Notebook: Lee (officially) joins Mooseheads

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

As reported a couple weeks ago, former Saint John Sea Dogs assistant coach Mark Lee has officially joined the Halifax Mooseheads.

Lee, who will be an assistant coach under Brad MacKenzie, was one of three coaching staff additions announced by the Mooseheads on Wednesday.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the exceptional staff that Brad MacKenzie, Peter, and Sam Simon have assembled,” said Lee in a Mooseheads release. “Having known Josh Hepditch for a long time and competing against him as both a player and a coach, I know our coaching styles will complement each other perfectly. The Halifax Mooseheads are not just a phenomenal organization; they are an elite brand and a top-tier franchise in the CHL. I am eager to see what we can accomplish this season as we work collectively toward bringing a championship back to Halifax.” 

“Mark’s passion for the game combined with his ability to build relationships and connect with players makes him a great addition to our coaching staff,” said MacKenzie. “He brings with him a wealth of experience from his playing career as well as recent history coaching in the QMJHL. I’m looking forward to working alongside Mark and having him work closely with our players.”

Lee, who was sitting with the Mooseheads at this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, was an assistant coach with the Sea Dogs for four seasons. He departed the organization at the same time as Travis Crickard.

DRAFT RANKINGS

The 2026 NHL Draft is just over a week away.

Over at FloHockey, Chris Peters has released his final draft rankings. Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks was ranked 50th.

"He’s a good two-way player with potentially limited offensive upside, but looks like he has the jam to play down the lineup if all works out," writes Peters.

The Hockey Writers, meanwhile, listed Murnieks as one of their "sleeper picks" for this year's draft.

"His offensive game isn’t particularly exciting, but he has a decent shot and can make reasonably clever passes under pressure," they write. "There’s certainly bottom-six potential for Murnieks and his late July birthday means he has lots of development still to come."

Notebook: Veleno gets first playoff point

Embed from Getty Images

Joe Veleno recorded his first career NHL playoff point on Sunday.

Veleno registered an assist on a Zachary Bolduc goal in the Montreal Canadiens' 6-2 Game 3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Veleno played 12:18 in the game and also recorded one shot and five hits.

What is this pass from Logan Stanley pic.twitter.com/y2LE7mKtMq

— Rink Rat Report (@RinkRatReport) May 11, 2026

Veleno has played in all four games for the Habs in their second round series against the Sabres. This is his first career appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Canadiens and Sabres are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Thursday in Buffalo.

FLAMES SIGN ALCHORN

The Saint John Flames of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League have announced another signing with Sea Dogs connections.

Forward Zachary Alchorn will play for the team this fall. He was the second player to sign with the club after former Sea Dogs forward Nick Blagden.

According to Elite Prospects, Alchorn hasn't played competitive level hockey since the 2023-24 season when he appeared in 14 games with the Southern Senior Hockey League's River Valley Rock.

The Grand Bay-Westfield native spent most of his junior career with the St. Stephen Aces/Fredericton Red Wings franchise. He appeared in 16 games with the Sea Dogs during the COVID season of 2020-21, recording three goals and two assists. He added a goal and four assists in six playoff games.

Notebook: Mateiko done for season

Hershey Bears

Some brutal news for former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko.

Mateiko will miss the rest of his rookie American Hockey League season and the upcoming Winter Olympic Games after having surgery this week.

"Hershey Bears forward Eriks Mateiko underwent a surgical procedure to repair his right Achilles tendon yesterday afternoon following a skate blade laceration during Sunday’s game in Hershey," the team tweeted on Tuesday. "Based on the nature of the procedure, Mateiko will miss the remainder of the season."

You can the see incident below.

This is where Mateiko got injured. He turns a little awkwardly and goes down right away but note the officials scraping the ice a little at the blue line. pic.twitter.com/lUlayiV0fB

— Bears Hockey Nation (@HBHNationBlog) January 11, 2026

The 20-year-old has posted a goal and five assists in 27 AHL games. He was recently named to Latvia's Olympic roster.

TICKET DISCOUNT

This from the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation Facebook page:

The discount applies to Saint John's next home game: Saturday, Jan. 24 against the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Note that this is a 4 p.m. start.

Joseph nets hat trick in Canada Red win

Hockey Canada

Alexis Jospeh set the tone early and kept it going to lead Team Canada Red to an 8-4 win over Finland on the opening day of the U17 World Challenge on Sunday in Truro.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward scored 40 seconds in and added two more goals and an assist in the victory. He was named performer of the game.

