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."

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.

Héroux traded to Foreurs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have traded Nolann Héroux to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

In exchange for the 17-year-old forward, the Sea Dogs receive a first-round pick in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft (Chicoutimi) along with two second-round picks in 2028 (one being Val-d'Or's and the other Drummondville's).

The Sea Dogs confirmed in a news release that Héroux requested a trade.

“Nolann is a good player, and he was looking for a greater opportunity. We wanted to accommodate him in that,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie. “For us, this transaction was about maximizing value for the future. Chicoutimi’s first-round pick in 2027 was a critical asset, and adding two second-round picks gives us significant flexibility moving forward. Turning one player into three high-value assets puts us in a strong position moving forward.”

This is a sizeable return for the Sea Dogs – particularly the first-round pick, which could end up being in the lottery. These picks could certainly be used to make other deals this weekend or in the future.

The Sea Dogs selected Héroux with the 10th overall pick in last year's draft. He appeared in 39 games with Saint John, recording three goals and 10 assists. He also played in all four of the team's playoff games.

Héroux spent most of the first half of the 2025-26 season with under-18 Saint-Eustache Vikings where he recorded 15 goals and 18 assists in 26 games.

Héroux is a speedy forward with skill but the knock on him is his size. He's listed at just 5'8" and 151 lbs on the QMJHL website.

The next trade window is during the first-round of the QMJHL Entry Draft, which begins Friday night at 7:30 p.m. AT.

More moves likely to come

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a big splash during the first trade period of QMJHL Entry Draft week – and there are likely more moves to come.

On Tuesday, the Sea Dogs acquired veteran forward Olivier Lemieux from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Buffalo Sabres goaltending prospect Samuel Meloche from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Those were the first of what could be many significant moves for the Sea Dogs in the coming days.

Mikaël Lalancette reported earlier this week that the Sea Dogs are expected to trade forward Nolann Héroux – who the team selected with the 10th overall pick in last year's draft – to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

La LHJMQ ouvrira une fenêtre de transactions ce mardi.

Xavier Lebel prendra le chemin de Victoriaville, Dominic Pilote ira à Baie-Comeau et Nolann Héroux à Val-d’Or, notamment.

Quelques infos glanées ici et là:https://t.co/A5ZCH03uI5

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) June 2, 2026

Héroux appeared in 26 games with the under-18 Saint-Eustache Vikings in the first half of last season, posting 15 goals and 18 assists. He finished the season with Saint John, recording three goals and 10 assists in 39 games.

A top-10 pick who turned 17 in March, Héroux will likely fetch a big return for Saint John.

Notebook: Murnieks scores with Latvian national team

Ansis Ancovs/Latvian Ice Hockey Federation

It's been an eventful year for Olivers Murnieks at the international level.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward played for Latvia at this year's World Junior Championship and the recent U18 World Championship. Now he's joined the Latvian men's team ahead of the IIHF World Championship – and scored in his debut.

#SJSeaDogs forward Olivers Murnieks made his debut with the Latvian national team today ahead of the #MensWorlds and had a goal in a 3-2 win over Norway!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/emhwY2rwll

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) May 6, 2026

Latvia won the friendly 3-2 in overtime against Norway. 

Latvia's first game of the men's worlds is May 16 against Switzerland. 

Murnieks posted a goal and five assists in seven games at the U18 worlds, a tournament that may have given his NHL Draft stock a boost, writes Daily Faceoff. 

FINAL BEGINS FRIDAY

The Gilles-Courteau Trophy final begins Friday night at Avenir Centre.

The Moncton Wildcats will try to become the first team since the 2011 and 2012 Saint John Sea Dogs to win back-to-back QMJHL championships. It won't be easy though as they'll be facing a Chicoutimi Sagueneens team that finished just one point behind them in the regular season standings.

Wildcats defenseman Max Vilen is the lone former Sea Dog playing in the series. Vilen, who is on Moncton's second defensive pairing, has two goals and six assists in 15 playoff games.

