Sea Dogs sign Ozogany

Andrej Galica/Slovak Ice Hockey Federation

The Saint John Sea Dogs have officially added another piece to their roster.

The team announced on Thursday that Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany, who was selected by Saint John with the 44th overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, has been signed to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

Ozogany is fresh off competing for Slovakia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton where he posted an assist in five games.

“We’re excited to welcome Oliver to the Sea Dogs. He is a player with a lot of potential,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “His experience playing as a 16-year-old in North America with Tri-City will help him in his transition to the CHL. He has been an important player for his country for many years now, and we look forward to him being important to us and our championship aspirations.”

While Ozogany is obviously an import, he's spent the past three seasons playing in the United States, including the 2025-26 campaign in the USHL. In 56 games with the Tri-City Storm last year, he posted nine goals and eight assists.

Listed at 6'2" and 203 lbs, Ozogany has an early birthday and will turn 18 in January.

The Sea Dogs have now signed their top two picks from this year's Import Draft. The team previously signed Czech forward Matyas Cancik.

The team's third pick from this year's Import Draft, Finnish defenseman Vertti Svensk, remains unsigned. A Los Angeles Kings prospect, he would be a massive addition to Saint John's backend – but one that is likely a complicated signing.

Three Sea Dogs to play in WJC Summer Showcase

Three Saint John Sea Dogs will take part in the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, which is set to begin on Sunday in Windsor.

Goaltender Samuel Meloche, who the Sea Dogs acquired from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this off-season, has been named to Canada's roster. Recently signed forward Jamie Glance will play for the Americans while defenseman Vertti Svensk, who the team selected in this year's CHL Import Draft, will suit up for Finland.

The tournament is an early step in evaluating players for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Four countries are participating: Canada, United States, Finland and Sweden.

The event begins with a pair of games on Sunday but Canada won't play their first contest until Wednesday night against Sweden.

Eight players from the QMJHL were named to the Canadian squad: goaltenders Meloche, Lucas Beckman (Cape Breton Eagles) and William Lacelle (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada); forwards Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats) and Philippe Veilleux (Val-d’Or Foreurs); and defensemen Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens), Charlie Morrison (Québec Remparts) and Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada).

Sea Dogs head coach Jim Hulton is an assistant coach with the Canadian world junior team.

Cancik signs with Sea Dogs

Jan Běhounek

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a significant signing on Thursday, inking Matyas Cancik to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

The Czech forward was Saint John's top pick – 14th overall – in this year's CHL Import Draft.

"We're excited to welcome Matyas to the Sea Dogs," said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. "He's as tenacious as he is talented. He's a really mature young man, and we know he'll make the most of his opportunity. He's going to be fun for our fans to watch over the coming seasons."

Cancik split last season with Bílí Tygři Liberec's under-20 and under-17 teams. At the U17 level, the forward posted 22 goals and 22 assists in just 23 games while adding three goals and seven assists in nine playoff games. At the U20 level, he recorded a goal and seven assists in 12 games. 

Cancik, listed at 5'9" and 170 lbs, is familiar with the Maritimes having played in the U17 World Challenge in Truro this past November. He recorded a goal and an assist in four games with Czechia.

The 17-year-old will join the Sea Dogs for training camp this August, according to the team.

Cancik is the first of Saint John's three 2026 import picks to sign. They also selected 17-year-old Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany and 18-year-old Finnish defenseman Vertti Svensk.

Questions remain on Murnieks, Svensk

The 2026 CHL Import Draft is over but some questions still remain for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The biggest question: what's the status of Olivers Murnieks? Nothing has been made official, but it certainly looks like the Latvian forward will play for Boston College beginning this fall.

Murnieks was selected in the fourth-round of last weekend's NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. In an article on the Sabres website, the team wrote that "the 6-foot-1 centre is committed to Boston College and expected to start there this fall."