A 4⃣-point effort to get things started for your @Gatorade Performer of the Game… Alexis Joseph! 🇨🇦

Avec une récolte de 4⃣ points en lever de rideau, la Performance du match Gatorade appartient à… Alexis Joseph! 🇨🇦#WorldU17 | #MondialM17 pic.twitter.com/J97kLRfHBa

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) November 2, 2025

Joseph is captaining Team Canada Red.

In a pre-tournament game on Friday, Joseph registered two goals and three assists to lead Canada Red to a 7-5 win over Czechia.

Canada Red's next game is on Tuesday night against the United States. The quarterfinals take place Thursday; the semifinals on Friday; and the fifth, bronze and gold medal games on Saturday.

Notebook: Talking tacos

SAINT JOHN - There was a nice little surprise for fans at TD Station this weekend.

"Taco Boyz Express" has opened beside the Moosehead Lounge (where Tim Hortons used to be located) on the TD Station concourse. The menu includes tacos, burritos and a few dessert options like churros and deep fired cheesecake.

It's a nice addition to the building's very ordinary concession lineup.

NEW PARTNERSHIP

The Sea Dogs and the Saint John Firefighters announced a new partnership on Friday. From Facebook:

Your Saint John Firefighters were on Saint John's beautiful boardwalk today to announce our new partnership with the Saint John Sea Dogs. President Tyler Embree had the honor of announcing the first annual "Battle of The Badges" hockey tournament. This event will take place on February 6th, 7th, and 8th at TD Station!

This tournament will consist of 8 teams. 4 teams of firefighters, and 4 teams of police officers.

Your Saint John Firefighters are excited to take the new trophy home! With many of our players having been drafted to, or played in leagues such as the QMJHL, CHL, AUS, Senior A, Prep School Hockey, and Vito's "AAA", you know that the action will be intense!

We would like to thank the Saint John Sea Dogs for continuing to be an excellent partner in both our charity endeavours, and the Battle of the Badges.

A special thanks to Andy Childs and Trevor Georgie for their unwavering support.

The Sea Dogs will play home games the nights of Feb. 6-7.

Notebook: Baldwin, Lightning set for Prospect Tournament

Tampa Bay Lightning

Everett Baldwin is the only current Saint John Sea Dog attending an NHL training camp this year.

Baldwin, a fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in this year's NHL Draft, is in Tampa for a prospect tournament the team is hosting. The Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators are also participating.

The Lightning prospects will play Nashville on Friday, Florida on Saturday and Carolina on Monday.

Baldwin was a second-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in two pre-season games, registering three goals. 

The Rhode Island native is committed to Providence College for the 2026-27 season.

62 QMJHL players will attend NHL camps this year. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Moncton Wildcats each have nine.

HOME OPENER DETAILS

The Sea Dogs have announced a number of events surrounding the team's season opening weekend. Here are some of the highlights from a news release.

• On Friday, Sept. 19, there will be a Season Kickoff on the Saint John Boardwalk. From 4:30-6 p.m., fans can enjoy free live music from The Last Call, games, rides in the Saint John Firefighters’ antique fire truck, and autographs with Fleaburn and Sea Dogs players. Plus, the first 300 fans will receive a free hot dog.
• Thousands of rally towels will be handed out at the door as fans enter TD Station for the Sea Dogs' season opener that same night.
• On Saturday, Sept. 20, the Sea Dogs Ball Hockey Classic presented by TD will be held held and will run from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Memorial Cup outdoor rink on Station Street. Full details are on the Sea Dogs website.
• The Sea Dogs also have a home game later that night. The team notes that throughout the weekend, fans can stop by the TD Community Zone, where TD will be giving away limited edition Sea Dogs scarves and other gifts to celebrate Opening Weekend.
  

NEW EQUIPMENT MANAGER

The Sea Dogs have named Dave Campbell the team's new equipment manager. Campbell was with the club for last weekend's pre-season games.

Campbell replaces the recently hired Zak Larnaudie, who accepted a position with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies.

“I am thrilled to join the Saint John Sea Dogs organization,” said Campbell in a news release. “I look forward to contributing to the success of the team on and off the ice to allow the players to succeed to their potential.”

According to the team's news release, "Campbell’s experience includes time with the P.E.I. Rocket and the Cape Breton Eagles in the QMJHL, as well as the Woodstock Slammers (MHL), Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) and Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) at the Junior A level." He's also worked a number of Hockey Canada events.

Notebook: Tickets now available

Single-game tickets to Saint John Sea Dogs home games (the ones at TD Station, at least) went on sale Tuesday.

