Notebook: MacPherson named playoff MVP

Noah Murray/Charlottetown Islanders

MONCTON - Jase MacPherson was on the Saint John Sea Dogs bench a night after being named the most valuable player of the PEI under-18 provincial championship series.

MacPherson made 38 saves on Thursday to help the Kensington Wild defeat the Charlottetown Knights 3-2 and clinch the provincial title in six games. The 17-year-old went 4-1 in the final with a 2.57 goals against average and a .936 save percentage.

MacPherson faced 39 or more shots in every game against Charlottetown.

“I just played my game and worked hard out there,” MacPherson told the Journal Pioneer. “The boys helped me so much. I wouldn’t have gotten (the MVP award) without them.”

A second-round pick of Saint John in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft, MacPherson appeared in one game for Saint John this season. MacPherson was Saint John's backup in Friday's playoff opener with Arseni Radkov still serving his suspension.

The Wild will represent PEI at Atlantics, which will take place April 1-5 in Quispamsis.

MHL GAME 7

The Summerside Western Capitals are moving on to the second round of the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Capitals defeated the Amherst Ramblers 1-0 in Game 7 on Saturday night. Eliott Robert scored the game's only goal while Caps netminder Kolton Bourret made 25 saves in the shutout.

The Capitals include former Sea Dogs goaltender Justin Robinson and defenseman Matthew MacLean. The Ramblers feature defenseman Jeremie Richard and forward Darrien Reynolds.

Summerside, who are hosting the Centennial Cup national championship in May, will face the Truro Bearcats in the South Division final. The North Division final, meanwhile, will feature the Edmundston Blizzard facing the Chaleur Lightning.

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.

Knights down Tigers for Memorial Cup title

RIMOUSKI, QC – The London Knights are Memorial Cup champions.

After a tight first period, the Knights blew it open in the second en route to a 4-1 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers in Sunday's championship game. This is London's third Memorial Cup title and first since 2016.

This was London's second straight appearance in the Memorial Cup final – and they got some redemption. The Knights fell to the host Saginaw Spirit in last year's championship, falling behind early and were never able to pull themselves fully back into the game.

The Knights seemed to learn from last year's errors, leading 1-0 after one. They added three in the second period – and another that was called off due to goaltender interference – to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the third.

https://t.co/bkKt3a63eM pic.twitter.com/gyLsHeEGri

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) June 2, 2025

Gavin McKenna gave the Tigers some life 2:43 into the third and appeared to make it 4-2 later on – only to have the goal called back because of a missed high stick earlier in the play. The Tigers pressed, but just couldn't get through London's defense.

For Medicine Hat, this is a tough one for many reasons. In normal times there would be optimism that McKenna could carry them back to the Memorial Cup next year. But with speculation that McKenna is NCAA bound, there are all kinds of uncertainty around the Tigers roster.

The WHL continues to struggle at the Memorial Cup. They have not won a national title since the Edmonton Oil Kings were victorious in 2014.

The Moncton Wildcats, who fell to the Knights in Friday's semifinal, finished in third-place with a 1-3 record. The host Rimouski Oceanic went 0-3.

Moncton's season ends with semifinal loss

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The Memorial Cup continues to elude the Moncton Wildcats.

Gardiner MacDougall and the Wildcats fell 5-2 to the London Knights in the semifinal game of the 2025 Memorial Cup on Friday, ending their hopes of a national championship. London advances to Sunday's final where they'll face the Medicine Hat Tigers.

This was the third time in franchise history that the Wildcats earned a spot in the tournament. They've come up short all three times with their closest victory being a loss in the 2006 championship game.

Maybe it was the tougher competition or something else, but the Wildcats just didn't look like themselves over the past few weeks. They struggled to produce consistent, 60-minute performances and let opponents control play for lengthy stretches.

Despite Friday's loss, it was quite the season for the Wildcats, who won the QMJHL's regular season title and Gilles-Courteau Trophy. Moncton went 53-9-2-0 during regular season play.

