QMJHL's trade deadline nearing

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's trading period comes to a close on Monday at 1 p.m. Atlantic.

After a quiet start to the trade season, there will be plenty of eyes on the Saint John Sea Dogs as the deadline approaches. The attention all circles around Joshua Roy and what the Sea Dogs may do with him.

The 17-year-old Roy, who led Saint John in scoring before the season was paused, has reportedly asked for a trade. If he is dealt, the Sea Dogs should get a good return - just how good and how much is the big question.

The Sea Dogs have made three deals during this year's trading period, which was originally scheduled to end on Jan. 6 but was pushed to Jan. 25. Leaving Saint John are Dawson Stairs and Alex Drover while coming to the Dogs are Ryan Francis and Zachary Emond.

Trades can be tracked on the QMJHL's website.

Report: Sea Dogs to acquire Emond

Photo: NHL.com

The Saint John Sea Dogs will reportedly acquire yet another overage goaltender.

According to Stephane Leroux of RDS, the Sea Dogs are set to acquire 20-year-old netminder Zachary Emond from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in exchange for a couple draft picks.

On confirmera plus tard aujourd’hui la transaction suivante :

Les #SeaDogs font l’acquisition du gardien de 20 ans Zachary Emond - un espoir des @SanJoseSharks - en retour d’un choix de 6e ronde en 2022 et de 4e ronde en 2023.#LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) January 21, 2021

Emond, a sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 NHL Draft, is 3-4-2-1 this season with a 3.57 goals against average and a .886 save percentage. He's posted a 63-49 record to go along with a 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 116 career QMJHL games.

Emond's best season came in 2018-19 when he was Samuel Harvey's backup en route to the Huskies winning both the President Cup and Memorial Cup. He posted a 24-1 record with 1.73 GAA and a .932 SV% that season.

The deal marks the fourth time the Sea Dogs have acquired a 20-year-old goaltender over the past year. Previously they've made deals to pick up Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo, Daniel Moody and Creed Jones.

Emond will presumably replace Jones and join Noah Patenaude as Saint John's goalie tandem. Jones has struggled during his time with the Sea Dogs, posting a 1-4 record with a 4.36 GAA and .872 SV%.

The QMJHL's trading period ends on Monday at 1 p.m. Atlantic.

Does Gatineau want the No. 3 pick too?

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The Gatineau Olympiques currently have the first, second and fourth overall picks in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. But could they possibly be looking to... move up?

That was speculated by the Gatineau newspaper Le Droit today. The Saint John Sea Dogs, of course, currently own the third overall pick - a pick that would have been Gatineau's had the Dogs not slid up to No. 3 through the draft lottery.

After Tristan Luneau at No. 1, predictions for how the first round will shake down vary. Gatineau obviously would have three players they badly want in order to spend the assets to move up a spot.

The Olympiques also have the 13th and 23rd overall picks in this year's Draft, one of which would likely have to be packaged to Saint John along with the No. 4 pick in order to acquire the No. 3 spot.

Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told Rogers TV last week that he expects his team to be picking at No. 3. Of course, at this time of year, things can change quickly.

"I don't suspect that we'll move that pick," Georgie said. "I expect us to pick at three. But if something makes a lot of sense for us - not just for this year but more multiple seasons - we'll certainly look at it. But as of now I would expect to pick at three."

Guay deal basically made official

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By Kevin Chambers
SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - Rumblings from January were essentially made official on Tuesday.

TVA Sports' Mikael Lalancette reported that the Saint John Sea Dogs will be acquiring overage forward Nicolas Guay from the Drummondville Voltigeurs when the trade period opens at the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft next month.

Nicolas Guay des #Voltigeurs sera échangé aux #SeaDogs de Saint-Jean au prochain repêchage #LHJMQ. Drummondville recevra un choix de 2e tour et deux choix de 3e tour. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) April 30, 2019

In return, the Sea Dogs will be sending third-round picks for both the 2020 and 2021 drafts to the Voltigeurs. There's a second round pick that was to be included as well but this pick has already been moved to Drummondville in exchange for the rights to Casey Carreau - an American forward who never reported to Saint John. There is no additional second round selection being moved to acquire Guay.

