Sea Dogs attendance off to promising start

If it's felt like TD Station has been a bit more full at this time of year compared to recent seasons, that's because it has been.

After 11 home games, the Sea Dogs are averaging 2,789 fans per game – the team's best average at this point in the season since pre-pandemic times.

Now, it's tough to compare seasons at this point given that schedules are always different, the weather is all over the place, etc. Having said that, this is a positive sign, especially given that crowds typically get larger as the season moves along.

Here's a look at how this year's numbers compare to the previous four post-pandemic seasons.

Season	After 11 GP	Season End
2021-22	2,392 (7th)	2,643 (5th)
2022-23	2,532 (7th)	2,957 (7th)
2023-24	2,765 (7th)	2,760 (8th)
2024-25	2,348 (12th)	2,811 (10th)
2025-26	2,789 (8th)	TBD

This season's numbers are still nothing to brag about, but it's good to see that things are moving in the right direction (at this point, anyways). Hopefully the numbers continue to improve as the on-ice product does.

The Sea Dogs are one of the few CHL teams that have never fully bounced back from the pandemic. Before COVID, Saint John's worst average attendance was 3,345 fans per game.

The league average is currently 3,269 fans per game. That number has been boosted by the addition of the Newfoundland Regiment, who currently sit third in average attendance with a mark of 4,952.