"But we’re excited to see what he does," said Jerry Forton, Buffalo's assistant general manager. "It was a big step for the Boston College staff – who we put a lot of faith in, we’re very close with – to bring him in this fall."

The Sea Dogs have said that Murnieks' home for the 2026-27 season would likely be decided by the NHL team that selected him – and it's looking like Buffalo would prefer him playing NCAA hockey. But we'll see how things play out over the next few weeks.

With uncertainty around Murnieks' future, Saint John made three selections in this year's Import Draft, picking Czech forward Matyas Cancik, Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany and Finnish defender Vertti Svensk.

Sea Dogs pick three in CHL Import Draft

Jan Běhounek

The Saint John Sea Dogs added two forwards and a defenseman during Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

With their first selection, 14th overall, Saint John selected 17-year-old Czech forward Matyas Cancik. With their second pick of the first-round, the Sea Dogs chose 17-year-old Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany at 44th overall.

In the second round, the Sea Dogs boosted their backend by selecting Finnish defender Vertti Svensk with the 66th overall pick. Svensk, who was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in this year's NHL Draft, will turn 19 in November.

Cancik split last season with Bílí Tygři Liberec's under-20 and under-17 teams. At the U17 level, the forward posted 22 goals and 22 assists in just 23 games while adding three goals and seven assists in nine playoff games. At the U20 level, he recorded a goal and seven assists in 12 games.

Cancik, listed at 5'9" and 170 lbs, is familiar with the Maritimes having played in the U17 World Challenge in Truro this past November. He recorded a goal and an assist in four games with Czechia.

Ozogany, meanwhile, is more familiar with the North American game having played with the USHL's Tri-City Storm this past season. In 58 games with the Storm, the forward posted nine goals and eight assists.

Listed at 6'2" and 197 lbs, Ozogany played with Slovakia at the recent IIHF U18 World Championship where he recorded an assist in five games.

CHL Import Draft takes place Tuesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a move on the eve of the CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs made a trade with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, acquiring a second-round pick, 66th overall in Tuesday's Import Draft in exchange for the 78th overall selection and an eighth-round pick in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft (originally Drummondville's).

The Sea Dogs now own the 14th, 44th, 66th and 136th overall picks. Saint John is expected to make three selections.

This is the second time the Sea Dogs have inched their way up the second-round, which gives some indication that there are some nerves that the player(s) they want may not be available later in the draft. The CHL Import Draft has always been more about who you know compared to where you pick – but one unexpected selection can really throw off plans.

While not confirmed yet, it's certainly looking like the Sea Dogs may have three open import spots on their roster. Goaltender Arseni Radkov was traded while it seems unlikely that defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson will return for an overage season. There continues to be noise that forward Olivers Murnieks, who was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres this weekend, will join Boston College for the upcoming season.

Olivers Murnieks des #SeaDogs réclamé par les #Sabres a confirmé tantot qu'il quittait la #LHJMQ pour se joindre à Boston College #NCAA

Meme s'il a eu une saison décevante c'est une grosse perte pour Saint John qui vise les grands honneurs en 26-27

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) June 27, 2026

Murnieks leaving would be a blow to Saint John's forward group – but, in theory, the team has the picks to find a suitable replacement for his offense.

The Sea Dogs made three selections in last year's draft and all three started the season with the club: Murnieks (sixth), defenseman Patryk Zubek (67th) and defenseman Max Vilen (128th). Both Murnieks and Vilen were selected in this year's NHL Draft.

The CHL Import Draft begins at noon Atlantic and can be followed online. A reminder that there are some new rules to keep an eye on.

The OHL's Oshawa Generals will pick first followed by the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads and the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Mooseheads acquired the second overall pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Monday, a move that certainly caught some attention given Halifax's impressive import pick history. As the CHL website notes, "Halifax has built one of the CHL Import Draft’s strongest track records for developing high-end international talent, with alumni including Jakub Voracek, 2017 first-overall NHL Draft pick Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Ladislav Nagy, Filip Zadina and 2026 Stanley Cup champion Nikolaj Ehlers."

