Notebook: Joseph signs with Kings

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MONCTON - Mathieu Joseph is now a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

Joseph, who had his contract with the St. Louis Blues terminated earlier in the week, signed "a one-year contract through the remainder of the 2025-26 season" with the Kings, the team announced Friday.

Mathieu Joseph, whose contract with STL was terminated today, signs with LA for one year at a pro-rated $900K

Played for DJ Smith in Ottawa

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 6, 2026

Joseph was scratched for the Kings' Saturday night game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The 29-year-old posted two goals and nine assists in 39 games with St. Louis this season. He was recently put on waivers and assigned to the American Hockey League where he recorded a goal in two games with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

This was Joseph's second season with the Blues. He's an NHL veteran at this point, playing in 459 games with the Blues, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning. He won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning.

Joseph appeared in 201 games with the Sea Dogs over four seasons, helping the team win the President Cup in 2017.

BURNS JOINS STAFF

The Sea Dogs announced Sunday that long-time Acadia Axemen head coach Darren Burns has joined the team as a "senior advisor, hockey operations and assistant coach."

“Darren brings decades of hockey experience to the team,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “He has been a coach, an NHL scout, and he knows our organization well as the father of Memorial Cup champion and franchise leading scorer Brady Burns. He is passionate and will add a lot to our group.”

Burns is the father of former Sea Dogs forward Brady Burns, who currently plays at Acadia. Burns has recruited a number of Sea Dogs to Acadia over the years.

The Axemen confirmed on Facebook that Burns will return as Acadia's head coach in the fall.

COMING UP

The Sea Dogs have just six regular season games remaining – including one this Sunday against the Moncton Wildcats at Avenir Centre.

This will be the eighth and final meeting of the regular season between Saint John and Moncton – although they could meet in the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs.

The Sea Dogs are 1-6-0-0 against the Wildcats this season with their only win coming back on Oct. 4 at Avenir Centre.

Following Sunday's game, the Sea Dogs will play their final home games of the regular season March 13-14 against the Halifax Mooseheads. They'll then play three road games to close out the season: March 15 at Charlottetown and March 20-21 at Cape Breton.

Notebook: The Beaulieu/Murphy fight

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Jacob Beaulieu is getting plenty of praise for his fight against Will Murphy during Saturday's game against the Cape Breton Eagles.

Beaulieu, listed at 5'9" and 175 lbs, dropped the gloves with Murphy, listed at 6'4" and 211 lbs, during the first period. Both players were given fighting majors and game misconducts.

The game was 1-1 at the time and the Saint John Sea Dogs went on to lose the game 7-3. Saint John allowed four goals in the second period and were outshot 17-8.

After the game, the fight brought this interesting response from Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard, calling his team's response "sad."

Really interesting comments from Travis Crickard on Jacob Beaulieu’s fight with Will Murphy.

Calls his team’s response to the fight “sad.” pic.twitter.com/nT3hf5nXoz

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) November 30, 2025

DUFOUR DEBUTS

William Dufour made his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins debut on Friday.

Dufour had one shot and was a +1 in the Penguins' 4-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He played on the team's third line with Aidan McDonough and Gabe Klassen. 

Former Sea Dogs forward Boko Imama was also in the Penguins' lineup. Raivis Ansons did not dress.

On Saturday, Dufour posted three shots and was a -2 in the Penguins' 6-2 loss to the Hershey Bears. Imama also played in that game, recording 14 penalty minutes.

Dufour has been on a professional tryout with the Penguins for a few weeks. These were his first AHL games since last season's Calder Cup Playoffs.

GLANCE SCORES VS CHL

17-year-old forward Jamie Glance, a sixth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, scored twice in the USNTDP's victory over Team CHL in this year's CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

Glance had an empty net goal in the United States' 4-2 win over Team CHL in the opening game and then scored again as the Americans fell 4-3 in the second game. The USA won the event by scoring in "super overtime."