It was a rough tournament for the QMJHL with the league's only win coming in the game that put the Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic against each other. The Wildcats finish with a 1-3 record while the Oceanic went 0-3.

The QMJHL won every Memorial Cup tournament from 2018 to 2023 (there were no tournaments in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic). The OHL's Saginaw Spirit won last season, defeating London in the final.

Medicine Hat will try and capture the WHL's first national title since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.

Wildcats move on to semifinal

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The Moncton Wildcats overcame an ugly start to keep their Memorial Cup hopes alive on Wednesday.

The Wildcats were heavily outplayed in the first period but rebounded in the final 40 minutes for a 6-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic in round robin play. The win pushes Moncton into Friday's semifinal against the London Knights while Rimouski's season ends with the loss.

St. Andrews native Gabe Smith scored a pair of goals for Moncton while singles came from Julius Sumpf, Juraj Pekarcik, Etienne Morin and Alex Mercier. Mathis Rousseau made 32 saves in the win.

The Wildcats trailed 2-1 after the first period and were outshot 17-6. But Moncton turned things around in the second period, scoring twice to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

Morin put the Wildcats up 4-2 with a goal just 4:02 into the third. They secured the win with a pair of empty net goals late in the period.

It was a far from a perfect game for Moncton, but it was certainly a better showing and result than their 3-1 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday. The Wildcats were able to get their offense going, something they've struggled with at this tournament.

The Wildcats will look to carry this momentum into Friday's semifinal against the Knights, which will obviously be their biggest game of the season. The semifinal winner will play the Tigers in Sunday's championship game.

Wildcats, Oceanic both down 0-2

Vincent Éthier / CHL

The road to a Memorial Cup title for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has gotten more challenging.

The Moncton Wildcats fell 3-1 to the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers on Monday night, falling to 0-2 at this year's tournament. The Rimouski Oceanic, meanwhile, are also 0-2 following a 3-1 loss to the OHL champion London Knights on Sunday.

The results of the past two days mean no tiebreaker game will be required this year. Here's how the next couple days will play out:

• The winner of Tuesday's London/Medicine Hat game will earn a bye to Sunday's championship game.
• The loser of Tuesday's London/Medicine Hat game will secure a spot in Friday's semifinal game.
• The winner of Wednesday's Rimouski/Moncton game will earn a spot in a Friday's semifinal game.
• The loser of Wednesday's Rimouski/Moncton game will be eliminated.

On Monday, the Wildcats, once again, just couldn't get things clicking properly. After a fairly 50-50 first period, Medicine Hat outshot Moncton 17-6 in the second and carried a 2-0 lead into the third. The Wildcats scored early in the third to get within one but some ill-timed penalties essentially erased any chance of a Moncton comeback.

The Wildcats have scored just three goals so far at the Memorial Cup and all have been from defensemen.

Moncton has now lost six straight games at the Memorial Cup with their last win coming in the 2006 semifinal game. They'll look to snap this skid with their season on the line on Wednesday.

Wildcats, Oceanic drop openers

Vincent Éthier / CHL

Both teams from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League have dropped their first games of the 2025 Memorial Cup.

The host Rimouski Oceanic fell 5-4 to the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday while the Moncton Wildcats lost 3-2 in overtime to the OHL's London Knights on Saturday.

Both QMJHL squads were in it until the end and have proved just how tight the teams competing in this year's much-hyped tournament could be.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko and the Oceanic allowed the game-winning goal in the final three minutes of regulation. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were able to, at least, grab a point, which could be crucial later on.

Moncton was able to get the game into overtime thanks to a great goaltending performance from Mathis Rousseau. The overage netminder made 45 saves in the loss – including 16 in the third period alone.

Both teams will look to regroup and get a better result in their second games. The Oceanic take on the Knights on Sunday while the Wildcats battle the Tigers on Monday. 

A few other Saturday night news and notes...

