41 players taking part in Sea Dogs camp

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a few roster moves ahead of this morning's scrimmage at Harbour Station.

The team announced eight players who took part in the team's Rookie Camp last week have been reassigned. They are:

LW Tyler-James Flack
LW Brennan Laverty
RW Alexis Lyonnais
F Daniel Surette
D Justin Lush
D Matthew O’Leary
D Jack McGovern
G Andrew MacLeod

Surette (2017, round 12), O'Leary (2015, round 12) and McGovern (2016, round eight) are all draft picks of the Sea Dogs while the rest were free agent invites.

The moves leave the Sea Dogs with 41 players at camp: four goalies, 14 defencemen and 23 forwards.

Here's a look at this morning's scrimmage rosters:

Today's scrimmage rosters.#SJSeaDogs | #PortCityRise pic.twitter.com/bgxar97wkD

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 22, 2017

Goaltender Matt Williams is with the team for training camp. He was not listed on the roster released last night.

Wildcats win 2017 Rookie Challenge

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats are 2017 Rookie Challenge champions.

The host Wildcats defeated the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads fairly easily on Sunday afternoon at Superior Propane Centre, winning 6-2.

Moncton's first-round picks - Jakob Pelletier and Jaxon Bellamy - stood out once again. Pelletier scored twice and Bellamy once. Colton McKenna, Brodie MacArthur and Patrick Musico also scored. Alex MacDonald and Zachary Paradis teamed up for the win in net.

Halifax had goals from Fearghus MacDonald and Gavin Hart. Cole McLaren suffered the loss in net.

Wildcats are Rookie Challenge champs pic.twitter.com/U0yfQJxUKR

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) August 20, 2017

The Wildcats went 3-0 at the tournament, also defeating the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 5-3 on Friday and Saint John Sea Dogs 7-1 on Saturday.

On Sunday morning, the Screaming Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 5-1 to claim fifth-place. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan finished third thanks to a 8-2 victory over the Charlottetown Islanders.

Here's a look at the final results (in order of finish):

Team	Record	GF-GA
Moncton Wildcats	3-0-0-0	18-6
Halifax Mooseheads	2-1-0-0	13-11
Acadie-Bathurst Titan	2-1-0-0	13-8
Charlottetown Islanders	1-2-0-0	8-17
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles	1-1-0-1	13-12
Saint John Sea Dogs	0-2-1-0	6-17

Pelletier finished with a tournament high five goals and eight points. Moncton's Daniil Kuzmin led the tournament in assists with four.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 5-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Cape Breton 5

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs are heading home without a win at the 2017 Rookie Challenge.

The Sea Dogs suffered their third straight loss on Sunday morning at Moncton's Superior Propane Centre, falling 5-1 to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Both teams entered the fifth-place game winless.

Isiah Campbell scored Saint John's lone goal. Andrew MacLeod made 11 stops in the loss while  Joel Goguen made 12 saves.

Cape Breton had a pair of goals from Antoine Rochon and Jake Martin. Nicolas Sauve also scored. Tommy DaSilva made 20 stops in the win.

It's the second straight year that Saint John went winless at the event. They fell 4-1 to Halifax, 7-3 to Moncton and 7-2 to Bathurst in 2016. This year, they lost 5-4 to Halifax (OT), 7-1 to Moncton and 5-1 to Cape Breton.

The Sea Dogs will no doubt be disappointed to go winless, but it's not overly surprising. Saint John doesn't have the prospect depth other teams currently have and they didn't have any first round picks playing this weekend. That's the cost of success in junior hockey. Saint John will surely have a better showing the next couple seasons.

Rookie Challenge Game Day: at Cape Breton (in Moncton)

MONCTON - The 2017 QMJHL Rookie Challenge will end for the Saint John Sea Dogs with a 10 a.m. contest against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles today at Moncton's Superior Propane Centre.

The Sea Dogs - Screaming Eagles match, featuring two 0-2 teams, will determine who gets fifth-place.

