USHL season underway

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The United States Hockey League held its annual Fall Classic last week in Chicago.

The event, which brings all of the league's teams into one location to start the year, saw each club play two regular season games. The regular regular season begins this weekend with teams back on their home ice.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forwards Dylan and Matthew Krayer are both playing with the Tri-City Storm, who went 1-1-0-0 at the Fall Classic. Both recorded a goal and two assists.

There are also a few Sea Dogs draft picks playing in the USHL this season, which technically includes Finnegan Sears of the USNTDP. The program plays parts of its season in the USHL.

Here's how former Sea Dogs and draft picks performed at the Fall Classic.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Dylan Krayer	TC	2	1	2	3
Matthew Krayer	TC	2	1	2	3
Matas Janulis*	CR	2	1	1	2
Finnegan Sears*	NTDP	2	0	1	1
Brian McFadden*	CHI	2	0	0	0

*Draft pick who has not played with Sea Dogs

The only goaltender currently playing in the USHL that was a Sea Dogs draft pick is 19-year-old Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz, who is entering his second season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He's 1-0 so far, stopping 22 of 24 shots in Muskegon's 3-2 overtime win over the Waterloo Black Hawks.

Oddly enough, Matthew Krayer, Janulis and McFadden were all part of Saint John's 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft class. That class also included Zachary Morin, who previously played with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms.

It'll be interesting to follow some of these players throughout the year, particularly those who could be future Sea Dogs. These are interesting (and challenging, depending on who you ask) times for the USHL as they try and compete against the CHL for talent.

Notebook: Crickard, Beaulieu win wild WHL debut

Swift Current Broncos

It was quite a Western Hockey League coaching debut for Travis Crickard and the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.

The Broncos defeated the Prince Albert Raiders 5-2 in a game that was highlighted by an old school line brawl in the second period. Former Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu, also making his WHL regular season debut, was involved.

Haven't seen a legit 5 on 5 in awhile. #WHL
Swift Current Vs Prince Albert 09.19.26 #HFH pic.twitter.com/Yz7W8mpN0E

— Hockey Fight History (@HistoryOfFights) September 20, 2026

Crickard, the former head coach and general manager of the Sea Dogs, took over as Broncos head coach and general manager during the off-season.

Beaulieu was a free agent invite to Broncos training camp. The overage forward was also named part of the team's leadership group for the 2026-27 season.

The Broncos don't play again until Friday when they face the Moose Jaw Warriors.

SATURDAY FIGHTS

The Sea Dogs and Newfoundland Regiment had two fights within the first few minutes of the second period on Saturday.

The first saw a couple of Newfoundlanders drop the gloves as soon-to-turn-17-year-old Benjamin Veitch took on 19-year-old Jabez Seymour. 

Soon after, Matyas Cancik, in just his second career QMJHL game, took on 19-year-old Ryan Dwyer.

Both games this weekend were physical at times – which is often the case against Gordie Dwyer teams. It will be interesting to see if the Sea Dogs continue to lean into that style against other opponents.

Some Sunday stuff

MIRAMICHI, NB - We're still a few days away from the start of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season, but the Maritime Junior Hockey League campaign is already underway.

Here are a few MHL updates from the weekend – plus a few other notes.

• Some updates on Sea Dogs prospects in the MHL:
• Brock Lyons had an impressive opening weekend, posting two goals and two assists in two games with the Amherst Ramblers, placing him 12th in league scoring (and tied for first amongst rookies). He scored his first career MHL goal on Thursday and added another on Saturday.

  Brock with a beauty!! pic.twitter.com/KpKufDHFUL

  — Amherst JrA Ramblers (@AmherstRamblers) September 12, 2026

• I was in Miramichi on Sunday where Eliot Tozer netted his first career MHL goal with the Timberwolves – a game that saw the Grand Falls Rapids erase a 4-1 deficit in a 5-4 overtime victory. Tozer also posted an assist on Saturday.
• Samuel Pitcher saw action in two of the West Kent Steamers' three games. Pitcher came on in relief Friday, allowing a goal on 10 shots in 20 minutes of play. On Saturday, Pitcher got his first start and allowed five goals on 48 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Valley Wildcats. The Steamers are off to a 0-3 start.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Jonah Leard is wearing the captain's 'C' for Grand Falls.
• As mentioned, former Sea Dogs forwards Dylan and Matthew Krayer have joined the USHL's Tri-City Storm. The two were listed on the Storm's top line for a pre-season game last week.
• Sea Dogs prospect Finnegan Sears has a goal and two assists in two games – both against the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks – with the USNTDP under-18 squad. Sears has been on the team's top line.

