Notebook: Jay joins Titan

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a new equipment manager next season.

Tyler Jay, who has been Saint John's head equipment manager since the 2019-20 season, has joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the team announced Monday. 

“We are excited to bring Tyler into our organization” Titan general manager and head coach Gordie Dwyer said in a news release. “His experience working with elite junior players at the club and national team levels will help to prepare our players for the season and the next level.”

Jay will be reunited Dwyer, who was Saint John's head coach during the 2021-22 season. Jay worked as an assistant equipment manager with the Charlottetown Islanders when Dwyer was the club's head coach.

Jay was also part of Saint John's staff during the 2016-17 season, helping the club win the President Cup.

BROADCAST INFO

On Monday, the QMJHL officially announced broadcast details for this year's Entry Draft.

From the league:

The 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft presented by Fenplast will take place on June 7 and 8 at Moncton’s Avenir Centre.

The first round will begin this Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Atlantic and will broadcast live on Eastlink and TVA Sports.

Rounds 2 to 14 will take place on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern / 9:30 a.m. Atlantic, and fans will be able to catch them on both Eastlink and CHL TV.

This is the first time the QMJHL has held its first round on a Friday night. Traditionally all rounds have been held on Saturday.

The draft is free to attend.

Spirit win 2024 Memorial Cup

CHL X

The Saginaw Spirit are Memorial Cup champions.

The host Spirit upset the favoured London Knights 4-3 in Sunday night's tournament finale to win their first championship of any kind. It's the first time a team from Michigan has hoisted the trophy and the first time an American squad has won since the 2008 Spokane Chiefs.

The Spirit dominated the first half of the game and built a 3-0 lead. The Knights scored their first goal of the game at 9:45 of the second period – which was just their second shot on goal.

The Knights, somewhat predictably, gained some momentum from that goal and scored twice in the third period to tie things at 3-3. Just when it looked like the game was heading to overtime, Saginaw's Josh Bloom scored the winner with 22 seconds remaining to secure the Memorial Cup title.

JOSH BLOOM WITH THE BIGGEST GOAL IN FRANCHISE HISTORY 🚨

THE OA SCORES THE TOURNAMENT-WINNING GOAL WITH 21 SECONDS LEFT TO LEAD SAGINAW TO VICTORY 📽️#MemorialCup | @SpiritHockey | @Canucks pic.twitter.com/wI2rvY7kD7

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 3, 2024

The Spirit join the 2012 Shawinigan Cataractes (who also beat the Knights in the final), 2017 Windsor Spitfires and 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs as recent host teams to lift the Memorial Cup after not winning their league title. The 2005 Knights remain the last host team to win both their league and the Memorial Cup.

Saginaw is the first OHL club to win the Memorial Cup since the 2017 Spitfires. The QMJHL had won the last four tournaments.

The 2025 Memorial Cup will be held in Rimouski next spring.

Notebook: It's been 13 years

Embed from Getty Images

It was 13 years ago Wednesday that the Saint John Sea Dogs hoisted the Memorial Cup for the first time.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 3-1 on May 29, 2011 in the tournament's championship game. Saint John became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the trophy but have since been joined by the Halifax Mooseheads (2013) and Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2018).

The full game can be seen below.

STARTING AT HOME

For the first time since 2021, the Sea Dogs will begin the regular season at home.

Saint John will host the Moncton Wildcats on Sept. 20 to kick off regular season play. The Sea Dogs have started the past two seasons in Bathurst, defeating the Titan 6-4 last year and 4-3 the year prior.

This will also be the first time since 2013 that the Sea Dogs begin the regular season by facing the Wildcats. Saint John won in Moncton on Sept. 13, 2013.

The Sea Dogs hosted the Wildcats in their 2011 season opener, falling 3-1 with a lineup that was missing several regulars due to NHL camps.

Voltigeurs eliminated from Memorial Cup

Eric Young / CHL

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's run of Memorial Cup championships has come to a close.

The QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs had their Memorial Cup hopes come to an end on Tuesday, falling 5-3 to the Western Hockey League's Moose Jaw Warriors. The Volts leave Saginaw with an 0-3 record, becoming the first QMJHL team to go winless and not reach at least the tournament semifinal since the 2010 Moncton Wildcats in Brandon.