The third-place game features the Charlottetown Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan while the first-place match sees the host Moncton Wildcats taking on defending Rookie Challenge champion Halifax Mooseheads.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/Wildcats Television (YouTube)

Rosters: Saint John's 34-man rookie camp roster (18 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goalies) has been reduced to 29 players; Cape Breton's Rookie Challenge roster.

Rookie record: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-1-0 while the Screaming Eagles are 0-1-0-1.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-1 loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night. Ben Reid scored Saint John's lone goal. Stewart Bagnell allowed five goals on 11 shots while Joel Goguen allowed two of 14 shots. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 6-5 shootout loss to the Charlottetown Islanders yesterday afternoon. Brooklyn Kalmikov and Antoine Rochon each scored twice for the Eagles while Nicolas Sauve added a solo marker. Daniel Thompson allowed five goals on 21 shots in the loss.

2016-17 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-2-0-1 against the Screaming Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 3-6-0-0 against Saint John.

Players to watch
Cape Breton: Brooklyn Kalmikov - selected 15th overall by the Screaming Eagles in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, Kalmikov has three goals and an assist in the tournament.

Saint John: Ben Reid - an occasional call up by the Sea Dogs over the past couple seasons, the 18-year-old has scored in both of Saint John's games in Moncton.

Notes: Isiah Campbell has three assists in the tournament for Saint John... Tristan Murcure and Ian Smallwood each have two assists... Stewart Bagnell has started both of Saint John's games... Antoine Rochon has scored two goals and added an assist for Cape Breton... along with Kalmikov, the Screaming Eagles feature another first round pick in Noah Laaouan (14th overall).

Next game: The Sea Dogs begin regular pre-season play on Wednesday night when they face the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 7-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Moncton 7

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs will have to play in Sunday morning's fifth-place game to close out the 2017 QMJHL Rookie Challenge.

The Sea Dogs fell to 0-2 at this year's Maritimes Division event following a 7-1 loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday night at the Superior Propane Centre.

Ben Reid scored Saint John's lone goal - which came late in the third period when the Wildcats were already up 6-0. Stewart Bagnell, who played well on Friday, allowed five goals on 11 shots in the loss. Joel Goguen, who played the second half of the game, allowed two goals on 14 shots.

Jakob Pelletier, the third overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, had a hat trick for the Wildcats. Daniil Kuzmin scored twice while singles came from Jaxon Bellamy and G. Blackmore. Philippe Gaudreault made 38 stops in the win.

Saint John didn't play all that badly at times - especially in the first period. The Sea Dogs outshot the Wildcats 12-8 in the opening frame and 39-25 overall. The Wildcats certainly deserve some credit, scoring a few very nice goals.

The loss means Saint John will take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Sunday's fifth-place game. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 a.m.

The third-place game, which takes place at 1 p.m., will feature the Charlottetown Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The 4 p.m. championship contest will be between the Halifax Mooseheads and Wildcats.

Notebook: Top prospects playing like top prospects

MONCTON – Many of the QMJHL's most promising rookies have played up to their potential so far at the 2017 QMJHL Rookie Challenge in Moncton.

On Friday, Xavier Parent (picked fourth overall in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft) and Justin Barron (13th overall) teamed up to score in overtime, giving the Halifax Mooseheads a 5-4 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs. Barron had two goals in the game while Parent had an assist. On Saturday, Parent added a goal and two helpers in a Moose win.

Moncton's Jakob Pelletier (third overall) had an assist on Friday while Jaxon Bellamy (16th overall) scored the game-winner in the Wildcats' 5-3 victory over Cape Breton.

Cape Breton's Brooklyn Kalmikov (15th overall) had a goal and an assist on Friday.

NEW ADDITION
The Sea Dogs announced Friday morning that draft pick Samuel Leblanc and free agent Nicholas Cardone had been added to the team’s Rookie Camp roster.

Interestingly, this is Cardone’s second QMJHL Rookie Challenge event, playing in last year’s tournament with the Charlottetown Islanders.