Guay, who served as the captain of the Voltigeurs, picked up 40 goals and 47 assists in 64 games this past season. Over his career, Guay has appeared in 204 games, picking up 82 goals and 92 assists for a total of 174 points.

Drummondville's season came to an end on Sunday when they dropped Game Six of the President Cup semifinals to the Halifax Mooseheads.

The QMJHL Entry Draft will take place on June 8 in Quebec City. The Sea Dogs have the first overall pick.

Sea Dogs acquire another overager

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SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have acquired another overager.

In a trade that was reported yesterday and made official today, the Sea Dogs have picked up 20-year-old defenseman Benjamin Gagne from the Quebec Remparts in exchange for an eighth-round pick in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft.

This is the third overager the Sea Dogs have acquired since late November. The team has added goaltender Mikhail Denisov, forward Casey Carreau and now Gagne.

The odd man out appears to be current Sea Dogs captain Anthony Boucher who, according to TVA Sports' Mikael Lalancette, has returned home and is awaiting a trade.

Le marché des transactions recommence à s’activer #LHJMQ.

Parmi les joueurs qui vont changer d’adresse dans les prochaines heures, Anthony Boucher des Sea Dogs. Il est retourné à la maison dans l’attente d’une transaction. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 29, 2018

Boucher played in Saint John's 6-1 win in Bathurst last night. In his second season with Saint John, the centre has six goals and five assists in 33 games.

Gagne has served as the Remparts' captain this season. In 35 games the Quebec City native has six goals and 13 assists.

Carreau's status withe the Dogs remains questionable it would seem. He is currently with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers and has been in the team's lineup since the trade was announced. Carreau may have simply been a piece the Drummondville Voltigeurs opted to give the Dogs to complete the deal rather than a late round draft pick - which is usually the case. That trade is expected to have more conditional things attached to it.

Assuming Carreau doesn't report and Boucher is in fact the odd man out, that leaves Saint John with Gagne, Denisov and Michael Campoli has overage players.

The QMJHL's trading period comes to a close on Jan. 6.

Report: Bowers' rights going to Volts

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SAINT JOHN - Is Shane Bowers finally on his way to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League?

News surfaced Sunday night that the Saint John Sea Dogs will trade Bowers' QMJHL rights to the Drummondville Voltigeurs following the completion of the World Junior Hockey Championship. Bowers is currently playing with Team Canada - which happens to feature two current Voltigeurs forwards in Joe Veleno and Maxime Comtois.

According to Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports, the deal will, unsurprisingly, involve conditional picks. Lalancette reports that the Sea Dogs will receive a first-round pick if Bowers plays for the Volts.

Les Voltigeurs vont faire l’acquisition des droits de Shane Bowers des Sea Dogs, un membre d’Équipe Canada junior 2019. La transaction se fera le 6 janvier seulement. Choix conditionnels cédés en retour. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 24, 2018

Si Shane Bowers joue à Drummondville cette saison, il y aura au moins un choix de premier tour cédé aux Sea Dogs.

Bowers a été un choix de première ronde des Sénateurs l’an dernier. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 24, 2018

Reports also indicate that it's not a sure thing that Bowers reports. After years of wondering and speculation, this seems like the most opportune time for the forward to play in the league. Bowers would be leaving Boston University to join one of the CHL's elite teams this season in his 19-year-old year. A Colorado Avalanche prospect, there's a good chance he'll be playing pro next year, which makes leaving college hockey now understandable.

Report: Gursoy traded to Islanders

ST. STEPHEN - The Saint John Sea Dogs have traded forward Kevin Gursoy to the Charlottetown Islanders, according to Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports.

In exchange, the Sea Dogs will receive a sixth-round pick in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft. Lalancette reports that the pick could become a fourth-round selection depending on Gursoy's performance.

Les Sea Dogs transigent Kevin Gursoy à Charlottetown en retour d’un choix de 6e tour 2020.