Moose Jaw scored the game-winner while shorthanded with 1:34 remaining in the third period. Shots ended 52-28 in favour of Drummondville with 26 of the Volts' shots coming in the third.

QMJHL teams have won the past four Memorial Cups, a stretch that began with the 2018 Acadie-Bathurst Titan and continued with the 2019 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs and 2023 Quebec Remparts. There were no tournaments held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.

History says it's not often teams recover from bad starts at the Memorial Cup – and the Voltigeurs were victims of that. Drummondville dropped their opener 4-0 to the powerhouse London Knights and then blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads in a 4-3 loss to the host Saginaw Spirit.

Drummondville's lineup included former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart and Quispamsis native Sam Oliver. The two played together on the team's third line.

Moose Jaw, 1-2, will play in Friday's semifinal game against the loser of Wednesday's London/Saginaw game. The winner of Wednesday's tilt earns a bye through to Sunday's final.

The last OHL team to win the Memorial Cup was the 2017 Windsor Spitfires. No WHL team has won the trophy since the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings.

Notebook: Sea Dogs have job openings

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

If these job postings are any indication, we may see the business side of the Saint John Sea Dogs change things up this season.

The Sea Dogs posted three prominent job openings on LinkedIn this past week.

• Manager, Season Tickets and Groups
• Manager, Sales and Partnerships
• Director of Business Operations

These positions will be come with challenges for whoever takes them. Saint John's attendance has not rebounded from the pandemic like most other teams and the squad is likely in for another rough year on the ice.

One of the postings also mentioned something that has perhaps been forgotten: this upcoming season will be the team's 20th.

SCHEDULE COMING

According to a tweet from the Cape Breton Eagles, the QMJHL will release its 2024-25 regular season schedule on Monday at 12:30 p.m.

The season will likely open on the weekend of Sept. 20-21. The Sea Dogs played their first game of the season on Sept. 22 last year – which was also game No. 1 for the entire QMJHL.

The biggest adjustment to this year's schedule is the league moving to a 64-game slat, which removes four matches. For Maritimes Division teams, that is expected to mean four less games within the division and four less mid-week games.

NCAA CHANGES

Major changes are coming to the NCAA following a $2.7 billion court settlement this past week.

This is still messy (and will be for the next few months) and it's not clear how much it will impact hockey. The changes will have a much bigger impact on college football and basketball, but there will definitely be some impacts to hockey as well.

The biggest expected changes:

• There will likely be opportunities for hockey players to be straight up paid by some schools.
• Those same schools and others will be able to increase the number of scholarships they can offer hockey players.
• On top of that – and the biggest change for the sport as a whole – is CHL players will very likely be able to play NCAA hockey in the near future. This will not be an automatic change based on last week's settlement, though. Either the NCAA will have to willingly drop the current rule or a player(s) will have to challenge the rule in court (which the player(s) will almost certainly win).

TSN's Darren Dreger touched on the possible impacts to the CHL on Friday.

How ex-Dogs performed in QMJHL playoffs

QMJHL

Noah Reinhart and the Drummondville Voltigeurs begin their quest for the Memorial Cup on Saturday in Saginaw.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward, who was traded to Drummondville during the holiday trade period, posted 13 goals and 16 assists in 30 games in the second half with the Volts. He added another five goals and six assists in 19 playoff games, helping Drummondville win their first QMJHL title since 2009.

Reinhart's 11 points placed him second in playoff scoring amongst former Sea Dogs. Cam MacDonald, who helped the Cape Breton Eagles reach the league semifinals, led the way with 13 points in 13 games.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Cam MacDonald	CAP	13	7	6	13
Noah Reinhart	DRU	19	5	6	11
Cole Burbidge	CAP	14	3	5	8
Leighton Carruthers	ROU	10	2	3	5
Mathis Gauthier	GAT	5	3	1	4
Vince Elie	SHA	4	1	3	4
Charles Savoie	RIM	5	1	2	3
Simon Hughes	CHA	4	2	0	2
Danny Akkouche	GAT	5	1	0	1
Connor Trenholm	MON	4	0	1	1
Chad Bellemare	SHE	7	0	1	1
Peter Reynolds	HAL	4	0	0	0

This was the final QMJHL playoffs for three key players in Saint John's 2022 Memorial Cup victory: MacDonald, Connor Trenholm and Peter Reynolds.