Import Draft details announced

The Canadian Hockey League has announced the selection order and some rule changes for this year's Import Draft.

The annual CHL Import Draft will take place next Tuesday, June 30 beginning at noon Atlantic. The OHL's Oshawa Generals will select first followed by the QMJHL's Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.

This year's draft will be three rounds again – but there will be some new rules.

The Saint John Sea Dogs currently own four picks: 14th, 44th, 78th and 136th. The team is expected to select three players.

Two picks in the first-round and another early in the second should allow the Sea Dogs to pick some impact players. The Import Draft is more about who you know than where you pick – but as we've seen in recent years, it takes just one pick ahead of you to throw a wrench into plans. The earlier the picks, the better.

Saint John selected three players in last year's draft: forward Olivers Murnieks along with defensemen Patryk Zubek and Max Vilen.

Sea Dogs sign Vilén

The Saint John Sea Dogs are about to enter their Vilén era.

The Sea Dogs announced Wednesday the long awaited signing of Swedish defenseman Max Vilén. The 19-year-old was drafted by Saint John in the third round of this year's CHL Import Draft.

“After a long process, we are excited to welcome Max to Saint John and the Sea Dogs. A special thank you goes to Max’s agent, Randy Edmonds, for helping facilitate this transfer,” Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said in a release. “Max is a big, dependable, two-way defenceman who brings professional and international experience to our program. We feel this will help solidify our top six, particularly on the left side.”

Vilén, listed at 6'3" and 205 lbs, will bring some size to Saint John's revamped blue line.

The defender has spent his junior career with Sweden's Malmo Redhawks program. Last season with the under-20 squad, Vilén posted four goals and 15 assists in 36 games. In 2023-24, he appeared in four games with the Swedish Hockey League club.

CHL teams can carry three imports as of this season. Vilén will join Latvian forward Olivers Murnieks and Slovakian/Polish defenseman Patryk Zubek as Saint John's trio of overagers.

According to Elite Prospects, Vilén will be the first Swede to play for the Sea Dogs.

According to the team's news release, "Vilén is expected to join the team in the very near future and will wear #23."

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Saturday when they visit the Moncton Wildcats.

Zubek signs; two more added to pre-season roster

The Saint John Sea Dogs have officially signed defenseman Patryk Zubek.

Zubek, who was Saint John's second-round pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, was signed to a QMJHL scholarship and development agreement, the team announced Friday.

"As we continue to remodel our backend, Patryk is a big defender who we felt could bring consistent two-way play on our left side," said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a release. "We know he’s excited to get started in Saint John, and we feel the same way. We’re looking forward to getting him immersed in our great community and having him play an important role on our team."

Listed at 6'3" and 207 lbs, Zubek posted eight goals and 12 assists in 31 games with Team Slovakia U18 this past season. He also played with Slovakia at the IIHF U18 World Championship where he appeared in seven games.

A citizen of both Slovakia and Poland, Zubek also recorded a goal and six assists in seven games with Barani Banská Bystrica U20 squad.

Zubek was one of three players the Sea Dogs selected in this year's Import Draft. In the first-round, the team picked Latvian forward Olivers Murnieks while in the third-round they drafted Swedish defenseman Max Vilén.

CHL teams are permitted to carry three overage players on their roster this season, up from the previous limit of two.

Notebook: Sea Dogs to play just two 3-in-3s

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play just two three-in-threes this season – with only one of those games classified as a road game.

The Sea Dogs will play three games in three days Nov. 28-20 and March 13-15. The November stretch is technically three straight home games – but the third game will be played in Fredericton. In March, Saint John will play back-to-back home games before playing a road game the next day.

Nov. 28 vs Charlottetown (TD Station)

Nov. 29 vs Cape Breton (TD Station)

Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton (Aitken Centre)

March 13 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 14 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 15 at Charlottetown (Eastlink Centre)

The Sea Dogs will make four trips to Quebec this season but all of them will be stretches of three games in four nights.