  Sears bringing us to 3-2 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LYrvFOUOy2

  — USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) September 12, 2026

• The USHL's regular season begins Wednesday with the Fall Classic, which is being held in Chicago this year.

Notebook: Beaulieu on Swift Current pre-season roster

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A familiar name is on the Swift Current Broncos' pre-season roster.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu was among the 34 players named to Swift Current's roster for the Western Hockey League's pre-season. The Broncos head coach and general manager is Travis Crickard, who obviously knows Beaulieu quite well.

Beaulieu, an overager, spent parts of four seasons in Saint John. He was a seventh-round pick of the team in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs traded Beaulieu to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during last season's holiday trade period. He appeared in 32 regular season games with the Armada and another 17 playoff contests

In 210 career QMJHL games, Beaulieu posted 16 goals and 10 assists. He also had 249 penalty minutes – and was known more for his physical presence.

The Broncos continue pre-season play on Friday when they host Saskatoon Blades.

VILEN RETURING TO WILDCATS

The Sea Dogs will be seeing a lot of Max Vilen this season.

The Moncton Wildcats announced on social media that Vilen will return to the club for another season, occupying both an overage and import slot. The Wildcats acquired Vilen from the Sea Dogs during last season's holiday trade period.

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A post shared by Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats)

Vilen recorded a goal and 12 assists in 27 games with the Wildcats in the second half. He added three goals and nine assists in 21 playoff games.

Over the summer, the Swedish defenseman was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh-round of the NHL Draft.

Vilen was selected in the third-round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft by Saint John. He posted two goals and 12 assists in 27 games with the Sea Dogs in the first half.

Mense added to camp roster; Hlacar staying in OHL

USHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced an addition to the club's training camp roster on Monday.

Joe Mense, an overage defenseman who played in the USHL last season, has been added. He joins forward Olivier Lemieux and defenseman Julien Lanthier as 20-year-olds currently on the camp roster.

A Port Jefferson, New York native, Mense has spent the past three seasons in the USHL, splitting time between the Sioux City Musketeers and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Last season in Cedar Rapids, the d-man posted five assists in 22 games.

In 115 USHL games split over three seasons, Mense has posted four goals and 27 assists.

He's listed at 6'2" and 214 lbs.

The Sea Dogs also announced Monday that overage forward Matthew Hlacar will not be joining the team's training camp, instead signing in the OHL. It was announced in late July that Hlacar would attend Sea Dogs camp as a free agent.

Former Kitchener Rangers F Matthew Hlacar isn't skating yet, but is at Brantford Bulldogs training camp.

— Josh Brown (@BrownRecord) August 24, 2026

Hlacar has spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, helping the team win a league title and Memorial Cup last year. He posted six goals and six assists in 51 regular season games last season and another goal in 15 playoff matches.

Hlacar was a seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2025 NHL Draft.

With these announcements, Saint John's camp roster now sits at 35 players: 18 forwards, 13 defensemen and four goaltenders.

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Wednesday night when they host the Moncton Wildcats in St. Stephen. Game time is 7 p.m.

McFadden signs with USHL's Steel

Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Brian McFadden has signed a standard player development agreement with the USHL's Chicago Steel, the team announced Friday.

The 18-year-old defenseman was recently selected in the fifth-round of this year's NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals.

Listed at 6'5" and 183 lbs, McFadden just completed his second and final season with Thayer Academy. In 29 games with the US prep school last season, McFadden, the team's captain, recorded two goals and 15 assists.

Signed on the dotted line 🖊️

Washington Capitals draft pick Brian McFadden has signed his USHL SPDA for the 2026-27 season 🤝 #ChicagoHockey #USHL pic.twitter.com/25XP8fmLeJ

— Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel) July 10, 2026

McFadden was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in one pre-season game with the Sea Dogs last year before being amongst the second round of cuts from the team's training camp roster.

“It was an unreal feeling. We’re just so thankful that we can all be here.”

