Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Notebook: Impressive rookie seasons

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles
Both Alexander Donovan and Alexis Joseph came up just short of tying the Sea Dogs franchise record for goals in a season by a rookie.

Donovan finished the year with 25 goals while Joseph posted 24. The team record is 26, which is held by Tomas Jurco (2009-10) and Ostap Safin (2017-18).
Joseph did set team records for most goals (24) and points (60) in a season by a 16-year-old. 

Jospeh's 60 points tie him with Stansislav Galiev (2009-10) for the second most in team history amongst all rookies. The overall rookie points record remains Chris DiDomenico's 75 in 2006-07)
BALDWIN'S NUMBERS
Everett Baldwin finishes the season with 15 goals, placing him in a tie with Charlottetown's Marcus Kearsey for the league lead in goals by defensemen.

Baldwin ties Alex Grant for the third most goals in a season by a Sea Dogs defenseman. Jeremie Poirier had 20 in 2019-20 and 16 in 2021-22.

Baldwin set the Sea Dogs franchise record for both goals (15) and points (44) by a rookie defenseman. 

CÔTÉ TO UDEM
Sea Dogs forward Maxime Côté has committed to play at the Université de Moncton next season.

Côté had four goals and four assists in 27 games with Saint John this season. In the first half he recorded six goals and 11 assists in 29 games with the Gatineau Olympiques.

The Sherbrooke native spent the second half of last season in Moncton where he helped the Wildcats win a QMJHL title.

Côté confirmed the commitment in an interview with Cape Breton Eagles radio last week.

The Aigles Bleus have been contenders in Atlantic University Sport for a few years now. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals at this year's University Cup in Halifax.

AHL/CHL RULE CHANGE
We'll see how this all plays out over the next few months, but this could certainly complicate things for CHL teams. 
LELAND COACH OF THE YEAR
Former Sea Dogs coach Greg Leland has been named the Maritime Junior Hockey League coach of the year.

Leland guided the Grand Falls Rapids to a North Division regular season title this season, securing the club's first playoff appearance since relocating to Grand Falls. The Rapids were eliminated in the first round by the Chaleur Lightning.


The Rapids posted a record of 31-15-5-1 with a +19 goal differential. That’s a 27-point improvement in the standings from last season, where they finished in fifth place with a record of 16-27-2-7 and a -43 goal differential. Grand Falls had one of the top home records in the league, going 19-5-2-0 at the E. & P. Sénéchal Centre, but jumped from five wins on the road last season to twelve this season. The team also made improvements to its powerplay and penalty killing percentages in 2025-26, and finished the regular season as the hottest team in the league with a ten-game winning streak.

This is the second Coach of the Year award for Leland, who won in 2018-19 when he was behind the bench of the Campbellton Tigers.

Leland was part of Saint John's coaching staff from 2007 until 2015, acting as a video coach and assistant. 

The Rapids' coaching staff also includes Jeff Cowan.

VILLENEUVE MAKES MARLIES HISTORY
Former Sea Dogs defenseman William Villeneuve made some Toronto Marlies history this past weekend.
Villeneuve has three goals and 24 assists in 54 games with the Marlies this season. He has appeared in 219 games with the AHL club over five seasons.

The 24-year-old has been fairly consistent throughout his AHL career – but he's still not played in an NHL regular season game. You have to think there is a chance that could change over the next few weeks given how the Maple Leafs' season is going.

KOMETS MOVES
A couple of notable moves involving the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets and former Sea Dogs.

Former Sea Dogs forward William Dufour is back in Fort Wayne after a short stint on a professional tryout with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. Dufour recorded a goal in two games during his time with Grand Rapids.

The 24-year-old returns to Fort Wayne where he was heating up, recording seven goals and 12 assists in 18 games.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Matt Murphy, meanwhile, has been released by the Komets. The 30-year-old has struggled with injuries this season and in recent years. He's played just three games since Jan. 30.

Murphy has appeared in 32 games with Fort Wayne this season, recording two goals and nine assists. He has spent parts of four seasons with the Komets over his professional career.

OTHER STUFF
  • The Sea Dogs were the only team in the QMJHL to not play in a shootout this season. They had nine games decided in overtime where they went 5-4.
  • A couple MHL playoff updates:
    • The Grand Falls Rapids' season came to a close on Sunday when they fell 5-4 in overtime to the Chaleur Lightning, dropping the first round series in five games. Former Sea Dogs forwards Reid Calder and Jonah Leard both had goals in the loss. Chaleur will play Edmundston in the next round.
    • The Amherst Ramblers scored four unanswered goals to down the Summerside Western Capitals 4-3 on Monday and take a 3-2 series lead. Former Sea Dogs defenseman Matthew MacLean had a goal and an assist for Summerside while Justin Robinson did not play. Game 6 is Thursday in Amherst. The winner will play Truro in the next round.
  • Olympian Courtney Sarault took part in the ceremonial puck before Saturday's Moncton Wildcats game at Avenir Centre.
  • The Wildcats have now won back-to-back regular season titles. They're the first team to win back-to-back Jean Rougeau Trophies since the 2022 and 2023 Quebec Remparts. Before that, you have to go back to the Sea Dogs' glory days when they won three straight in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
  • Chicoutimi forward Maxime Massé won the QMJHL scoring title, recording 102 points. He was the only player to reach 100 points this season. Massé and Justin Carbonneau of Blainville-Boisbriand both finished with a league high 51 goals.
  • An impressive record for the Newfoundland Regiment.
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