Notebook: Elie commits to Clarkson

Vincent Létourneau/Shawinigan Cataractes

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Vince Elie has committed to Clarkson University for next season.

The 20-year-old is in his fourth and final QMJHL season. In three games with the Shawinigan Cataractes, Elie has two goals.

Elie is in his third campaign with the Cataractes. He spent his first season-and-a-half in the QMJHL with the Sea Dogs, posting 26 goals and 37 assists in 102 games. He was traded to Shawinigan in the deal that brought Sea Dogs captain Olivier Groulx to Saint John.

Vince Elie (Shawinigan Cataractes) has committed to Clarkson University for 2026-27@ClarksonMHockey @ecachockey

— Hockey Commitments (@HockeyCommits) September 29, 2025

The Clarkson Golden Knights are a member of the NCAA's ECAC conference where they play against the Ivy League programs. Clarkson, located in the small town of Potsdam, New York, will be an interesting program to watch as they will likely get a number of QMJHL recruits. The campus is located two-and-a-half hours away from Montreal.

Current Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier Duhamel committed to Clarkson in August.

OCTOBER IS HERE (ALMOST)

October will see the Sea Dogs welcome some Quebec-based clubs and make their first trek to Newfoundland.

Four teams from Quebec – the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (Oct. 5), Rimouski Oceanic (Oct. 11), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (Oct. 13) and Val-d'Or Foreurs (Oct. 18) – will make their only visits of the season to TD Station in October.

Note that the Monday, Oct. 13 game will be a 3 p.m. start due to it being Thanksgiving.

The Sea Dogs will travel to St. John's to face the Regiment for the first time Oct. 24-25. The Sea Dogs haven't played at Mary Brown's Centre since Jan. 6, 2008.

MHL LEADERS

Some familiar names are at the top of the Maritime Junior Hockey League's list of scoring leaders.

Former Sea Dogs forward Coen Miller of the Summerside Western Capitals sits second with 14 points (five goals and nine assists) in just six games while Ben Cross of the Chaleur Lightning sits third with 13 points (eight goals and five assists) in seven games.

Cross is tied with Logan Crosby of the Pictou County Weeks Crushers for the league's goal scoring lead.

Sitting fifth is another notable name in defenseman Natan Grenier. The 20-year-old was a first-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft but never played a game for the team before being dealt to the Moncton Wildcats in the Philippe Daoust trade.

ELLIOTT SIGNS

Former Sea Dogs forward Drew Elliott has signed a one-year standard player contract with the AHL's San Diego Gulls, the team announced Monday.

The 22-year-old joined the Gulls late last season after one year with the UNB Reds. He played in one game with the club before joining the ECHL's Tulsa Oilers where he posted three assists in three regular season games and added four goals and two helpers in six playoff matches.

The Saint John native spent the second half of the 2023-24 season with the Sea Dogs to conclude his junior career.

WEBSTER SPEAKS

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Bailey Webster joined the BSHL Podcast to discuss his upcoming season with the Dalhousie Marauders.

OTHER THINGS

• Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks was ranked 32nd in Daily Faceoffs' pre-season 2026 NHL Draft rankings.
• A memorable weekend in Halifax for several Sea Dogs rookies.

  A weekend of firsts. 🤝
  
  First goal for Alex Donovan
  First win for Rafael Courchesne
  First hat trick for Alexis Joseph#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/bLgloyySqs

  — Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 29, 2025

• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens, who will visit Saint John on Sunday, are ranked seventh in this week's CHL Top 10 rankings. The Sags are off to a 2-1-0-1 start. The Sags will play Thursday and Friday in Sydney before travelling down to Saint John.
• Josh Lawrence recently scored his first KHL goal. Video can be found on Reddit.
• The Associated Press has a story on the NCAA rule change and how it has impacted the CHL.
• After four home games, the Newfoundland Regiment sit third in QMJHL attendance was an average of 5,853 fans per game.