Reinhart is the lone Sea Dogs alumnus playing in this year's Memorial Cup, which also features the host Saginaw Spirt, OHL champion London Knights and WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Former Sea Dogs forward Charles Savoie helped the Quebec Remparts win last year's Memorial Cup in Kamloops.

Notebook: Labbé commits to BCHL

Quebec AAA League Twitter

According to the BCHL website, Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé has committed to the Nanaimo Clippers.

Labbé previously committed to the NCAA's Union College for the 2026-27 season, so the move to the BCHL does not come as a huge surprise. BCHL players remain eligible to play college hockey.

The 16-year-old goaltender was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Labbé is coming off an impressive second season with the Magog Cantonniers, helping the team capture both the Quebec under-18 title and the Telus Cup national championship.

The BCHL website also shows that 17-year-old defenseman Anthony Biakabutuka, a 10th-round pick of Saint John in 2022, has committed to the Clippers. Biakabutuka is committed to the NCAA's College of the Holy Cross.

ANSONS, LATVIA DONE

The IIHF World Championship has come to an end for former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons and Team Latvia.

Latvia failed to qualify for the elimination round following a 4-3 record in the preliminary round, placing them fifth in Group B. Three of the team's wins came in extra time.

Ansons, who split this past season between the AHL and ECHL, had an assist in five worlds games. He saw less ice time as the tournament went on, playing just 5:20 in the team's 6-3 loss to the United States on Tuesday.

This was Ansons first trip to the World Championship. He's played previously for Latvia at the under-20 and under-18 levels.

Field set for 2024 Memorial Cup

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The field is now set for the 2024 Memorial Cup.

The London Knights and Moose Jaw Warriors secured their spots in the tournament on Wednesday night, joining the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs and host Saginaw Spirit. The tournament begins next Friday in Michigan.

All four championship series ended in sweeps, which is a CHL first. Drummondville and London had fairly easy times with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Oshawa Generals, respectively, while Moose Jaw had a few close games with the Portland Winterhawks.

🗓️ Plan accordingly! #MemorialCup

📺💻📱TSN | RDS | NHL Network (🇺🇸) | #CHLTV (🌍) pic.twitter.com/vF65CknKdZ

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 16, 2024

Both Saginaw and Moose Jaw will be making their Memorial Cup debuts. This was the first WHL championship for the Warriors despite their franchise dating back 40 years.

Drummondville will be making their fourth appearance and first since 2009.

London, meanwhile, has been no stranger to this tournament over the past 20 years. The Knights will be playing in their sixth Memorial Cup since 2005 and will be looking for a third title. They'll likely be favourites going into this given how they handled the OHL with relative ease this season – which included eliminating Saginaw in the third round of the playoffs.

All three league champions will have over a week to prepare for the Memorial Cup. Saginaw hasn't played since May 5.

The QMJHL has won the past four Memorial Cups. The OHL last won it in 2017 (Windsor Spitfires) while no WHL team has won since 2014 (Edmonton Oil Kings).

Voltigeurs win Gilles-Courteau Trophy

TSN

For the first time since 2009, the Drummondville Voltigeurs are champions of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The Voltigeurs completed a sweep of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Tuesday night with a 4-3 win. The victory gives the Volts the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and a spot in the Memorial Cup.

The Volts winning the QMJHL title doesn't come as a huge surprise. They loaded up this year and finished the regular season with the second best record. The surprise was how they handled the Drakkar, the league's top team all year, with ease.

A 15-year wait ends! @VoltigeursDRU are @QMJHL champions again! 🏆#RoadtoMemorialCup pic.twitter.com/7plM9gMpzy

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 15, 2024

With the exception of Game 2 that needed overtime, Drummondville had little trouble with Baie-Comeau. The Volts outscored the high powered Drakkar 16-5 with almost all of Baie-Comeau's goals coming in the final two games when they were already out of reach.

Veteran defenseman Vsevolod Komarov was named playoff MVP. Other strong candidates for the Guy Lafleur Trophy were forward Ethan Gauthier and goaltender Riley Mercer.