Ça pourrait devenir un choix de 4ème tour selon sa performance. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) August 26, 2018

Gursoy, 19, signed with the Sea Dogs last August after putting up 30 goals and 32 assists in 50 games with the GOJHL's Chatham Maroons in 2016-17.

The LaSalle, Ont. native recorded 11 goals and seven assists with Saint John last season. So far this pre-season, Gursoy has registered two goals and an assist in one game.

The QMJHL's summer trade deadline is tomorrow.

Demain, midi fin des transactions dans la LHJMQ. L'an passé, la veille de la date limite, 2 transactions, la journée de la date limite, 12.

— Martin Lahaie (@MartinLahaie) August 26, 2018

Sea Dogs sign Hungerbuhler; Leblanc traded

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs made a couple roster moves on the eve of the QMJHL's trade deadline.

The team announced this evening that they've signed defenceman Tyler Hungerbuhler as a free agent. The 17-year-old attended Saint John's training camp but did not appear in any pre-season games.

Listed at 6’3″ and 183 lbs., the Rosemere, Que. native has five goals and 15 points in 30 games in his first season with the Montreal-Nord Arctic of the LHJAAAQ.

“We’re very happy to have Tyler commit to the Sea Dogs,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie. “We got to see him for a couple of days in training camp and he impressed us. He’s a right-handed shot and gives us another young option on the blueline.”

Meanwhile, in a deal the league has yet to confirm, the Sea Dogs have traded forward Samuel Leblanc to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Transaction LHJMQ: Samuel Leblanc des Sea Dogs passe à l’Armada en retour d’un choix de 6e tour 2018. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) January 5, 2018

Leblanc has been used sparingly by the Sea Dogs this season. He has appeared in 19 games, recording two assists.

The 18-year-old was a 13th-round pick of Saint John in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft. The Dieppe native appeared in 54 games with the club last season, registering seven goals and seven assists.

The QMJHL's trade deadline is tomorrow afternoon.

Trading period nearing a close

SAINT JOHN - After opening the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trading period with a bang, the Saint John Sea Dogs have been fairly quiet.

The Sea Dogs pulled off one of the biggest trades in recent QMJHL history on Dec. 19, sending captain Joe Veleno to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for five draft picks. The deal signalled that the Dogs were indeed entering a rebuild process - but they have yet to make any other major deals.

Saint John has made just two other trades since the Veleno deal, acquiring Yohan Plamondon from Val-d'Or and swapping Isiah Campbell for Tommy Da Silva with Cape Breton.

Following the Veleno deal, the Sea Dogs seemed poised to make more deals as they have done in past rebuilding years. The team has plenty of older players who could make an impact on teams that nearing the peak of their cycles.

Deals could still be made obviously, but the clock is ticking. The QMJHL's trading period ends on Saturday afternoon.

There have been a plethora of major deals going done over the past week in the QMJHL. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have made the most noise in the Maritimes Division, acquiring Evan Fitzpatrick, Olivier Galipeau and Mitchell Balmas.

The Charlottetown Islanders, meanwhile, continue to be the biggest surprise in the CHL this season. They've made a few smart moves, picking up Derek Gentile and Cameron Askew. The team also got forward Brett Budgell, a second-round pick last June, to join the club for the second half.

Victoriaville has also made a few big trades while the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are expected to acquire Cape Breton's Drake Batherson following the completion of the world juniors.

QMJHL trading season has begun

SAINT JOHN - One day into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's trading period, Joe Veleno is still a Saint John Sea Dog.

The QMJHL's annual trading period began earlier today with a few deals being announced. Veleno heading to the Drummondville Voltigeurs was not one of them.

According to Voltigeurs reporter Jonathan Habashi, the deal should be announced tomorrow.

Des détails administratifs empêcheraient la #LHJMQ d’officialiser l’échange de Joe Veleno, et ce, même si le marché des transactions est ouvert depuis ce matin. Le tout devrait se régler demain. @Voltigeurs_DRU @SJSeaDogs

— Jonathan Habashi (@JonathanHabashi) December 18, 2017

Reports indicate that Veleno will be traded to Drummondville in exchange for five draft picks: three first rounders and two second rounders.