Brian McFadden on his reaction to being drafted by the Capitals and describes his style of play as a 6-foot-5 defenseman.#CapsDevCamp pic.twitter.com/iA8vsMFrXT

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 30, 2026

While it seems unlikely that McFadden will join the Sea Dogs this season, there is still a chance he could play for the team down the road – and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the USHL from prep school hockey. He is committed to Northeastern University.

Notebook: Lyons' improvement leads to selection

QMJHL

HALIFAX - A year ago, Brock Lyons was projected to be a fourth-round pick by QMJHL Central Scouting. The Saint John Vito's forward didn't hear his name called.

A year later, he was drafted by his hometown QMJHL team in the ninth-round. The improvements he made on the ice over the past year didn't go unnoticed by the Saint John Sea Dogs' scouting staff.

"Brock was a guy that we were looking at last year but we thought that his compete level was a little inconsistent," said Sea Dogs director of scouting Nick Lepore on Saturday following the conclusion of the QMJHL Entry Draft. "We saw the talent, we saw the skill. He's got size. He really has a lot of good tools. And then this year he really surprised us with his compete levels. Very consistent. It might be due to the fact that he was overlooked last year and he had a chip on his shoulder. He was really, really good all year."

Lyons, 17, posted 25 goals and 28 assists in 36 games with the Vito's. He also appeared in three games with the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Amherst Ramblers.

"We were following him all year. Last year we were kind of saying with Brock, if he steps up his compete level, he can be a very good player and he did that this year," added Lepore.

"By no means did we just select him because he's in Saint John. We really, really like the player. I think he can mix it up at camp as well and he can really force our hand maybe into something. He's a really good player with a lot of good tools and he has a lot of offense in his game as well. He is a shooter. Having him where we got him, it was a no brainer."

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.

Notebook: Sea Dogs returning to St. Stephen

The Saint John Sea Dogs are returning to St. Stephen it appears.

St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center has shared on Facebook that the venue will host the Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats in a QMJHL pre-season game on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats faced off in St. Stephen last year as well. Moncton won the game 4-1.

The Sea Dogs are 1-2-0-0 in pre-season play at the Garcelon Civic Center.

TRADE PERIODS

From Jeremy Fraser of the Cape Breton Post, here's when you could see player movement this week.

QMJHL Trade Periods for Entry Draft Week:

- Tuesday, June 2 - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

- Thursday, June 4 - 8:30-9:30 a.m.

- Friday, June 5 - During the draft.

- Saturday, June 6 - During the draft.

Note: The times indicated are Atlantic Time. #qmjhl #lhjmq

— Jeremy Fraser (@CBPost_Jeremy) May 30, 2026

LATVIA DONE IN QUARTERS

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia had their IIHF World Championship come to an end in the quarterfinals on Thursday, falling 2-0 to Norway.

Murnieks did not play in the game.

The Sea Dogs forward appeared in five of Latvia's eight games and was held pointless.

Finland will take on Switzerland in the gold medal game while Canada will play Norway for bronze.

Notebook: Wildcats honour Boutilier

MONCTON - Paul Boutilier was honoured before Game 5 of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League final on Friday at Avenir Centre.

The Moncton Wildcats held a moment of silence for Boutilier. It was announced on Thursday that the 63-year-old, who had been a defensive consultant with the Wildcats for the past two seasons, had passed away.

Before the game, the @monctonwildcats observed a moment of silence in memory of Paul Boutilier, who passed away yesterday. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/pSYKUY9rAo

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 15, 2026

After the game, Wildcats head coach Gardiner MacDougall began his press conference with some words on Boutilier. The two worked together during Saint John's 2022 Memorial Cup run before teaming up again in Moncton.

''He's kind of a trailblazer for the defensive part of the game''

With his usual grace, Gardiner MacDougall paid a heartfelt tribute to the Paul Boutilier, the QMJHL and NHL Alumni who passed away 🕊️ @monctonwildcats pic.twitter.com/OTOkbaiKDT

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 16, 2026

Boutilier was an assistant coach with the Sea Dogs for two seasons, helping the club capture the 2017 QMJHL championship.

Saltwire has a story on Boutilier's death, which includes some quotes from former Sea Dogs general manager Darrell Young.

CAPITALS FALL IN FINAL

The host Summerside Western Capitals fell 4-1 to Manitoba's Niverville Nighthawks in the championship game of the Centennial Cup on Sunday.

The Nighthawks have only been around since the 2022-23 season and went 51-6-1 during the regular season. They went undefeated at the Centennial Cup, which included beating the Capitals twice.

