Notebook: New playoff format coming

Vincent Ethier / QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - Prior to Friday's first round, the QMJHL announced an adjustment to its playoff format.

Beginning this season, teams will be reseeded based on the overall standings from the second round onward rather than the third round.

From the league:

The first round will continue to be played intra-association (East and West), but from the second round onwards, series will be determined by overall standings.

Previously, the first two elimination rounds were played within the association.

The QMJHL has also decided to abolish its four divisions (West, Central, East and Maritimes), retaining only an association ranking and an overall ranking.

The QMJHL also announced Friday that its streaming will move to FloSports.

IN THE HOUSE

Former Sea Dogs in attendance at this year's draft included William Dufour, Jeremie Poirier, William Villeneuve, Thomas Couture, Nikolas Hurtubise, Marshall Lessard, Brady Burns and Charlie DesRoches.

Along with those former Sea Dogs, current players Dylan Rozzi, William Yared, Olivier Groulx and Cameron Chartrand were in attendance.

Lions win ECHL championship

QUEBEC CITY - The Trois-Rivieres Lions are Kelly Cup champions.

The Lions defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-1 on Saturday at Colisee Videotron, taking the ECHL's championship series in five games. It's the first Kelly Cup title for the Lions who completed their fourth season in the league.

The Lions, who are the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, include former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Nicolas Guay and defenseman Vincent Sevigny. Both had assists in this game.

Guay finished the playoffs with five goals and eight assists in 21 playoff games. Sevigny, meanwhile, had two goals and five assists in 18 playoff games. The d-man was recently called up to the AHL's Laval Rocket for a brief stint during the post-season.

Un moment en solo pour Vincent Sévigny qui savoure le triomphe des siens. #echl pic.twitter.com/URINLiaZEd

— Matthew Vachon (@MatthewVachon_) June 7, 2025

The two are the first Sea Dogs alumni to win the Kelly Cup since Olivier Leblanc helped the Florida Everblades win the trophy in 2023.

Lions netminder Luke Cavallin made 48 saves in Saturday's win. He was named playoff MVP.

This is the third time since 2019 that the Walleye lost in the Kelly Cup final. That 2019 loss came against the Newfoundland Growlers – the only other Canadian club to win the Kelly Cup.

In the AHL, Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers are still waiting on an opponent for the Calder Cup final. The Abbotsford Canucks currently lead the Texas Stars 3-2 in the Western Conference final. No matter the matchup, the AHL's championship series will begin Friday in Charlotte.

A look at Saint John's 2025 draft class

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft has come to an end and the Saint John Sea Dogs welcomed 12 new prospects.

The Sea Dogs, thanks to a couple trades, made 12 selections over the two-day draft. That included two picks in Friday's opening round.

Saint John selected seven forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

The Sea Dogs selected three Americans this weekend. As for Canadians, four players picked were from Atlantic Canada while the rest were from Quebec.

Here's a look at Saint John's 2025 draft class.

Round 1, 1st overall - C Alexis Joseph (6'4", 198 lbs)

More on Joseph here.

Saint John picks 12 players at 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft

Vincent Éthier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft has come to a close.

The Sea Dogs selected 12 players in the 12-round draft. The team took seven forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

A full recap of Friday's opening round can be found here. You can check out more about the first overall pick, Alexis Joseph, here.

More to come.

	Player	P	H	W	Team
RD 1, 1	Alexis Jospeh	C	6'4"	198	Collège Esther-Blondin
RD 1, 10	Nolann Héroux	C	5'7"	150	St-Eustache
RD 2, 29	Jase MacPherson	G	6'1"	180	Kensington
RD 2, 38	Everett Baldwin	D	5'11"	173	St. George's School
RD 4, 58	Jesse Dunlap	D	5'9"	180	Rothesay Netherwood
RD 6, 94	Finnegan Sears	LW	5'11"	167	Rivers School
RD 6, 109	Cole Renaud	LW	6'0"	172	St-Hyacinthe
RD 7, 112	Oskar Drabczynski	LD	5'11"	185	Avon Old Farms
RD 10, 165	Julien Lacroix	D	6'4"	155	College Saint-Hiliare
RD 10, 176	Madison Bouchard	C	5'9"	159	Jonquière
RD 11, 184	Sam Pitcher	G	5'10"	151	Tri-Pen
RD 12, 202	Elliot Tozer	C	5'11	164	Saint John

QMJHL Entry Draft completes first round

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The opening round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft has come to a close.

18 players – only four of whom were not forwards – were selected in the first round. It was also a Quebec heavy opening round.

Here's a quick recap of what went down inside Videotron Centre on Friday night.