ADDED PRE-SEASON GAME

It looks like the Sea Dogs have added a game to their pre-season schedule.

The game still doesn't appear on the league website, but the Charlottetown Islanders have begun promoting an pre-season game against the Sea Dogs on Sept. 6. The game is scheduled to be played at MacLaughlin Arena on the UPEI campus.

The countdown is on ⏰

Buy Tickets -> https://t.co/S4X9kMww59 pic.twitter.com/0T3XEncv0D

— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) July 7, 2025

This would be the sixth and final pre-season game for the Sea Dogs. Saint John is also scheduled to play the night before in Woodstock against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs will play the Wildcats four times in the pre-season; the Newfoundland Regiment once and the Islanders once.

Saint John's first exhibition game will be Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Dieppe against the Wildcats.

Notebook: It's development camp weekend

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

It's development camp weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The camp kicks off this Friday at the qplex in Quispamsis and will conclude Sunday morning. According to the team, "on-ice activities get underway at 6:30 p.m. on July 4, followed by more on-ice sessions throughout the rest of the weekend. Players will also undergo fitness testing and take part in various off-ice sessions focused on nutrition and sports psychology."

Development Camp is BACK 🏒#SJSeaDogs prospects and players will hit the ice for three days of on-ice and off-ice development sessions from July 4-6 at the @Quispamsisqplex.

Roster and schedule are subject to change.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/URl0YuyIOv

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 27, 2025

33 players were invited to the camp, including Alexis Joseph, who was drafted by the Sea Dogs with the first overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. Joseph recently said in an interview this will be his first time visiting Saint John.

A breakdown of the roster can be found here.

Development camp is open to the public.

IMPORT DRAFT AFTERMATH

A bit more on Olivers Murnieks, the Latvian forward who the Sea Dogs selected with the sixth overall pick in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

He's very much a legit prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft.

The Latvia to Saint John pipeline continues. Big get for the Sea Dogs. Murnieks should have an immediate impact. Potential first rounder for 2026. https://t.co/SZDiFjNbzG

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) July 2, 2025

Murnieks was ranked 26th for next year's draft by Daily Faceoff.

Here's some more video.

Murnieks was named to the all-USHL rookie second team this past season. From the USHL:

Finishing sixth in rookie scoring, the Riga, Latvia native had 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games for the Musketeers. Murnieks had five multi-point games and scored a pair of shorthanded goals, tied for first among league rookies. He totaled only eight penalty minutes with a +2 rating. Internationally, Murnieks represented his home country at the World Junior Championship.

Murnieks was one of seven Latvians picked in this year's import draft, a record number (most countries saw record numbers due to the draft being expanded to three rounds).

Sea Dogs pick three in Import Draft

As expected, the Saint John Sea Dogs made three selections in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

With the sixth overall selection, the Sea Dogs headed back to Latvia, selecting forward Olivers Murnieks. The soon-to-turn-17-year-old is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and is considered a top prospect by Elite Prospects.

Murnieks spent last season with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers where he posted 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games. He also played at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship alongside former Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko where he recorded a goal and three assists in five games – an impressive showing for a 16-year-old.

The 2024-25 season was Murnieks' first in North America.

Mateiko, who was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2022 CHL Import Draft, is the only other Latvian the team has ever selected. 

In the second round, the Sea Dogs selected Slovakian defenseman Patryk Zubek with the 67th overall selection. The 18-year-old is listed at 6'3" and 203 lbs.

Import Draft takes place Wednesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

One more major event awaits the Saint John Sea Dogs before the junior hockey off-season truly begins.

The Canadian Hockey League will hold its 2025 Import Draft on Wednesday beginning at noon Atlantic time. For the first time, teams will be able to carry three import players, meaning the draft has been expanded to three rounds.

The Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick sixth, 67th and 128th. The two later picks could happen earlier in reality as some teams will opt to pass on their selections.

At the QMJHL Entry Draft in early June, Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said the team plans on using all three of their picks. 

"Oh, we have a plan," Crickard said on the draft floor in Quebec City. "We have a plan. If the plan is executed, we're going to be really happy."

The reason Crickard was away from the team for an extended period late in the season was to ensure the Sea Dogs were ready for the increase in import players permitted on rosters.

The team ended last season with no imports in their lineup.

The Import Draft – as is said every year – is a very strange draft. It's much more about connections and who you know than where you're picking. But even the best plans can have a wrench or two thrown into them. You can only control what other teams do so much.

Like most teams, the Sea Dogs have had some home runs and big misses in the Import Draft. Saint John selected defenseman Florian Schenk with the seventh overall pick last year only to reassign him back to Switzerland halfway through the season. But not that long ago, in 2022, the Sea Dogs had one of their best showings in the draft, selecting forwards Pavel Simek and Eriks Mateiko.

The Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets will pick first overall after acquiring the pick from the Moose Jaw Warriors. The OHL's Brantford Bulldogs will pick second followed by the Victoriaville Tigres.

Notebook: Bezeau, Checkers fall in final

Embed from Getty Images

Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers came up short in the Calder Cup final.

The Checkers fell in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks in a series that concluded on June 23. The Canucks took Game 6, 3-2, in Charlotte to win their first Calder Cup.

Bezeau appeared in just one game in the final. He finishes the playoffs with three goals in five games.

The 23-year-old completed his third season of professional hockey. He appeared in 24 regular season AHL games with the Checkers and five ECHL contests with the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

Bezeau spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the team win the Memorial Cup in 2022.

JOSEPH INTERVIEW

First overall pick Alexis Joseph was a recent guest on the QMJHL's Around the Maritimes podcast. The interview begins at the 33-minute mark below.

The future Sea Dogs forward talks about his playing style, his time playing under-18 hockey, draft weekend, who he models his game after, his Canadiens fandom, goals for his rookie season, Atlantic Canada and more.

MACPHERSON MEDIA

A couple features on Jase MacPherson, the Kensington Wild goaltender who the Sea Dogs selected in the second-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Eastern Graphic has a story on MacPherson getting picked by Saint John.

“I think that’s probably the best team I could have gone to. I have a good opportunity to crack that squad next year,” MacPherson said.

The 16-year-old was also selected by the Summerside Western Capitals in the recent MHL Draft. Justin Harrison, Summerside's director of scouting, provided his thoughts on MacPherson to the Journal Pioneer. 

"He’s a great goalie. He’s a big kid. He’s going to have a really good shot at the Quebec league," said Harrison. "We fully expect him to go and be very successful with the Sea Dogs. With the new rules opening up with the NCAA, there are so many moving parts with the Quebec league now, so if he’s not there it’s great to have a guy who is close to home and we know is a fantastic goalie. If he plays for Summerside, that’s going to be awesome.”

Crickard on Saint John's 2025 draft

Vincent Ethier / QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY – Travis Crickard's been through Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Drafts in the past – but none quite like this.

The 2025 edition was Crickard's first draft as the general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs, a team that entered the weekend with the first overall pick and another two selections in the opening round.

"Pretty stressful going through it the first time," Crickard said shortly after the 12-round draft ended on Saturday at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. "Fortunately we hired a scouting staff that's relatively experienced, so that was really helpful to me. It was kind of understanding strategy more than anything. I think there's some other teams that are kind of in the same cycle as we are, and they would give me insight into maybe what they're thinking and what we should do, so that was helpful."

The Sea Dogs leave the draft with forward Alexis Joseph, considered by most to be the top player in this draft class; another first-rounder in forward Nolann Héroux; and 10 other prospects.