Summerside outshot Niverville 35-20, including 12-3 in the third period.

The Capitals featured former Sea Dogs defenseman Matthew MacLean and goaltender Justin Robinson. This was the final game of junior hockey for the 20-year-old MacLean, who spent the past two seasons with the Sea Dogs.

MacLean finished the tournament with a goal and three assists in seven games. Robinson appeared in three games – including a couple minutes of Sunday's game – and allowed seven goals on 58 total shots.

Summerside was looking to win their second national championship and first since 1997 – a team that was coached by Gerard Gallant. An Atlantic Canadian team has not won the Centennial Cup since the Halifax Oland Exports in 2002.

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: Lottery odds announced

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a 4.8% chance of winning the first overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft lottery.

The lottery will take place April 21 at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic and be broadcast live on RDS, the league announced this week.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who own the Baie-Comeau Drakkar's top pick, will have the best odds of winning followed by the Halifax Mooseheads – who are hosting this year's draft. The full odds are below.

18th position: Rouyn-Noranda (from Baie-Comeau) – 9 balls – 42.9% 

17th position: Halifax (from Rimouski) – 6 balls – 28.6% 

16th position: Shawinigan (from Gatineau) – 3 balls – 14.3% 

15th position: Victoriaville – 2 balls – 9.5% 

14th position: Saint John – 1 ball – 4.8%

The Sea Dogs have had good fortune in the draft lottery over the years. They won last year's and went on to select Alexis Joseph with the first overall pick.

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

JOSEPH MAKES ROOKIE TEAM

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has been named to the QMJHL's rookie all-star team, the league announced this week.

Joseph finished sixth in rookie scoring, posting 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games.

The full team is below.

Goaltender : Jan Larys, Drummondville 

Defenseman : Tommy Bleyl, Moncton 

Defenseman : Malik L’Italien, Halifax 

Forward : Egor Shilov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexey Vlasov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexis Joseph, Saint John

The QMJHL also announced its first and second all-star teams.

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.

Notebook: New Dogs, new numbers

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Five players made their Saint John Sea Dogs debuts this week. Here's a quick look at the numbers they're wearing.

23 - Jabez Seymour: was worn by Max Vilen this season. The number was worn most by Pierre Durepos, who sported it for 303 games.

26 - Bo Damphousse: was worn by Patryk Zubek this season. Noah Zilbert wore the number for 136 games whole Nico Laforge wore it for 133 games.

31 - Arseni Radkov: the number has been used a couple times in recent years by emergency backups. Alex Bishop is the only player to wear it for an extended period, having it for 165 games.

44 - Carl-Otto Magnusson: was worn by Elliot Dubé this season – but it hasn't been worn a lot. Only five players have ever used it, led by Brett Gallant's 142 games.

91 - Maxime Côté: Justin Gendron wore the number 11 times this season. Only six players have ever worn it with Tomas Jurco being the most well-known.

It's worth mentioning as well that Nolann Héroux, who joined the team full-time for the second half, is just the third player to wear No. 54. Jeremie Poirier was the first, wearing it for 175 games.

LEADERS

Olivier Groulx continues to lead Saint John in points this season.

With a couple goals in Friday night's game, Groulx now has a team high 38 points. He also continues to lead the team in assists with 25.

Alexis Joseph leads the team in goals with 18 while Alexander Donovan is second with 15. Entering play on Saturday, Joseph was tied for fifth in QMJHL rookie goal scoring.

Groulx and Donovan each have a team high five power play goals on the year.

DEFENSE LEADERS

Everett Baldwin's strong offensive play of late has moved him up the defensemen goal scoring leader board.

Entering play on Saturday, Baldwin sat fifth in goal scoring amongst defensemen with eight on the year. Four of those goals have come since the Christmas break ended.

With four goals and four assists in his past six games, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect has eight goals and 12 assists in 36 games this season.

Notebook: Curling coming

The Saint John Sea Dogs could be facing some scheduling issues in 2027.

It was announced Wednesday that the 2027 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship will be held at TD Station. The event will take place March 27 to April 4, which will be problematic if the Sea Dogs are still in the QMJHL playoffs at that time.

The Sea Dogs have had to juggle some playoff dates in the past due to concerts and some smaller events, but nothing this lengthy. Curling events have impacted other Maritime teams in the past, so we'll have to wait and see what the Sea Dogs plan to do here.