		Player	P	H	W	Team (Prov)
1	SNB	Alexis Joseph	C	6'4"	198	Esther-Blondin (QC)
2	RIM	Zack Arseneault	RW	5'11"	169	Saint-François (QC)
3	HAL	Malik L'Italien	LD	6'2"	191	Stanstead (QC)
4	QUE	Thomas Charbonneau	LD	6'2"	168	Shattuck St. Mary's (QC)
5	NFL	Benjamin Veitch	C	6'2"	199	York-Simcoe (NL)
6	NFL	Quinn Norman	LD	6'0"	159	Vaughn (NL)
7	CHA	Antoine Provencher	C	5'11"	180	Charles-Lemoyne (QC)
8	NFL	Phenwick MacLean	C	6'1"	167	Dartmouth (NS)
9	QUE	James Scantlebury	C	5'8"	171	Bishop Kearney (QC)
10	SNB	Nolann Héroux	C	5'7"	150	St-Eustache (QC)
11	VIC	Deryk Lemaire	C	6'1"	194	Magog (QC)
12	GAT	Louis-Étienne Halley	RW	6'3"	193	St-Eustache (QC)
13	GAT	Clément Landry	LD	6'3"	217	Laval-Montreal (QC)
14	CAP	Olivier Charron	C	5'9"	181	Châteauguay (QC)
15	SHA	Frédéric Bergeron	C	6'0"	168	Trois-Rivières (QC)
16	SHE	Emrick Nolette-Robidoux	RW	5'11"	161	St-Hyacinthe (QC)
17	QUE	Carter Meyer	C	5'11"	162	Rivers School (MA)
18	RN	Jayden Pominville	C	5'8"	141	Esther-Blondin (QC)

Sea Dogs select Joseph first overall

QUEBEC CITY - The Saint John Sea Dogs selected forward Alexis Joseph with the first overall pick in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs made the selection Friday evening at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. Saint John earned the right to select first overall after winning the league's draft lottery a few weeks ago.

Joseph is the seventh player in Sea Dogs franchise history to be selected first overall. He follows Joshua Roy (2019), Joe Veleno (2015), Luke Green (2014), Simon Despres (2007), Yann Sauve (2006) and Alex Grant (2005).

Got our guy 😎

With the first overall pick in the 2025 #QDraft, the #SJSeaDogs are proud to select from College Esther-Blondin, Alexis Joseph!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/yMwbzeMzSm

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 6, 2025

QMJHL Central Scouting ranked Joseph as the No. 1 player available for this year's draft in their final rankings. A number of other draft experts also predicted the forward to be taken with the top pick.

Joseph's most noticeable attribute is his size. At 15-years-old he's listed at 6'4" and 192 lbs, certainly making him physically ready for major junior hockey.

There has been hype around Joseph for a number of years, including some talk of him applying for exceptional player status a year ago. He posted 25 goals and 28 assists in 39 games with the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin in the Quebec AAA circuit during the 2023-24 season. 

QMJHL moves streaming to FloSports

QUEBEC CITY – The QMJHL will have a new webcast provider next season.

The league announced a seven-year deal with FloSports on Friday. FloHockey will stream all 576 QMJHL regular season games, playoffs and special league events through 2032.

“We always want to offer more to our fans, and this agreement with FloSports is a step in that direction," said QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini in a new release. "It's a historic partnership that will give our fans a new and improved webcasting experience. Technology is advancing at breakneck speed, and we want to be at the front of the parade in terms of customer experience. What's more, FloSports subscribers will also be able to watch games from the American League, ECHL and LHM18AAAQ, among others.”

As Cecchini noted, FloSports currently owns the streaming rights to the AHL, ECHL, USHL and a number of other hockey leagues. Subscribers will have access to all of that, a nice bonus that CHL TV didn't offer.

FloHockey also creates written, video and audio content, so QMJHL fans will have that to look forward to as well.

The potential bad news for QMJHL followers: the reviews of FloSports' streaming services and technical support are mixed, so we'll see how this plays out. The good news is that most QMJHL teams have built very strong streaming setups that should carry over to this new provider.

The announcement likely means CHL TV is dead with the QMJHL and WHL both moving away from the platform. The WHL recently announced an agreement with Victory+, which will make all games available for free beginning next season.

Here's FloHockey's current pricing setup. The annual subscription fee works out to be $203.88. The QMJHL league pass on CHL TV cost $129.99 this past season – but that didn't include playoff games.

The QMJHL, OHL and WHL have all been streamed on the subscription based CHL TV since 2021.

It's QMJHL Entry Draft day

Draft day has arrived.

The opening round of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place tonight at Quebec City's Videotron Centre beginning at 8 p.m. Atlantic. Rounds 2-12 will be held Saturday morning beginning at 11 a.m. Atlantic.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are poised to have a busy evening, currently holding the first, 10th and 18th overall selections.

Here's where the Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick this weekend.

Round 1, 1st overall 

Round 1, 10th overall (via Cape Breton) 

Round 1, 18th overall (via Moncton)

Round 2, 29th overall (via Blainville-Boisbriand)

Round 6, 94th overall 

Round 6, 109th overall (via Rimouski) 

Round 7, 112th overall 

Round 9, 148th overall 

Round 11, 184th overall 

Round 12, 202nd overall

Saint John last picked first overall in 2019, selecting forward Joshua Roy. Other first overall selections by the Sea Dogs include Joe Veleno (2015), Luke Green (2014), Simon Despres (2007), Yann Sauve (2006) and Alex Grant (2005).

6'4", 192 lbs centre Alexis Joseph is likely to be selected first overall by the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs selected three times in the first-round of last year's draft, picking forward William Yared (fifth overall), forward Dylan Rozzi (eighth) and defenseman Cameron Chartrand (19th).

This is obviously a huge day for the Sea Dogs franchise. This draft class along with last year's will be the foundation for the club's next championship run.

Draft day is always an exciting and intriguing day – but perhaps none more than this year's. With the NCAA rule change, we could see some big swings, we could see more Americans picked, we could see some panic and we could see more drama than usual. It's a great time of year.