Cardone was an 11th-round pick of Charlottetown in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft and a fourth-round pick of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in 2015. He appeared in 16 games with the Sags in 2015-16 and spent last year in the QJAAAHL.

WILLIAMSON TO BADGERS
There haven't been a whole lot of publicly circulated rumours about the Sea Dogs' vacant head coaching position. But one of the rumours that was floating around involved former Niagara IceDogs head coach Marty Williamson.

It seems those rumours can be put to rest as Williamson has been named the interim head coach of the Brock Badgers men's hockey team.

“It’s just as exciting as when I got my first job in the OHL. Coaching is coaching and that part of it I feel confident with, but this is a little bit of a different animal,” said Williamson in a Brock University news release. “It has kind of come full circle. I coached minor hockey helping kids get to the OHL, then in the OHL for 12 years, and now I’ll be coaching guys who are at a different point in their career working on both academics and hockey.”

HALL CALL
Following the Sea Dogs Par 3 Celebrity Challenge on Friday at Rockwood Park Golf Course, it was announced that Jonathan Huberdeau would be the first inductee into the team's new Hall of Fame.

From the release:

The Sea Dogs Hall of Fame is a year-long project that will open in the summer of 2018. It will feature a members’ wing and Sea Dogs memorabilia accumulated since the start of the franchise in 2005. The location will be announced at a later date. 

Huberdeau will be inducted officially at a gala dinner at the 2018 Sea Dogs Par 3 Celebrity Challenge.

BIG TRADE
The Wildcats and Sherbrooke Phoenix made a significant trade on Thursday involving Quispamsis native and former Saint John Vito’s standout Anderson MacDonald.

The Wildcats traded Jeremy Jacques to the Phoenix along with a first round pick in 2018, a first round pick in 2019 and a second round pick in 2019 in exchange for MacDonald and a second round pick in 2019. Sherbrooke will reportedly receive their second-round pick back if Jacques does not report to the club.

MacDonald is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by many publications. This loads up the Maritimes Division with even more high end draft eligible talent.

Rookie Challenge Game Day: at Moncton

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs look to rebound from yesterday's overtime loss when they face the host Moncton Wildcats tonight at 7 p.m. at the Superior Propane Centre.

The other games on Saturday will feature the Halifax Mooseheads taking on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles battling the Charlottetown Islanders.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/Wildcats Television (YouTube)

Rookie record: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 at this year's tournament while the Wildcats are 1-0-0-0.

Last games: Saint John fell 5-4 in overtime to the Halifax Mooseheads yesterday. Ben Reid, Alexandre Lafreniere, Jeremie Jacob and Kevin Mason all scored for the Sea Dogs. Stewart Bagnell allowed one goal on nine shots while Andrew MacLeod allowed four goals on 19 shots. The Wildcats defeated the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 5-3 last night. Colton McKenna, Jacob Hudson, Derek Dicaire, Jaxon Bellamy and Daniil Kuzmin all scored for Moncton. Alex MacDonald made nine saves while Zachary Paradis made 11.

Rosters: Saint John's 34-man rookie camp roster (18 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goalies) has been reduced to 29 players; Moncton's main training camp roster.

Head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 7-1-0-1 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 2-7-0-0 against Saint John.

Players to watch:
Moncton: Jaxon Bellamy - the 16th overall pick in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, Bellamy scored the game-winner in Moncton's 5-3 win over Cape Breton last night. The Hampton native spent last season with the Saint John Vito's.

Saint John: Ian Smallwood - the 18-year-old appeared in nine games with the Saint John last season and played on the team's top defence pairing last night with Brendan Sibley.

Notes: Saint John got off to a great start last night, outshooting Halifax 12-3 in the first period... Moncton's roster features two first-round picks from this summer's draft: Jakob Pelletier (third overall) and Bellamy (16th overall).

Next game: Saint John will play a to-be-determined opponent at a to-be-determined time tomorrow at Moncton's Superior Propane Centre.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 5-4 (OT)

FINAL (OT): Halifax 5, Saint John 4

MONCTON – The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped their first game of the 2017 Rookie Challenge on Friday afternoon.

