Sea Dogs sign Vilén

The Saint John Sea Dogs are about to enter their Vilén era.

The Sea Dogs announced Wednesday the long awaited signing of Swedish defenseman Max Vilén. The 19-year-old was drafted by Saint John in the third round of this year's CHL Import Draft.

“After a long process, we are excited to welcome Max to Saint John and the Sea Dogs. A special thank you goes to Max’s agent, Randy Edmonds, for helping facilitate this transfer,” Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said in a release. “Max is a big, dependable, two-way defenceman who brings professional and international experience to our program. We feel this will help solidify our top six, particularly on the left side.”

Vilén, listed at 6'3" and 205 lbs, will bring some size to Saint John's revamped blue line.

The defender has spent his junior career with Sweden's Malmo Redhawks program. Last season with the under-20 squad, Vilén posted four goals and 15 assists in 36 games. In 2023-24, he appeared in four games with the Swedish Hockey League club.

CHL teams can carry three imports as of this season. Vilén will join Latvian forward Olivers Murnieks and Slovakian/Polish defenseman Patryk Zubek as Saint John's trio of overagers.

According to Elite Prospects, Vilén will be the first Swede to play for the Sea Dogs.

According to the team's news release, "Vilén is expected to join the team in the very near future and will wear #23."

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Saturday when they visit the Moncton Wildcats.