Notebook: Arkells comment on jersey choice

Arkells

Following quite a bit of feedback, the Arkells have responded to their unexpected wardrobe choice on Saturday night in Moncton.

Opening for the Jonas Brothers on the Université de Moncton campus, lead singer Max Kerman took to the stage wearing a Saint John Sea Dogs jersey – the same one he wore at Area 506 last year.

"Thought I was making friends in Moncton with the jersey. Oops. Great to see you all!," the band wrote in an Instagram post.

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JOSEPH RANKED SIXTH

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph was ranked sixth in The Athletic's pre-season rankings for the 2027 NHL Draft.

The pressure is certainly starting to heat up on Joseph as his second QMJHL season nears.

"He is a summer birthday, so with continued development he could profile as the kind of center teams covet as a cornerstone piece," writes Wheeler. "But you have to show it on the ice again and again, and he has left me wanting more a little too frequently. I thought about dropping him into Tier 3 here and will if he doesn't pick it up."

NHL.com had a story on Joseph during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Sea Dogs forward Jamie Glance, meanwhile, was ranked 22nd by The Athletic. Prospect Finnegan Sears was an honourable mention.

NEW EQUIPMENT MANAGER

Catching up on some old news... the Sea Dogs have a new head equipment manager.

Last month, the Sea Dogs announced that Mike Fines was hired by the club.

From the team's press release:

Fines, a 28-year military veteran, brings more than 15 years of hockey equipment management experience to the Sea Dogs. He began his career in 2009 with a Halifax-area Junior A team while still serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.

For the past 13 seasons, Fines has served as Equipment Manager for the men’s and women’s hockey programs at Saint Mary’s University in U Sports. During his time with the Huskies, he worked with numerous players who went on to professional careers while supporting the day-to-day operations of two highly successful programs.

“I am incredibly excited to join the Sea Dogs and work alongside such a dedicated group of professionals,” said Fines in the release. “I’m really looking forward to supporting the team on and off the ice.”

The Sea Dogs website lists Griffin Crossman as an assistant equipment manager.

FLAMES X SEA DOGS

The Saint John Flames will play their first Beausejour Senior Hockey League game on Oct. 3 at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink. The BSHL's full 2026-27 schedule was released a few weeks ago.

There will be four occasions this season (and perhaps more depending on playoff scheduling) where the Sea Dogs will be play a 4 p.m. game at TD Station and the Flames will play at 7 p.m. at the LBR.

Oct. 10 – Sea Dogs vs Charlottetown and Flames vs Dalhousie

Oct. 17 – Sea Dogs vs Cape Breton and Flames vs Bouctouche

Nov. 21 – Sea Dogs vs Moncton and Flames vs Bouctouche

Dec. 5 – Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau and Flames vs Miramichi

This is the first season where the Sea Dogs will be playing all Saturday home games at 4 p.m.

DRAFT VIDEO

If you missed this awhile ago, here's a behind the scenes look of Saint John's 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft.

OTHER THINGS

• Folks, we're just two weeks away from Sea Dogs pre-season hockey.
• The QMJHL website has a feature on Saint John's three graduating overagers from last season: Maxime Côté (UdeM), Angelo Fullerton (UNB) and Julien Wasmer (University of Maine).
• The Moncton Wildcats acquired Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil in a deal with the Halifax Mooseheads last week.

  Welcome to Moncton, Liam!
  
  The Wildcats have added Liam Kilfoil from Halifax via trade -- presented by @SubaruofMoncton.
  
  Kilfoil has amassed 105 pts (44G, 61A) in his @QMJHL career & has represented Canada multiple times at the U17 and U18 levels. pic.twitter.com/1mAQHTqKJN

  — Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) August 6, 2026

• Another update on the potential significant upgrades to Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre: it sounds like the federal government is on board for funding part of the project, CBC reports.
• Brad Flynn, the son of former Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn, has been named associate coach of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers. Flynn was an assistant coach with the Rangers the past three seasons.
• Victory+, the streaming service used by the WHL, doesn't appear to be in great financial shape, Sports Business Journal reports. The Anaheim Ducks and MLB's Texas Rangers have both left the service.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins ended their affiliation with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers after 29 years. The Penguins are now affiliated with the powerhouse Florida Everblades, who are also owned by the Hoffmann family, who recently purchased the Pens. The Nailers have since announced an affiliation agreement with the Columbus Blue Jackets.