Another standout for the Voltigeurs was Saint John native Sam Oliver, who finished the series with three goals – two of which came in Tuesday's clinching game.

The Volts also feature former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart, who was held pointless in the series.

Thanks to the sweep, Drummondville has plenty of time to prepare for the Memorial Cup. Their first game will be Saturday, May 25 against the Ontario Hockey League champion.

League finals set; Memorial Cup host out early again

OHL

Winning the Memorial Cup as the host team? That's hard. Winning your league as the Memorial Cup host team? That's proven to be even harder.

The Saginaw Spirit, the host of this year's Memorial Cup tournament, were eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in the third round by the London Knights. The Spirit's last game was on May 5 and they won't play again until May 24 when they host the Western Hockey League champions.

Remarkably, Saginaw's elimination means no Memorial Cup host team has won their respective league since the 2008 Kitchener Rangers. No host team has won both the Memorial Cup and their respective league since the 2005 London Knights, considered one of the greatest junior teams of all-time.

Here is how each Memorial Cup host has done in their league playoffs since the last host champion (Kitchener) in 2008.... pic.twitter.com/W0Xx0JglIM

— Steve McLean (@SteveMcLean888) May 5, 2024

Since 2008, three host teams have managed to lift the Memorial Cup on home ice: the 2012 Shawinigan Cataractes, the 2017 Windsor Spitfires and the 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs (the Sea Dogs were, oddly, involved in all three of those tournaments).

It's fair to say that this is officially a trend – and can the Rimouski Oceanic stop it by winning the Gilles Courteau Trophy next year?

For the 14th straight CHL season the Memorial Cup host will not win their league title. Last time the host did win their league was Kitchener in 2008.
The longest stretch before this one was 7 seasons on two different occasions, 1988-1994 & 1998-2004.

— Steve McLean (@SteveMcLean888) May 5, 2024

With Saginaw out in the third round, all three league championships will have a berth in the Memorial Cup on the line.

Memorial Cup hosts moving on in OHL

The 2024 Memorial Cup hosts are still alive.

The Saginaw Spirit secured a spot in the OHL's Western Conference Final with a 3-1 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in Game 7 of their second round series on Tuesday. The win pushes the Spirit into the league's final four where they'll face the top-seeded London Knights.

Saginaw led 1-0 after one but the Soo tied it up in the second period. The Spirit heavily outshot the Greyhounds in the third and finally retook the lead midway through the period before securing the win with an empty netter. Shots were 14-5 in favour of Saginaw in the third and 34-17 overall.

CALEM MANGONE DOES IT AGAIN 🫡

The Soo native makes no mistake from Michael Misa's pass to re-take the lead for the @SpiritHockey in Game 7 📽️#OHLPlayoffs | #SAGvsSOO pic.twitter.com/SN8tmV181g

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 24, 2024

Soo seemed to have all the momentum entering Game 7. The Greyhounds posted a statement 5-0 win in Game 6 on Sunday while the Spirit were missing a couple regulars for Game 7.

The Spirit finished with 102 points in the regular season, just two points back of the Knights. The two split the four-game season series.

Winning and hosting the Memorial Cup has been a difficult task over the past 20 years. The host team has not won a league championship since the Kitchener Rangers in 2008. No host has won a league title and the Memorial Cup since the loaded Knights of 2005.

The OHL's Eastern Conference Final will feature the North Bay Battalion taking on the Oshawa Generals.

The third round of the QMJHL playoffs begin Thursday in Baie-Comeau with the Drakkar hosting the Cape Breton Eagles. The other series begins Friday with the Drummondville Voltigeurs hosting nearby rivals the Victoriaville Tigres.

Over in the WHL, the third round will feature the Moose Jaw Warriors taking on the Saskatoon Blades in the east and the Prince George Cougars facing the Portland Winterhawks in the west.

A few other news and notes...