• Here's a look at Rimouski's commemorative sweaters, continuing a Memorial Cup tradition.
• It looks like the Memorial Cup patches have been added to the back of jerseys – along the bottom. Teams have big Motorola ads on the front of their jerseys where the patch was traditionally placed.
• Saturday's game was the Memorial Cup's first three-on-three overtime game since the 2022 tournament in Saint John. That game saw the Edmonton Oil Kings edge Gardiner MacDougall and the Sea Dogs 4-3.
• In the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs, Joshua Roy scored the Laval Rocket's lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the Rochester Americans on Friday. The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2 heading into Sunday's decisive Game 5 in Laval.
• The Colorado Eagles have forced a decisive Game 5 in their series against the Abbotsford Canucks thanks to a 3-1 win on Friday. William Dufour did not play in that game. Game 5 is Monday in Colorado.
• Nicolas Guay, Vincent Sevigny and the Trois-Rivieres Lions have taken a 3-2 series lead in the ECHL's Eastern Conference final with a 3-1 win over the Florida Everblades on Saturday. Sevigny had an assist on the game's opening goal.

Memorial Cup begins Friday; AHL, ECHL playoffs continue

Embed from Getty Images 

The 2025 Memorial Cup is set to begin on Friday night in Rimouski.

The host Oceanic will take on the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers in the tournament's opening game. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. AT and the game can be seen on TSN.

The Oceanic feature the only former Saint John Sea Dogs player taking part in this year's tournament. Forward Eriks Mateiko recorded seven goals and four assists in 18 playoff games with the Oceanic, helping the club reach the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final.

Mateiko has always performed well in big moments. The Washington Capitals prospect had a breakout performance at this year's World Junior Championship and, more recently, scored the Game 7 overtime goal that sent the Oceanic to the league final.

The Tigers are headlined by 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Gavin McKenna – who Mateiko faced at this year's world juniors. Speculation continues that McKenna could be heading to the NCAA for next season.

Saturday will see the QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats take on the OHL champion London Knights at 7 p.m. AT. Moncton finished the regular season ranked first in the CHL while London was second.

The game will see two coaching legends go head-to-head: Gardiner MacDougall of the Wildcats and Dale Hunter of the Knights. MacDougall, often referred to as the king of the short tournament, will be looking for his second Memorial Cup title after guiding the Sea Dogs to the 2022 title.

The Knights were favoured to win last year's tournament but they fell to the host Saginaw Spirit in the championship game. The host team has won three of the last six tournaments.

Memorial Cup field is set

WHL

MONCTON – The field is set for the 2025 Memorial Cup.

The Medicine Hat Tigers secured the final spot in the tournament on Friday night, defeating the Spokane Chiefs 6-0 to win the Western Hockey League championship in five games. It's the first WHL title for the Tigers since 2007.

Medicine Hat joins an impressive tournament field featuring the Rimouski Oceanic (host), Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) and London Knights (OHL champion).

The Tigers are headlined by 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Gavin McKenna, who posted 38 points in 16 playoff games. This could be McKenna's final games of junior hockey as it's been speculated that he'll make the jump to the NCAA next season.

Medicine Hat goaltender Harrison Meneghin was named playoff MVP. Meneghin, who lost his father just before the playoffs started, was given this special moment by Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt.

Harrison, you're getting this one too 🧡

Your 2025 Ed Chynoweth Cup champs 🏆@TigersHockey | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/MYGVQXS98q

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 17, 2025

The Memorial Cup begins next Friday with the Tigers taking on the host Oceanic. The next day, the Wildcats face the Knights.

Oceanic send series back to Moncton

Embed from Getty Images

Eriks Mateiko scored as the Rimouski Oceanic staved off elimination on Thursday night.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs captain was one of five Oceanic players to score in a dominant 5-1 victory over the Moncton Wildcats, keeping their Gilles-Courteau Trophy hopes alive. The Wildcats lead the QMJHL championship series 3-1.

Rimouski came flying out of the gate, scoring three goals in the first 7:08 and carrying a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. The Oceanic outshot the Wildcats 23-7 in the opening frame and were 2/5 on the power play.

