Notebook: Peddle commits to StFX

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Former Sea Dogs forward Tyler Peddle as committed to the StFX X-Men for the 2026-27 season.

Peddle was one of seven recruits announced by the X-Men last week. StFX's freshman class will also include forwards Riley Sampson and Jack Greenwell; defensemen Matteo Rotondi, Leyton Stewart and Cory MacGillivray; and goaltender Jack Flanagan.

The move doesn't come as a big surprise given that Peddle's father, Brad, is the long-time coach of the X-Men.

"We are very happy to add Tyler to the team," Brad Peddle said in a release. "He brings a wealth of experience in the QMJHL and at the pro level, attending three NHL camps and exhibition games. Tyler is a very competitive player who brings a heavy power game, plays with pace and will add valuable size and offence to our forward group. He has decided on STFX for the next stage in his development, and we are excited to see him come home and play for the White and Blue."

The 21-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. A seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, Peddle spent his overage season with the Charlottetown Islanders where he posted eight goals and seven assists in 48 regular season games under Jim Hulton. He added three goals in seven playoff games.

DONATELLI LOANED TO OCEANIC

American forward Max Donatelli, who is on Saint John's protected list, will attend Rimouski Oceanic training camp on a loan, the club announced last week.

Donatelli, who will turn 19 on Monday, just completed his fourth season of US prep school hockey at St. George's School where he posted 17 goals and 33 assists in 26 games. He also appeared in 27 games with the NV River Rats under-18 team where he recorded 10 goals and 15 assists.

The Rhode Island native attended Saint John's training camp last year. He'd be a long shot to make this year's Sea Dogs team and a loan to another QMJHL squad makes sense.

Notably, the Sea Dogs and Oceanic will meet in pre-season play on Aug. 30 in Woodstock.

Donatelli's brother, Jake, was an eighth-round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Meloche/Courchesne tandem expected

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - For many years, the Saint John Sea Dogs have had question marks around their goaltending situation at this point in the off-season.

This year, that does not appear to be the case.

Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie confirmed following Saturday's QMJHL Entry Draft that Samuel Meloche and Rafaël Courchesne are expected to be the team's goaltending tandem to start the 2026-27 season.

The Sea Dogs acquired Meloche, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last week. Meloche, who will turn 19 next month, has played over 50 games in each of the past two seasons. He'll certainly be looked upon to carry the majority of the load with Courchesne as his backup.

Courchesne, who will turn 18 in August, went 12-19-2 with a 3.92 goals against average and a .880 save percentage in 38 games with Saint John last year, his first QMJHL season. Georgie said he expects the netminder to have better results this season with a stronger defensive team in front of him.

"Courchesne will be back. That's our plan," said Georgie.

"We believe in Raf big time. He had a really good season for us facing a lot of really high danger shots."

When asked about what this all means for 17-year-old Jase MacPherson – who was a second-round pick of the Sea Dogs in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft – Georgie said the team doesn't want to rush him into the QMJHL. There's always the chance a strong training camp makes things interesting, of course.

Notebook: Sea Dogs go D with top pick

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

HALIFAX - For the first time since 2022, the Saint John Sea Dogs picked a defenseman with their first selection in the QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs picked d-man Lawrence Williams from the Weeks Majors Midgets with the 14th overall pick on Friday night. It's the 11th time in team history that Saint John has picked a defenseman with their first selection.

2005 - Alex Grant (1st round)

2006 - Yann Sauve (1st round)

2007 - Simon Despres (1st round)

2008 - Kevin Gagne (2nd round)

2009 - Pierre Durepos (1st round)

2014 - Luke Green (1st round)

2017 - Brendan Sibley (3rd round)

2018 - William Villeneuve (1st round)

2021 - Natan Grenier (1st round)

2022 - Jeremie Richard (3rd round)

Friday marked the first time the Sea Dogs had ever picked at No. 14.

MORE 2028 TALK

More on the 2028 Memorial Cup: it looks like it will indeed be four teams bidding to host the tournament.

Je peux confirmer que quatre équipes déposeront ou ont déjà déposé leur candidature pour obtenir le tournoi de la Coupe Memorial 2028.

Québec
Gatineau
Moncton
Terre-Neuve

Le choix final aura lieu cet automne. #LHJMQ

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) June 4, 2026

The Wildcats, Remparts and Regiment have all publicly announced that they will be bidding.