All the picks will be posted live on the QMJHL's website while the first-round can be watched live on Eastlink TV and TVA Sports.

Joseph appears poised to be top pick

Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin

Less than 24 hours until the opening round of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft, all signs continue to point towards Alexis Joseph being the first overall selection.

The 6'4", 192 lbs forward was ranked No. 1 in QMJHL Central Scouting's final rankings. This week, Puck Preps also ranked Joseph as the No. 1 player available, which comes after previously having forward James Scantlebury ranked first.

"For the team that drafts Joseph, I think you’re getting one of the higher ceiling players to come out of the province in quite some time and a future superstar center for your franchise," writes Austin Robson of Puck Preps.

If everything we're hearing is right, Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix forward Alexis Joseph will be the first pick of the 2025 QMJHL Draft. Puck Preps Eastern Canadian scout Austin Robson believes that’s the right call for the @SJSeaDogs.

Full episode👇

🔗 https://t.co/1yRSlgLzj4 pic.twitter.com/fpzMns2GNm

— Puck Preps Eastern Canada (@PuckPrepsEastCa) June 3, 2025

The Saint John Sea Dogs will select first overall Friday night at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. The first-round will take place Friday beginning at 8 p.m. Atlantic while the remaining 11 rounds will be held Saturday morning.

Joseph told Le Journal de Montreal this week that the QMJHL has always been his No. 1 option, further solidifying him as the likely first overall selection. The big question about Joseph – and a lot of the players being picked this weekend – is how long do they plan to stay in the league?

One interesting note on Joseph is that one of his representatives is former Sea Dogs defenseman Charles-Olivier Roussel, who now works with the Wasserman agency. 

In a Journal de Quebec article, Roussel wouldn't confirm how long Joseph plans to stay in the league, citing he – and all players in the QMJHL – will look at their options on a year-to-year basis.

2025-26 schedule released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will begin the 2025-26 season on home ice.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League released its full regular season schedule on Wednesday. The Sea Dogs will begin the campaign with a pair of home games against the Cape Breton Eagles Sept. 19-20.

Saint John's first road games will be the following weekend when they visit the Halifax Mooseheads for two matches Sept. 26-27.

The regular season ends March 21 with the Sea Dogs visiting the Eagles.

Here are a few other highlights:

• The Sea Dogs will play in the Moncton Wildcats' home opener on Friday, Oct. 4. That game will feature the Gilles-Courteau Trophy championship banner raising.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens will pay an early season visit to Saint John (Oct. 5) as their arena boards get replaced. Victoriaville and Baie-Comeau are also having the new boards installed.
• The Sea Dogs will host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Thanksgiving Monday (Oct. 13) in a 3 p.m. start.
• The Sea Dogs will make their first trek to St. John's since the 2007-08 season Oct. 24-25 where they'll face the Regiment for the first time. They also travel to Newfoundland Feb. 11-12.
• Saint John will make their first of four trips into Quebec Nov. 6-9 (Rimouski, Drummondville and Victoriaville). They'll also make Quebec trips Dec. 10-13 (Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi and Quebec); Jan. 14-17 (Rouyn-Noranda, Val-d'Or and Blainville-Boisbriand) and Feb. 19-22 (Shawinigan, Sherbrooke and Gatineau).
• As was announced Tuesday, the Sea Dogs will play three "home" games in Fredericton: Sunday, Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton; Thursday, Jan. 8 vs Gatineau; and Sunday, Feb. 1 vs Baie-Comeau.
• The Sea Dogs play their final games before the Christmas break Dec. 17-18, facing the Mooseheads in a home-and-home series. They resume play Dec. 28-29 with a home-and-home against the Charlottetown Islanders.
• The Regiment make their first visit to Saint John on New Year's Eve. That Wednesday game will start at 2 p.m.
• Saint John's Saturday, Feb. 14 game against the Shawinigan Cataractes will be a 3 p.m. start. The Sea Dogs will then host the Victoriaville Tigres on Family Day (Monday, Feb. 16) in a 3 p.m. start. That weekend has typically been the team's "One For All" festivities.
• The Sea Dogs play their final regular season home game on Saturday, March 14 with a 4 p.m. start against the Mooseheads. The team will close out the year with three straight road games: March 15 at Charlottetown, March 20 at Cape Breton and March 21 at Cape Breton.
• The Sea Dogs will play seven straight home games Nov. 15-30 (which includes an Aitken Centre game). Their longest stretch of road games is just four, which they'll do twice.

Saint John's full schedule can be found here. The pre-season schedule is also available.

Also of note, the first QMJHL Prospects Game will take place Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Sherbrooke and will feature the league's 40 best players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Notebook: Dwyer sticks with Regiment

Embed from Getty Images

Former Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gordie Dwyer will be moving to Newfoundland with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan organization.

The Newfoundland Regiment officially named Dwyer the club's head coach and general manager on Tuesday. The Dalhousie, NB native has been the head coach and GM of the Titan for the past three seasons following his firing from the Sea Dogs at the end of the 2022 playoffs.

Former Sea Dogs equipment manager Tyler Jay is also moving with the Titan to Newfoundland, as is director of hockey operations and video coach Matthew Smith.

“I’m honoured to lead the Newfoundland Regiment alongside Tyler and Matthew, building on the foundation we established in Bathurst,” said Dwyer in a news release. “The appetite for hockey in Newfoundland is electric. We are committed to building a team that is driven and competes in a way that honours the tremendous history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.”