Jamie Glance gives USA a 3-1 lead on the power-play! pic.twitter.com/uQwoeKRI23

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 27, 2025

Glance is in his second year with the USNTDP and is committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season.

Notebook: Rare 3-in-3 for Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their only three-in-three of the entire season this weekend.

Traditionally, if the Sea Dogs were to be playing a three-in-three, it would likely take place on the road in Quebec. But times have changed. This three-in-three will be all home games with the third contest being played in a non-QMJHL venue.

The Sea Dogs will host the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday and the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday with both of those games being played at TD Station. On Sunday, the Sea Dogs and Eagles will travel to Fredericton to play in the first regular season QMJHL game to take place in the city.

Tickets to Sunday's game are still available – but they are limited. 

The Sea Dogs will play three games at Fredericton's Aitken Centre this season. They'll also take on the Gatineau Olympiques on Thursday, Jan. 8 and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Sunday, Feb. 1.

NEW MASKS

Both Sea Dogs goaltenders recently debuted new masks, becoming the first netminders to sport the club's new logo.

Here's a look at Rafaël Courchesne's new mask. He had been wearing a green mask from his time with the Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois.

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

And here's Justin Robinson's new look. He had been wearing his mask from last season which featured Saint John's 20th anniversary logo.

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

GUELPH LANDS MEMORIAL CUP

The Guelph Storm will host the 2027 Memorial Cup, the CHL announced last week.

The Storm have played in six Memorial Cup tournaments – most recently in 2019 in Halifax – and hosted the event in 2002. The Storm franchise has yet to win the trophy.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the 2027 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota to Guelph,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “The Storm put forward an outstanding bid that showcased not only their organizational strength, but also the passion, vision, and community spirit that make the Royal City such a special junior hockey market. With the Memorial Cup returning to Guelph in the same year the city marks its bicentennial, fans can expect an unforgettable event that celebrates Guelph’s history and the tournament’s rich tradition, while providing a world-class experience for players, fans, and partners alike.”

Kelowna will host the 2026 Memorial Cup. The QMJHL will host in 2028.

Notebook: Bezeau, Checkers fall in final

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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.”

Tuesday night news and notes

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have just five games remaining before the Christmas break.

The Sea Dogs will play five contests between Dec. 4 and Dec. 14. The team won't return to action until Dec. 28.

Saint John begins this final stretch on Wednesday night when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m. The Titan sit six points ahead of Saint John in the standings and are 3-2 against the Sea Dogs this year.

On Friday the Sea Dogs will travel to Cape Breton for a single matchup with the Eagles. They'll return home to host the Eastern Conference leading Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Saint John will close out the "first half" next weekend when they host the Eagles on Friday night and the Titan on Saturday afternoon. Note the 3 p.m. start time for the Dec. 14 contest.

Some Wednesday notes

The Saint John Sea Dogs have unveiled the pink jerseys they'll wear this weekend at TD Station.

According to the team, "Pink in the Rink Weekend is set for Friday, November 22 and Saturday, November 23 against the Charlottetown Islanders. Sea Dogs players will once again be wearing special, limited-edition pink jerseys during the game which will be available for purchase through in-arena raffles and online auction."

Fans can purchase discounted tickets for Pink in the Rink Weekend using the promo code “PINK” and $5 from every purchase will be donated directly to Breasts Ahoy. The promo code can be used online or at the TD Station Box Office.

Some other Wednesday notes...

• The Sherbrooke newspaper La Tribune has more on the news of Kyan Labbé asking for a trade from the Sea Dogs. The story confirms that Labbé's trade ask is due to the fact that Saint John already has two QMJHL suitable goaltenders on their roster.
• As mentioned during draft weekend, the QMJHL has created a Veterans Club. "Veterans will attend a few of their former team’s games each year, where they will be invited to meet fans, take photos with them and sign autographs," reads a QMJHL news release. Mike Thomas will be Saint John's representative. 
• Mikael Lalancette tweets that QMJHL attendance is up 3.2% compared to last year. Saint John is averaging 2,362 fans per game after 10 home games. Last year they averaged 2,698 after 10 home games. The Sea Dogs continue to head in the opposite direction of most teams.
• A lot going on in the BCHL as the player exodus continues following the NCAA rule change.