Game 1 is Friday followed by Game 2 on Saturday. The series shifts to Chicoutimi for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. All games will air on TSN.

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.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Val-d'Or 6

Noemie Rondeau/Val-d'Or Foreurs

VAL-D'OR, QC - Philippe Veilleux showed why he's the leading scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Thursday.

Veilleux netted a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Val-d'Or Foreurs to a 6-3 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs at the Agnico Eagle Centre.

The Sea Dogs erased a 2-0 deficit and headed into the third period with a 2-2 tie. But Saint John couldn't hold back one of the league's top offensive teams in the third period as the Foreurs scored four times – including an empty netter – to take it 6-3.

It wasn't a bad road performance by the Sea Dogs but it highlighted once again that they're just not quite there defensively to hang with some of these high powered teams.

Along with Veilleux, Josh Demers scored twice and Maxime Coursol added a single. Emile Beaunoyer made 29 saves in the win.

The Foreurs have now won six straight games.

Everett Baldwin, Dylan Rozzi and Olivers Murnieks scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 34 stops in the loss.

A positive was Saint John's power play. After going 2/2 in Rouyn-Noranda on Wednesday, the Sea Dogs went 3/4 in this game (and allowed a shorthanded goal).

Game Day 41: at Val-d'Or

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

VAL-D'OR, QC - The northern part of this Quebec road trip continues tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After upsetting the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-3 in overtime last night, the Sea Dogs will face another tough test tonight in Val-d'Or. The Foreurs are have won five straight and are one of the league's top offensive teams.

Game time tonight is 8 p.m. Atlantic.

Last night's win improved the Sea Dogs to 8-7-3-0 on the road this season. Half of their wins have come away from TD Station.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 16-20-4-0 for 36 points (ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Foreurs are 18-16-2-3 for 41 points (fifth Western/12th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Rouyn-Noranda last night. Olivers Murnieks netted a pair of goals while Olivier Groulx and Zachary Morin added singles. Arseni Radkov made 28 saves in the win. The Foreurs are coming off a 6-1 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday. Maxime Coursol scored twice for Val-d'Or while singles came from Philippe Veilleux, Benjamin Olivier, Jeremy Leroux and Etienne Maheu. Vincent Moreau made 26 saves in the win.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-3

FINAL: Val-d'Or 7, Saint John 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs let a strong start go to waste in a 7-3 loss to the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Saturday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs led 2-0 just 6:55 into the game but let that lead – and a 3-2 advantage – slip away. The Foreurs, who upset the Charlottetown Islanders in a shootout the night prior, netted five unanswered goals in the victory.

Maxim Coursol had a hat trick; Samuel Fiala scored twice; and Val-d'Or singles came from from Mavrik Duhaime and Philippe Veilleux. Vincent Moreau allowed three goals on 23 shots in the win while Emile Beaunoyer stopped all 11 shots he faced.

Saint John had goals from Dylan Rozzi, Olivier Groulx and Angelo Fullerton. All of those goals came in the first period.

The Sea Dogs struggled defensively in this game, even allowing a shorthanded goal. Justin Robinson was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 10 shots. Rafaël Courchesne allowed three goals on 16 shots in relief.

This was Saint John's only game of the weekend and they hadn't played since Monday. The Foreurs, meanwhile, were playing their third game in four days on the road. This was certainly one of the Sea Dogs' poorest performances of the season, who fall to 5-4-1-0.

Game Day 10: vs Foreurs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It's a light week for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After playing three games in four days over the holiday weekend, the Sea Dogs have had a few days to prepare for this week's lone matchup: a 7 p.m. home contest against the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

The Foreurs will be making their lone Saint John visit of the season tonight, wrapping up a three-game Maritime road trip. Val-d'Or fell 7-2 in Moncton on Wednesday night but rebounded with a 5-4 shootout win in Charlottetown last night.