Gatineau, Quebec City and Moncton have all hosted previously but not in their current buildings. Newfoundland has never hosted but certainly has an arena capable of doing so.

Teams must officially submit their applications by July.

The 2027 Memorial Cup will be held in Guelph.

Sea Dogs acquire Meloche from Huskies

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

The Saint John Sea Dogs solidified their goaltending on Tuesday, acquiring Buffalo Sabres prospect Samuel Meloche from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

In exchange for Meloche and the 34th overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, the Sea Dogs traded the 15th (Blainville-Boisbriand) and 32nd (Drummondville) overall picks in this year's draft; second- (Blainville-Boisbriand) and third-round (Rouyn-Noranda) picks in 2027; a sixth-round pick in 2028; and prospect Cole Renaud.

It's a major move that signifies that the Sea Dogs want to contend this season.

Meloche, who will turn 19 in July, posted a 33-13-3 record in the regular season to go along with a 2.75 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He also had a strong post-season run, going 10-7-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .905 SV% to help the Huskies reach the third round.

In the regular season last year, Meloche was second in wins (behind Rudy Guimond) and third in minutes played (behind Guimond and Donald Hickey).

This was the second straight season that Meloche played 50 or more regular season games. He was a second-round pick of the Huskies in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Selected in the fourth-round by the Sabres in last year's NHL Draft, Meloche is projected to be one of the QMJHL's top goaltenders this season. Goaltending has long been an issue for the Sea Dogs over the past decade, and to see a move like this right out of the gate is a promising sign.

Meloche is committed to Northeastern University for the 2027-28 season.

The team does have a bit of a crowded crease at the moment, something that will need to be dealt with. Both Rafaël Courchesne and Arseni Radkov are eligible to return and the team also has prospect Jase MacPherson.

Speaking of prospects, the Sea Dogs traded away Renaud, a16-year-old forward who was a sixth-round pick of the team in last year's draft. He appeared in one game with the Sea Dogs while playing with the under-18 Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois last season.

Armada stun Wildcats in final second to force Game 7; Sagueneens advance to final

Sebastien Gervais/Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

A Justin Carbonneau goal with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation time has forced a Game 7 in the semifinal playoff series between the Moncton Wildcats and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

After a Bill Zonnon faceoff win in the offensive zone, Carbonneau ripped a perfectly placed shot top corner on Wildcats goaltender Rudy Guimond to give the Armada a 3-2 lead – their first and only lead of the game.

Justin Carbonneau, at the very last second!!! 😤😤😤
@ArmadaBLB wins 3-2 and forces a Game 7, tuesday in Moncton!#QPlayoffs | #Proxi | @StLouisBlues | #stlbluespic.twitter.com/Fo2972BO0y

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 3, 2026

Xavier Villeneuve had tied the game at 19:12 of the third period with goaltender Zach Pelletier – who got the start in place of the injured William Lacelle – on the bench.

In short, the Wildcats were 48 seconds away from advancing to the Gilles Courteau Trophy final. Now they're hading back to Moncton to prepare for a Game 7 on Tuesday night. It will be fascinating to see if this devastating loss impacts the Wildcats at all.

Maël Lavigne also scored for the Armada. He has scored in five of the six games in this series.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forwards Jacob Beaulieu and Elliot Dubé did not register any points in the victory. Beaulieu had one hit while Dubé had one shot.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen had one shot and was a +1 in the loss.

The winner of this series will take on the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL's championship series. The Sags defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 6-3 on Sunday to take the semifinal in six games. This will be Chicoutimi's first appearance in the league final since 1997.

Murnieks, Latvia to play for U18 bronze; Wildcats, Sagueneens a win away from final

Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF

MONCTON - Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia will play for bronze at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

Latvia, coming off a major upset of the United States in the quarterfinals, fell 1-0 to host Slovakia in semifinal play on Friday. The Latvians were outshot 22-14 in the loss.

Latvia will play Czechia in the bronze medal game on Saturday morning. Slovakia will take on Sweden for gold.

Murnieks had two shots and was a -1 in 22:18 of ice time – which was the second most on the team. The Saint John Sea Dogs forward has a goal and five assists in six games at the event.

Murnieks was named one of Latvia's best players of the tournament after the game.

Par labākajiem trīs Latvijas U-18 izlases hokejistiem atzīti Patriks Plūmiņš, Olivers Mūrnieks un Martins Klaucāns 🇱🇻#U18MensWorlds #hokejs pic.twitter.com/9DkHymQPdT

— Rems Ratņikovs (@HKJ_Apskatnieks) May 1, 2026

A few other Friday night news and notes...