Veleno has not played with Saint John since news broke of the trade.

Thank you @jveleno91 pic.twitter.com/k6PJ8seCxk

— Anthony Stella (@AnthonyStella_) December 16, 2017

Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs made a small trade that got a significant return last week, sending prospect Max-Antoine Melancon to the Shawinigan Cataractes in exchange for a second round pick in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Melancon was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft. He made his QMJHL debut on Saturday, recording a goal and an assist for the Cataractes.

Veleno not dressed for Dogs in Bathurst

BATHURST - Has Joe Veleno's Saint John Sea Dogs career already come to an end?

The Sea Dogs opted not to dress Veleno for Saturday's contest against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, saying he is "day-to-day with an upper body injury," as per Tim Roszell. He is not with the team in Bathurst.

Following Friday night's news, it makes sense not to dress him. There's no point in risking him getting injured (or further injured - if he actually is injured) and having the trade called off.

The Sea Dogs have four games remaining before the QMJHL's trade period begins on Dec. 18 - tonight's game in Bathurst, tomorrow's against Gatineau, next Friday in Moncton and next Saturday against Charlottetown.

There's certainly a good chance Veleno does not dress for any of those games, either.

Following last night's news, the Sea Dogs have recalled forwards Ben Reid and Aiden MacIntosh from the MHL's St. Stephen Aces. Reid has appeared in seven games with Saint John this season while MacIntosh has yet to appear in a QMJHL game.

Sant John dressed 13 forwards and six defencemen for warm up on Saturday, which included recent call ups MacIntosh, Reid and Luke Wilson.

The Sea Dogs appear to be all in on rebuilding now, so more roster moves are likely on the way over the next couple weeks.

Report: Veleno will be traded to Drummondville

The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest trades in franchise history, reports Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports.

As reported by Lalancette, the Sea Dogs will trade captain Joe Veleno to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for several draft picks - which includes three first round selections.

Joseph Veleno passera aux Voltigeurs lors de la prochaine période de transactions. Plusieurs choix impliqués. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

Les choix reçus de Drummondville pour Joseph Veleno :

1er (Gat) 2018
1er (BLB) 2019
1er (Drum)2020
2e (Drum)2018
2e 2019#tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

The transaction will take place when the Christmas trading period opens.

The deal, which is presumably accurate, will be one of the largest made in the QMJHL in recent years. When five draft picks are involved it's usually large - when three first rounders are involved it's huge.

Veleno, who is expected to be a first round pick in this year's NHL Draft, was in an odd spot at this trade period. He has extremely high value given he will likely be back in the league next season.

The Sea Dogs just recently said publicly they would listen to calls for Veleno. Notably, the Sea Dogs have played the Voltigeurs twice in the past week. Sherbrooke, Halifax, Rouyn-Noranda and Quebec also expressed interest, according to Lalancette.

This deal is a lot to take in. We do know this: this trade accelerates Saint John's rebuild significantly - and it's safe to call it a rebuild now.

The QMJHL's trade period begins on Monday, Dec. 18. Saint John's final game prior to the deadline is Dec. 16 against Charlottetown.

Notebook: Third-round has been good to Sea Dogs over the years

SAINT JOHN - At the moment, the Saint John Sea Dogs won't be picking in the QMJHL Entry Draft until the third round.

That's not ideal, obviously. But here's some positive news: the Sea Dogs have picked some very good players in the third round of past drafts.

Tim Roszell's By The Numbers highlighted a few of those players. Here's the full list:

2005: Alexandre Labonte
2006: Karel St-Laurent
2008: Stephen MacAulay
2009: Scott Oke
2010: Guillaume Cloutier
2010: Devon Oliver-Dares
2011: Maxime Gravel
2013: Joey Richard
2013: Samuel Dove-McFalls
2013: Mathieu Joseph
2015: Vincent Martineau
2016: Isiah Campbell

That's a pretty good list, even though there have been some misses.