The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, are coming off a solid home win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Saint John is now 3-2-0-0 on home ice this season – and tonight's contest will be their final game at TD Station until Nov. 2.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 5-3-1-0 for 11 points (fifth Eastern/ninth QMJHL) while the Foreurs are 3-5-1-1 for eight points (eighth Western/16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-1 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Monday at TD Station. William Yared, Dylan Rozzi and Matthew Krayer all scored for Saint John. Justin Robinson made 36 saves in the win. The Foreurs are coming off a 5-4 shootout win in Charlottetown last night. Maxime Coursol, Mathias Bourque, Hemrick Carbonneau and Benjamin Olivier all scored in regulation time for the Foreurs. Emile Beaunoyer made 18 stops in the win.

Titan play final game; Eagles defeat Drakkar in 5th OT

TULSA, OK - Greetings from Oklahoma, where the Tulsa Oilers picked up a key 3-1 win over the Wichita Thunder in ECHL action on Friday night.

Anyways, here's what went down on an eventful night in the QMJHL playoffs.

• Quispamsis native Angelo Fullerton scored at 1:42 of the fifth overtime period as the Cape Breton Eagles defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-2 in the second longest game in QMJHL history. It was a wild, wild night with two Drakkar goals and an Eagles goal both being overturned in extra time. Cape Breton goaltender Jakub Milota made 84 saves in the victory. The series now shifts back to Baie-Comeau with the Drakkar leading 3-2.
• The Halifax Mooseheads did it again. Jacob Steinman made 29 saves in a 4-2 Halifax victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Moose now lead the series 3-2 as it shifts back to Drummondville for the final two games – if both games are needed. Halifax won both of the first two games at Marcel Dionne Centre.
• The Acadie-Bathurst Titan are no more. The Titan allowed four goals in the first period in a 5-1 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at the KC Irving Regional Centre. The Sags take the series 4-1 and advance to the second round. This was the final QMJHL game to be played in Bathurst with the Titan moving to St. John's this summer.

  Alexandre Lallier has been credited with the final goal in @ABTitan history 😢 pic.twitter.com/v0Mqa0eSci

  — QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 5, 2025

• The Sherbrooke Phoenix secured a spot in the second round with a 2-1 overtime win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, winning the series 4-1. Hugo Primeau scored the winner at 6:42 of the extra frame. 
• The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have advanced to the second round following an 8-4 win over the Gatineau Olympiques, winning the series 4-1.
• The Shawinigan Cataractes also secured a spot in the second round thanks to a 5-2 victory over the Val-d'Or Foreurs, winning the series in five games. Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart scored and added an assist in the loss, his final game of junior hockey. Vince Elie had an assist for Shawinigan. 

Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke, Rouyn-Noranda and Shawinigan join the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic as teams who have secured second round spots.

Mooseheads stun Voltigeurs again

Embed from Getty Images

The Halifax Mooseheads have done it again.

After pulling off a 3-2 upset win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Game 1 on Friday, Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil scored the overtime winner to give Halifax another 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead on Saturday at the Marcel Dionne Centre.

Soak it in Moose Country. OT winner Liam Kilfoil. #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/Qb5vzXadKF

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) March 30, 2025

The series now shifts to Halifax for the next three games – if that Game 5 is even needed.

Drummondville had the third best record during the QMJHL's regular season while Halifax finished 16th. The start of this series has been nothing short of stunning.

Halifax took a 2-1 lead on a Braeden MacPhee goal just 54 seconds into the third period and carried that into the final minute. With the goaltender pulled, Saint John native Sam Oliver – the QMJHL's leading goal scorer in the regular season – beat Jacob Steinman upstairs to tie it at 2-2. But that goal underwent a long review before eventually being overturned for goaltender interference.

Then, with 38 seconds remaining, Oliver scored again – this time on a legal play – to send things into overtime.

Kilfoil's winner came at 16:40 of overtime on a power play. Simon-Pier Brunet was called for delay of game at 15:22.

Steinman was named the game's first star with 45 saves. Louis-Felix Charrois – who got the start with Riley Mercer injured in Game 1 – made 24 saves in the loss.