• The Moncton Wildcats are a win away from returning to the QMJHL final for a second straight season. Teddy Mutryn and Tommy Bleyl each had a goal and two assists in Moncton's 6-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Friday at Avenir Centre.
• Niko Tournas, who scored 43 goals in the regular season, ended a seven-game goalless streak with a third period marker. He hadn't scored since Game 1 of the second round.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu left the game briefly in the third period after taking a big hit along the boards. He did return to the game and was given an unsportsmanlike misconduct at 14:24 of the third period. Beaulieu finished a +1 and had three hits.
• Former Sea Dog Elliot Dubé, meanwhile, went 3/5 on faceoffs in the loss. Max Vilen had one assist and four shots for the Wildcats.
• Armada goaltender William Lacelle left the game in the third period with an apparent lower body injury. He had to be helped off the ice following Moncton's fifth goal.
• Three of the four officials – including both referees – that worked last Saturday's Armada/Wildcats game worked this game. Last Saturday's game ended with both benches emptying onto the ice for a lengthy gathering after the game.
• Game 6 is Sunday in Boisbriand.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens are also a win away from the QMJHL final after defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-0. Lucas Beckman stopped all 21 shots he faced in the shutout. Game 6 is Sunday in Rouyn-Noranda.

QMJHL issues statement on Chicoutimi's disallowed goal

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League issued a statement Thursday regarding a controversial call during Wednesday night's semifinal playoff matchup between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

Late in the first period and with the Huskies leading 2-1, the Sagueneens scored what replays on the  FloHockey broadcast appeared to show was a goal. The play was reviewed and it was declared not to be a goal. 

Jugez par vous-mêmes...#fierdetresags#DéfendonsNosCouleurs pic.twitter.com/mKDxrgaA5Q

— Saguenéens (@SagueneensLHJMQ) April 30, 2026

The Huskies won the game 4-3 to even the series at 2-2.

In a statement, the league said officials do not have access to all the camera angles used on the broadcast.

Following the Saguenéens’ disallowed goal on Wednesday night, the QMJHL would like to clarify a few points.

To ensure consistency across the league, the QMJHL uses an identical video replay system for its video judges and on-ice officials in all 18 of its arenas. However, due to technical limitations, this system cannot utilize all of the web broadcaster’s camera angles. Furthermore, the QMJHL wants to ensure that the footage used for reviews is indeed controlled by the league so that the decision-making process remains independent of the teams involved.

In yesterday’s specific case, the camera located behind the net was not accessible to the video judge and officials. The footage they had access to therefore did not allow them to confirm, beyond any doubt, that the puck had crossed the goal line.

The QMJHL is aware of the limitations of the current system and was already in the process of implementing more effective technology league-wide for the 2026-2027 season, which will allow access to additional cameras for the benefit of our players, teams, officials and fans.

Situations like this have happened in the past, but rarely of this magnitude during the league semifinals. In this region, there were some minor incidents like this when Rogers TV broadcast games back in the day.

Game 5 of this series takes place Friday in Chicoutimi.

The QMJHL's other semifinal continues on Friday night as well with the Moncton Wildcats returning home to host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. That series is also tied 2-2.

Wildcats, Sagueneens even semifinal series; post-game incident in Moncton

Embed from Getty Images

MONCTON - The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League semifinals are living up to the hype.

The Moncton Wildcats scored two goals in 51 seconds late in the third period to defeat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 5-4 on Saturday at Avenir Centre, evening the series that at 1-1.

Also on Saturday night, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens made a statement, defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-2 and outshooting them 35-15 to even that series at 1-1.

Neither Moncton nor Chicoutimi had lost a game in these playoffs until they both dropped their series openers.

Much of the attention on Saturday was on Moncton's third period. Justin Carbonneau scored at 4:45 of the third to give the Armada a 4-3 lead only for Caleb Desnoyers and Evan Dépatie to score at 16:04 and 16:55, respectively, to give the Wildcats a 5-4 advantage – their first lead since they opened the scoring in the first.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen scored his second goal of the playoffs in the middle frame to tie the game at 3-3. He had four shots and was a +2 in the victory.

💣 https://t.co/QWR6Bn3hJ5 pic.twitter.com/2eVZ6weLS5

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) April 25, 2026

On the Armada side, former Sea Dogs forwards Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu were held of the scoresheet. Beaulieu was, however, given an unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty for his actions during a wild post-game scuffle between the two teams, which dragged on for several minutes.

