stephen.

Pre-Season Game Day 1: at Moncton

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - The 2025 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season begins tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Tonight's match against the Moncton Wildcats at Avenir Centre will be the first of seven pre-season games for the Sea Dogs. Four of those games will be played this week.

Game time tonight in Moncton is 7 p.m.

There are a number of battles for open roster spots, making this Sea Dogs pre-season an interesting one. Particular areas of interest include forward depth, the defense core and the goaltending spots, all of which could be influenced by the next few games.

The Sea Dogs held a few scrimmages and an intrasquad game over the past couple days in preparation for the pre-season. Saint John has a large group of players at camp this year and, given the number of games in a short period of time, you have to assume a lot of them will be making appearances over the next few days.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Unsure

Pre-Season Records: This is the first game of the pre-season for both clubs.

2024-25 records: The Sea Dogs finished 21-43-0-0 for 42 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/17th QMJHL) last season while the Wildcats were 53-9-2-0 for 108 points (first Maritimes/first Eastern/first QMJHL).

2024-25 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-6-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-0.

Last meeting: March 15 at Avenir Centre where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 8-0. Alex Mercier had a hat trick for Moncton while singles came from Julius Sumpf, Maxime Cote, Juraj Pekarcik, Gabe Smith and Caleb Desnoyers. Mathis Rousseau stopped all 17 shots he faced in the win. Eric Young and Justin Robinson split the loss in net.

Scrimmages, intrasquad come to a close

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The first few days of Saint John Sea Dogs training camp concluded with an intrasquad game on Monday night at TD Station.

In a game that featured almost exclusively players that are new to the organization or have little experience, Team Thomas (white) defeated Team Smallman (blue) 11-4. After a back-and-forth first period, Team Thomas really took the game over in the final two periods.

Here's a look at the scoring summary.

First Period

Goaltenders: Thomas - Rhett Stoesser; Smallman - Vladislav Bryzgalov

1-0 - Smallman Goal - Patryk Zubek

1-1 - Thomas Goal - Alexis Gauthier

2-1 - Smallman Goal - Nolann Héroux

3-1 - Smallman Goal - Nolann Héroux

3-2 - Thomas Goal - Angelo Fullerton

3-3 - Thomas Goal - Natan Éthier

4-3 - Thomas Goal - Alexander Donovan

Second Period

Goaltenders: Thomas - Anthony Alessi; Smallman - Rafaël Courchesne

5-3 - Thomas Goal - Josh Frenette

6-3 - Thomas Goal - Angelo Fullerton

Third Period

Goaltenders: Thomas - Sam Pitcher; Smallman - Jase MacPherson

7-3 - Thomas Goal - Kabir Shahi (PP)

8-3 - Thomas Goal - Bryce Cunningham

9-3 - Thomas Goal - Josh Frenette

10-3 - Thomas Goal - Alexis Gauthier

10-4 - Smallman Goal - Everett Baldwin

11-4 - Thomas Goal - Angelo Fullerton

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Tuesday night when they visit the Moncton Wildcats. The two will also meet Wednesday in St. Stephen and Friday in Fredericton.

Training camp set to begin

SAINT JOHN – It's that time.

Saint John Sea Dogs training camp really kicks off Sunday at TD Station with the first scrimmages taking place. As discussed previously, this is probably one of the most intriguing camps in the team's history given where they are at in the rebuild cycle and the NCAA rule change factor.

Up front, there are quite a few spots presumably already locked in. There are definitely a few spots still up for grabs though, which will create for an interesting pre-season. Saint John has some very skilled forwards both returning and making their debuts – but it's a group that is still a bit young. I'm keeping an eye on a few things up front:

• Of the young forwards, who is ready to take a big step this season and really make an impact?
• Who will grab the spots near the bottom of the forward group typically reserved for the grinder and defensive types?
• Can Saint John find the right mix of forwards to really get the offense clicking?

The backend is fascinating because we could see a nearly complete overhaul. There are going to be a few tough calls here, which will make for a competitive camp. While the 48 hour NCAA rule is gone, you have to wonder if there may be some guys who choose to leave simply because they're not going to get the ice time they want. Could we see some trades? This will be interesting to watch.

The goaltending spots seem to be wide open, and it feels like there is a chance anyone could step up and win a job. While many of these goaltenders have interesting resumes, only a few have CHL experience. Saint John's No. 1 goaltender might be in this group, but you also have to assume the team is keeping an eye out for potential options elsewhere as well.

Here are a few additional notes on Saint John's camp roster.

Notebook: Hlinka bronze for Team Canada

Hockey Canada

Team Canada is coming home with a bronze medal from this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Canada fell 4-3 in a shootout to the United States in Friday's semifinal, forcing them into the bronze medal match. Canada edged Finland 3-0 on Saturday to claim the third-place spot.

The US defeated Sweden 5-3 to win gold.

Team Canada's lineup included Sea Dogs defenseman Cameron Chartrand. Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard was behind the bench as an associate coach.