The biggest change, obviously, is that Sea Dogs tickets are now purchased through Ticketmaster. With that move, the team announced last week that it was lowering the base cost of tickets to account for the additional fees Ticketmaster is famous for.

Going through the checkout process, after taxes and fees, a single adult ticket will cost $24.81.

A single adult ticket was priced at $25 last season – before taxes and fees.

Notably, the "prime" seating sections in the lower bowl currently have no seats available. The Sea Dogs explained the reasoning in a Facebook comment.

"Those sections are in high demand among our Season Ticket Members, so availability there is very limited," the Sea Dogs wrote. "At this time, we’ve reserved the remaining seats in those sections for potential Season Ticket Membership purchasers."

Upper bowl sections 5-11 are also not available nor are the top few rows of most other upper bowl sections. This is common practice for larger arenas, and those seats will presumably become available when demand requires it.

PRE-SEASON FINALE

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season comes to a close this week.

The Sea Dogs have two exhibition matches remaining. This Friday they'll host the Moncton Wildcats in Woodstock before travelling to PEI on Saturday to face the Charlottetown Islanders on the UPEI campus.

Both games have 7 p.m. starts.

Friday's contest will be Saint John's first in Woodstock. Tickets can be purchased here.

The Sea Dogs have played five pre-season games so far and are still looking for their first win. They've played Moncton three times already while they have yet to see Tyler Peddle and Charlottetown.

The final games of the QMJHL's pre-season will take place Sunday. The regular season begins on Sept. 18.

Notebook: Gallant to the KHL

Former Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant is officially off to the KHL.

Gallant was named the head coach of the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday after several weeks of rumours, signing a two-year deal. It's the first coaching stint in the KHL for the 61-year-old.

The Dragons made the announcement with this rather awesome video.

THE MASTER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/0hAK9XYzuU

— Shanghai Dragons (@shadragons) August 13, 2025

The Dragons are formerly the Kunlun Red Star, who were based in Beijing prior to the pandemic. The club has played in Russia since 2020 and are expected to play in Saint Petersburg this year.

Gallant, who coached the Sea Dogs for three seasons from 2009 to 2012, hasn't had a full time coaching gig since the 2022-23 season when he led the New York Rangers.

Mike Kelly, shockingly, will be joining Gallant's staff as an assistant coach.

HLINKA UPDATE

Team Canada improved to 3-0 at this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 5-0 victory over Czechia on Wednesday.

The Canadians previously defeated Finland, 5-3, and Switzerland, 9-1. Canada will play the United States in Friday's semifinals. The gold and bronze medal games are set for Saturday.

Sea Dogs defenseman Cameron Chartrand has been held pointless so far at the tournament. Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard, meanwhile, is an assistant coach with the team.

NEW VENUES

Some Sea Dogs pre-season venues have changed yet again. 

The team's Aug. 23 and Aug. 28 games – both against the Newfoundland Regiment – will be held at Fredericton's Willie O'Ree Place. The two games were originally set to be played at Fredericton's Grant Harvey Centre and Lady Beaverbrook Rink, respectively.

Both games are Regiment "home" contests. Newfoundland will be holding the first portion of their training camp and entire pre-season schedule in Fredericton due to the Canada Games taking over most venues in the St. John's area.

Tickets to both games can be purchased online.

Notebook: Nathan Beaulieu retires

Marc Henwood/Station Nation

One of the all-time great Saint John Sea Dogs defensemen has hung up his skates.

32-year-old Nathan Beaulieu announced his retirement from professional hockey last week. He appeared in just eight games last season, all in the KHL.

Beaulieu hasn't played an NHL game since the 2022-23 season when he appeared in 52 contests with the Anaheim Ducks. He has spent the past two seasons overseas.

It was a solid pro hockey career for Beaulieu, appearing in 471 career NHL games split between the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a first-round pick of the Habs in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Congratulations to Nathan Beaulieu, who has officially announced his retirement from pro hockey 🏒⁰
Wishing the former first-round pick the best of luck in the future! pic.twitter.com/yYHEIxRy0j

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 23, 2025

Beaulieu spent four seasons with the Sea Dogs and was part of the group that played in three straight league finals and back-to-back Memorial Cups, winning two QMJHL championships and a national title.

He is the son of former Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu, who selected his son in the fourth-round of the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft.

TRADE PERIOD OPENING

The QMJHL's summer trade period opens Aug. 1 and will run for a few weeks.