• At the Telus Cup in Sydney, Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé and the Magog Cantonniers are off to a 2-0 start. Labbé, who recently committed to the NCAA's Union College, made 26 saves in Magog's 5-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Monday and followed that up with 27 saves in a 6-1 win over the Markham Waxers on Tuesday.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Foston had a goal in the Miramichi Timberwolves' 5-1 victory over the Summerside Western Capitals on Monday, evening the Maritime Hockey League final at 1-1.
• Charlie Coyle is the lone former Sea Dog playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. Coyle has been held pointless through two games as his Boston Bruins are tied 1-1 in their first round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Team Canada begins the IIHF Under-18 World Championship on Thursday when they take on Sweden. Canada's head coach is Gardiner MacDougall while Travis Crickard is an assistant. Canada has played two pre-tournament games, beating Finland 5-1 on Saturday and Norway 4-3 on Tuesday.

Notebook: McCluskey pushes Bearcats to first round MHL series win

UNB Athletics

HALIFAX - Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Carter McCluskey played a key role in getting the Truro Bearcats into the second round of the Maritime Hockey League playoffs.

McCluskey, who appeared in 22 games with the Cape Breton Eagles earlier this season, recorded four goals and two assists in just three games, helping lift the Bearcats to a 4-2 series win over the Valley Wildcats.

Those numbers included scoring the overtime winner in Game 5 on Sunday.

Carter McCluskey with a statement in his return with a first star performance(2G 1A) which included this overtime winner in front of 1200 strong at the RECC! We can close out the series Tuesday night in Berwick! #ExpectToWin pic.twitter.com/SCBbhpGNeK

— Truro Junior ‘A’ Bearcats (@trurobearcats) March 27, 2023

McCluskey, Cael MacDonald and the Bearcats will face Ben Roode and the Yarmouth Mariners in the next round.

The other series will feature the Edmundston Blizzard (Brandon Casey) facing either the Summerside Western Capitals or Campbellton Tigers (Connor Richard and Dawson Stairs). The Capitals host the Tigers in a Game 7 on Friday.

FINAL RANKINGS

The Gatineau Olympiques finished the regular season fourth in the QMJHL standings but have been ranked No. 1 in the final edition of the CHL Top 10.

Three other QMJHL teams were ranked as well.

The @OlympiquesGAT finish 🔝 of the @KiaCanada CHL Top 🔟 rankings!

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 28, 2023 

2024 Memorial Cup awarded to Saginaw

The 2024 Memorial Cup is heading to Michigan.

The Canadian Hockey League announced Wednesday that the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit will host next year's championship tournament. It's the first time the event will be held in Michigan and its first trip south of the border since 1998 in Spokane.

“We are thrilled to bring the Memorial Cup to the state of Michigan for the first time in the event’s history,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “The Spirit and City of Saginaw submitted a remarkable bid and we have no doubt that they will do an outstanding job of hosting our CHL championship next year.”

And the 2024 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada goes to 🥁... pic.twitter.com/CLyLWTOEYo

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 29, 2023

The Spirit have been around since 2002 but have never won an OHL title. They did, however, have the third best record in the league at the time of the 2020 COVID shutdown.

Saginaw is headlined by 16-year-old Michael Misa, who made his OHL debut this past season after being granted exceptional player status. And what an exceptional rookie season he had. From the CHL news release:

Led by General Manager Dave Drinkill and Head Coach Chris Lazary, the Saginaw Spirit finished the 2022-23 season with a 36-27-3-2 record and will face off against the in-state rival Flint Firebirds in the first round of the OHL Playoffs beginning tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. EST / 4:05 p.m. PST on CHL TV. On the ice, the Spirit are highlighted by Exceptional Status forward Michael Misa, whose 56 points (22G, 34A) this past season were the most by an OHL rookie. The first pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection also averaged 1.24 points-per-game this season — the highest of any OHL Exceptional Status player and ahead of John Tavares’ 1.18 points-per-game average with the Oshawa Generals in 2005-06.

Of the four teams who bid to host the 2024 Memorial Cup, Saginaw is the only one that qualified for this year's OHL playoffs. The Kingston Frontenacs, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Niagara IceDogs also submitted bids.

Notebook: End of a Sea Dogs era

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - An era officially ended on Saturday at TD Station.

Brady Burns and Charlie DesRoches, the two remaining members of Saint John's 2018 draft class, played their final regular season games in a Sea Dogs uniform.