Game 3 is Tuesday night at Scotiabank Centre.

Wildcats survive wild Friday night in QMJHL

Embed from Getty Images

The Moncton Wildcats survived a scare on Friday night.

The CHL's No. 1 ranked team needed overtime to defeat the Quebec Remparts in Game 1 of their first round playoff series. Julius Sumpf netted the winner just 1:38 into the extra frame.

Julius Sumpf scores the Game 1 OT winner for the @monctonwildcats! 😤 #QPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/e0gQ09lzs1

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) March 29, 2025

Moncton led 2-1 heading into the third where Quebec scored twice in less than two minutes halfway through the frame to take a 3-2 lead. Gabe Smith tied it back up at 16:10 to send the game into overtime.

Shots were 43-25 in favour of Moncton. The Wildcats went with the experienced Mathis Rousseau in net even after riding Rudy Guimond much of the last couple months.

The series is a major mismatch on paper. Moncton finished with 55 more points than rebuilding Quebec.

The Wildcats have now won 16 straight games. Game 2 is Saturday night in Moncton.

Notebook: Difficult January ends

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs are likely quite happy to see January come to an end.

It was a rough start to 2025 for the Sea Dogs, posting a 3-9-0-0 record during the month. Two of their three wins came in overtime while their one regulation win – a 4-1 win in Halifax on Jan. 26 – was the team's first victory that didn't come in overtime or shootout since Dec. 4.

The recent struggles have slid the Sea Dogs down the standings. They now sit last in the QMJHL's Eastern Conference and 16th overall in the league. Saint John has, however, played one less game than the Halifax Mooseheads, who are just one point up on the Sea Dogs.

The top 16 teams in the QMJHL make the playoffs. The Sea Dogs are still in decent position, sitting five points ahead of the 17th-place Gatineau Olympiques and 10 points ahead of the last-place Victoriaville Tigres.

If the playoffs started today, the Sea Dogs would cross over to the Western Conference and face the Drummondville Voltigeurs for a second straight season.

BACK HOME

After four straight games on the road, the Sea Dogs will play their next five games on home ice.

The Sea Dogs host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Wednesday at TD Station, exactly one week after the two met in the Montreal suburbs. The Armada won that game 4-3.

Saint John will have their hands full on Friday night when they host Gardiner MacDougall and the first-place Moncton Wildcats. Then on Saturday, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar make their lone visit of the season to Saint John.

The Sea Dogs also play at home on Saturday, Feb. 15, hosting the Shawinigan Cataractes in a 3 p.m. contest. They will close out this stretch of home games on Monday, Feb. 17, taking on Cape Breton Eagles in a Family Day matinee.

Saint John is 11-12-0-0 at home this season. It's hard to believe, but the Sea Dogs will have just four home games remaining after that Feb. 17 contest.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Val-d'Or 7

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

VAL-D'OR, QC - It was a rough ending to a rough road trip for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart recorded two goals and two assists to lead the Val-d'Or Foreurs to a 7-2 win over the Sea Dogs on Saturday at Centre Agnico Eagle.

The Sea Dogs dropped all three games on this tough Quebec road trip, also losing 4-3 in Blainville-Boisbriand on Wednesday and 6-1 in Rouyn-Noranda on Friday.

Saint John was never really in this one, trailing 3-0 after the first period and 5-1 after two. One of Saint John's goals came late in the second period and the other in the third when the game was already well out of reach.

Along with a pair of goals from Reinhart, Philippe Veilleux also scored twice while Raphael Laviolette, Nathan Brison and Donovan Arsenault added singles. Cedric Masse made 20 saves in the victory.

Reid Calder and William Yared had Saint John goals. Justin Robinson allowed five goals on 22 shots through 40 minutes. Eric Young, in his first QMJHL appearance, allowed two goals on 19 shots in the third.

Game Day 47: at Val-d'Or

VAL-D'OR, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs play the final game of this three-game Quebec road trip today.

