Tuesday News & Notes

Rogers TV might want to use someone other than Oliver Cooper on their promotional ads.

Some Tuesday night news and notes…

• Sea Dogs general manager Darrell Young on Blade Mann-Dixon’s reassignment to the MHL: "We want to give Blade a chance to play and develop more. Blade wasn't getting a lot of playing time in a three-goalie system. He'll have a chance to play a lot in Jr. A this season, allowing him to further his development. That will give him a better chance of returning to training camp next year and earning a roster spot."
• Sea Dogs ranked in Future Considerations' November NHL Draft rankings: No. 28 Jakub Zboril, No. 65 Thomas Chabot and No. 96 Nathan Noel.
• Movember is winding down. The Sea Dogs’ page is here.
• The Sea Dogs are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Charlottetown to battle the Islanders. The Dogs are at home on Friday hosting the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Saint John also takes on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday at Harbour Station.
• Sunday’s Sea Dogs/Titan game will be broadcast by Rogers TV across New Brunswick.

Sea Dogs Notebook

UP NEXT

Up next for the Sea Dogs is a Friday night contest in Charlottetown against the Islanders. Game time is 7pm at Eastlink Centre.

Two of Saint John’s seven wins this season have come against the Islanders. Meanwhile, Charlottetown has lost eight straight games heading into their game on Wednesday night against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs are also in action on Sunday afternoon in Moncton. The Port City squad wraps up their first half schedule with games in Sydney on December 20^th and 21^st.

DESERRES

Former Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres (pictured) has been named the WHL men's hockey Graduate of the Month for November.

DeSerres has helped the University of Calgary Dinos enter the Christmas break as the top team in the CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 Rankings. They sit first overall in the Canada West standings with a 15-0-1 record and have allowed just 25 goals in 16 games.

DeSerres, who helped Saint John win the Memorial Cup in 2011, has the league’s best goals against average (1.50), best save percentage (0.941), and most wins (9). He is also tied for the league lead in shutouts with three.

"Jacob had an exceptional month of November and was instrumental in the Dinos having a 7-0-1 record," said Dinos head coach Mark Howell in a release. "He stepped up when Lazaruk got hurt and carried the load in some big games and shone on every occasion. His game was in control throughout each game and created confidence for his team."

CRAIG’S LIST

Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc was ranked 68^th in Craig Button’s latest rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft. Button has plenty of other QMJHL players ranked around there but LeBlanc was the only Sea Dog to make the list.

LeBlanc sits fourth in Saint John scoring with five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 32 games. All five of his goals have been scored on the power play.

Monday Stuff

The Saint John Sea Dogs may not be the best at winning hockey games this season, but they are pretty good at raising money for moustaches. The Sea Dogs finished third overall and second amongst the 60 Canadian Hockey League teams in fundraising money for the annual MOvember challenge in support of men’s health.

The CHL officials won the challenge easily, raising over $60,000. The WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders were the top raising team, bringing in over $16,000. The Sea Dogs were next with over $10,000 in donations.

Also, Saint John defenseman Michael Abbott was the top raising player in the entire CHL, bringing in over $5,700.

Full results can be found on the CHL Network page and the Sea Dogs’ page.

Some other news and notes...

• The Ottawa Senators recalled Mike Hoffman from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators today. Hoffman has 11 goals and 15 assists in 21 games in Bingo this season. According to the Sens website, Hoffman could make his season debut tomorrow against Huberdeau and the Panthers.
• The Sea Dogs’ homestand continues this weekend with the Sea Dogs hosting the Victoriaville Tigres on Friday at 7:30pm and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday at 7pm. Friday’s game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Believe it or not, these are the final two home games before Christmas. 
• Oliver Cooper continues to lead the Sea Dogs in scoring with 26 points in 30 games. That includes two goals and three assists in his past three games.
• If you think the Sea Dogs have been playing poorly on the road this year, the Shawinigan Cataractes picked up their first road win of the season on Saturday in Gatineau.
• Former Sea Dog Scott Oke has been playing well since being traded to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. In 10 games the 20-year old forward has five goals and three assists.
• RDS article on Sebastien Auger.
• Could the Val-d’Or Foreurs be interested in acquiring Auger during the trade period?
• Alex Grant, the first overall pick by Saint John in the 2005 QMJHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal on Saturday. Angelo Esposito? The guy has no goals and four assists in 11 games with some team in Austria. (Shout-out to Nick for that tip)