Sea Dogs land fifth overall pick

QMJHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs will select fifth overall in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs were unable to move up through this year's draft lottery, which was held Tuesday night. Saint John had just one ball in the lottery, giving them a slim 4.8% chance of winning the top pick.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who had the best odds, won the lottery and will select first overall while the Halifax Mooseheads, who had the second best odds, slid to third.

Here's what the top-five picks currently look like.

Here they are! The Top 5 picks of this year's #QDraft! pic.twitter.com/S3TTP1BacT

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 21, 2026

This was the third straight year that the Sea Dogs were in the draft lottery. They also picked fifth overall in 2024 (William Yared) while last year they won the lottery to pick first (Alexis Joseph).

The Yared selection in 2024 is the only previous time the Sea Dogs have picked fifth overall.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place June 5-6 in Halifax.

Remarkably, this will be the first time the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies select first overall. The Huskies, who are set to play the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL semifinals this weekend, previously acquired the pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Sea Dogs also own the 15th overall pick.

Armada eliminate Regiment to lock in QMJHL's final four

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

The semifinals of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Playoffs are set.

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada finished off the Newfoundland Regiment on Sunday, winning 5-3 to take the second round series in six games. The Regiment led the game 2-0 at one point early in the second period.

The Armada, who finished fourth overall in the QMJHL standings, move on to the third round where they'll face the top-seeded Moncton Wildcats. The dates for the series have yet to be locked in – but it will start in Moncton, just not on Friday with Stars on Ice visiting Avenir Centre.

The other series will feature the No. 2 seed Chicoutimi Sagueneens taking on the No. 3 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. That series begins Friday in Chicoutimi.

The Armada/Wildcats series will feature three former Sea Dogs, all of whom played for the team this season: forwards Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu along with defenseman Max Vilen.

Beaulieu has been held pointless in 10 playoff games with the Armada while Dubé has one assist. Vilen, meanwhile, has a goal and four assists in eight playoff matches with the Wildcats.

With the Regiment getting eliminated, former Sea Dogs defenseman Patryk Zubek's season comes to an end. Zubek was on Newfoundland's playoff roster but did not appear in any games.

Three of the four semifinal teams have been to the QMJHL final relatively recently: Moncton last year, Rouyn-Noranda in 2019 and Blainville-Boisbriand in 2018. Chicoutimi, though, has not made it past the third round since 1997.

The Armada are the only team remaining that has not won a QMJHL championship.

Three series sweeps completed

Dany Germain/Val-d'Or Foreurs

And just like that, three of the four teams that will take part in the semifinals of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Playoffs are locked in.

The Moncton Wildcats, Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies all completed series sweeps on Wednesday night, securing spots in the next round. The only second round series remaining is between the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Newfoundland Regiment, which is currently tied at 2-2.

The Wildcats won a 17th straight game on Wednesday, defeating the Val-d'Or Foreurs 4-1. Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen had three shots in the victory.

Moncton swept Saint John in the first round with their lone hiccup coming in Game 2, which required overtime. In the Val-d'Or series, the Wildcats' toughest match was also Game 2, which they won 3-2.

Like the Wildcats, the Sagueneens are also 8-0 in these playoffs. Lucas Beckman stopped all 20 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Quebec Remparts on Wednesday.

Former Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge did not play for the Remparts after getting injured in Monday's Game 3.

The Huskies, meanwhile, needed seven games to eliminate the Gatineau Olympiques in the opening round. They really shortened that timeline in the second round, completing a sweep of the Shawinigan Cataractes on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory.

Three of the four games of this series were decided by two goals or less.

This result ends the junior career of former Sea Dogs forward Vince Elie, who scored in the loss. Elie, who is committed to play at Clarkson University this fall, finishes the playoffs with a goal and three assists.

The Sagueneens will face the Huskies in the third round while the Wildcats will take on the winner of the Armada/Regiment series.

Notebook: Coyle plays 1,000th NHL game

Charlie Coyle became the first former Saint John Sea Dog to play in 1,000 NHL games this week.

Coyle played his 1,000 game on Thursday when the Columbus Blue Jackets took on the Dallas Stars.

all eyes on #3! pic.twitter.com/cDP3cXQK5Y

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 22, 2026

FanDuel Sports Network had a feature on Coyle's milestone this week.