The two were part of the draft class that has been the foundation for this era of Sea Dogs hockey. Along with Burns (2nd round, 29th overall) and DesRoches (2nd round, 32nd overall), that 2018 class also included William Villeneuve (1st round, 2nd overall), Jeremie Poirier (1st round, 8th overall), Josh Lawrence (1st round, 15th overall), Dawson Stairs (7th round, 109th overall), Kale McCallum (8th round, 133rd overall) and Riley Bezeau (12th round, 199th overall).

Villeneuve, Poirier and Bezeau all played in the American Hockey League this season. Lawrence, meanwhile, played his overage season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Halifax Mooseheads; Stairs is with the Maritime Hockey League's Campbellton Tigers; and McCallum joined the UNB Reds in January.

Burns didn't record any points in Saint John's regular season finale on Saturday, meaning the franchise record for career goals will stick at 116 and career points at 258. Burns set both franchise marks this season.

DesRoches recently surpassed Kevin Gagne for the most games played by a defensemen in Sea Dogs history. Amongst all skaters, DesRoches places fifth all-time in games played by a Sea Dog (273) while Burns is second (290). Spencer Smallman holds the franchise record with 293 games played.

BIG MONTH

What a final month Peter Reynolds had.

Reynolds recorded nine goals and eight assists in the month of the March, giving the Fredericton native 17 goals and 44 points in 43 games this season. Reynolds scored in eight of Saint John's 11 games in March and his production was a big reason why the Sea Dogs had such a strong finish to the regular season.

The Sea Dogs got back into the playoff race by going 4-2-4-0 in their final 10 games. Reynolds recorded 17 points in those games.

Reynolds (1.02) and Brady Burns (1.16) were the only Sea Dogs to average a point-per-game or better this year.

Moncton awarded 2024 Top Prospects Game

The Moncton Wildcats will host the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The announcement was made Friday morning at the Avenir Centre. The annual event, which will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, will take place in Atlantic Canada for just the second time (Halifax hosted in 2013).

“We are thrilled to bring the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game to Moncton for the first time,” said Canadian Hockey League president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “With a surplus of CHL talent eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, we look forward to bringing the stars of tomorrow to the Maritimes.”

Here is Mr. Irving to announce that Jan 24, 2024 the @AvenirCentre & @monctonwildcats will host the @CHLHockey 2024 Kubota Top Prospects Game!

The ticket to this game will be INCLUDED to all Season Ticket Holders next season #TopProspectsGame #DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/tfXQ9unlqN

— 🎙X-Wildcast Podcast 🎧 (@MonctonWildcast) March 24, 2023

Ticket information will be released in the fall.

While Halifax got much of the spotlight at this year's World Junior Hockey Championship, Moncton had a successful run as the "secondary host." The Avenir Centre is one of the finest junior hockey buildings in the country and you have to think the city will be welcoming a steady stream of events in the coming years.

That leads to the question: will the Wildcats bid to host the 2025 Memorial Cup? Hosting the Top Prospects Game is certainly a good test run and showcase for the organization.

In theory, it seems unlikely that a Maritime city would be the QMJHL's host for a third straight time (Halifax did it in 2019 and Saint John in 2022). The event hasn't been held in Quebec since 2015 (Quebec City). But, Moncton may be best positioned to host if they are interested.

Gatineau and the new Slush Puppie Centre would be a great option to host in 2025, but it's unlikely they will be able to create a competitive team by then. Same goes for Sherbrooke (although their arena may be a bit too small anyways). Chicoutimi would be a great host but their aging rink and Olympic sized ice sheet are an issue. Rimouski and Shawinigan could be options, but both are in the medium/small market size. Quebec City will always be on the CHL's radar but they just hosted in 2015 (although that was at the old Colisee Pepsi) and it's hard to say what the Remparts could look like in a couple years.

In the Maritimes, recent hosts Halifax and Saint John aren't options which... leaves Moncton as perhaps the best option in the QMJHL. Time will tell.

The 2025 Memorial Cup host will presumably be announced next spring.

The host of the 2024 Memorial Cup should be announced soon. Kingston, Sault Ste. Marie, Niagara and Saginaw all submitted bids. Pension Plan Puppets recently examined the four potential hosts.

Notebook: Chabot to be inducted into Sea Dogs Hall of Fame

It was announced this past week that defenseman Thomas Chabot will be inducted into the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame in June.