COVERAGE
If you're unable to make it to Harbour Station on Saturday, there will be viewing options.

Rogers TV New Brunswick will have live coverage of the first round across the province. If you are out of the region or not a Rogers customer, you can watch live on the network's Facebook page.

The @QMJHL draft (RD# 1) will be LIVE on #Rogerstv CH#10 OR on FACEBOOK LIVE at either https://t.co/Gxi3kyro2k OR https://t.co/wu339xX4xO pic.twitter.com/SWdp9XncGn

— Charles Olscamp (@charlesolscamp) June 1, 2017

TVA Sports will also have live coverage.

You can also follow the picks on the QMJHL website.

Saturday notes: Auger makes FISU team

MONTREAL - Former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender Sebastien Auger has been named to the team that will represent Canada at the upcoming FISU Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Auger and former London Knight Kevin Bailie will make up Canada's goaltending tandem for the tournament, which will open on Jan. 30 with Canada taking on the United States.

Auger is 8-3 with a 2.49 GAA and .927 SV% with the UQTR Patriotes this season.

The team is made up entirely of OUA players. Former Dogs defenceman David Weckworth, now with the Carleton Ravens, was invited to the Canadian camp but did not make the team.

Former Sea Dog Michael Kirkpatrick helped Canada win gold at the 2013 Winter Universiade.

Some other notes...

• Speaking of former Sea Dogs goaltenders, Marc-Antoine Turcotte made his debut with the OUA's Concordia Stingers this past week. He had a game to forget last night against the University of Toronto though, allowing three goals on six shots in the first period.
• According to a Quebec newspaper report, the Sea Dogs inquired about acquiring Olympiques import forward Vitalii Abramov. The 18-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has 28 goals and 56 points in 37 games with Gatineau this season.
• According to another report, the Sea Dogs tried to acquire 19-year-old forward Samuel Laberge from the Rimouski Oceanic right up until the deadline. Now the captain of the Oceanic, Laberge has 10 goals and 23 points in 19 games.
• From CHL stats man Geoffrey Brandow on Twitter: Alex D'Orio improves to 5-0 in last five starts with a 1.00 GAA and .945 SV% rejecting 103 of 109. 
• Saturday's Sea Dogs - Mooseheads game in Halifax will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Note that game time is 4 p.m. Atlantic.
• Bokondji Imama was named Saint John's player of the month for December. Kyle Ward was named the student of the month.
• Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun had some real nice words about Mathieu Joseph's goal in Thursday's gold medal game.
• 17-year-old forward Kallum Muirhead, an eighth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft, has been named the MHL's Rookie of the Month for December. He had seven goals and two assists in seven games with the Summerside Western Capitals.
• This is neat:

Trade period over means @ssmallman96 and @MHighmore15 are set to join @ThommerBomber as the only guys to play 5 full seasons here in SJ!

— DK (@SeaDogsDK) January 6, 2017

Trade period ends on Friday

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MONTREAL - Lost in the excitement of tonight's World Junior Hockey Championship game is the fact that the QMJHL's trading period comes to a close tomorrow.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to finalize a major deal, acquiring forward Julien Gauthier from the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

In terms of buying, this has been the biggest trade period in Sea Dogs history. The team has acquired three NHL drafted players: Gauthier (Carolina), goaltender Callum Booth (Carolina) and defenceman Simon Bourque (Montreal). That's a lot of talent for a franchise that has traditionally been fairly quiet during the holiday trade period.

Meanwhile, the Charlottetown Islanders are loading up to challenge the Sea Dogs for the Maritimes Division title.

So looks like the @IslandersHKY have added Alex Dostie (Anaheim) Francois Beauchemin, Adam Marsh (Detroit), & Carl Neill (Vancouver). #Whoa

— Jonathan Dunphy (@Jonathan_Dunphy) January 4, 2017

At the time of this writing, the league had confirmed the Dostie and Niell trades.

There may be some issues, though.