The 33-year-old has split his NHL career between the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and now the Blue Jackets. Coyle has 11 goals and 22 assists in 51 games with Columbus this season, his first year with the club.

Coyle left Boston University and joined the Sea Dogs for the second half of the 2011-12 season, helping the club win the President Cup. He posted 15 goals and 23 assists in 23 regular season QMJHL games and added 15 goals and 19 assists in 17 playoff games. He was named QMJHL playoff MVP.

COMING UP

After playing just one game last week, the Sea Dogs have a much busier week coming up.

On Thursday the Sea Dogs will travel to Moncton to face a hot Wildcats team. Moncton will be coming off a three-game road trip in Quebec, one that saw them earn wins in Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi and Quebec City.

After a day off Friday, the Sea Dogs will travel to Charlottetown to take on the Islanders on Saturday night. 

The Sea Dogs will return "home" on Sunday, hosting the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at 3 p.m. in Fredericton. This will be Saint John's third and final game at the Aitken Centre this season.

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.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Rouyn-Noranda 3 (OT)

Jean Lapointe/Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

ROUYN-NORANDA, QC - It was far from the prettiest win of the season, but the Saint John Sea Dogs got it done at Glencore Arena on Wednesday night.

Olivers Murnieks scored on a power play 1:22 into overtime to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 upset win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Huskies entered the game with the fourth best record in the QMJHL.

It felt like separate games within one. The Sea Dogs – a bit unexpectedly – dominated the first period, leading 2-0 and outshooting the Huskies 11-3. But the script flipped halfway through the night with the Huskies scoring twice in the first 10 minutes of the second and carrying a lot of the play from there.

Credit to Saint John, though. The Sea Dogs never trailed in the game as Murnieks put Saint John up 3-2 late in the second. But, as has been a trend in recent weeks, the Sea Dogs quickly allowed the tying goal and couldn't maintain momentum.

Saint John was outshot 12-4 in the third period but managed to get the game into overtime.

Murnieks had a pair of goals for Saint John while Oliver Groulx and Zachary Morin added singles. Arseni Radkov made 28 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs went 2/2 on the man advantage. The Huskies were 0/3.

Nathan Langlois, Samuel Beauchemin and Eliot Ogonowski scored for the Huskies, who have now lost three straight. Samuel Meloche made 20 saves in the loss.

This was Saint John's first win in Rouyn-Noranda since Oct. 14, 2016.

Game Day 40: at Rouyn-Noranda

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

ROUYN-NORANDA, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs are a long way from home.

The Sea Dogs begin a three-game Quebec road trip tonight in Rouyn-Noranda, facing a Huskies team that sits fourth overall in the QMJHL standings. Game time is 8 p.m. Atlantic.

Both of these teams have lost back-to-back games. The Sea Dogs had a difficult end to their five-game homestand over the weekend, losing a pair of one-goal games to the Newfoundland Regiment.

This will be Saint John's most challenging Quebec road trip of the season, facing Rouyn-Noranda (22-11-3-2), Val-d'Or (18-16-2-3) and Blainville-Boisbriand (21-12-5-1) over a four-day period.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-20-4-0 for 34 points (ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Huskies are 22-11-3-2 for 49 points (second Western/fourth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Newfoundland Regiment on Sunday. Everett Baldwin, William Yared and Angelo Fullerton all scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 26 saves in the loss. The Huskies are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Sunday. Lars Steiner had a pair of goals for Rouyn-Noranda while William Vezina added a single. Alexandre Raymond allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period while Samuel Meloche allowed a goal on 13 shots in relief. 

Notebook: Robinson signs with Summerside

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Justin Robinson has signed with the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Summerside Western Capitals, it was announced on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs traded Robinson to the Moncton Wildcats on deadline day in the deal involving Max Vilen and Carl-Otta Magnusson. The Wildcats, it appears, added Robinson for depth as they're keeping Jacoby Weiner as Rudy Guimond's backup.

The 19-year-old has spent the past three seasons in the QMJHL, recording a 17-40-2 record to go along with a 4.10 goals against average and a .885 save percentage, playing with Sea Dogs teams that were not defensively strong.

We have signed goaltender Justin Robinson. The 6’1”, 185 lb Robinson was acquired in a previous trade with the Chaleur Lightning and played the past 2+ seasons with the Saint John SeaDogs. Welcome to #CapsArmy Justin! pic.twitter.com/iS2cocbpYm

— Summerside Capitals (@SsideCapitals) January 11, 2026

Robinson joins a Capitals team that is hosting the Centennial Cup national championship this season. Entering play Monday, they sit in a tie for first in the MHL standings with a 22-7-4-3 record.