For those wondering, the @QMJHL summer trade period will open on Friday and run until Aug. 24 at 1 p.m., Atlantic time. @cbepbp #qmjhl #lhjmq

— Jeremy Fraser (@CBPost_Jeremy) July 28, 2025

The Sea Dogs haven't been overly active on the trade front in recent years, but with such a large camp roster, perhaps we'll see some moves to make space for others. But also: maybe not. This is great analysis.

Notebook: Sea Dogs attend USA Hockey Festival

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Three players with Saint John Sea Dogs connections recently took part in USA Hockey's Boys National 17 Festival in Amherst, NY.

Sea Dogs forward Matthew Krayer recorded a goal and two assists in six games with the Massachusetts District, who finished fourth at the event. Defensive prospect Brian McFadden, a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, was also part of that team and registered a goal in six games.

Both Krayer and McFadden recently took part in Sea Dogs development camp in Quispamsis.

Defenseman Oskar Drabczynski, a seventh-round pick of Saint John in this year's draft, registered two assists in six games with the New England District, who finished second.

According to USA Hockey, "the Boys National 17 Festival is a District team-based tournament format, but the priority is still to improve and showcase the players participating. Players will experience a competitive, age-specific environment with on-ice training (drills, small area games, competitions, etc.) and off-ice training (strength & conditioning, team building, mental skills, nutrition, classroom, etc.)."

CRICKARD NAMED TO HLINKA STAFF

Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard has been named an associate coach for Team Canada at this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which will take place Aug. 11-16

From Hockey Canada:

Crickard recently completed his third season as the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and was promoted to general manager in October 2024. He also spent time with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Ottawa 67’s (2013-14) and Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets (2014-19). Crickard has won three gold medals with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the IIHF U18 World Championship, twice as an assistant coach (2024, 2025) and once as a video coach in 2021. He also won a silver medal as the head coach of Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth. He was a member of Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as a video coach (2016)—winning a silver medal—and an assistant coach in 2017.

Mathieu Turcotte will be the team's head coach. Rick Steadman of the London Knights will join Crickard behind the bench as an assistant.

Sea Dogs forward William Yared and defenseman Cameron Chartrand have both been invited to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp later this month in Oakville.

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).

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.”

NCDC expansion teams have names, logos

Charlotte County's new junior hockey teams now have names and logos.

The NCDC officially announced Tuesday that the St. Stephen-based franchise will be called the St. Croix Seawolves while the Blacks Harbour-based squad will be named the Eastern Charlotte Kingfishers. Both teams have the same owner, Ted Colley.

From the NCDC:

The Seawolves name was submitted by a resident of Lachine, Que. Season tickets were awarded to the winners of both team-naming contests, but as the resident lived far from St. Croix, N.B., that winner was happy to see the season tickets instead go to a member of the St. Croix community.

The Kingfishers were the name of a local minor hockey team more than 30 years ago. That name was submitted three times, so there was an extra draw to select the winner of the season tickets.

Both teams will play in the New England Division of the NCDC, along with the fellow expansion Woodstock Slammers and Presque Isle Frontiers. The league has an updated footprint on their website.

Notebook: Schedule coming soon

A whole lot of the Moncton Wildcats is on the schedule for the Saint John Sea Dogs this pre-season.

The QMJHL website published its pre-season schedule – or at least most pieces of it – on Wednesday. As it stands right now, the Sea Dogs will play five exhibition games with four of those coming against the Wildcats.

Here's a look at Saint John's current pre-season schedule:

Tuesday, Aug. 19: Saint John at Moncton (Dieppe UNIplex)

Wednesday, Aug. 20: Moncton at Saint John (St. Stephen Garcelon Civic Center)

Friday, Aug. 22: Saint John at Moncton (Fredericton Aitken Centre)

Thursday, Aug. 28: Saint John at Newfoundland (Summerside Wellness Centre)

Friday, Sept. 5: Moncton at Saint John (TBD)

Saint John's pre-season contest in St. Stephen was originally scheduled for Aug. 19 but has since been moved to Aug. 20.

If this is indeed Saint John's final pre-season schedule, it would be the fewest exhibition games the club has ever played.

SCHEDULE SOON

We're presumably getting closer to the releasing of the QMJHL's regular season schedule. Last season's schedule was released on May 27.

Stephane Leroux of RDS reported earlier this week that the regular season will begin Thursday, Sept. 18 with the Newfoundland Regiment hosting the Moncton Wildcats. It will be the QMJHL's first game in St. John's since 2008.

Leroux also explained how the Regiment's schedule and travel will work. Maritimes Division teams will fly to St. John's twice and play two games each time, according to the report.

Saint John's last game in St. John's was on Jan. 6, 2008.