The Regiment will play their first regular season game on Thursday, Sept. 18, hosting the Moncton Wildcats.

DRAFT SOON

When exactly is this weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft?

The Remparts shared some event details on social media earlier this week. The first-round will begin at 8 p.m. Atlantic on Friday night. The Sea Dogs currently own three picks in the opening round – including the first overall selection.

The remaining 11 rounds will begin on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Atlantic. 

Quebec City's Videotron Centre also hosted the draft back in 2019 when the Sea Dogs selected Joshua Roy with the first overall pick.

Sea Dogs finalize two trades

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The first Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade period of draft week opened on Tuesday and the Saint John Sea Dogs completed two deals.

The biggest transaction involved the Sea Dogs receiving a 2025 first-round pick (originally Moncton's) and a 2027 first-round pick (Rimouski) from the Rimouski Oceanic in exchange for two 2026 third-round picks (Rimouski and Sherbrooke), two 2026 fourth-round picks (Saint John and Rimouski) and a 2026 fifth-round pick (Rimouski).

This deal completes the Eriks Mateiko trade, which happened during the holiday trade period. According to the Sea Dogs, this is the largest return for an import player in league history.

Saint John's other Tuesday transaction saw them swap 2025 second-round picks with the Moncton Wildcats, which completes the Connor Trenholm deal. The Sea Dogs traded their own second-round pick to Moncton in exchange for Blainville-Boisbriand's.

With these deal finalized, here's an updated look at where Saint John is currently scheduled to pick at this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Round 1, 1st overall 

Round 1, 10th overall (via Cape Breton) 

Round 1, 18th overall (via Moncton)

Round 2, 29th overall (via Blainville-Boisbriand)

Round 6, 94th overall 

Round 6, 109th overall (via Rimouski) 

Round 7, 112th overall 

Round 9, 148th overall 

Round 11, 184th overall 

Round 12, 202nd overall

If things stay as they are, this would be the second straight year that the Sea Dogs pick three times in the first-round.

The first-round of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place Friday night at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. The remaining rounds will be held Saturday morning.

Sea Dogs to play three "home" games in Fredericton

Three Saint John Sea Dogs "home" games will be played in Fredericton this season.

The QMJHL and the team made the announcement Tuesday afternoon – one day prior to the league's full schedule being released. The games have been labelled the "Capital City Series."

The following three games will be played at UNB Fredericton's Aitken Centre.

Sunday, Nov. 30 at 3 p.m. vs Cape Breton

Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. vs Gatineau

Sunday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. vs Baie-Comeau

“There is a tradition and connection between the Sea Dogs and the City of Fredericton,” said Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie in a news release. “We have had many great players from Fredericton and have deep connections to UNB. There are also many fans from the area who regularly make the drive down Highway 7 to TD Station to support the Sea Dogs. They obviously have a strong hockey history with the Reds men’s and women’s programs, but also dating all the way back to the AHL’s Fredericton Express and Canadiens.”

According to the news release, the "Sea Dogs will pay tribute to one of those historic Fredericton franchises with a special theme jersey to be revealed later this year."

No regular season QMJHL game has ever been played at the Aitken Centre. The Moncton Wildcats did, however, host a playoff game in the building during the 2015 post-season due to a scheduling conflict at the Moncton Coliseum. 

The Sea Dogs and UNB have gotten closer and closer over the past few years. Along with sending a number of players to the Reds program, the Sea Dogs have regularly played pre-season games at the Aitken Centre plus there's what happened with Gardiner MacDougall temporarily joining the team for the 2022 Memorial Cup.

Mann, Peddle not signed by NHL clubs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Matteo Mann and Tyler Peddle are officially free agents.

Neither were signed by their respective NHL club by the June 1 deadline, meaning their rights have been relinquished. Both were selected in the seventh-round of the 2023 NHL Draft: Mann was picked 199th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers while Peddle was taken 224th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Mann appeared in one game with the ECHL's Reading Royals at the end of the 2023-24 season. Peddle, meanwhile, joined the AHL's Cleveland Monsters at the end of this year's regular season but did not appear in any games.

Mann just completed his overage season of junior hockey, recording six goals and eight assists in 56 games with the Saint John Sea Dog. The 6'6", 234 lbs defenseman will presumably play some form of pro or university hockey this coming season.

#LetsGoFlyers prospects Carter Sotheran, Matteo Mann and Brian Zanetti are officially free agents as of June 1, 2025.

— Dylan H. Robillard (@HendrixHockey_) June 1, 2025

His father, Trent Mann, is currently a player development and scouting advisor for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Peddle has one season of junior eligibility remaining – and not signing with Columbus just about guarantees he'll be back in the QMJHL for his overage season. In 54 games with Saint John this year, the Antigonish native recorded 15 goals and 14 assists.

It’s out there already. But confirming #CBJ did not sign Tyler Peddle or Martin Rysavy before today’s deadline thus relinquishing their rights.

— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) June 1, 2025

It doesn't come as a big shock that neither were signed. It was reported a few weeks ago by Columbus media that Peddle would not be signed by the Blue Jackets.

Knights down Tigers for Memorial Cup title

RIMOUSKI, QC – The London Knights are Memorial Cup champions.