The upcoming regular season games being played at Fredericton's Aitken Centre may be a good test run for the Sea Dogs. The Moncton Wildcats had to play a playoff game in Fredericton a few years ago.

One potential positive for the Sea Dogs: could we see some upgrades to TD Station for this event? Nothing was mentioned in the news release, but fingers crossed.

BACK HOME

The Sea Dogs are back on home ice this weekend.

Saint John hasn't played at TD Station since Nov. 2. On Saturday night they'll host Maddox Dagenais and the Quebec Remparts and on Sunday they'll welcome the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Saturday's game starts at 7 p.m. while Sunday's has a 3 p.m. start. Note that the Saint John Christmas Parade will also be taking place Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs and Remparts haven't faced each other yet this season. Saint John visited Drummondville last Friday where they lost 4-1.

Saint John is coming off a 6-0 win in Victoriaville on Sunday. They own an 8-9-1-0 record.

JOSEPH HYPE

The 2027 NHL Draft hype around Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has really picked up following his impressive performance at the U17 World Challenge.

TSN's Craig Button currently has Joseph going first overall.

“He’s a dominant, skilled player with every attribute you want in a No. 1, elite centre,” said Button. “In every regard, he’s elite. His thinking, skill level, competitiveness and difference making.”

At FloHockey, Chris Peters writes that Joseph is already a name to know for 2027.

"Though Joseph has not outright dominated in the Q at 16 years old yet, his physical profile as well as where his game is trending has made everyone take notice," writes Peters. "Because of his mix of high-end skill and massive frame, Joseph is drawing comparisons to Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who has had a Hall of Fame career.

Joseph should be back in Saint John's lineup this weekend, giving the Sea Dogs a needed offensive spark.

Notebook: Groulx named Dogs captain

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Olivier Groulx has been named captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs, the team announced Thursday.

Veteran forward Jacob Beaulieu along with overagers Angelo Fullerton and Natan Éthier have all been named alternate captains.

“We are delighted to name Olivier, Angelo, Natan and Jacob as our captains for the upcoming season,” Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said in a news release. “Olivier has earned the captaincy because he fully embodies our team’s values of humble, hunger and honour every day.”

Groulx is the 24th captain in franchise history and will play his third season with the Sea Dogs. The 18-year-old wore an 'A' last season.

HALIFAX TO HOST

The QMJHL Entry Draft is coming east.

During the league's season opening press conference on Tuesday, it was confirmed that Halifax will host the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft, which is scheduled for June 5-6.

“The QMJHL is very pleased and excited to hold its 2026 draft presented by Fenplast in the beautiful city of Halifax, a very important market in our league,"said QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini in a statement. "The players, families and teams present at the draft will be able to fully enjoy the beautiful attractions of the city.”

It's the first time the event will be held in Halifax.

Quebec City hosted the draft this past June. Moncton hosted in 2024.

Also, it sounds like the OHL may have an in-person draft in the near future as well.

Notebook: Dwyer sticks with Regiment

Embed from Getty Images

Former Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gordie Dwyer will be moving to Newfoundland with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan organization.

The Newfoundland Regiment officially named Dwyer the club's head coach and general manager on Tuesday. The Dalhousie, NB native has been the head coach and GM of the Titan for the past three seasons following his firing from the Sea Dogs at the end of the 2022 playoffs.

Former Sea Dogs equipment manager Tyler Jay is also moving with the Titan to Newfoundland, as is director of hockey operations and video coach Matthew Smith.

“I’m honoured to lead the Newfoundland Regiment alongside Tyler and Matthew, building on the foundation we established in Bathurst,” said Dwyer in a news release. “The appetite for hockey in Newfoundland is electric. We are committed to building a team that is driven and competes in a way that honours the tremendous history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.”

The Regiment will play their first regular season game on Thursday, Sept. 18, hosting the Moncton Wildcats.

DRAFT SOON

When exactly is this weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft?

The Remparts shared some event details on social media earlier this week. The first-round will begin at 8 p.m. Atlantic on Friday night. The Sea Dogs currently own three picks in the opening round – including the first overall selection.

The remaining 11 rounds will begin on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Atlantic. 

Quebec City's Videotron Centre also hosted the draft back in 2019 when the Sea Dogs selected Joshua Roy with the first overall pick.

Notebook: David Stich retires

Saint John Sea Dogs

A former Saint John Sea Dogs captain has hung up his skates for the last time.