After a 4-3 loss in Blainville-Boisbriand on Wednesday and a 6-1 loss in Rouyn-Noranda last night, the Sea Dogs will be looking to head home with at least a win when they visit the Val-d'Or Foreurs this evening. Game time is 5 p.m. Atlantic.

On paper, this should be the easiest game of this road trip for Saint John. The Foreurs sit just three points ahead of the Sea Dogs in the standings. But Saint John will no doubt be dealing with some fatigue, playing their third game in four days and second in less than 24 hours.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 19-27-0-0 for 38 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Foreurs are 18-22-4-1 for 41 points (third West/sixth Western/13th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-1 loss in Rouyn-Noranda last night. Dylan Rozzi scored Saint John's lone goal. Justin Robinson made 46 saves in the loss. The Foreurs are coming off a wild 10-6 win over the Charlottetown Islanders last night at home. Philippe Veilleux had four goals; Nathan Brisson scored three; and singles came from Samuel Fiala, Jeremy Leroux and Noah Reinhart. Emile Beaunoyer made 24 saves in the win.

Game Day 46: at Rouyn-Noranda

ROUYN-NORANDA, QC - The road trip continues tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After a tough 4-3 loss in Boisbriand on Wednesday, the Sea Dogs have travelled northwest to face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies tonight. Game time is 8 p.m. Atlantic.

The Sea Dogs led 3-2 after two against the Armada but allowed two goals in the third period in the loss. The Huskies, meanwhile, got roughed up on home ice last night by the hot Charlottetown Islanders, falling 6-3.

The Huskies sit second in the QMJHL's Western Conference and sixth overall in the QMJHL. This will be another tough challenge – especially on the backend – for Saint John.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 19-26-0-0 for 38 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Huskies are 24-12-3-5 for 56 points (first West/second Western/sixth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 loss in Blainville-Boisbriand on Wednesday. Nicolas Bilodeau, Olivier Groulx and William Yared all scored. Justin Robinson made 39 saves in the loss. The Huskies are coming off 6-3 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders last night. Thomas Verdon, Ty Higgins and Samuel Rousseau all scored for the Huskies. Zach Pelletier made 21 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Trade period nearing

Eriks Mateiko/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's that time of year.

The QMJHL's holiday trading period begins on Monday and stretches until Jan. 6, the day after the gold medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Many are wondering, so here we go: the next trading period in the #QMJHL runs from Monday, December 16 to Monday, January 6, at noon.

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) December 9, 2024

It's an intriguing year for a few reasons. The Memorial Cup is being hosted within the league which always adds some drama (and some higher prices). Then you have the new NCAA rules which creates some roster possibilities and question marks across the league. Lastly, there simply aren't a lot of star players on rebuilding teams that are obvious trade candidates, so that adds some mystery to the intrigue.

FACTS AND STATS

A few random stats as the first half of the QMJHL season comes to a close this weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

• The Sea Dogs find themselves two games below .500 after back-to-back losses. They've lost three straight games on two separate occasions this season.
• Saint John is 8-7-0-0 at TD Station but have been outscored 44-39.
• Saint John and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are the only teams that haven't lost in extra time.
• The Sea Dogs are tied for the fewest games in which they've scored first in with 11. They're 8-3-0-0 in those games.
• Saint John has allowed just one shorthanded goal this season.
• Saint John has struggled in third periods of late. They've been outscored 34-30 in third periods. 

MURPHY SIGNS

19-year-old forward Patrick Murphy, a first-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2022 QMJHL American Draft, officially signed with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens last Thursday.

Murphy had been playing in the BCHL where he posted eight goals and eight assists in 21 games with the Cranbrook Bucks this season.

Murphy made his QMJHL debut over the weekend but was held pointless in both games he appeared in.

Notebook: Crickard takes silver at U17

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard is back with the team after helping Team Canada Red win silver at the U17 World Challenge in Sarnia.