After a tight first period, the Knights blew it open in the second en route to a 4-1 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers in Sunday's championship game. This is London's third Memorial Cup title and first since 2016.

This was London's second straight appearance in the Memorial Cup final – and they got some redemption. The Knights fell to the host Saginaw Spirit in last year's championship, falling behind early and were never able to pull themselves fully back into the game.

The Knights seemed to learn from last year's errors, leading 1-0 after one. They added three in the second period – and another that was called off due to goaltender interference – to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the third.

https://t.co/bkKt3a63eM pic.twitter.com/gyLsHeEGri

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) June 2, 2025

Gavin McKenna gave the Tigers some life 2:43 into the third and appeared to make it 4-2 later on – only to have the goal called back because of a missed high stick earlier in the play. The Tigers pressed, but just couldn't get through London's defense.

For Medicine Hat, this is a tough one for many reasons. In normal times there would be optimism that McKenna could carry them back to the Memorial Cup next year. But with speculation that McKenna is NCAA bound, there are all kinds of uncertainty around the Tigers roster.

The WHL continues to struggle at the Memorial Cup. They have not won a national title since the Edmonton Oil Kings were victorious in 2014.

The Moncton Wildcats, who fell to the Knights in Friday's semifinal, finished in third-place with a 1-3 record. The host Rimouski Oceanic went 0-3.

Sea Dogs things at this year's HHOF exhibit

RIMOUSKI, QC – The Hockey Hall of Fame's mobile exhibit made another trip to the Memorial Cup this year.

With the Rimouski Oceanic hosting, there were as an added amount of QMJHL artifacts on display. That included a number of Saint John Sea Dogs items.

A mainstay of the exhibit has been Jonathan Huberdeau's jersey from the 2010-11 season. 

Five Sea Dogs questions heading into draft week

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

We're less than a week away from the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft taking place in Quebec City.

The first-round of the draft will take place next Friday at Videotron Centre while the remaining rounds will be held on Saturday.

The Saint John Sea Dogs own the first overall pick in this year's draft. Who they'll select is just one of the questions facing the team heading into next weekend.

Here's five questions facing the Sea Dogs heading into the draft.

1. What will a Crickard draft look like?

This will be the first draft as Saint John's general manager for Travis Crickard. He wasn't overly busy during the holiday trade period, so we weren't able to get a great read on what his style will be as a GM. The organization seems to be committed on returning to competing/contention in 2026-27, but how they get there will be interesting. Will Crickard take some big swings? Be more conservative? Shake up any of the core already in place? We'll see.

2. Who will Saint John take at No. 1?

This is certainly the biggest question that everyone around the league will have heading into Friday's first-round. The stars seem to be aligning for Alexis Joseph to be taken first overall – but we'll see. The QMJHL Entry Draft is known for its drama and the NCAA rule change could create a chaotic draft. Let's remember that Saint John has a number of new faces on the scouting side as well, along with Crickard.

3. What impact will the NCAA rule change have?

There's a lot going on here and a lot to digest. Over the past decade, Saint John has been one of the more aggressive teams when it comes to drafting players with NCAA intentions, some years more than others. Results have varied, but it's probably safe to say that the Sea Dogs will remain as aggressive – if not more – with the rule change. There are a couple key questions facing the Sea Dogs (and all teams) heading into this weekend:

• Are players still using the USHL as a real threat? If a player from these parts would still prefer to play junior hockey in Nebraska (no offense to Nebraska), all the power to them. But... I don't know, it's not going to be a great look or sign for the QMJHL as a whole if they continue to lose players to the USHL even after this rule change.
• How long will these college bound players stay in the QMJHL? We're starting to now see some players with junior eligibility remaining make the bounce to college hockey. I'm not sure how many players will be making the jump early, but it's something to keep in mind when drafting and building teams moving forward.

The NCAA impact will definitely be the most interesting storyline to follow at this year's draft.

Moncton's season ends with semifinal loss

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The Memorial Cup continues to elude the Moncton Wildcats.

Gardiner MacDougall and the Wildcats fell 5-2 to the London Knights in the semifinal game of the 2025 Memorial Cup on Friday, ending their hopes of a national championship. London advances to Sunday's final where they'll face the Medicine Hat Tigers.

This was the third time in franchise history that the Wildcats earned a spot in the tournament. They've come up short all three times with their closest victory being a loss in the 2006 championship game.

Maybe it was the tougher competition or something else, but the Wildcats just didn't look like themselves over the past few weeks. They struggled to produce consistent, 60-minute performances and let opponents control play for lengthy stretches.

Despite Friday's loss, it was quite the season for the Wildcats, who won the QMJHL's regular season title and Gilles-Courteau Trophy. Moncton went 53-9-2-0 during regular season play.

It was a rough tournament for the QMJHL with the league's only win coming in the game that put the Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic against each other. The Wildcats finish with a 1-3 record while the Oceanic went 0-3.

The QMJHL won every Memorial Cup tournament from 2018 to 2023 (there were no tournaments in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic). The OHL's Saginaw Spirit won last season, defeating London in the final.

Medicine Hat will try and capture the WHL's first national title since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.

Notebook: Mateiko's season ends in a loss

Vincent Éthier / CHL

Eriks Mateiko and the Rimouski Oceanic were eliminated from the Memorial Cup on Wednesday, falling 6-2 to the Moncton Wildcats. The former Sea Dogs captain was the lone Sea Dogs alumnus participating in the event.