Despite leading for much of the game and then tying things up in the final minute, the Sea Dogs fell 5-4 in overtime to the Halifax Mooseheads at Moncton’s Superior Propane Centre.

Halifax’s newest weapons – first-round picks Justin Barron and Xavier Parent – teamed up to score the overtime goal. Barron also had a goal in regulation time while singles came from Kyle Petten, Patrick Kyte and Felix Gascon. Maxime Emery made 25 saves in the loss.

Saint John goals came from Ben Reid, Alexandre Lafreniere, Jeremie Jacob and Kevin Mason. Stewart Bagnell played the first half of the game and allowed a goal on nine shots. Andrew McLeod played the second half, allowing four goals on 19 shots.

Rookie Challenge Game Day: vs Mooseheads

MONCTON - The 2017 Rookie Challenge begins today in Moncton with the Saint John Sea Dogs taking on the Halifax Mooseheads at 4 p.m.

The other games feature the Charlottetown Islanders taking on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 1 p.m. and the Moncton Wildcats facing the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/YouTube

Rookie record: This is the first game of the tournament for both clubs.

Rosters: Saint John's 34-man rookie camp roster (18 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goalies) has been reduced to 29 players; Halifax's 25-man rookie camp roster (nine defencemen, 13 forwards and three goalies).

Head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 6-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads last season while Halifax went 2-6-0-0 against Saint John.

Players to watch
Halifax: Xavier Parent - the fourth overall pick in this summer's QMJHL Entry Draft, the 16-year-old forward had 55 points in 34 games in midget AAA last season.

Saint John: Alexandre Lafreniere - the 18-year-old appeared in 13 games with the Sea Dogs last year, recording a goal and two assists. He spent the rest of the year in the MHL.

Notes: Halifax won last year's tournament while Saint John finished fourth... the Mooseheads had two first round picks in this year draft, selecting Parent and Justin Barron... Saint John didn't select until the third round in this year's draft, taking Brendan Sibley 52nd overall.

Next game: The Sea Dogs take on the Moncton Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Sea Dogs announce Rookie roster moves

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have made their first round of reassignments.

The team announced this morning that seven players are no longer at Rookie Camp:

• F Justin Hryckowian - leaving after 48 hours to maintain NCAA eligibility
• F Jack Keough - leaving after 48 hours to maintain NCAA eligibility
• F Josh MacDonald - leaving after 48 hours to maintain NCAA eligibility
• D Tyler Hungerbuhler - leaving after 48 hours to maintain NCAA eligibility
• F Shawn Milord - injured
• D Lucas Fabijancic
• D Mark Perone

Hryckowian (2017, 11th round), MacDonald (2017, 10th round) and Milord (2017, 11th round) are all draft picks of the Sea Dogs.

All seven of the players reassigned were long shots to make the Dogs' roster this year.

The team has also added forward Samuel Leblanc, who played in 54 games with Saint John last season, and free agent forward Nicholas Cardone (1999-04-30).

Saint John's Rookie Camp roster now sits at 29 players. The team begins the 2017 Rookie Challenge in Moncton this afternoon, taking on the Halifax Mooseheads at 4 p.m.

Moncton Rookie Challenge begins tomorrow

SAINT JOHN - The Moncton Rookie Challenge begins on Friday at Superior Propane Centre.

All six Maritimes Division teams will be taking part in the three day tournament. This is the second year for the event.

All six teams will dress lineups with little to no QMJHL experience. Saint John's lineup, for example, will likely feature the likes of Ian Smallwood and Alexandre Lafreniere - both of whom played with the Sea Dogs last year - along with newcomers Brendan Sibley and Aiden MacIntosh.

The Sea Dogs had 32 players take part in rookie camp this past week at Harbour Station. The team has not publicly announced any cuts yet.