  This meeting is taking place today. It’s been scheduled for a week or more. Sounds like there will be some idea sharing on what BCHL brass want their league to be and best way to adapt. Sources I’m talking to are looking forward to their discussion. https://t.co/c8bJP1P9Vi

  — Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 20, 2024

• And similar issues for the USHL, although likely not as severe.

  Junior Hockey - There was a meeting today in Plymouth involving USA Hockey, the USHL and the NAHL. Few details available but I imagine the 'changing landscape' was discussed.

  — Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) November 20, 2024

• Feels like there hasn't been a lot of talk about it, but the CHL USA Prospects Challenge takes place next week in London and Oshawa.
• Mentioned this last week. On Friday TSN picked up the Midco Sports broadcast of Denver/North Dakota, two of the top teams in NCAA hockey. Two of the top teams in the CHL (and two of the biggest markets), London and Kitchener, met on Tuesday with no national fanfare. Don't know what the solution is – or if TV even matters anymore – but something is off here.
• The Gatineau Olympiques are just 3-16-3-1 this season.
• The Charlottetown Islanders hosted the Shawinigan Cataractes in a school day game this morning at 11 a.m.
• The AHL's Utica Comets are 0-10-1-2 to start the season. Jeremie Poirier, Yan Kuznetsov and the Calgary Wranglers sit first with a 12-3-1-0 record.

Dates, format announced for first CHL USA Prospects Challenge

The inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge will take place this November in London and Oshawa.

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled the details of the new event on Tuesday. Games will be played Tuesday, Nov. 26 in London and Wednesday, Nov. 27 in Oshawa. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 1.

According to the news release, " the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s Member Leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – face-off against those from the U.S. National Under-18 Team in a two-game series."

News of the new event – which will replace the CHL NHL Top Prospects Game – was confirmed by the CHL in June.

This should be a fascinating event especially as the CHL/NCAA recruiting war is expected to take a major turn over the new few years. Braxton Whitehead of the Regina Pats announced his commitment to Arizona State University for the 2025-26 season even though no rules have been changed yet.

The CHL provided a few additional details about the event's future in Tuesday's news release.

Set to be a part of the calendar over the next three seasons, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and NTDP’s U18 team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. Players for the CHL team will be provided by NHL Central Scouting as selected by the NHL’s 32 clubs, and much like other national events in the CHL, the hosting duties of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will rotate between the CHL’s three Member League markets each year.

While not confirmed, next year's event will presumably take place in QMJHL territory with the Memorial Cup being held in the WHL.

CHL announces new national event

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled its new national event on Wednesday, which will feature a rare partnership between the CHL and USA Hockey.

From the CHL news release:

Building off of one of hockey’s greatest rivalries between Canada and the United States, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s three-member leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – face off against those from USA Hockey’s NTDP in a two-game series.

 

During the series, players from both the CHL and NTDP competing in this event will play before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. Players for the CHL team will be provided by NHL Central Scouting as selected by the NHL’s 32 clubs, and much like other national events in the CHL, the hosting duties of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will rotate between the CHL’s three-member league markets each year. The first edition of this new event is set to take place in November 2024 with specific details on the date, location, and event format to come at a later date.

The event essentially replaces both the Canada Russia Series and the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The game should be much more intense than the previous Top Prospects Game format. It will also give Canadian fans a great chance to see the USNTDP team in person, a team that is often loaded with top talent for the NHL Draft.

The Canada Russia Series hasn't been played since the pandemic and is unlikely to resume in the near future. While Canada/Russia is a classic (and still good) rivalry, there is a new generation of fans that would likely consider the United States to be Canada's biggest hockey rival now.

One noteworthy item from the release is that the CHL specifically calls out that the event "will rotate between the CHL’s three-member league markets each year." That was never something officially official with the Top Prospects Game.