MacAulay Scores First AHL Goal In Debut

Stephen MacAulay made his American Hockey League debut with the Hamilton Bulldogs last night.

The former Saint John Sea Dog recorded a goal and an assist in a first star performance, helping the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate defeat the Texas Stars 5-1.

Also in that game, Nathan Beaulieu was a +2 with one shot while Robert Mayer was the backup goaltender.

MacAulay had been playing with the East Coast Hockey League’s Wheeling Nailers before getting called up. In the ECHL, the Cole Harbour native has registered two assists in 12 games.

Some other stuff…

• Two former Sea Dogs sit in the top 10 in AHL scoring. Mike Hoffman is ninth with 19 points (9G, 10A) in 15 games with the Binghamton Senators and Tomas Jurco is 10^th with 19 points (9G, 10A) as well in 16 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
• The University of Calgary Dinos are off to a 12-0 start and are ranked No. 2 in Canada this week. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres has seven of those wins to go along with a 1.75 GAA and 0.925 save percentage.
• Jonathan Huberdeau scored a very Jonathan Huberdeau shootout goal in Vancouver last night.
• Game 2 of the Subway Super Series is tonight at 8pm in Sherbrooke. The game can be seen on Sportsnet. Sebastien Auger will presumably be playing.
• The Sea Dogs are still raising funds for MOvember. Check out their page here. They’ve raised over $4,000 so far.
• The Sea Dogs are back in action on Friday at 7:30pm at the Station against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. There is some promotional stuff going down at the game.

Sea Dogs Notebook

FRIDAY

The Ross Yates head coaching era begins on Friday night at Harbour Station as the Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats. Game time is 7:30pm.

Saint John, 5-10-0-2, will be looking to end their eight-game losing streak. Despite what those who just look at the scores may think, the Sea Dogs actually haven’t played that terribly during this losing skid. Their past four games have all been decided by a goal with the latest, Sunday’s 3-2 loss in Chicoutimi, coming in a shootout.

Moncton has a record of 7-11-0-1 entering play this weekend.

According to a Sea Dogs press release, “four fans will be selected randomly for our 'Shoot to Win' competition in the first intermission. The two best shooters will qualify for a chance to shoot for a BRAND NEW CAR, courtesy of Downey Ford, on November 27th!

“The Sea Dogs Foundation will raffle off a #22 Keven Charland Sea Dogs alumni jersey worn during the Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Weekend. Wallace McCain Alumni golf shirts will also be raffled. Tickets are $5 each, three for $10, or ten for $20. Proceeds will be donated to the MOvember campaign.

“A secondary 50/50 prize of $500 will be given away.”

So that’s all cool.

SATURDAY

On Saturday, the Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders. The Isles sit second in the Maritimes Division with a 10-5-0-1 record but do have a better winning percentage than the division-leading Halifax Mooseheads.

According to the Sea Dogs release,” It's Support Our Troops Night at Harbour Station!

“Members of Canadian Forces from CFB Gagetown will take part in a special pregame ceremony to pay tribute to fallen Canadian soldiers and all members of this country's military.

“The Sea Dogs Foundation will raffle off a #35 Karel St-Laurent Sea Dogs alumni jersey from the Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Weekend. Wallace McCain alumni golf shirts will again be raffled.

“Another secondary 50/50 prize of $500 will be given away.”