The Wildcats simply didn't show up for this game. Once Rimouski got things going early, Moncton had no answer. They struggled in their own end at times and were too undisciplined. 

Mateiko's goal was his first since scoring in double overtime of Game 7 in of the QMJHL semifinals. The former Sea Dog also had six shots and was a +1.

ERIKS MATEIKO MAKES IT 5-0 RIMOUSKI

That's his first of the series! 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/dlGEuPIHSp

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 16, 2025

The good news for Moncton: they still carry a commanding series lead. Game 5 will take place Saturday night at Avenir Centre – a building they are 8-0 in during these playoffs.

The Wildcats are now 15-2 overall in these playoffs.

Moncton will try and win the third QMJHL championship in team history on Saturday. Both of their previous titles were clinched on home ice.

Both the Wildcats and Oceanic have already secured spots in the Memorial Cup tournament. Another team locked in their spot on Thursday with the London Knights defeating the Oshawa Generals 5-2 to win a second straight OHL championship.

In the WHL, the Medicine Hat Tigers have a 3-1 series lead over the Spokane Chiefs. Game 5 is Friday night in Spokane. 

Wildcats dominant in Game 1 win

Embed from Getty Images

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats dominated the first game of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final.

The Wildcats controlled the play for most of the night in a 4-1 victory over the Rimouski Oceanic at a sold out Avenir Centre. Shots ended 38-14 in favour of the Wildcats – with half of the Oceanic's shots coming in the third period.

Game 2 of the series will take place Sunday night in Moncton.

The Wildcats came ready to play. They led just 1-0 after the first period but shots were 13-3. Rimouski didn't record their first shot on net until there was 4:11 remaining in the first.

The Oceanic looked very much like a banged up and tired team that's coming off a seven-game series. We'll see if they can rebound.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko had just one shot on goal for the Oceanic. He, like most of the Rimouski lineup, simply couldn't solve Moncton's strong defensive play.

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).

Wildcats up 2-0 on Huskies; Oceanic win opener

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats are two wins away from the Gilles Courteau Trophy final.

The Wildcats took a 2-0 series lead over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies with a 2-1 win on Friday night at Avenir Centre. Moncton won the first game, 5-3, on Thursday.

It was a fairly evenly played game on Friday and saw just one penalty called the entire night. The Huskies led 1-0 entering the third but goals from Natan Grenier and Preston Lounsbury less than a minute apart early in the third period pushed the Wildcats in front.

For Grenier, a first-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, that was his third goal in 11 playoff games after recording just two in 64 regular season games.

Wildcats score twice in the third to win 2-1 and take a 2-0 series lead. pic.twitter.com/y8I0QUhowY

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) April 26, 2025

Goaltender Rudy Guimond, who did not play in Thursday's Game 1, made 28 saves in the win. Guimond was good but didn't have to be as good as Mathis Rousseau the night before. Moncton was much better defensively in this game.

The series now shifts to Rouyn-Noranda for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. 

The other QMJHL semifinal playoff series got underway on Friday with the Rimouski Oceanic defeating the Shawinigan Cataractes 5-1. Former Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko remained out of the Oceanic lineup with an injury.

Former Sea Dogs forward Vince Elie scored Shawinigan's lone goal, which made it a 2-1 game late in the first period.

Vince Elie y va de tout un tir et déjoue Langevin avec 45 secondes à faire au premier 20. #SériesLHJMQ #RIMVSSHA pic.twitter.com/svBRb4vmJS

— Emile Clouet (@RadioClouet) April 25, 2025

Game 2 of this series takes place Sunday afternoon in Rimouski.

Notebook: Two games to go

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It all comes down to this.

The Saint John Sea Dogs' playoff hopes will be on the line Friday when they host the Cape Breton Eagles at 7 p.m. Just one spot remains in QMJHL's post-season and it will go to either the Sea Dogs or Gatineau Olympiques.