Wednesday's game was likely Mateiko's last in the QMJHL. Mateiko had a goal in three games at the tournament after posting seven goals and four assists in 18 playoff games. 

The Wildcats don't feature any former Sea Dogs players but do have a few former coaches on their staff – including Gardiner MacDougall.

The Wildcats face the London Knights in the Memorial Cup semifinal on Friday at 8 p.m. The winner advances to Sunday's championship game against the Medicine Hat Tigers.

PEDDLE NOT SIGNING

Tyler Peddle is reportedly about to become a free agent.

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Columbus Blue Jackets will not sign the Sea Dogs forward ahead of the June 1 deadline, making him a free agent. Peddle was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Told #CBJ will not be signing F Tyler Peddle or F Martin Rysavy by the June 1 deadline, relinquishing their rights to the players.
Peddle, 20, was a 7th-round pick (No. 224 overall) in 2024, while Rysavy, 22, was a 7th-round pick (No. 197 overall) in 2021.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 24, 2025

Peddle joined the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, for a short period after Saint John's season ended. He did not appear in any AHL games.

Peddle is eligible to return to Saint John for his overage season. He posted 15 goals and 14 assists in 54 games this past season.

Wildcats move on to semifinal

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The Moncton Wildcats overcame an ugly start to keep their Memorial Cup hopes alive on Wednesday.

The Wildcats were heavily outplayed in the first period but rebounded in the final 40 minutes for a 6-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic in round robin play. The win pushes Moncton into Friday's semifinal against the London Knights while Rimouski's season ends with the loss.

St. Andrews native Gabe Smith scored a pair of goals for Moncton while singles came from Julius Sumpf, Juraj Pekarcik, Etienne Morin and Alex Mercier. Mathis Rousseau made 32 saves in the win.

The Wildcats trailed 2-1 after the first period and were outshot 17-6. But Moncton turned things around in the second period, scoring twice to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

Morin put the Wildcats up 4-2 with a goal just 4:02 into the third. They secured the win with a pair of empty net goals late in the period.

It was a far from a perfect game for Moncton, but it was certainly a better showing and result than their 3-1 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday. The Wildcats were able to get their offense going, something they've struggled with at this tournament.

The Wildcats will look to carry this momentum into Friday's semifinal against the Knights, which will obviously be their biggest game of the season. The semifinal winner will play the Tigers in Sunday's championship game.

Under Armour, Bauer to replace CCM

Every team in the Canadian Hockey League will have a new look next season.

The CHL confirmed Wednesday that Under Armour will become its "exclusive jersey and socks and exclusive training footwear and apparel partner." Bauer, meanwhile, "will serve as the official equipment supplier."

The new deals begin this coming season and run through 2030-31.

The companies replace long-time jersey and equipment provider CCM. The Saint John Sea Dogs, who entered the CHL in 2005, have only known CCM and Reebok (who owned CCM) as their jersey and equipment providers.

While the CHL didn't note any design changes, every team will no doubt have a different look next year – even if it's subtle. The CHL released a teaser video featuring the Rimouski Oceanic's new look, which noticeably features a different collar and back.

Beginning with the 2025-26 season, Under Armour will become the exclusive jersey and socks and exclusive training footwear and apparel partner of the CHL, its Member Leagues and 61 Clubs while @BauerHockey will serve as the official equipment supplier! 🏒 https://t.co/kneLCh8r7S pic.twitter.com/AmzhcOHvAM

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 28, 2025

The last major jersey redesign in the CHL came before the 2009-10 season when every team made the switch to the Reebok Edge uniforms. The Sea Dogs are one of the few teams that have made very few changes to their look since that redesign.

On the jerseys, the CHL stated in its news release that "retail availability for fans, including new authentic and tiered replica jerseys, will be announced closer to the start of the 2025-26 campaign."

The new jerseys are not expected to be ready in time for the upcoming QMJHL Entry Draft.

Under Armour certainly isn't known as a hockey company but they do manufacture a number of college hockey jerseys. Bauer, of course, has been the long-time equipment provider for Hockey Canada's national teams.

Wildcats, Oceanic both down 0-2

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The road to a Memorial Cup title for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has gotten more challenging.

The Moncton Wildcats fell 3-1 to the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday night, falling to 0-2 at this year's tournament. The Rimouski Oceanic, meanwhile, are also 0-2 following a 3-1 loss to the OHL champion London Knights on Sunday.

The results of the past two days mean no tiebreaker game will be required this year. Here's how the next couple days will play out:

• The winner of Tuesday's London/Medicine Hat game will earn a bye to Sunday's championship game.
• The loser of Tuesday's London/Medicine Hat game will secure a spot in Friday's semifinal game.
• The winner of Wednesday's Rimouski/Moncton game will earn a spot in a Friday's semifinal game.
• The loser of Wednesday's Rimouski/Moncton game will be eliminated.

On Monday, the Wildcats, once again, just couldn't get things clicking properly. After a fairly 50-50 first period, Medicine Hat outshot Moncton 17-6 in the second and carried a 2-0 lead into the third. The Wildcats scored early in the third to get within one but some ill-timed penalties essentially erased any chance of a Moncton comeback.

The Wildcats have scored just three goals so far at the Memorial Cup and all have been from defensemen.

