Notebook: Curling coming

The Saint John Sea Dogs could be facing some scheduling issues in 2027.

It was announced Wednesday that the 2027 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship will be held at TD Station. The event will take place March 27 to April 4, which will be problematic if the Sea Dogs are still in the QMJHL playoffs at that time.

The Sea Dogs have had to juggle some playoff dates in the past due to concerts and some smaller events, but nothing this lengthy. Curling events have impacted other Maritime teams in the past, so we'll have to wait and see what the Sea Dogs plan to do here.

The upcoming regular season games being played at Fredericton's Aitken Centre may be a good test run for the Sea Dogs. The Moncton Wildcats had to play a playoff game in Fredericton a few years ago.

One potential positive for the Sea Dogs: could we see some upgrades to TD Station for this event? Nothing was mentioned in the news release, but fingers crossed.

BACK HOME

The Sea Dogs are back on home ice this weekend.

Saint John hasn't played at TD Station since Nov. 2. On Saturday night they'll host Maddox Dagenais and the Quebec Remparts and on Sunday they'll welcome the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Saturday's game starts at 7 p.m. while Sunday's has a 3 p.m. start. Note that the Saint John Christmas Parade will also be taking place Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs and Remparts haven't faced each other yet this season. Saint John visited Drummondville last Friday where they lost 4-1.

Saint John is coming off a 6-0 win in Victoriaville on Sunday. They own an 8-9-1-0 record.

JOSEPH HYPE

The 2027 NHL Draft hype around Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has really picked up following his impressive performance at the U17 World Challenge.

TSN's Craig Button currently has Joseph going first overall.

“He’s a dominant, skilled player with every attribute you want in a No. 1, elite centre,” said Button. “In every regard, he’s elite. His thinking, skill level, competitiveness and difference making.”

At FloHockey, Chris Peters writes that Joseph is already a name to know for 2027.

"Though Joseph has not outright dominated in the Q at 16 years old yet, his physical profile as well as where his game is trending has made everyone take notice," writes Peters. "Because of his mix of high-end skill and massive frame, Joseph is drawing comparisons to Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who has had a Hall of Fame career.

Joseph should be back in Saint John's lineup this weekend, giving the Sea Dogs a needed offensive spark.

COURCHESNE HONOURED

Sea Dogs goaltender Rafaël Courchesne has been named the QMJHL's 2026 Prospect of the Week.

From the league:

In two starts, the 17-year-old from Longueuil earned a shutout victory and suffered one loss, finishing the week with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. Both of Courchesne's games were played on the road.

On Thursday night, Courchesne held strong, stopping 26 shots from the Rimouski Océanic and refusing to give in during their four power play opportunities. Unfortunately for the rookie goaltender, his team's offense struggled, and the Sea Dogs were handed a 3-0 loss. The last goal was scored in an empty net.

On Sunday afternoon, it was Saint John's turn to win with a shutout, this time by a score of 6-0 against the Victoriaville Tigres. Courchesne saw his teammates explode offensively and raised his own game a notch, making 26 saves once again without allowing a single goal. The Tigres' powerful power play was shut out on three occasions.

Sunday's shutout was officially Courchesne's first in the QMJHL. He was originally credited with one on Oct. 29, but the league has removed it, presumably because the netminder left the game for a couple minutes.

CLOSER TO THE GAME

The Sea Dogs have brought "Closer to the Game presented by TD" back for a second season.

In this season's first episode, Alexis Joseph and his parents are interviewed; the Sea Dogs take to the ice in their home opener; and Travis Crickard speaks about this year's team.

OTHER THINGS

• The first of three Sea Dogs regular season "home" games that will be played in Fredericton is fast approaching. The team has released some details – and tickets are limited.
• The Sea Dogs have scored four shorthanded goals this season, tying them for third most in the QMJHL. Those goals came from four different players: Olivers Murnieks, Zachary Morin, Alexis Joseph and Angelo Fullerton.
• Nolann Héroux became just the third player in Sea Dogs franchise history to wear No. 54. The other two to wear it were John Lumsden (two games) and Jeremie Poirier (175 games).
• The Sea Dogs will hold their annual Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 7.

  Teddy Bear Toss is BACK 🧸
  
  Join us for our annual Teddy Bear Toss game on Sunday, December 7 at 3:00 p.m.
  
  Bring a stuffed toy and toss it on the ice when the #SJSeaDogs score their first goal!
  
  🎟️ » https://t.co/6iKEhaRQMC#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/v8pMXHdoBh

  — Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 12, 2025

• Here's a press release about NTI Boilers, a Sea Dogs sponsor, welcoming the team into their manufacturing facility recently.
• Kevin Dubé was first to report about the possibility of the USHL joining the CHL. There are so many potential rules and logistics to figure out I'm not sure this happens quickly – if at all.
• Side note: I've always wondered why the USHL doesn't expand east into New England, moving into places like Lewiston and Manchester. It's always felt inevitable that the QMJHL would try and get back down there at some point, so why not grab those markets?
• Over at The Athletic, a few Sea Dogs made Scott Wheeler's preliminary rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.