Robinson did not dress for the Capitals on Sunday or Monday.

The Capitals traded 19-year-old netminder George Gallant – a Summerside native – to make room for Robinson.

SPARTANS WIN DOG BOWL

The St. Stephen High School Spartans are Dog Bowl AAA champions, defeating KVHS in overtime on Sunday night at TD Station.

Spartans goaltender Daniel Blanchard, who made 95 saves in the tournament, was named Dog Bowl MVP, earning an invite to Sea Dogs training camp in August. The 17-year-old spent the 2023-24 season with the Saint John Vito's.

Congratulations to the 2026 #DogBowl Most Valuable Player with 95 saves in two games...

St. Stephen Spartans goaltender, Daniel Blanchard!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/mcZONfONjn

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) January 12, 2026

The Hampton High School Huskies won the AA side, defeating Simonds High School.

Home woes and Halifax success

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

There are a couple trends to keep an eye on in the Saint John Sea Dogs' final two games of the first half.

The first one is obvious: the Sea Dogs have been, to put it nicely, pretty bad on home ice so far this season. The team is just 5-10-0-0 at TD Station and only two teams have fewer home wins: 16th-place Victoriaville (1-8-4-0) and 18th-place Baie-Comeau (3-11-1-1).

If the Sea Dogs want to get out of the league's basement – they currently sit in 17th-place – improving their home record is a must.

The Sea Dogs enter Wednesday night's home game against the Halifax Mooseheads on a five-game home losing streak. The team won just two games on their seven-game homestand in November.

Saint John was 10-7-0-0 at TD Station in the first half last year.

The good news for the Sea Dogs is that they've been quite good on the road this season, posting a very respectable 7-7-1-0 record. The team won two of three games on their Quebec road trip last week and we'll see what kind of momentum they can carry into Thursday's contest in Halifax.

That brings us to the second trend to keep an eye on: the Sea Dogs have been very good at Scotiabank Centre in the calendar year 2025, sporting a 4-1 record heading into Thursday's contest.

Jan. 11: 4-3 OTW

Jan. 26: 4-1 W

March 8: 3-1 W

Sept. 26: 4-3 L

Sept. 27: 5-2 W

Dec. 18: TBD

The Sea Dogs are 8-9-1-0 in Halifax over the past five seasons.

The Mooseheads sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-12-1-1 record. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost back-to-back contests.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 3-1

FINAL: Rouyn-Noranda 1, Saint John 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - After a tough weekend, the Saint John Sea Dogs got things back on track on Monday afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs scored three unanswered goals in a 3-1 victory over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at TD Station. The loss will help erase the memories of an overtime loss in Charlottetown on Friday and a disappointing performance in a 3-2 home loss to the Rimouski Oceanic on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs had a much better performance on Monday compared to Saturday. William Yared, Dylan Rozzi and Matthew Krayer all scored for Saint John. Justin Robinson had one of his best showings of the season, making 36 stops in the win.

The victory included killing off a lengthy five-on-three power play for the Huskies late in the third period. Shots in the game were 37-18 in favour of Rouyn-Noranda with 12 of those coming in the third.

The Sea Dogs managed to keep the Huskies – one of the top team's in the QMJHL's Western Conference so far this year – to 0/5 on the man advantage. Saint John went 1/3.

Game Day 9: vs Huskies

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will try and get things back on track today.

The Sea Dogs host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on this Thanksgiving Monday and will look to end a two-game losing streak. The skid comes after the Sea Dogs had won three straight.

They'll face a tough challenge this afternoon in the Huskies, who sit third overall in the QMJHL standings. Today's game will end a three-game road trip for Rouyn-Noranda, which included a 4-1 win in Cape Breton on Friday and a 3-2 shootout loss against the Eagles on Saturday.

Note that today's start time at TD Station is 3 p.m.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Radio

Records: The Sea Dogs are 4-3-1-0 for nine points (fifth Eastern/ninth QMJHL) while the Huskies are 5-1-2-1 for 13 points (second Western/third QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic on Saturday. Egan Beveridge and Angelo Fullerton scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 22 saves in the loss. The Huskies are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss in Cape Breton on Saturday. William Vezina and Samuel Beauchemin had Rouyn-Noranda goals. Alexandre Raymond made 18 saves in the loss.

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.