“It’s an honour for me because Saint John is where it all started,” said the Ottawa Senators d-man. “I loved every minute that I spent playing and living there, I met great people along the way and created friendships that will last a lifetime.”

The Sea Dogs surprised Chabot with the news during a stop at the Bell Centre this week.

Today we got to be a part of something special as the @SJSeaDogs surprised @ThomasChabot1 with his induction into the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame! Thomas will be inducted during the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame weekend June 23-25.

Congrats, Chabby! 👏#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/TIQfewQbix

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 31, 2023

Brady Tkachuk came out for his media availability here in Montreal wearing a Thomas Chabot QMJHL Sea Dogs jersey. Just repping a buddy. pic.twitter.com/UlQoZddokb

— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) January 31, 2023

Chabot, along with former Sea Dogs coaches Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame June 23-25.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Thomas have previously been inducted. According to a news release, "the 2024 Sea Dogs Hall of Fame class will be announced at this year’s ceremony."

Notebook: Moose coming in hot

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - The Halifax Mooseheads are more than hot. The Maritimes Division leading club makes their way to Saint John essentially on fire.

The Mooseheads have earned at least a point in 17 straight games. Following Thursday's 6-3 home win over the Shawinigan Cataractes, Halifax is on a 15-0-2-0 run, tying a franchise best.

Franchise record tying win in Moose Country! pic.twitter.com/w1MbWpYeGF

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) January 20, 2023

Halifax is, of course, led by its offense with Jordan Dumais, Alexandre Doucet and Josh Lawrence all sitting top-five in league scoring. But it's the team's defense and goaltending that has been noticeably impressive of late.

Netminder Mathis Rousseau was named the QMJHL's Player of the Week, playing a key role in the Mooseheads defeating the Quebec Remparts and Sherbrooke Phoenix on home ice.

The Mooseheads face the Sea Dogs on Friday and Saturday night at TD Station.

DUFOUR SENT DOWN

A day after making his NHL debut, the New York Islanders have reassigned former Sea Dogs forward William Dufour back to the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Islanders.

#Isles Transaction: William Dufour has been returned on loan to Bridgeport.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 19, 2023

Dufour finished Wednesday's game - a 4-1 Islanders loss to the league-leading Boston Bruins - with a -2 rating and played less than seven minutes. The handling of Dufour, who has risen to become one of New York's best prospects over the past calendar year, was not well received by some.

William Dufour back to Bridgeport.

So Isles recall him, play him for less than 7 minutes against the league's best team, and then bench him for the remaining half of the game.

In other words, an organizational error, IMO.

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) January 19, 2023

The 20-year-old Dufour, playing in his first season of professional hockey, has an impressive 13 goals and 12 assists in 37 games, placing him ninth in AHL rookie points and fourth in rookie goals.

QMJHL's trade period comes to an end

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It was a fairly uneventful final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade period on Friday.

The biggest deal of the day saw the Acadie-Bathurst Titan trade Montreal Canadiens prospect Riley Kidney to the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for Donovan Arsenault, Bobby Orr and a 2025 first-round pick.

Orr, 19, was a fifth-round pick of Saint John in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft but never played for the club. The Halifax Mooseheads traded Orr to the Olympiques in August.

The Olympiques have gone all-in, adding the likes of Cam MacDonald, Francesco Lapenna and Alexis Gendron to an already strong lineup. Gatineau sits second in the QMJHL's Western Conference with 50 points.

Another team that's gone all-in is the Sherbrooke Phoenix, who acquired Jakub Brabenec from the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday. Brabenec was part of the Czechia squad that lost to Team Canada in the gold medal game of this year's world juniors.

Sherbrooke had four players suit up in Thursday's gold medal game: Brabenec, David Spacek, Joshua Roy and Tyson Hinds. Sherbrooke head coach Stephane Julien was also an assistant with Team Canada.

Some other notes...