Thomas Rousseau of the Sherbrooke Phoenix was the only other QMJHL player on the team.

Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence of the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks posted a goal and two assists in five games.

SEARS COMMITS

16-year-old forward Finnegan Sears has committed to Boston College for the 2027-28 season.

Sears was a sixth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. He's the only member of Saint John's 2025 draft class not slated to attend training camp.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Boston College has received a commitment from 5 ⭐️ recruit Finn Sears. The Massachusetts native is the No. 9 ranked player in the US & was recently named to the U17 NTDP. Sears had 53 points in 28 games last season with Three Rivers School.

BC is on the board! pic.twitter.com/uwGPdqYlYZ

— Puck Preps (@PuckPreps) August 15, 2025

The Massachusetts native is committed to play with the USNTDP this season. He posted 22 goals and 31 assists in 28 games at The Rivers School last season.

Sea Dogs sign Barlas

Ottawa 67's

The Saint John Sea Dogs have added another overager to their training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs announced the signing of 20-year-old free agent forward Chris Barlas on Friday. He's expected to join the team for training camp, which begins this weekend at TD Station.

“We are excited to be adding Chris to our team. He brings a wealth of experience that checks a lot of boxes in what we are looking for in a 20-year-old this season,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a statement. “Sea Dogs fans can expect a gritty two-way forward with a strong offensive touch. Everyone in Ottawa spoke highly of Chris’s character and leadership, which will make for a strong addition on the ice and in our room.”

Barlas has spent the past four seasons with the OHL's Ottawa 67's. In 67 games last season, the Ottawa native posted 13 goals and 18 assists.

In 220 career OHL games, Barlas posted 36 goals and 44 assists. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.

He's listed at 5'10" and 185 lbs.

The Sea Dogs now have seven overagers attending training camp: forwards Barlas, Mitchell Wagner, Natan Éthier, Ben Cross and Angelo Fullerton; and goaltenders Eric Young and Rhett Stoesser. Éthier (Shawinigan) and Fullerton (Cape Breton) are on loan from other QMJHL teams.

The Sea Dogs will hold a scrimmage on Sunday night at 7 p.m. at TD Station. They begin pre-season play on Tuesday in Moncton.

Training camp roster released

Over 60 players have been invited to what is setting up to be one of the most intriguing training camps in Saint John Sea Dogs history.

The camp roster, which was released Thursday, features 34 forwards, 19 defensemen and eight goaltenders. 18 free agents are on the list along with two players on loan from other QMJHL teams. 

Training camp begins Saturday with player registration. The first scrimmage takes place Sunday night at TD Station in what is being promoted as an exclusive session for season ticket members.

#SJSeaDogs Training Camp starts this weekend! Below is the schedule for week one.

The first day will be open exclusively to 2025-26 Season Ticket Members as part of their benefits package, with the remainder of the camp schedule open to the general public.#GoDogsGo | #NextWave pic.twitter.com/758QszwyKc

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 14, 2025

This is a huge camp roster – but it's a perfect storm for the Sea Dogs. Given where the club is at in their rebuild along with a large incoming draft class and the new NCAA rules, a big roster was going to happen. The intrigue is the fact that there are a number of jobs up for grabs at all positions, which sets up for a very competitive camp.

11 of the 12 players the Sea Dogs selected in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft are expected to attend camp. The lone omission is American forward Finnegan Sears, who is slated to join the USNTDP this season.

Only a handful of players will be delayed in arriving, according to the team. Defenseman Cameron Chartrand – along with head coach and general manager Travis Crickard – is overseas playing with Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The other players with late arrivals are imports Olivers Murnieks and Max Vilén.

The full camp roster can be found here.

Saint John's first pre-season game is Tuesday night in Moncton. They'll play the next night as well, hosting the Wildcats in St. Stephen.

Notebook: Gallant to the KHL

Former Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant is officially off to the KHL.

Gallant was named the head coach of the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday after several weeks of rumours, signing a two-year deal. It's the first coaching stint in the KHL for the 61-year-old.

The Dragons made the announcement with this rather awesome video.

THE MASTER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/0hAK9XYzuU

— Shanghai Dragons (@shadragons) August 13, 2025

The Dragons are formerly the Kunlun Red Star, who were based in Beijing prior to the pandemic. The club has played in Russia since 2020 and are expected to play in Saint Petersburg this year.

Gallant, who coached the Sea Dogs for three seasons from 2009 to 2012, hasn't had a full time coaching gig since the 2022-23 season when he led the New York Rangers.

Mike Kelly, shockingly, will be joining Gallant's staff as an assistant coach.

HLINKA UPDATE

Team Canada improved to 3-0 at this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 5-0 victory over Czechia on Wednesday.

The Canadians previously defeated Finland, 5-3, and Switzerland, 9-1. Canada will play the United States in Friday's semifinals. The gold and bronze medal games are set for Saturday.

Sea Dogs defenseman Cameron Chartrand has been held pointless so far at the tournament. Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard, meanwhile, is an assistant coach with the team.