Moncton has now lost six straight games at the Memorial Cup with their last win coming in the 2006 semifinal game. They'll look to snap this skid with their season on the line on Wednesday.

Wildcats, Oceanic drop openers

Vincent Éthier / CHL

Both teams from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League have dropped their first games of the 2025 Memorial Cup.

The host Rimouski Oceanic fell 5-4 to the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday while the Moncton Wildcats lost 3-2 in overtime to the OHL's London Knights on Saturday.

Both QMJHL squads were in it until the end and have proved just how tight the teams competing in this year's much-hyped tournament could be.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko and the Oceanic allowed the game-winning goal in the final three minutes of regulation. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were able to, at least, grab a point, which could be crucial later on.

Moncton was able to get the game into overtime thanks to a great goaltending performance from Mathis Rousseau. The overage netminder made 45 saves in the loss – including 16 in the third period alone.

Both teams will look to regroup and get a better result in their second games. The Oceanic take on the Knights on Sunday while the Wildcats battle the Tigers on Monday. 

A few other Saturday night news and notes...

• Here's a look at Rimouski's commemorative sweaters, continuing a Memorial Cup tradition.
• It looks like the Memorial Cup patches have been added to the back of jerseys – along the bottom. Teams have big Motorola ads on the front of their jerseys where the patch was traditionally placed.
• Saturday's game was the Memorial Cup's first three-on-three overtime game since the 2022 tournament in Saint John. That game saw the Edmonton Oil Kings edge Gardiner MacDougall and the Sea Dogs 4-3.
• In the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs, Joshua Roy scored the Laval Rocket's lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the Rochester Americans on Friday. The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2 heading into Sunday's decisive Game 5 in Laval.
• The Colorado Eagles have forced a decisive Game 5 in their series against the Abbotsford Canucks thanks to a 3-1 win on Friday. William Dufour did not play in that game. Game 5 is Monday in Colorado.
• Nicolas Guay, Vincent Sevigny and the Trois-Rivieres Lions have taken a 3-2 series lead in the ECHL's Eastern Conference final with a 3-1 win over the Florida Everblades on Saturday. Sevigny had an assist on the game's opening goal.

Memorial Cup begins Friday; AHL, ECHL playoffs continue

Embed from Getty Images

 

The 2025 Memorial Cup is set to begin on Friday night in Rimouski.

The host Oceanic will take on the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers in the tournament's opening game. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. AT and the game can be seen on TSN.

The Oceanic feature the only former Saint John Sea Dogs player taking part in this year's tournament. Forward Eriks Mateiko recorded seven goals and four assists in 18 playoff games with the Oceanic, helping the club reach the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final.

Mateiko has always performed well in big moments. The Washington Capitals prospect had a breakout performance at this year's World Junior Championship and, more recently, scored the Game 7 overtime goal that sent the Oceanic to the league final.

The Tigers are headlined by 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Gavin McKenna – who Mateiko faced at this year's world juniors. Speculation continues that McKenna could be heading to the NCAA for next season.

Saturday will see the QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats take on the OHL champion London Knights at 7 p.m. AT. Moncton finished the regular season ranked first in the CHL while London was second.

The game will see two coaching legends go head-to-head: Gardiner MacDougall of the Wildcats and Dale Hunter of the Knights. MacDougall, often referred to as the king of the short tournament, will be looking for his second Memorial Cup title after guiding the Sea Dogs to the 2022 title.

The Knights were favoured to win last year's tournament but they fell to the host Saginaw Spirit in the championship game. The host team has won three of the last six tournaments.

Notebook: David Stich retires

Saint John Sea Dogs

A former Saint John Sea Dogs captain has hung up his skates for the last time.

Defenseman David Stich has decided to retire from professional hockey at the age of 36, according to a Czech news report. 

Stich was selected fourth overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2006 CHL Import Draft and spent parts of three seasons with the club. A tough and rugged d-man who recorded over 100 penalty minutes twice in his QMJHL career, Stich captained the Sea Dogs in the second half of the 2008-09 season following the Alex Grant trade.

Stich spent his final season of junior hockey with the Montreal Junior in 2009-10.

Besides a few AHL games, Stich has spent his entire professional career back home in the Czech Republic. This past season saw him appear in 30 regular season games and another 15 playoff contests with HC Tabor in the Czech third division.

The report indicated that Stich hopes to remain in hockey in some capacity.

WOODSTOCK BOUND

The QMJHL website now shows the Saint John's "home" pre-season game on Sept. 5 will be played at Woodstock's AYR Motor Centre.

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to face the Moncton Wildcats in what will be their pre-season finale. It will be Saint John's first exhibition appearance in Woodstock.

The AYR Centre was, of course, home to the Maritime Hockey League's Woodstock Slammers from 2003 to 2018. The Slammers are expected to return this fall, this time as members of the NCDC.

Saint John's five-game pre-season schedule can be viewed here.

US EXPANSION NEARING?

It sounds like the QMJHL's expansion into the United States may become reality sooner rather than later.

Le Journal de Quebec reports that the QMJHL could add two American franchises in time for the 2026-27 season. This would mean we're likely less than a year away from an official announcement. We'll see where this goes.

The league has confirmed that this will be expansion. No current teams will be moving.

The most speculated landing spots continue to be Manchester, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine. Those cities make the most sense given their market size, arenas and location to each other and the Canadian border. The obvious obstacle here is what happens with the ECHL's Maine Mariners, who currently play in Portland.