Crickard explained that while Saint John, obviously, wanted to leave the draft with the best players they could get, they also wanted to increase their bank of picks for this draft and future years. The team took a number of timeouts before making picks, ultimately moving down a couple times in exchange for additional selections.

The Sea Dogs considered moving down from pick No. 10 but opted to keep the selection.

"The guys are happy about who we got, so I need to trust them with their job. I'm happy about that, too."

With the NCAA rule change, there was much talk about an increase in Americans being picked during this year's draft. The Sea Dogs picked three on Saturday: forward Everett Baldwin in the second round; forward Finnegan Sears in the sixth round and defenseman Oskar Drabczynski in the seventh round. None were in attendance. 

"There'll be some work," Crickard said in getting the three to report. "We've had discussions with them leading into the draft, following them throughout the year. But we trust what we're doing with our recruitment to bring players in and whether it's this year or next year, we trust that we'll be able to get to them here."

Order, changes announced for CHL Import Draft

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs own the sixth overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft.

The CHL announced the draft order and a number of news rules on Wednesday. The annual event, which will include all 61 teams from across the CHL, will be held virtually on Wednesday, July 2 at noon Atlantic.

First, here are the notable changes to this year's draft:

• The CHL confirmed Wednesday what has been reported: teams will be permitted to carry up to three import players next season, an increase from the current maximum of two.
• In accordance with that change, the CHL Import Draft has increased from two rounds to three.
• From the CHL: "Under the revised rules, a club with no current import players may select up to three players, a club with one import may select two, while a club with two imports may select one. Clubs with three import players will be ineligible to participate."
• Lastly, teams can trade import picks once again, which hasn't been permitted for a number of years. Trades must be finalized two days prior to the draft.

Along with the sixth overall pick, the Sea Dogs also own the 67th and 128th overall selections. Those second- and third-round picks will likely be higher with some teams opting to pass on selections.

The WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors own the first overall pick. The OHL's Peterborough Petes are scheduled to pick second followed by the QMJHL's Victoriaville Tigres.

The Sea Dogs ended the season with no imports on their active roster. Over the holidays, the team traded captain Eriks Mateiko to the Rimouski Oceanic and reassigned Florian Schenk back home to Switzerland.

Saint John selected Schenk with the seventh overall pick in last year's draft. They did not make a second-round selection.

Notebook: CM Punk in a Sea Dogs hat

What was with CM Punk wearing a Saint John Sea Dogs hat at WrestleMania last week?

Jeff Marek provided some answers in a recent blog at Daily Faceoff, explaining that the team sent him a card and a package of Sea Dogs merchandise when he was in the city for some filming recently.

👀🐶#GoDogsGo | #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/UByqFwjoE7

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 19, 2025

From Marek's blog:

Georgie wrote the note himself and said it was something along the lines of “Welcome to the city of champions. The organization are huge wrestling fans and CM Punk fans. We know that you love the Blackhawks, but hopefully we can be your Canadian Hockey League team. Thank you for visiting our city and please enjoy these as a small gift from the Sea Dogs.”

The wrestler wore the hat in an interview with ESPN as well.

The Sea Dogs organization clearly loves wrestling, hosting an NWO themed game earlier this season.

LONGEST POINT STREAKS

Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers extended his point streak to 51 consecutive games on Saturday night with five assists (!) in a 7-2 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It was just another normal night for McKenna, who will very likely be the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

What's the longest point streak in Sea Dogs history?

Only four times has a Saint John player had a point streak that reached 20 games or more. Mathieu Joseph leads the way with a 28-game point streak during the 2016-17 season.

28 games: Mathieu Joseph (2016-17)

22 games: Zack Phillips (2011-12)

20 games: Nathan Noel (2015-16)

20 games: William Dufour (2021-22)

The franchise record for most consecutive games with a goal is owned by three players, all of whom scored in seven straight games: Ryan Tesink (2012-13), Sam Povorozniouk (2015-16) and William Dufour (2021-22).

