Saturday, August 16, 2025

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.
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.

DUREPOS SIGNS WITH JCS
Former Sea Dogs captain Pierre Durepos has signed with the Bouctouche JCs of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League for this coming season.

Elite Prospects last has Durepos playing with the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus in 2016-17, his fourth season with the club.

"He’s known for his rock-solid defense, clutch playoff performances, and ability to shut down the league’s best scorers — all while inspiring his teammates on and off the ice," the JCs wrote in a Facebook post.

The 33-year-old was a member of the Sea Dogs glory days teams, playing with the club from 2009 to 2013. He appeared in 242 regular season games with Saint John and another 61 playoff contests. He sits fourth all-time in regular season games played by a Sea Dogs defensemen and is tied with Nathan Beaulieu for the franchise playoff lead.

BLACHMAN TO FLORIDA
Former Sea Dogs forward Nico Blachman has a new home.

The ECHL's Florida Everblades announced the signing of the journeyman on Thursday. Blachman spent most of last season with the ECHL's Iowa Heartlanders where he had 221 penalty minutes in 45 games.


Blachman, 27, played two games for the Florida Everblades at the start of his professional career in 2021. After that, the Aventura, Florida local has played for ten teams across four professional leagues over the last four seasons. Most recently, Blachman played 45 games with the Iowa Heartlanders and three games with the AHL’s Iowa Heartlanders. His Heartlanders tenure marked his best ECHL season to date, setting career highs in goals (five), assists (five), points (ten), and penalty minutes (221). His 221 penalty minutes led the ECHL last season.

Overall in his ECHL career, Blachman has 13 goals and 15 assists along with 788 penalty minutes over 161 games.

Blachman appeared in 31 games with the Sea Dogs during the 2015-16 season.

TESINK RE-SIGNS
Former Sea Dogs defenseman Marcus Tesink has re-signed with the Guilford Flames of the Elite Ice Hockey League. It will be his third season with the club.

“Marcus has been a solid presence for us since he arrived,” said Flames head coach and general manager Paul Dixon in a statement. 

“After last season’s injury riddled roster, particularly playing well short at the back for long stretches, we have opted to start the season with a little more depth than we did last Fall.  Marcus is a great fit for our lineup. He skates very well and is able to effectively go back and retrieve pucks. He is professional both on and off the ice and he works hard to be ready each and every day.

“We are excited to welcome Marcus back to the club for the 25-26 season.”

Tesink posted a goal and four assists in 38 games with the Flames last season.

The Saint John native appeared in 15 games with the Sea Dogs during the 2017-18 season, recording two assists.

OTHER THINGS
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Charles Savoie is reportedly heading south of the border to join Lindenwood University, an independent D1 program.
  • Looks like JJ Monteiro's commitment to Providence College has shifted to begin in 2026-27 rather than this season. The 19-year-old forward, who spent last season in the USHL, was a 12th-round pick of Saint John in 2022 and his QMJHL rights are still held by the Sea Dogs.
  • 23-year-old goaltender Mathias Savoie has signed with the Belle-Baie Rocs of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League for this coming season. Savoie, a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, appeared in one game with the team in 2018-19.
  • Some bad news for the Moncton Wildcats: captain Caleb Desnoyers is expected to miss 12 weeks after undergoing wrist surgery, the Utah Mammoth announced Thursday. That could mean the Wildcats won't have Desnoyers in their lineup until after the world juniors.
  • The Newfoundland Regiment have announced that their home opener, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18 against the Wildcats, is sold out.
  • Good read from Sportsnet on Tynan Lawrence. 
  • Looks like four teams are bidding to host the 2027 Memorial Cup.
  • After 16 years, Brooks Bandits head coach Ryan Papaioannou has departed the club for the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers. The Bandits were a powerhouse under Papaioannou, both on the ice and in terms of recruiting. From the Bandits: "Among his many accomplishments, Papaioannou was at the helm of 9 League Championships and an unprecedented 4 National Championships."
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