Notebook: Peddle commits to StFX

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Former Sea Dogs forward Tyler Peddle as committed to the StFX X-Men for the 2026-27 season.

Peddle was one of seven recruits announced by the X-Men last week. StFX's freshman class will also include forwards Riley Sampson and Jack Greenwell; defensemen Matteo Rotondi, Leyton Stewart and Cory MacGillivray; and goaltender Jack Flanagan.

The move doesn't come as a big surprise given that Peddle's father, Brad, is the long-time coach of the X-Men.

"We are very happy to add Tyler to the team," Brad Peddle said in a release. "He brings a wealth of experience in the QMJHL and at the pro level, attending three NHL camps and exhibition games. Tyler is a very competitive player who brings a heavy power game, plays with pace and will add valuable size and offence to our forward group. He has decided on STFX for the next stage in his development, and we are excited to see him come home and play for the White and Blue."

The 21-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. A seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, Peddle spent his overage season with the Charlottetown Islanders where he posted eight goals and seven assists in 48 regular season games under Jim Hulton. He added three goals in seven playoff games.

DONATELLI LOANED TO OCEANIC

American forward Max Donatelli, who is on Saint John's protected list, will attend Rimouski Oceanic training camp on a loan, the club announced last week.

Donatelli, who will turn 19 on Monday, just completed his fourth season of US prep school hockey at St. George's School where he posted 17 goals and 33 assists in 26 games. He also appeared in 27 games with the NV River Rats under-18 team where he recorded 10 goals and 15 assists.

The Rhode Island native attended Saint John's training camp last year. He'd be a long shot to make this year's Sea Dogs team and a loan to another QMJHL squad makes sense.

Notably, the Sea Dogs and Oceanic will meet in pre-season play on Aug. 30 in Woodstock.

Donatelli's brother, Jake, was an eighth-round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

CHARTRAND HIGHLIGHTS

Here are some Cameron Chartrand highlights from this past season.

ISLES LOOK FOR NEW COACH

With Jim Hulton expected to officially be named the new head coach of the Sea Dogs on Monday, the Charlottetown Islanders have officially begun looking for a new bench boss.

The Islanders shared the job posting for the position on Friday. One part of the release really stood out:

The Charlottetown Islanders are in the business of developing both people and hockey players. Our goal is to help young men reach their full potential and advance to the NCAA, professional hockey, and ultimately the NHL. We believe that when player development is placed at the center of everything we do, team success follows. By developing elite athletes, outstanding teammates, and quality people, we create the foundation necessary to compete for the QMJHL title and contend for the Memorial Cup.

Not many CHL teams have been so outright and public about the NCAA piece – although more and more teams are likely to state this in the future.

The Islanders also said "strong NCAA relationships" would be an asset.

TOZER TRADED IN MHL

Sea Dogs prospect Eliot Tozer was involved in a Maritime Junior Hockey League trade this past week.

Tozer was traded to the Miramichi Timberwolves in a deal involving several assets. Here's the deal, per the MHL website:

Miramichi trades 1st round pick (Campbellton) and 2nd round pick (Edmundston) in the 2026 draft to West Kent for the rights to Eliot Tozer, 6th round pick (Miramichi) and 6th round pick (Summerside) in the 2026 draft and 2nd round pick (Edmundston) in the 2027 draft.

Tozer, 17, was a 12th-round pick of Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft. He was also a second-round choice of the West Kent Steamers in last year's MHL Draft.

Tozer has yet to appear in an MHL game. He posted 15 goals and 25 assists in 34 games with the Saint John Vito's last season where he was a teammate of Brock Lyons.

ECHL LISTS

A number of former Sea Dogs were included in ECHL protected lists, which were announced on June 9. Here's who was listed:

Oliver Cooper - Florida Everblades

William Dufour - Fort Wayne Komets

Nathan Noel - Norfolk Admirals

Vicent Sevigny - Reading Royals

Nick Deakin-Poot - Reading Royals

Olivier LeBlanc - Tahoe Knight Monsters

Kale McCallum - Trois-Rivieres Lions

Christopher Inniss - Trois-Rivieres Lions

Nicholas Girouard - Trois-Rivieres Lions

Nicolas Guay - Trois-Rivieres Lions

DESPRES TO AIHL

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres has signed with the Melbourne Ice of the Australian Ice Hockey League.

The AIHL plays their season during the North American spring/summer. Despres made his Ice debut on Saturday and had an impressive outing, registering four assists in Melbourne's 7-6 win over the Central Coast Rhinos.

Despres spent most of this past season with the Fife Flyers of the EIHL where he registered a goal and 10 assists in 41 games. He also played nine games with the Saint-Hyacinthe Bataillon of the LNAH.

Last summer, former Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips appeared in 11 games with the Melbourne Mustangs of the AIHL. Phillips and Despres were teammates for two seasons in Saint John which ended with the Sea Dogs hoisting the Memorial Cup in 2011.

Despres, the first overall pick in the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft, spent four seasons with the Sea Dogs. The 34-year-old has been playing in Europe since the 2017-18 season.

OTHER THINGS

• Not that there was much doubt, but the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have signed Thomas Boisvert, who they selected first overall in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

  🏒 Bienvenue dans la meute !
  
  Les Huskies de Rouyn-Noranda sont fiers d’annoncer la signature de Thomas Boisvert pour la prochaine saison ! 🔥
  
  Notre premier choix au repêchage de cette année, est prêt à rejoindre nos rangs 💪#HuskiesRN #EnsemblePourLesHuskies pic.twitter.com/iPcQL0XapL

  — Huskies de Rouyn-Noranda (@HuskiesRn) June 12, 2026

• CBC Nova Scotia has a story on the American invasion that happened during this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.
• The Hockey News has a story on CHL teams going all-in at the trade deadline and whether or not that is a good or bad thing.
• The Athletic reviews the first-round of the OHL Draft, which was held in-person for the first time since 2000. The vibe of the draft was definitely different than the QMJHL. The QMJHL's is more "look at this really impressive event we hold every year" while the OHL was more "here's why our league is so good and you should join it."
• 11 players from the Detroit Little Caesars program were taken in the OHL Draft. Two were selected in the QMJHL Entry Draft.

  Le record de 81 Américains de l’an dernier a été égalé dans le repêchage ontarien.
  
  Detroit Little Caesars a été la formation la plus prisée avec 11 sélections, ce qui fait réaliser à quel point le Michigan est une pépinière de talents pour l’OHL. https://t.co/osJy1OLzoN

  — Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) June 13, 2026