Reports: Changes coming to import setup

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It looks like changes are indeed coming to the CHL's import situation.

According to reports from both Stephane Leroux and Mikael Lalancette, the CHL will allow teams to carry three import players beginning next season, an increase from the current limit of two.

Une nouvelle sera confirmée bientôt : La #LCH va permettre de grimper de 2 à 3 le nombre de joueurs européens au sein de ses équipes dès la saison 25-26

Sans doute pas étranger au fait que des joueurs des 3 ligues vont maintenant quitter pour la #NCAA à 19 et surtout à 20 ans

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) April 16, 2025

Lalancette reports that teams will also be able to trade import picks again, something that hasn't been permitted for quite some time.

Revirement de situation, selon mon collègue. Il y a quelques jours à peine, on pensait que ce serait seulement pour 2026-27.

J'ai un détail très important à ajouter : les transactions de choix seront maintenant permises! Comme à l'époque, c'est majeur. https://t.co/OwMdtPh6W8

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) April 16, 2025

Edmonton radio personality Jason Gregor reported the potential changes to the CHL's import roster limit last month.

The move could be for a couple reasons. For one, this could help teams that are losing a player early to the NCAA fill out that roster spot with, potentially, an impact import. This move could also be due to increased interest in the CHL from Europeans now that the NCAA route is an option down the road.

The Saint John Sea Dogs will likely be busy during this year's Import Draft given that they played the entire second half with no imports on their roster.

The Sea Dogs will have at least one high pick in this year's draft. The draft order and date for this year's virtual event has not been released by the CHL.

Notebook: Sea Dogs thank fans

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie shared a thank you message to fans earlier this week.

The letter was shared on the team's social media channels and via email (click to enlarge).

The letter comes after another challenging year for the Sea Dogs. The team has been in the league's basement for three consecutive seasons and this year missed the playoffs for the first tine since 2018-19.

As Georgie notes, there are reasons to be optimistic about the club's future. It's also noted that the team has three first-round picks in June's QMJHL Entry Draft and will have two import players next year. Saint John played the entire second half with no imports.

ELLIOTT SIGNS ATO

Former Sea Dogs forward Drew Elliott has signed an amateur tryout with the AHL's San Diego Gulls, the club announced Wednesday.

The 21-year-old appeared in 26 regular season games with the UNB Reds this season, recording 14 goals and eight assists. He added an assist in five playoff games.

Elliott, a Saint John native, split his overage season between the Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. In 32 second half games with Saint John, Elliott recorded 10 goals and seven assists. 

The Gulls are back in action on Friday when they host the Tucson Roadrunners. 

Sea Dogs sign Schenk ahead of Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have signed import Florian Schenk ahead of the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Schenk will be a member of Team Switzerland at the annual tournament, which takes place Aug. 5-10 in Edmonton.

“I am beyond thrilled to join the Saint John Sea Dogs,” said Schenk in a news release. “I can’t wait to hit the ice with such a talented group and contribute to the team’s success.”

The Swiss forward was taken by the Sea Dogs with the seventh overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft. He was signed to a "QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement" on Wednesday.

“Having had the chance to see him live multiple times Florian is a player I was very high on all season,” said Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella. “We feel he fits our core and is a great addition for the future of this team.”

Schenk played with the SC Bern program last season, posting 25 points in 42 games at the under-20 level and 12 points in nine games at the under-17 level.

He is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft.

It looks like Schenk and Eriks Mateiko will start the season as Saint John's pair of import players. Mateiko is poised to be one of the top imports in the QMJHL this season and his name will likely pop up in trade rumours over the next few months.

Schenk's first game at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is Monday night when Switzerland takes on Canada. The Swiss will also play Sweden and Slovakia in the preliminary round.

Canada's roster features QMJHL players Lucas Beckman (Baie-Comeau), Alex Huang (Chicoutimi), Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton), Emile Guite (Chicoutimi) and Liam Kilfoil (Halifax).