The Olympiques currently own the 16th and final playoff spot and are three points ahead of the Sea Dogs. Saint John owns the tie-breaker, so they need to earn at least three points this weekend and hope the Olympiques do not pick up any wins.

Saint John hosts Cape Breton on Friday and Saturday. Gatineau visits the last-place Victoriaville Tigres on Friday and then hosts the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs have not missed the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.

LOTTERY TIME

No matter where the Sea Dogs finish at this point, they'll be entered into the QMJHL's draft lottery, giving them a shot at selecting first overall.

Current state of the QMJHL Draft Lottery

Victoriaville 18th: 9 balls, 43% chance of drafting 1st
⁰Saint John 17th: 6 balls, 28%
⁰Gatineau (NL Regiment own the pick) 16th: 3 balls, 14%
⁰Halifax 15th: 2 balls, 10%
⁰Quebec 14th: 1 ball, 5% pic.twitter.com/tEYAHdnfrp

— Scott MacIntosh (@scottmacintosh4) March 18, 2025

The date for this year's lottery has not been announced yet. The 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 6-7 in Quebec City.

The first overall pick is expected to be either forward Alexis Joseph – who is listed at 6'4" and 192 lbs as a 15-year-old – or forward James Scantlebury, who played with Cameron Chartrand and the Bishop Kearney Selects under-16 squad this past season.

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.

Notebook: Trio of games ahead for Sea Dogs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Another challenging week is ahead for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs, who had their losing streak reach six games on Sunday, host the Gatineau Olympiques on Thursday and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and the Olympiques. Gatineau, expected to be one of the league's top teams this season, has been plagued by injuries in the early goings but still have a solid 7-3-2-0 record. They sit second in the QMJHL's Western Conference behind the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Friday's contest will be just the second meeting of the year between the Sea Dogs and Gordie Dwyer's Titan. Saint John earned a 4-3 win in Bathurst to open the season on Sept. 25.

On Sunday, the Sea Dogs travel to Moncton to face the Wildcats at 4 p.m. Saint John is 0-2 against Moncton this season.

THE STRUGGLES

A few stats really stick out when examining Saint John's early season struggles.

The Sea Dogs are struggling to both score and keep the puck out of their own net. Saint John is averaging just 2.56 goals per game (16th in the QMJHL) despite averaging 31.44 shots per game (7th). At the other end, the Dogs are averaging a league worst 5.44 goals against per game. No other team is averaging above 4.5.

Saint John is also struggling with special teams. Their power play is operating at just 9.1% (17th) while their penalty kill is operating at a league worst 64.7%.

Things aren't good - but it's worth pointing out that Saint John has had a challenging schedule. They have played nine games and six of those have been against Quebec (1st overall), Sherbrooke (2nd) and Moncton (8th).

Notebook: Big crowd expected Saturday

Vincent Ethier/CHL

A big crowd is expected for the Saint John Sea Dogs' home opener on Saturday night.

The TD Station website has ticket availability listed as "limited" for Saturday's home game against the Moncton Wildcats. 

The contest will be Saint John's first game at TD Station since lifting the Memorial Cup in June. The championship banner will be raised to the rafters before the game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. but that will likely be delayed due to the ceremony.

The Sea Dogs were scheduled to hold their home opener last Saturday but the game was postponed by Hurricane Fiona. The team always planned on raising the banner before this Saturday's contest.

OVG TAKING OVER?

There's a lot to take in from this Telegraph-Journal article (paywall) on the Sea Dogs and their lease arrangement with TD Station. It's worth a read.

The most newsworthy tidbit is that Oak View Group is in discussions to take over managing TD Station. The Harbour Station Commission is reportedly waiting on a final proposal from the company.

OVG, co-founded by former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, has become a major player in the arena industry in recent years. OVG and Spectra merged in 2021, meaning this company currently manages CHL arenas in Spokane, Windsor, Oshawa, Moose Jaw, Hamilton, Everett and London.

OVG recently built the new homes for the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken. The company is currently overseeing a renovation of Hamilton's arena.

