Sea Dogs feeling good about draft weekend performance

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

HALIFAX - An eventful weekend was a good weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs made a lot of noise during the first-round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, trading down to eventually pull off one of the biggest deals of the night, acquiring defenseman Thomas Charbonneau and forward Ryan Howard from the Quebec Remparts.

With the 14th overall pick, Saint John selected Pictou's Lawrence Williams, one of the top-ranked defensemen in this year's draft class.

The Sea Dogs leave Halifax with a bolstered lineup via trades, 10 players added via the draft and a number of additional picks for future drafts.

"I thought we accomplished mostly what we were looking to do," said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie. "We had a plan coming into the weekend. We wanted to grow our assets, make sure that we were really flexible moving forward in terms of picks and players. We obviously had a positional need on left shot defense and being able to add
Tom (Charbonneau) and Lawrence (Williams), that can make a difference for our group. Howard was a guy we always really liked. Plays hard, plays physical. I think his best years are ahead. So we were able to add him, which fits into our age group. I feel really good about it."

While much of the buzz on Friday centered around Charbonneau and Howard, the Sea Dogs were certainly happy with the selection of Williams. Ranked ninth overall by QMJHL Central Scouting and second amongst defensemen, Williams recorded over a point-per-game (10 goals and 28 assists in 32 regular season games) with the under-18 Weeks Major Midgets last season.

"A two-way defenseman, very reliable, can play offence, can play defensively, can be a shutdown, can play physical. He's kind of like a jack of all trades, he can do a lot of different things," said Sea Dogs director of scouting Nick Lepore. "I think he's the type of player that stabilizes a d-core and that a coach can put on the ice and really have no worries about whether it's offensively or defensively. And just also a great human being, a great kid. We interviewed him twice and we really, really like his character."

Lawrence is listed at just under 6'1" and 165 lbs by the QMJHL. While he's still a bit slight – like most players at this age – the team believe Williams can be a contributor to the team's backend next season.

"I think he's ready. I think he can be ready," Lepore said about Williams. "He just needs to get a bit bigger and stronger, but I know he works hard, so I think he'll do it."

Lepore feels members of this year's draft class will come to training camp and make a push for roster spots – but at the same time, there aren't many spots available, especially with additions still to come from the CHL Import Draft and likely some overagers. Saint John's management will do what is best for each player's development.

One thing Saint John's draft picks went through: an in-depth interview process. The team has clearly put a focus on ensuring players are a fit both on and off the ice.

"We really want to have a good culture around the team and we did a really thorough interview process. I think a lot of the drafted kids will agree to that. We met a lot of the guys multiple times. Zoom interviews, in-person interviews. We took a lot of time. The staff did a great job. We had a little bit of a bigger staff this year. We added a few scouts and we really dove into getting to know the kids, the families, talk to multiple people in their circles – coaches, ex-coaches. So that's one thing we really focussed on – character and the type of person.

"I think now a lot of the kids want things given to them. We want to kind of find the kids that want to be Sea Dogs and that are very coachable and likeable and good human beings. So I think we really got that and really addressed that last year and this year in our drafts."

One of the notable characteristics about Saint John's draft class is size. Officially, only three of the 10 players are listed over 6'0". Obviously players at this age can still grow – but it's also not too much of a concern for the team.

"The thing we were looking for the most in the draft, and we did a really thorough interview process, was compete level and high character," said Lepore. "It's kind of the identity we're looking to bring to Saint John. And those are the guys you win with. So for me, that they're a little undersized doesn't really bother me if they play the way we want them to play and the way that we're trying to build the team."

We won't really know how Saint John performed this weekend for several years down the road. It could take even longer for this year's draft given that the Sea Dogs put a focus on building up their draft banks for the next few seasons – and that's a good thing.

"I think we're in a really good spot moving forward," said Georgie. "Especially when you look around at the other teams that are in our cycle and what assets they have to make moves. Picks are always at a premium. So I thought overall, we accomplished our plan and it doesn't always go that way. But, if you told me on Friday morning, this is how we'd end up, we would have signed on that. We're happy."