NEW VENUES

Some Sea Dogs pre-season venues have changed yet again. 

The team's Aug. 23 and Aug. 28 games – both against the Newfoundland Regiment – will be held at Fredericton's Willie O'Ree Place. The two games were originally set to be played at Fredericton's Grant Harvey Centre and Lady Beaverbrook Rink, respectively.

Both games are Regiment "home" contests. Newfoundland will be holding the first portion of their training camp and entire pre-season schedule in Fredericton due to the Canada Games taking over most venues in the St. John's area.

Tickets to both games can be purchased online.

Zubek signs; two more added to pre-season roster

The Saint John Sea Dogs have officially signed defenseman Patryk Zubek.

Zubek, who was Saint John's second-round pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, was signed to a QMJHL scholarship and development agreement, the team announced Friday.

"As we continue to remodel our backend, Patryk is a big defender who we felt could bring consistent two-way play on our left side," said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a release. "We know he’s excited to get started in Saint John, and we feel the same way. We’re looking forward to getting him immersed in our great community and having him play an important role on our team."

Listed at 6'3" and 207 lbs, Zubek posted eight goals and 12 assists in 31 games with Team Slovakia U18 this past season. He also played with Slovakia at the IIHF U18 World Championship where he appeared in seven games.

A citizen of both Slovakia and Poland, Zubek also recorded a goal and six assists in seven games with Barani Banská Bystrica U20 squad.

Zubek was one of three players the Sea Dogs selected in this year's Import Draft. In the first-round, the team picked Latvian forward Olivers Murnieks while in the third-round they drafted Swedish defenseman Max Vilén.

CHL teams are permitted to carry three overage players on their roster this season, up from the previous limit of two.

Pre-season schedule confirmed

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play seven pre-season games this year.

The team confirmed its exhibition schedule on Tuesday and it included a couple games that were not part of the list that was released a couple months ago.

The Sea Dogs will open pre-season play on Tuesday, Aug. 19 when they visit the Moncton Wildcats. That game was originally scheduled to be held at the UNIplex in Dieppe but it now shows as being played at the Avenir Centre.

The next night, the Sea Dogs will host the Wildcats in St. Stephen, which will be one of just two "home" pre-season games for Saint John.

The Dogs will then play three games in Fredericton – all of which, at this time, will be held at different venues.

Here's a look at Saint John's pre-season schedule, as of Aug. 5.

Tuesday, Aug. 19 at Moncton (Moncton Avenir Centre)

Wednesday, Aug. 20 vs Moncton (St. Stephen Garcelon Civic Center)

Friday, Aug. 22 at Moncton (Fredericton Aitken Centre)

Saturday, Aug. 23 at Newfoundland (Fredericton Grant Harvey Centre)

Thursday, Aug. 28 at Newfoundland (Fredericton Lady Beaverbrook Rink)

Friday, Sept. 5 vs Moncton (Woodstock AYR Motor Centre)

Saturday, Sept. 6 at Charlottetown (Charlottetown MacLaughlin Arena)

All games are 7 p.m. starts.

The Aug. 23 and Sept. 6 games were both additions to Saint John's pre-season schedule. The Aug. 28 match, meanwhile, was originally scheduled to be held at Summerside's Credit Union Place.

Fredericton's Lady Beaverbrook Rink, located at the bottom of the UNB campus, has never hosted a QMJHL pre-season game, to my knowledge. 

The Regiment currently have five pre-season games scheduled with four of them taking place in Fredericton. That includes a doubleheader against the Islanders on Aug. 22.

The seven pre-season games the Sea Dogs are scheduled to play in are the most for any Atlantic team. The Sea Dogs have played six pre-season games in each of the past two seasons.

Saint John begins regular season play at TD Station on Friday, Sept. 19 against the Cape Breton Eagles.

Peddle traded to Charlottetown

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Tyler Peddle has been traded to the Charlottetown Islanders.

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced Monday that the overage forward is off to Charlottetown in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.

The move gives Peddle the chance to play a season with his younger brother, Brady Peddle. The younger Peddle, who is a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, recently signed with the Islanders after spending last season with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks. Brady Peddle is committed to Michigan State for the 2026-27 season.

“Tyler is a player who plays the game the right way,” said Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton in a news release. “He’s competitive, hard to play against, and brings the kind of experience and character we value.”

Peddle posted 15 goals and 14 assists in 54 games with Saint John last season. He had a hot start to the year but struggled to maintain that consistency. 

The Sea Dogs acquired Peddle from the Drummondville Voltigeurs during the 2023-24 holiday trade period. He registered 11 goals and seven assists in 28 games with Saint John in the second half of that season.

This will be Peddle's fifth season in the QMJHL. The second overall pick in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, he's recorded 73 goals and 64 assists in 248 career games.

Peddle was a seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft but did not sign with the club. 

The Sea Dogs and Islanders meet in pre-season play on Sept. 6 in Charlottetown. They meet in the regular season for the first time on Oct. 10 at Eastlink Centre.