Radkov off to impressive start

Saint John Sea Dogs fans got a good look at why the Val-d'Or Foreurs sit first overall in the QMJHL standings on Sunday.

The Foreurs grabbed a 3-0 lead over the Sea Dogs in the second period and hung on for a 3-1 victory, completing an impressive four-game sweep through the Maritimes. Val-d'Or outscored opponents 19-5 during the four-game stretch.

Val-d'Or now owns a 10-1-1-0 record, placing them first overall. That includes a 7-0-1-0 record on the road.

Sea Dogs fans have gotten used to seeing former Dogs play starring roles when facing their old club. Sunday was no different as goaltender Arseni Radkov made 33 stops in a first star performance. That included stopping all 19 shots he faced in the third period.

Radkov is now a solid 4-0-1 on the year, owning a 2.32 goals against average – the third best in the QMJHL – and a .913 save percentage.

The Sea Dogs did manage to keep Nolann Héroux off the scoresheet on Sunday. The former Sea Dogs forward, who has spent much of the season on Val-d'Or's top line, has five goals and nine assists in 12 games with the Foreurs.

Héroux isn't the only former Sea Dog currently averaging over a point-per-game in the QMJHL this season. Here's a look at how all the ex-Dogs have performed so far.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Nolann Héroux	VDO	12	5	9	14
Chad Bellemare	SHE	10	6	5	11
Egan Beveridge	QUE	10	5	2	7
Cole Renaud	ROU	12	3	2	5
William Yared	SHA	9	3	0	3
Elliot Dubé	BLB	12	2	1	3
Max Vilen	MON	6	0	0	0

Chad Bellemare leads the Phoenix in goals and is tied for the team's points lead.

The Phoenix also include goaltender Kyan Labbé, a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. Labbé is currently tied for the league lead in wins with six.