• Former Sea Dogs defenseman Kale McCallum has reportedly left the Val-d'Or Foreurs to play U Sports hockey. Le Citoyen reports that McCallum had hoped to be traded to a contending team but that did not happen. The 20-year-old is fifth in QMJHL defensemen scoring with 34 points in 36 games.
• There is still no word on what will happen with 20-year-old goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise, who was not traded by the Sea Dogs before Friday's deadline. The veteran goaltender has been listed as a healthy scratch for the past couple weeks.
• Sea Dogs forward Tomasz Szczerba, who has been limited to just 11 games due to injuries this season, had his junior 'A' rights traded from the OJHL's Aurora Tigers to the MHL's Grand Falls Rapids on Friday. A Rapids press release says Szczerba will be joining the team soon.
• On the Sea Dogs radio broadcast on Friday, it was noted that 20-year-old defenseman and captain Charlie DesRoches is expected to return from injury soon. Saint John was only able to dress five defensemen in their 6-4 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads.
• Things are getting wild in the OHL with Team Canada's Shane Wright and Brandt Clarke both sent back to the league from their respective NHL clubs. It's expected that the Kingston Frontenacs, who have announced intentions to bid on hosting the 2024 Memorial Cup, will trade Wright to a contending team.
• Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reports that Team Canada's Ethan Del Mastro will be moved to the Sarnia Sting and Owen Beck will be traded to the Peterborough Petes.
• In the WHL, the already stacked Seattle Thunderbirds, who are ranked No. 1 in the CHL, have acquired the injured Colton Dach from the Kelowna Rockets. Dach, who was injured at the world juniors, is expected to be healthy in time for the playoffs.

Notebook: Old friends return

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Some familiar faces will be foes this weekend at TD Station.

The Val-d'Or Foreurs and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies make their only appearances of the season in Saint John on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both northern Quebec squads have a couple former Sea Dogs on their rosters.

The Foreurs, who have been frequent trading partners of Saint John in recent seasons, feature former Sea Dogs defensemen Nathan Drapeau and Kale McCallum. Drapeau helped the Sea Dogs capture the Memorial Cup in June.

Forward Francis Woods, a 2021 third-round pick of Saint John who did not dress in any regular season games for the club, also plays with Val-d'Or.

The Huskies, meanwhile, include forward Leighton Carruthers and goaltender Thomas Couture. Carruthers was selected third overall by Saint John in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft while Couture helped the Dogs win the Memorial Cup a few months ago.

Saturday's game begins at 7 p.m. while Sunday's is a 3 p.m. start.

The Sea Dogs visit Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda in February.

WEEKEND PROMOS

There's a lot going on this weekend, including the return of Gardiner MacDougall.

MacDougall and his UNB Reds, who are ranked No. 1 in Canada, have Sunday off after playing Friday at Acadia University and Saturday at Saint Mary's.

Notebook: Sevigny, Dufour shine in win

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Tuesday morning/afternoon was a big one for a couple of former Saint John Sea Dogs.

Defenseman Vincent Sevigny scored his first American Hockey League goal while William Dufour netted the shootout winner.

Here's Sevigny's goal, which opened the scoring at 6:10 of the first period.

Sevigny 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/YHGkBF6zJY

— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) November 1, 2022

And here's Dufour's shootout winner (note that Sevigny is the first off the bench to congratulate him).

DUFOUR ‼️ pic.twitter.com/CUa928kObV

— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) November 1, 2022

The Bridgeport Islanders defeated the Charlotte Checkers 4-3 in a school day game.

Sevigny now has a goal and an assist in three games with the Islanders while Dufour has three goals and an assist in eight contests.

Riley Bezeau was in the Checkers lineup, recording two shots and a -1 rating. Tuesday's match was just his second game of the season.

BILODEAU IMPRESSING

One Sea Dogs rookie who is starting to get some attention: defenseman Nicolas Bilodeau.

Bilodeau, a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, has looked calm and comfortable on the backend for an inexperienced 17-year-old. He has five assists in 13 games this season.

Here's Craig Eagles' take on the d-man.

The @monctonwildcats winning ways continue, they beat the @SJSeaDogs in a shootout today at the @AvenirCentre, a young Sea Dogs defender is the subject of this @_Neutral_Zone Parking Lot Postgame #PLPG @QMJHL pic.twitter.com/QXRoedwuGB

— Craig Eagles (@Eags37) October 30, 2022

Bilodeau captained the Gatineau L'Intrepide last season, posting nine goals and 30 points in 39 regular season games.