MOVEMBER

The Sea Dogs also announced this week that the team will be taking part in the MOvember Challenge. Full details on all that can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

In addition to the money raised through donations, the Sea Dogs will also be making a donation to the campaign that will increase with rising attendance numbers.

If the Sea Dogs average 3,800 fans during the seven home games in November, the team will donate $5,000. If the average hits five thousand fans per game, the team will donate $15,000. If it reaches six thousand fans, the team will donate $30,000.

In addition, the Sea Dogs will donate $10,000 for any game which is sold out.

Sea Dogs Notebook

UP NEXT

The Sea Dogs are up north this week for a strange two-game mid-week road trip. The Dogs are in Rouyn-Noranda this evening to battle the Huskies at 8:30pm before moving on to Val-d’Or to face the Foreurs tomorrow night.

Saint John is on a bit of a roll. They’ve won three straight and moved above the .500 mark with a 13-12-0-0 record.

After these pair of games, they return home to host Scott Oke and the Rimouski Oceanic at 3pm on Sunday.

MOVEMBER

Movember is winding down but there is still time to donate to the Sea Dogs team. They currently have $545 raised in donations. Movember captain David Weckworth leads the way with $290 in donations.

Check out the Sea Dogs' page HERE.

The Sea Dogs posted some pictures of players sporting their stache on their Facebook page last night.

WORLD JUNIORS

According to NHL.com, Team Canada will announce their world junior selection camp roster this Monday. The camp will be held from December 11-15 in Calgary.

Jonathan Huberdeau is the only Sea Dog expected to receive an invite and is a lock to make the team (as long as the NHL and NHLPA continue their craziness).

“Huberdeau formed a dynamic duo alongside Mark Stone on last year’s world junior team, setting up the gifted scorer with some nice feeds in Alberta,” writes Sportsnet’s Patrick King who listed Huberdeau as one of the ‘hot’ players in his power rankings this week. “He’s playing a similar style with the Sea Dogs now, as evidenced by his performance last week.”

FIGHTING

Got news for you: fighting is down across the Canadian Hockey League.

“Over in Québec, they're going at a rate of two fights every three games, or 0.75 per game, a modest 5% drop from the last season,” writes Cam Charron in a post over at Buzzing The Net.

According to HockeyFights.com, the Sea Dogs have just 11 fights this season in 25 games, the second fewest in the league. They had 68 in 68 games last season.

Michael Mastrangelo (5), Marcus Cuomo (2), Devon Oliver-Dares (2), Jonathan Huberdeau (1), and Ryan Tesink (1) are the only Sea Dogs with fighting majors this year.

Sea Dogs Notebook

VITO’S

Vito’s posted this photo on their Facebook page last week. Click to enlarge.

MOVEMBER

Movember is winding down but there is still plenty of time to donate to the Sea Dogs team.

The team announced last week that Scott McCain “will personally match donations to the Saint John Sea Dogs team, up to a maximum of $3,000.”

“Movember is a special reminder to all of us that we need to collectively do all that we can to fight this terrible disease,” the Sea Dogs CEO said in a release. “I'm happy to support such an important cause and I wish good luck to the Sea Dogs in their fund-raising attempts.”

Fans can follow the progress of the Sea Dogs team and make donations HERE.

SCHOLASTICS

Aidan Kelly was named Saint John’s scholastic player of the month for October. He is a business student at UNBSJ.

“The Scholastic Players of the Month UL Mutual are a great initiative by the QMJHL,” said UL Mutual CEO Jacques Desbiens  in a release. “We are very proud of having been invited to contribute and to add the name of UL Mutual, your mutual for life.”

GALIEV

Stanislav Galiev was sent back down to the East Coast Hockey League’s Reading Royals on Wednesday. The Washington Capitals even made a press release this time around.