Canada Red won both of their preliminary round games and earned a bye to the semifinals where they defeated the United States 7-3. In the gold medal game, Red fell 3-1 to Team Canada White.

Along with Crickard, Red's roster included Sea Dogs draft pick Cameron Chartrand, who posted two assists in four games. The 16-year-old defenseman is committed to Boston College, but the recent NCAA rule change has certainly increased hope that he may report to Saint John. Chartrand is currently playing US prep school hockey with the Bishop Kearney Selects.

Eastern Canadian players stat lines at the U17 World Hockey Challenge:

Tynan Lawrence 5GP- 3G 3A
Chad Lygitsakos 4GP- 3G
Cameron Chartrand 4GP- 2A
Benjamin Cossette-Ayotte 5GP- 2A
Maddox Dagenais 4GP- 1A
Romain L’Italien 5GP-
Jayden Plouffe 5GP-

— Austin Robson (@ARobScouting) November 10, 2024

HENRY SIGNS
Sea Dogs draft pick Joshua Henry has committed to Lindenwood University for the 2027-28 season.

Lindenwood is one of the lesser known NCAA Division I schools, playing as an independent in the St. Louis suburbs. 

It's not often a player from the Maritime Hockey League commits to a Division I program. He has three assists in 12 games with the Fredericton Red Wings this season.

Henry, a 16-year-old defenseman, was a sixth-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. He played at Rothesay Netherwood last year.

DRAPEAU TO BCHL

While more and more players are departing the BCHL for the CHL, former Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Drapeau is heading the other way.

The defenseman – who will turn 20 on Dec. 28 – has signed with the West Kelowna Warriors after appearing in 11 games with the Val-d'Or Foreurs this year.

"Nathan brings experience and poise to our back end," said Warriors head coach and general manager Simon Ferguson in a news release. "He’s a Memorial Cup champion who can quarterback our power play and play in all situations. He’s a highly-coveted player and we expect him to play a big role for us.”

Drapeau spent two seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the club win the Memorial Cup in 2022.

He has spent the past two seasons in Val-d'Or. He did not play when the Foreurs visited Saint John a couple weeks ago.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Val-d'Or 3, Saint John 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It wasn't easy, but the Saint John Sea Dogs came away with a 4-3 overtime win over the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Sunday at TD Station.

Eriks Mateiko scored the overtime winner after the Sea Dogs tied the game late in the third period. Saint John led 2-0 in the second only to have the Foreurs storm back, taking a 3-2 lead into the third.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins for Saint John, especially against a Val-d'Or team that was playing its third game in three nights. Saint John simply didn't look their best for most of this game. It's been a bit of an odd stretch for the Sea Dogs with the team's last three victories all coming in overtime.

Mateiko scored twice for Saint John while Ben Cross and Nicolas Bilodeau added singles. Justin Robinson made 21 saves in the win.

Noah Reinhart, Samuel Fiala and Philippe Veilleux scored for Val-d'Or. Cedric Masse made 38 saves in the loss.

After a scoreless first period, Saint John opened things up at 6:59 of the second when Cross, from behind the goal line, banked a shot off Masse's pad and in. Then at 8:20, Mateiko was at the top of the crease and slid home his eighth of the season to make it 2-0.

The goals kept coming when Reinhart scored against his old club to make it a one-goal game at 9:57. Then at 14:28, Fiala converted to make it 2-2.

The Foreurs took their first lead of the game when a Veilleux wrist shot from the circle beat Robinson blocker side, making it 3-2.

The Sea Dogs had their chances in the first half of the third, hitting a couple posts. Finally, at 14:47, Bilodeau redirected an Olivier Duhamel point shot past Masse to make it a 3-3 game.

Val-d'Or went to a power play late in the third but couldn't score. Saint John had a couple chances late, including a Zachary Morin breakaway that was denied. 

It was a back-and-forth session of overtime. At 4:04, and after the Sea Dogs circled the puck around for a bit, Mateiko ripped a wrist shot past Masse and just inside the post to give Saint John the win.