Notebook: Back-to-back coming up

Mike Bernard/Charlottetown Islanders

After playing five straight games against Quebec teams, the Saint John Sea Dogs will get a major taste of the Maritimes coming up.

The Sea Dogs will play their next seven games against just three teams: they'll face the Moncton Wildcats three times and the Charlottetown Islanders and Cape Breton Eagles both twice.

Six of those seven games will be played at home (which includes the Nov. 30 game in Fredericton), a stretch that begins Thursday and Friday when the Sea Dogs host the Islanders and Wildcats, respectively. 

The Islanders sit first in the Eastern Conference but have been on a slide of late, going 4-5-0-1 in their past 10 games. They've played 23 games already, tying them for the most in the league.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, continue to struggle with consistency. They sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with most of their troubles coming on home ice. They're an impressive 8-2-1-0 away from Avenir Centre, which may not be good news for the Sea Dogs on Friday.

This is an oddly scheduled week for the Sea Dogs. They'll play Thursday and Friday night and then have both Saturday and Sunday off.

MONCTONIAN RECAP

A couple Sea Dogs prospects were in action at this year's Monctonian.

Forward Eliot Tozer, a 12th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, finished with a goal and five assists in three games with the Saint John Vito's. Tozer, who is wearing an 'A' for the Vito's this season, finished in a tie for the team's scoring lead.

The Vito's went 2-1-0 at this year's tournament.

In 15 regular season games, Tozer has seven goals and six assists.

Goaltender Jase MacPherson and the Kensington Wild, meanwhile, went 2-0-1. MacPherson, a second-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's draft, went 1-0-1 with a 2.18 goals against average. Shots on goal were not recorded at the event.

In eight regular season games, MacPherson is 5-3 with a 2.96 GAA and .896 save percentage. He's also appeared in one game with the MHL's Summerside Western Capitals.

WILD AUS STANDINGS

This is shaping up to be the most competitive season in Atlantic University Sport men's hockey in some time.

The Acadia Axemen picked up a huge 3-2 win over the UNB Reds on Friday, pushing them into first-place in the standings (as of Wednesday afternoon). Former Sea Dogs goaltender Thomas Couture made 32 saves in the win. Couture was named one of Acadia's athletes of the week.

The Axemen, who feature former Sea Dogs Couture, Brady Burns, Charlie DesRoches and Cole Burbidge, are now 3-0 against UNB this season. They meet again Jan. 16 in Wolfville.

Despite all of this, the Reds remain the No. 1 ranked team in U Sports men's hockey while the Axemen are 10th.

BIG FIGHT
A heavyweight tilt in the AHL this weekend between former Sea Dogs forward Boko Imama, currently with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Kale Kessy of the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Imama also scored in the game and was named first star. The Penguins won 3-1.



Speaking of the baby Penguins, William Dufour, who was recently signed to a professional tryout agreement, has yet to play with the club. They return to action on Friday in Hartford.

OTHER THINGS

• The QMJHL confirmed via X this week that the holiday trade period will begin Dec. 19 and end Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. Atlantic time.
• The Sea Dogs will wear Saint John Flames styled jerseys on Friday.

  Ready to bring the heat Friday night 🔥🐶
  
  🎟️ » https://t.co/6VyrJQfqaU#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/GrvmYzAKUa

  — Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 19, 2025

• Even after missing all those games due to the U17 World Challenge, Alexis Joseph sits 13th in QMJHL rookie scoring with 12 points in 14 games – and is just five points back of fifth in the points race.
• The Sea Dogs have played over a quarter of their home games. Through nine games at TD Station the club is averaging 2,779 fans per game, placing them seventh in the QMJHL.
• The Sea Dogs take on the Islanders this Thursday. They are 1-1-0-0 on Thursdays this season. The Dogs will play on three consecutive Thursdays in December – all on the road.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink is currently second in Beausejour Senior Hockey League scoring with nine goals and 14 assists in nine games with the Fredericton Express.
• The CHL is expected to announce the 2027 Memorial Cup host city this week. It will be either Kitchener or Guelph.
• The Kelowna Rockets will host the 2026 Memorial Cup. They currently sit eighth in the WHL's Western Conference and 15th overall with a 8-6-3-1 record.
• The 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship will be hosted in Edmonton and Red Deer, it was announced Tuesday. This year's event will be held in Minneapolis and St. Paul.