Saturday, August 29, 2026

Notebook: St. Stephen success

FREDERICTON - With Wednesday's victory over the Moncton Wildcats, the Saint John Sea Dogs improved to 3-2-0-0 all-time in pre-season play at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center.

The Sea Dogs have hosted the Wildcats in three of the five meetings. Saint John has won two of those three games.

Here's a look at the Sea Dogs' all-time results in St. Stephen.

Aug. 26, 2018 - 3-2 win vs Moncton
Aug. 23, 2019 - 4-2 loss vs Halifax
Aug. 20, 2024 - 4-1 win vs Charlottetown
Aug. 20, 2025 - 4-1 loss vs Moncton
Aug. 26, 2026 - 4-1 win vs Moncton

The Sea Dogs continue pre-season play in another border town on Sunday when they host the Rimouski Oceanic at 4 p.m. in Woodstock.

It's the second time the Sea Dogs have held a pre-season game at the AYR Motor Centre. Last year, the Sea Dogs fell to the Wildcats 5-4 in Woodstock.

GLANCE'S FIRST SHIFT
Highly touted American forward Jamie Glance made his QMJHL pre-season debut on Friday. He finished the game with an assist, two shots, one hit and a -2 rating. He had a great scoring chance in the second period, skating through the Moncton defense only to be stopped.

Glance played on a line with Zachary Morin and Alexis Joseph. Here's a look at his first shift.


LAFOND FINDS NEW HOME
20-year-old forward Maxime Lafond has found a home for the 2026-27 season.

Lafond was expected to attend Sea Dogs training camp on a loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs but opted out due to personal reasons. L'Express reports that Lafond has signed with his hometown Longueuil Collège Français of the QJHL.

Lafond recorded 13 goals and 36 assists in 63 games with the Volts last season. He has played in the QJHL before, appearing in 16 games in 2024-25.

MATEIKO UPDATE
Russian Machine Never Breaks reports that former Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko was taking part in informal skates with the Washington Capitals this past week.

It's great news after Mateiko suffered a significant injury last January, having his Achilles tendon torn by a skate blade. He missed the rest of his first American Hockey League season and the Winter Olympics.

RMNB reports that Mateiko rehabbed with the Hershey Bears following the injury, rooming with Bogdan Trineyev and Ilya Protas.

The 20-year-old Latvian, who spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, played in just 27 games with Hershey last year, posting a goal and five assists.

MIRAMICHI SIGNINGS
A few notable signings from the Miramichi Northmen of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League this past week.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Alex Bernier is back with the Northmen for a fourth season. Last year, the 29-year-old recorded three goals and 21 assists in 20 regular season games. He added an assist in four playoff games.

Bernier spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the club win the President Cup in 2017.

Forward Jack O'Blenis, a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, and forward Will Allen, who attended Sea Dogs training camp in 2024, have also signed with the Northmen. Both played in the Maritime Junior Hockey League last season.

MIDGLEY JOINS SIRENS
Former Sea Dogs assistant coach Jim Midgley has joined the New York Sirens' coaching staff as an assistant, the Professional Women's Hockey League club announced this week.

Midgley has spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Sceptres.

“I’m incredibly excited and honoured to join the New York Sirens organization,” said Midgley in a news release. “From my conversations with leadership, it’s clear there’s a shared vision and commitment to building a winning culture, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that journey. I look forward to working alongside an outstanding staff and a talented group of athletes who are committed to competing at the highest level.”

Midgley spent two seasons with the Sea Dogs, working under Jacques Beaulieu in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

The Sirens' staff is led by head coach Greg Fargo and also includes Valérie Bois (assistant coach) and Gordon Woodhall (goaltending and video coach).

OTHER THINGS
  • Nord Info reports that Alexis Joseph will be one of the players featured in a new series on Crave, showing what life is like in the QMJHL. Six players from the league will be focused on in the eight episode series.
  • One person who has been quite visible during Sea Dogs training camp is former captain Mike Thomas. Thomas was hired as the club's player mentor in June.
  • YourSaintJohn.ca has a story from Sea Dogs training camp, which includes some quotes from head coach Jim Hulton.
  • The CHL website takes a look at changes teams made throughout the off-season, which includes the Sea Dogs hiring Hulton and the Swift Current Broncos hiring Travis Crickard.
  • The Hockey Beast takes a look at Joseph.
  • Hockey Patrol has a story on Matthew Hlacar getting another chance in the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs. Hlacar, who helped the Kitchener Rangers win the Memorial Cup last season, was expected to take part in Sea Dogs training camp before finding a spot in the OHL.
  • Northeastern University's new arena won't be ready until the 2029-30 NCAA season, The Huntington News first reported this week. The arena was originally expected to be ready for the 2028-29 campaign. Northeastern tore down their historic home last season and will be the designated road team for all but one of their home games in 2026-27. It's a big blow to Northeastern – and it will be interesting to see if this has an impact on recruiting. The school has become a popular landing spot for QMJHL players.
  • Thomas Rousseau has committed to UConn.
  • Justin Poirier, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs defenseman Jeremie Poirier, has officially joined Penn State. Poirier spent last season at the University of Maine.
  • The Maritime Junior Hockey League began pre-season play on Friday night. The MHL regular season starts Sept. 10.
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