Saint John's first game is on Friday at 4 p.m. against the Halifax Mooseheads. Here is the full tournament schedule:

Friday, Aug. 18
1 p.m. - Charlottetown vs Bathurst
4 p.m. - Halifax vs Saint John
7 p.m. - Moncton vs Cape Breton

Saturday, Aug. 19
1 p.m. - Bathurst vs Halifax
4 p.m. - Cape Breton vs Charlottetown
7 p.m. - Saint John vs Moncton

Sunday, Aug. 20
10 a.m. - To be determined
1 p.m. - To be determined
4 p.m. - To be determined

Halifax won last year's event. Saint John finished fourth.

Similar events are being held with the Quebec teams in Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke and Shawinigan.

Teams will use the events to decide which players receive invites to main camps next week.

The "real" pre-season begins on Wednesday for the Sea Dogs with the team hosting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at Harbour Station.

Notes from day one of Rookie Camp

Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

The Sea Dogs opened Rookie Camp on Wednesday with a pair of scrimmages.

I checked in on the second game of the day on Wednesday afternoon which Team Blue, coached by former Sea Dogs netminder Karel St. Laurent, took by score of 4-2.

Picking up the goals for Team Blue were Isiah Campbell, Justin Hryckowian, Alexis Lyonnais, and Kevin Mason. Scoring for Team White were Josh MacDonald and Justin Lush.

Goaltenders on Wednesday were Stewart Bagnell and Joel Goguen for Team White while Andrew MacLeod tended the nets for Team Blue.

As expected, the returning players from last year's camp were impressive - the most notable being Campbell, whose large frame made him easy to spot.

Rookie camp roster, schedule released

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have finally unveiled their rookie camp roster and schedule.

The team will begin on-ice sessions on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Harbour Station with a scrimmage. The Dogs will hold a second scrimmage at 2 p.m. All scrimmages are open to the public and free to attend.

Thursday will follow the same schedule. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the team will take part in the QMJHL's Rookie Showcase in Moncton.

34 players will attend this year's rookie camp. According to a press release, "the list includes 18 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goalies. Twenty players were drafted by the Sea Dogs while one was acquired in a trade."

Here is the full roster (click to enlarge):

Lynden Breen, Tim Noble, Patrick Moynihan and Robert Griffin were the only 2017 Sea Dogs draft picks not included on the camp roster. Any or all could be holding out for NCAA reasons - Breen is a Maine commit while Moynihan and Griffin are American - and it will be interesting to see if any show for main camp.

The Sea Dogs' 2017 CHL Import Draft picks - Czech winger Ostap Saffin and Czech defenceman Radim Salda - were also not included, but that could be for a variety of reasons. Halifax's import pick, Filip Zadina, was not included on the Mooseheads' roster.

Rookie camp participants will look to earn an invite to main camp, which begins next week.

Rookie Challenge begins Aug. 18

Some details about this year's Rookie Challenge in Moncton have been revealed.

The event will take place Aug. 18-20 at Moncton's Superior Propane Centre and feature all six Maritimes Division teams. Similar tournaments will be held in Shawinigan, Sherbrooke and Chicoutimi and feature the Quebec clubs.

According to the Times & Transcript (paywall), a tournament pass, which will include all nine games, will cost $30. A day pass, featuring three games, will be $15.

The Wildcats announced on Wednesday that tickets go on sale to the general public next Thursday.

Season seat members pre-sale is on now for tournament passes! Tickets will go on sale to the general public next Thursday! Call us 382-5555! https://t.co/71cbKPYG1M

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) July 5, 2017

The Saint John Sea Dogs will take on the Halifax Mooseheads at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 and will then face the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. The Sea Dogs will also play on Sunday, Aug. 20 against a to-be-determined opponent.

Game times for Aug. 20 will be 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The schedule will be determined based on tournament standings from the first two days of action.

Moncton hosted the same event last season but was called the Hub City Showcase.

The Sea Dogs will play four "real" pre-season games following the rookie tournament, the first being an Aug. 23 game at Harbour Station against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.