Wildcats win Gilles-Courteau Trophy

QMJHL

MONCTON – For the first time since 2010, the Moncton Wildcats are Gilles-Courteau Trophy champions.

The Wildcats secured the 2025 QMJHL title with a 3-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Monday afternoon at Sun Life Financial Colisee, taking the series in six games. Both teams had already secured spots in the Memorial Cup tournament with Rimouski hosting.

This is the third QMJHL championship for the Wildcats in franchise history. Along with the 2010 title, they also won in 2006.

The moment they were all waiting for! @monctonwildcats | #QPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/WAtljX7u6n

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 19, 2025

The Wildcats were up 3-0 in the series before the Oceanic dominated Game 4 and then edged the Wildcats on home ice on Saturday, forcing a Game 6 on holiday Monday.

Much like the past two games, the Wildcats struggled to get their offense going. Finally, at 6:30 of the second period, Gabe Smith broke the ice to make it 1-0. That goal seemed to give the Wildcats a lift as they went on to outshoot the Oceanic 19-7 in the period and took a 3-0 lead into the third.

As has been the case in this series, the Oceanic would not go away easily. Jonathan Fauchon scored at 7:11 of the third and then Jacob Mathieu connected on a power play at 11:32. But the Oceanic struggled to get things going in the final minutes, even with Mathis Langevin pulled for an extra attacker.

Overage goaltender Mathis Rousseau made 24 saves to finally get his QMJHL championship.

Caleb Desnoyers, with 30 points this post-season, was named playoff MVP.

Oceanic send series to a Game 6

Embed from Getty Images

 

MONCTON – We have a series.

The Rimouski Oceanic forced a Game 6 in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final with a 3-1 victory over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at Avenir Centre. The Oceanic now trail the Wildcats 3-2 after Moncton won the first three games of the series.

Game 6 will take place Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. Atlantic in Rimouski. If a Game 7 is needed, it would be the next night back in Moncton.

A sold out Avenir Centre was hoping for a party but it was anything but. Moncton never led in this game and simply couldn't get enough going offensively. The Wildcats outshot the Oceanic 34-23 but struggled to generate quality chances or lengthy stretches of offensive zone pressure.

Rimouski was excellent defensively. It seemed like they were always in perfect position to block shots or intercept passes. When goaltender Mathis Langevin allowed a rebound, the Wildcats were never able to grab the puck first.

The Oceanic look like a team that have adjusted their game plan as the series has gone on – and it's given them new life. The Wildcats, on the other hand, need to try something to solve Rimouski's defensive play.

Langevin was named the game's first star with 33 stops. Jacob Mathieu scored a pair of goals for Rimouski while Maël Lavigne added a single.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko had two shots in the win.

Preston Lounsbury scored Moncton's lone goal while Mathis Rousseau made 20 stops in the loss.

The Wildcats have scored just two goals over the past two games.

This was Moncton's first home loss of the post-season, falling to 8-1. They've suffered back-to-back losses in regulation time for the first time all season.

Memorial Cup field is set

WHL

MONCTON – The field is set for the 2025 Memorial Cup.

The Medicine Hat Tigers secured the final spot in the tournament on Friday night, defeating the Spokane Chiefs 6-0 to win the Western Hockey League championship in five games. It's the first WHL title for the Tigers since 2007.

Medicine Hat joins an impressive tournament field featuring the Rimouski Oceanic (host), Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) and London Knights (OHL champion).

The Tigers are headlined by 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Gavin McKenna, who posted 38 points in 16 playoff games. This could be McKenna's final games of junior hockey as it's been speculated that he'll make the jump to the NCAA next season.

Medicine Hat goaltender Harrison Meneghin was named playoff MVP. Meneghin, who lost his father just before the playoffs started, was given this special moment by Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt.

Harrison, you're getting this one too 🧡

Your 2025 Ed Chynoweth Cup champs 🏆@TigersHockey | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/MYGVQXS98q

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 17, 2025

The Memorial Cup begins next Friday with the Tigers taking on the host Oceanic. The next day, the Wildcats face the Knights.

QMJHL Entry Draft getting closer

MONCTON – We're now three weeks away from the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.

This year's draft takes place June 6-7 at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. The first round will take place Friday evening followed by the remaining 11 rounds on Saturday.

The QMJHL website has posted this year's full draft order. Below is where the Saint John Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick.

Round 1, 1st overall

Round 1, 10th overall (via Cape Breton)

Round 2, 20th overall

Round 6, 94th overall

Round 6, 109th overall (via Rimouski)

Round 7, 112th overall

Round 9, 148th overall

Round 11, 184th overall

Round 12, 202nd overall

The Sea Dogs are expected to be receiving a third first-round pick prior to the draft.

This year's draft has been reduced to 12 rounds, down from the previous 14.

It certainly feels like forward Alexis Joseph is likely to be the first overall pick. Forward James Scantlebury, who some draft experts projected as the first overall pick, recently signed a USHL tender agreement with the Chicago Steel, making his QMJHL intentions uncertain. On that note, the Steel have lost their general manager/head coach to the NCAA, which may or may not impact Scantlebury's decision.

The draft – and trade – hype is sure to pick up in the next week or so. It will be a busy couple weeks for the league with Rimouski hosting this year's Memorial Cup from May 23 to June 1.