Defenseman David Stich has decided to retire from professional hockey at the age of 36, according to a Czech news report. 

Stich was selected fourth overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2006 CHL Import Draft and spent parts of three seasons with the club. A tough and rugged d-man who recorded over 100 penalty minutes twice in his QMJHL career, Stich captained the Sea Dogs in the second half of the 2008-09 season following the Alex Grant trade.

Stich spent his final season of junior hockey with the Montreal Junior in 2009-10.

Besides a few AHL games, Stich has spent his entire professional career back home in the Czech Republic. This past season saw him appear in 30 regular season games and another 15 playoff contests with HC Tabor in the Czech third division.

The report indicated that Stich hopes to remain in hockey in some capacity.

WOODSTOCK BOUND

The QMJHL website now shows the Saint John's "home" pre-season game on Sept. 5 will be played at Woodstock's AYR Motor Centre.

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to face the Moncton Wildcats in what will be their pre-season finale. It will be Saint John's first exhibition appearance in Woodstock.

The AYR Centre was, of course, home to the Maritime Hockey League's Woodstock Slammers from 2003 to 2018. The Slammers are expected to return this fall, this time as members of the NCDC.

Saint John's five-game pre-season schedule can be viewed here.

US EXPANSION NEARING?

It sounds like the QMJHL's expansion into the United States may become reality sooner rather than later.

Le Journal de Quebec reports that the QMJHL could add two American franchises in time for the 2026-27 season. This would mean we're likely less than a year away from an official announcement. We'll see where this goes.

The league has confirmed that this will be expansion. No current teams will be moving.

The most speculated landing spots continue to be Manchester, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine. Those cities make the most sense given their market size, arenas and location to each other and the Canadian border. The obvious obstacle here is what happens with the ECHL's Maine Mariners, who currently play in Portland.

Oceanic send series to a Game 6

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MONCTON – We have a series.

The Rimouski Oceanic forced a Game 6 in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final with a 3-1 victory over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at Avenir Centre. The Oceanic now trail the Wildcats 3-2 after Moncton won the first three games of the series.

Game 6 will take place Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. Atlantic in Rimouski. If a Game 7 is needed, it would be the next night back in Moncton.

A sold out Avenir Centre was hoping for a party but it was anything but. Moncton never led in this game and simply couldn't get enough going offensively. The Wildcats outshot the Oceanic 34-23 but struggled to generate quality chances or lengthy stretches of offensive zone pressure.

Rimouski was excellent defensively. It seemed like they were always in perfect position to block shots or intercept passes. When goaltender Mathis Langevin allowed a rebound, the Wildcats were never able to grab the puck first.

The Oceanic look like a team that have adjusted their game plan as the series has gone on – and it's given them new life. The Wildcats, on the other hand, need to try something to solve Rimouski's defensive play.

Langevin was named the game's first star with 33 stops. Jacob Mathieu scored a pair of goals for Rimouski while Maël Lavigne added a single.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko had two shots in the win.

Preston Lounsbury scored Moncton's lone goal while Mathis Rousseau made 20 stops in the loss.

The Wildcats have scored just two goals over the past two games.

This was Moncton's first home loss of the post-season, falling to 8-1. They've suffered back-to-back losses in regulation time for the first time all season.

Memorial Cup field is set

WHL

MONCTON – The field is set for the 2025 Memorial Cup.

The Medicine Hat Tigers secured the final spot in the tournament on Friday night, defeating the Spokane Chiefs 6-0 to win the Western Hockey League championship in five games. It's the first WHL title for the Tigers since 2007.

Medicine Hat joins an impressive tournament field featuring the Rimouski Oceanic (host), Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) and London Knights (OHL champion).

The Tigers are headlined by 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Gavin McKenna, who posted 38 points in 16 playoff games. This could be McKenna's final games of junior hockey as it's been speculated that he'll make the jump to the NCAA next season.

Medicine Hat goaltender Harrison Meneghin was named playoff MVP. Meneghin, who lost his father just before the playoffs started, was given this special moment by Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt.

Harrison, you're getting this one too 🧡

Your 2025 Ed Chynoweth Cup champs 🏆@TigersHockey | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/MYGVQXS98q

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 17, 2025

The Memorial Cup begins next Friday with the Tigers taking on the host Oceanic. The next day, the Wildcats face the Knights.