Sea Dogs make two deals with Cataractes

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The Saint John Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes made a couple deals on the opening day of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade period.

The Sea Dogs acquired 20-year-old defenseman Julien Lanthier from the Cataractes in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick (originally Charlottetown's) and a conditional 2028 second-rounder. In a separate deal, Saint John traded forward William Yared to Shawinigan for a conditional 2029 second-round pick.

Lanthier will likely be a key piece on Saint John's backend this year – one that looks to make major improvements. The overager has appeared in 225 regular season QMJHL games split between the Cataractes and Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He's also appeared in 38 playoff games.

“Julien is one of the most experienced defensemen in the league,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “We are adding a reliable, high-character, two-way defenseman with more than 30 playoff games of experience who wants to win.”

Lanthier posted three goals and 12 assists in 43 regular season games last year. He added a goal and three assists in 11 playoff games.

Listed at 6'0" and 185 lbs, Lanthier was the 10th overall pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Yared, meanwhile, was rumoured to be on the move.

“After discussions with William, the timing made sense for a fresh start for him,” said Georgie in the team's press release. “We wish him the best of luck with his new team and in taking the next step in his hockey career.”

Yared was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He posted 24 goals and 31 assists in 106 games with Saint John split over two seasons.

It will be interesting to see how Yared performs in Shawinigan, who should have a good team this coming season.

The Sea Dogs visit Shawinigan on Jan. 14 while the Cataractes play in Saint John on Feb. 24.

The QMJHL's pre-season trade period ends on Sept. 2.