Galiev played for Reading on Wednesday and was a +1 in a 5-4 shootout win over the South Carolina Stingrays. The former Sea Dogs forward was given a shooting opportunity in the shootout but did not score. Galiev has now played in two ECHL games but has yet to record a point.

In nine games with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, Galiev had an assist.

PHILLIPS

Rant Sports is analyzing some of the Minnesota Wild’s first round draft picks from the past few years. That includes Zack Phillips.

“So far this season, that success has not translated into the AHL, where he has just five points through 14 games,” writes Bob Spencer. “At just 20 years old, Phillips has a lot of development left, but what he has shown so far certainly has Wild fans buzzing. It’s still too early to really grade this pick so I have to default and take the middle ground.”

They gave Phillips a ‘B’ rating.

Sea Dogs Notebook

CHEAP SEATS

The Sea Dogs host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies tomorrow night at 7pm at Harbour Station. Upper bowl tickets can be purchased for just $6.

Saint John is 11-1-0-0 on home this season and have won straight overall. They defeated the Huskies 9-4 in Rouyn-Noranda back on October 14.

MOVEMBER

Big time move by Scott McCain today as he issued this challenge to fans.

Sea Dogs players, staff and fans are participating in Movember – a moustache-growing, fundraising initiative that Canadian Hockey League teams take part in each season. McCain announced Tuesday that he will personally match donations to the Saint John Sea Dogs team, up to a maximum of $3,000. 

“This is a great cause that our players are proud to take part in,” McCain said. “The donations are rolling in little by little, and I want to do my part to help encourage more.” 

Fans can follow the progress of the Sea Dogs team and make donations at: http://mobro.co/SeaDogs. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men's faces in Canada and around the world.  The annual month-long moustache growing and appreciation charity event helps raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

The Sea Dogs’ Movember page can be found here.

FIRST STAR

The Montreal Gazette named Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu the first star in their weekly three stars of Montreal Canadiens prospects.

“Beaulieu’s goal and four assists has him on the best points streak of his season, with a goal added on to his totals from the previous week he has two goals and four assists in a four game streak,” writes Mike Boon. “Beaulieu’s six goals and eleven assists have raised him to the leading defensive scorer on his team and 8th overall in the QMJHL amongst defencemen.”

Here’s Beaulieu’s snipe during Wednesday’s Subway Super Series shootout.

Support The 'Stache Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are taking part in Movember. All of the details, including how to donate, were released in the Dog Bytes Newsletter on Friday.

The Sea Dogs will be joining dozens of other Canadian Hockey League teams taking part in "Movember" - a league-wide initiative in support of men's health and prostate cancer awareness. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men's faces in Canada and around the world.  The annual month-long moustache growing and appreciation charity event helps raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer. Sea Dogs staff and players are growing moustaches during the month and will be updating their progress at: http://mobro.co/SeaDogs 

Players will be registered with their clubs under the CHL platform on movember.com and raise sponsorship dollars by growing and grooming their moustache and encouraging monetary donations through family, friends, fans, and local sponsors. Each player will be ranked and each team as a collective will be ranked throughout the CHL. Teams will be competing for the top spot in fundraising dollars and the winner will be presented with a special Movember trophy. The Sea Dogs will also be awarding prizes to players for the best - and worst - moustaches. The Dogs kicked things off with a photo shoot on "shave day" - Nov. 1. This was also the day the team left for its current road trip. Some players, such as Zack Phillips and Danick Gauthier refused to shave existing 'staches due to superstitions about ongoing hot streaks but still wanted to participate in the fun. 

Fans are encouraged to follow the Sea Dogs and their facial hair exploits at http://mobro.co/SeaDogs. Fans can also join the team and donate funds to the initiative.  The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and men's health partner, Prostate Cancer Canada. In 2010, more than 450,000 "Mo Bros" and "Mo Sistas" came together as Citizens of Movember around the world raising more than $75 million for Movember's global men's health partners.

The Sea Dogs' Movember page can be found here.