Cody Donaghey refuse to report to Val-d'or. We'll see what happens to the agreement that was had between @IslandersHKY and @ForeursVD https://t.co/8Q3KwI0HhF

— QMJHL_FanHouse (@QMJHL_FanHouse) January 5, 2017

Another big transaction expected to be made official tomorrow will see Pierre-Luc Dubois heading to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Trades will be posted on the league website when made official.

Report: Dogs will send picks, prospect to Foreurs

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MONTREAL - If you haven't heard, the Saint John Sea Dogs will reportedly acquire Julien Gauthier from the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Friday.

According to Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports, here's what the Sea Dogs will be sending to the Foreurs:

Le prix payé par les Sea Dogs pour Julien Gauthier: choix de 1er tour 2019, deux choix de 2e tour 2018 un 3e tour 2017 + Nathan Cyr-Trottier

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) January 4, 2017

Cyr-Trottier, a 16-year-old forward, was a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft. He has a goal and three assists in 18 games with the Trois-Rivières Estacades of the Quebec Midget AAA league this season.

Gauthier is currently playing with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, which means he can not be officially traded until Friday when the tournament is over.

The QMJHL's trading period comes to a close on Friday.

REPORTS: Sea Dogs to acquire Gauthier

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MONTREAL - They're not done yet.

Having already made a couple of huge acquisitions in goaltender Callum Booth and defenceman Simon Bourque, the Saint John Sea Dogs are set to acquire forward Julien Gauthier from the Val-d'Or Foreurs, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS.

Leroux reports that the deal will be made official on Friday, which is the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's trading period.

The Sea Dogs well send drafts picks and a prospect to the Foreurs, according to Leroux.

Julien Gauthier jouera pour les #SeaDogs après le #CMHJ Troc impliquant des choix et un jeune joueur midget confirmé vendredi matin #LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) January 3, 2017

Les #Foreurs echangeront Julien Gauthier aux #SeaDogs vendredi matin - j'avais parlé de cette rumeur pendant le camp à Boisbriand #LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) January 3, 2017

Depuis le debut des transactions les #SeaDogs ont échangé Luke Green mais sont allés chercher C.Booth, S.Bourque et maintenant J.Gauthier

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) January 3, 2017

TVA Sports is reporting the trade as well, adding that the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Chicoutimi Sagueneens were in the running for Gauthier.

Gauthier is one of the premier goal scorers in junior hockey, recording 41 goals in 2015-16 and 38 in 2014-15. In 207 career QMJHL games, Gauthier has 94 goals and 186 points.

The 19-year-old hasn't had his greatest goal scoring season so far (by his standards), recording seven goals and 20 assists in 23 games with Val-d'Or. Playing on a Saint John team loaded with play makers should help his numbers out.

A first round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL Draft, Gauthier is currently playing with Mathieu Joseph, Thomas Chabot and Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship. He has three goals and two assists in five games with Canada at this year's tournament and was named the team's Player of the Game on Monday.

QMJHL players are not permitted to be traded during the world juniors, so this deal will not be made official until Friday - assuming the report is accurate.

Gauthier and Team Canada take on Sweden tomorrow night in the semifinals.

Reports: Sea Dogs to acquire Bourque

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The Saint John Sea Dogs will acquire Montreal Canadiens prospect Simon Bourque today, according to reports.

Both RDS and TVA Sports are reporting that the Sea Dogs will acquire Bourque and a second-round pick in 2018 in exchange for defenceman Vincent Martineau, a first in 2018, a first in 2020 and a second in 2019.

Confirmé l'espoir des @CanadiensMTL Simon Bourque prend le chemin des @SJSeaDogs #LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) December 30, 2016

Bourque et un 2e en 2018 / contre Vincent Martineau - 1er 2018+ 1er 2020 + 2e  2019. #Oceanic #SeaDogs #LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) December 30, 2016

Transaction #LHJMQ: Simon Bourque sera un Sea Dogs aujourd'hui. Vincent Martineau et des choix de repêchage impliqués. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 30, 2016

Les détails: Simon Bourque et choix de 2e tour 2018 en retour de Vincent Martineau et choix de 1er tour 2018, 1er tour 2020 et 2e tour 2019.