The finances of such a deal - assuming one gets done - will be up for debate, but an OVG takeover would likely be positive from an entertainment standpoint. 

Notebook: Banner's up in Shawinigan

Shawinigan Cataractes Twitter

BATHURST - There's a new jumbo banner hanging in Shawinigan.

The Cataractes unveiled their 2022 President Cup championship banner before their season opener on Thursday. This is Shawinigan's first QMJHL title, and the large banner is hanging beside the equally large 2012 Memorial Cup championship banner.

The Cataractes defeated the Gatineau Olympiques 4-3 in overtime on Thursday.

The Edmonton Oil Kings, meanwhile, raised their 2022 WHL championship banner this weekend.

We love the view. #TheKingdom | #CaughtTheCrown pic.twitter.com/Jh8dY4qsHg

— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) September 24, 2022

The Saint John Sea Dogs will hold a banner raising ceremony to celebrate their Memorial Cup victory prior to Saturday's home game against the Moncton Wildcats.

Notebook: The regular season is here

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's almost that time.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's regular season is just a couple days away. The schedule opens on Thursday night with the President Cup champion and William Dufour owned Shawinigan Cataractes hosting the Gatineau Olympiques.

The schedule picks up on Friday with seven games that evening. The Saturday slate includes the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan opening up their seasons at TD Station. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs and Titan meet again on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Saint John travels to Charlottetown the following Friday, Sept. 30. The Dogs then play three straight games on home ice before making their first of four three-game road trips to Quebec.

MEDIA GUIDE RELEASED

The QMJHL's media guide was released on Tuesday. Here are a few things worth noting (and perhaps subject to change):

• The league's holiday trading period will take place Sunday, Dec. 18 to Friday, Jan. 6. The World Junior Hockey Championship ends on Jan. 5.
• The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will take place Jan. 25 in Vancouver.
• The 2023 Memorial Cup, held in Kelowna, will take place Friday, May 26 to Monday, June 5.
• The final Central Scouting list for the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft will be released May 8.
• Capacity at TD Station is listed at 5,990 this season with total capacity listed at 6,190.

ROSZELL NO LONGER WITH WILDCATS

Tim Roszell is no longer the voice of the Moncton Wildcats.

The Wildcats quietly announced late Saturday that Marty Kingston will return as the Wildcats' play-by-play announcer, taking over from Roszell who had held the position for the last four seasons.

Kingston was previously the PA announcer at the Moncton Coliseum and was the team's play-by-play voice for three seasons.

Notebook: Theme nights announced

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have announced a number of theme nights that will take place this season.

The Sea Dogs will hold their Memorial Cup banner raising ceremony on Oct. 1, the team's second home game of the year. There will be a "Lady Mo" themed game on Nov. 27.

Single game tickets are available now!

And it's OFFICIAL! Our Banner Raising will be on October 1st! 🏆

We've got some exciting theme nights planned, including top secret ones that will be announced soon!

🎟️:https://t.co/E7n2xOffZg pic.twitter.com/ZrSiPalKCb

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 15, 2022

Other theme nights will be announced later.

REAL GAMES = SOON

The regular season begins in one week for the Sea Dogs.

Saint John opens regular season play next Saturday at TD Station, hosting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m. Following that game, the Sea Dogs will travel to Bathurst to play in the Titan's home opener on Sunday afternoon.

The Sea Dogs and Titan have one pre-season game remaining. The two will faceoff in Lameque, NB this Sunday at 4 p.m. on the final day of exhibition play.

ADS ARE COMING

In news that was inevitable, it looks like advertising is coming soon to helmets and jerseys in the QMJHL.

Le Soleil has confirmed that QMJHL teams will be allowed to have ads placed on player helmets this season and jersey ads could come as soon as next season.

NHL clubs began placing small ads on helmets in recent years and will begin wearing jersey ads this season. It's a bit surprising it's taken junior leagues this long to allow ads given that AHL clubs have been doing it for some time.