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 30, 2016

UPDATE: The Oceanic are confirming the trade.

Simon Bourque échangé aux @SJSeaDogs ! pic.twitter.com/mYGOJulbOz

— Océanic de Rimouski (@oceanicrimouski) December 30, 2016

The 19-year-old defenceman has been Rimouski's captain for the past two seasons. In 218 career QMJHL games, Bourque has 33 goals and 88 assists. He's added one goal and 11 assists in 34 playoff games. At the 2015 Memorial Cup, Bourque had one assist.

This season, Bourque has eight goals and 20 assists in 29 games.

Notebook: Mann-Dixon traded to Halifax

Former Sea Dogs goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon has been traded to the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Charlottetown Islanders, who acquired goaltender Mark Grametbauer from the Gatineau Olympiques Wednesday, traded Mann-Dixon to the Mooseheads in exchange for an eighth-round draft pick in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Mann-Dixon is 9-4 this season with a 3.16 goals against average and .896 save percentage.

The 19-year-old was an 11th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft. A star netminder in the MHL, Mann-Dixon played in three games with Saint John in 2014-15, going 2-1 with a 3.82 GAA and .878 SV%.

This will be Mann-Dixon's fourth QMJHL team, having played with Saint John, Moncton and Charlottetown already.



Canada wins again
Thomas Chabot and Mathieu Joseph were both held pointless in Team Canada's 5-0 pre-tournament victory over Jakub Zboril and the Czech Republic on Wednesday in Ottawa.

Chabot and Joseph each recorded an assist in Canada's first pre-tournament game on Monday, a 5-0 win over Finland in Montreal.

Here's a Hockey Canada feature on Joseph:

#WJCMemories | Day 37/41: #TeamCanada’s @MathJoseph7 currently stands at 6’1”. He was much shorter when his #WorldJuniors journey began. pic.twitter.com/oj1Yxtbt7r

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 21, 2016

Canada plays its final exhibition game on Friday against Switzerland in Toronto while Zboril and the Czech Republic play the United States in Kingston.

Speaking of Chabot, there are quite a few Ottawa Senators prospects playing in this year's World Junior Hockey Championship.

The trade period begins today

SAINT JOHN - Today is the day.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's trade period officially opens today. While it feels like several deals have already been finalized, they can now be made official by teams and the league.

In Saint John, the Sea Dogs, who enter the Christmas break in first overall, are expected to be buyers.

Last Tuesday, reports surfaced that the Sea Dogs and Quebec Remparts would pull off a big trade, sending goaltender Callum Booth to Saint John. Unless something very weird happens and all of the legit QMJHL insiders end up being wrong, that deal should be finalized and announced soon.

Heading to Saint John will be Booth and prospect Matthew Pietroniro. Quebec will receive goaltender Alex Bishop, prospect Olivier Mathieu, a 2017 first round pick and a 2019 third round pick.

Bishop was not dressed for the Sea Dogs last night. Meanwhile, Booth met with Remparts fans one last time.


What else could go down? Well, there are those Luke Green trade request rumours that popped up a few weeks ago and then were dismissed by agent Allan Walsh. Green has still been involved in trade rumours, though.

À surveiller demain: la destination de Luke Green, défenseur des @SJSeaDogs, 1ère choix LHJMQ 2014. Un nouveau départ pour lui.

— Francois Le Blanc (@RCFrancois) December 18, 2016

On me dit que Luke Green pourrait prendre le chemin de Sherbrooke en retour d'un "package incluant des choix". #PhoenixSherbrooke

— François Carignan (@CarignanTQN) December 18, 2016

Overall, it seems the Sea Dogs will be active. They already have a great team, yes, but some upgrades to put the team over the top are certainly understandable. While the team seems determined to not damage its future too much, the reality is that much of this team will not be back next season and the opportunity to win with this core should not be blown.

The QMJHL's trade period ends on Jan. 6.