Canada falls 2-1 in OT to Finland

Team Canada fell 2-1 in overtime to Finland on Wednesday in the first game of USA Hockey’s annual world junior summer tournament in Plymouth, Michigan.

Travis Konecny had Canada’s only goal, which came in the first period. Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Thomas Chabot hit the post late in the third period.

Thomas Chabot hits the post during the powerplay. pic.twitter.com/07f33Yi1Ia

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) August 3, 2016

Chabot was paired with Noah Juulsen again. The two were paired together on Monday evening during Team Canada’s Red-White game in Toronto.

Sea Dogs forward Mathieu Joseph was also in Canada’s lineup on Wednesday, starting the game on a line with Anthony Beauvillier and Michael McLeod.

Canada’s world junior hopefuls take on Sweden on Friday afternoon. They then play the United States on Saturday.

At the Red-White game held on Monday, Joseph had two goals (one being an empty netter) while Chabot added an empty netter.

In related news, The Bloggers’ Tribune broke down Canada’s goaltenders and defensemen taking part in the evaluation camp. They also broke down the forwards.

Meanwhile, Chabot told TSN that he’d like to start the season with the Ottawa Senators, obviously.

Shane Bowers speaks

Shane Bowers hasn’t said a whole lot since being drafted by Saint John earlier this summer.

But that certainly changed on Tuesday. The Chronicle Herald spoke to Bowers, who talked quite openly about his plans for the future.

Here’s a piece of what Bowers said:

"Yeah, for sure, the plan is still to head back to Waterloo for next season,” Bowers said this week. “I’m definitely exploring the college route, but that being said, whatever happens after next season with the (NHL) draft or whatever, who knows what could happen. I could easily end up back in major junior, but for now, I’m playing for Waterloo and (staying eligible for) the college route.”

The full story can be read on the Chronicle Herald website.

As many have speculated, it appears as though Bowers is set to play in Waterloo this season – but after that is where things get interesting. Especially if the Halifax native is taken high in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Sea Dogs could be a more appropriate development spot.

Bowers and Sea Dogs forward Joe Veleno were both named to Team Canada’s Ivan Hlinka roster on Tuesday. The two were roommates at Hockey Canada’s development camp in Calgary this past week.

Photo: USHL

Veleno, Bowers named to Ivan Hlinka team

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Joe Veleno has been named to Canada’s Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup roster.

Veleno has been attending the 44-player development camp in Calgary over the past week. The last of three intasquad games was held on Tuesday where Veleno recorded a goal and two assists.

Veleno is one of just three players named to the team who aren’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2018. The others are defenseman Evan Bouchard of the London Knights and forward Ryan McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads. 

The 16-year-old is the only 2000-born player on the team.

The exceptional Veleno had 13 goals and 30 assists in 62 games with Saint John last season. He added another six goals and one assist in 17 playoff matches.

Also named to the team was Sea Dogs prospect Shane Bowers. A top prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft, Bowers has committed to staying in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks for this season.

#2017NHLDraft prospect Shane Bowers confirms he is returning to @BlckHawksHockey for 2016/17 season. #SeaDogs #USHL

— John Moore (@rinkrant) July 26, 2016

According to the Hockey Canada website, “Canada will play in Group B with Russia, Slovakia, and Sweden; Group A consists of the Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland, and the United States. Canada will face the Czech Republic in a pre-tournament game on Aug. 6, and officially opens the tournament Aug. 8 against Slovakia. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals on Friday, Aug. 12, with the gold-medal game scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13.”

Sea Dogs at Team Canada camps this week

TORONTO – Mathieu Joseph and Thomas Chabot are taking part in Team Canada’s world junior development camp this week.

The camp, which started on Sunday, features a Red-White game on Monday evening. Chabot and Joseph were on the ice Monday morning with Team White at the Toronto Marlies’ practice rink.

The team will travel to Plymouth, Michigan later this week to take part in Team USA’s annual summer tournament. Finland and Sweden will also be taking part.

Canada will face Finland on Wednesday, Sweden on Friday and the US on Saturday. All games will be shown on TSN.

Meanwhile, in Calgary, Sea Dogs forward Joe Veleno and prospect Shane Bowers are participating in Canada’s under-18 camp. Olivier Mathieu, Saint John’s first-round pick in this summer’s QMJHL Entry Draft, is taking part in the under-17 camp.

Passingham, Sauve earn tryout contracts

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More former Sea Dogs are on the move.

Ex-Dogs goaltender Troy Passingham has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Peoria Riverman of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Passingham played in two games with Saint John during the 2007-08 season, posting a 3.02 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He eventually moved on to the OHL where he spent time with the Windsor Spitfires and Sarnia Sting.

The “Monster from Mississauga” has spent the past five seasons with the Ryerson University Rams, posting some of the best numbers in school history. In 2015-16, the 25-year-old had a 2.47 GAA and .933 SV%.

In other alumni news, former Sea Dogs defenseman Yann Sauve has been signed to a tryout contract by Medvescak Zagrebof the KHL.

“We welcome Yann who’s also looking to come in and make a good impression that he can be a solid depth defenseman,” said Medvescak's Sports Director, Aaron Fox, in a news release. “He is a big strong skating two-way D whose game should translate to Europe.”

Medvescak is coached by former Charlottetown Islanders head coach Gordie Dwyer.

Sauve has been struggling to find a home, spending time with eight different minor league clubs over the past three seasons. He spent most of the 2015-16 campaign with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs where he posted two goals and 22 assists in 52 games.

The 26-year-old was a second-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008 NHL Draft. He appeared in eight career NHL contests.

Sauve played in 251 games with Saint John over four seasons, registering 20 goals and 82 assists. He added six goals and 14 assists in 39 playoff games.

Sea Dogs prospects named to Futures List

Three Sea Dogs prospects made NHL Central Scouting’s 2016-17 “Futures List.”

Prospects Shane Bowers, Marc McLaughlin and Ben Mirageas all made the list, which features players available for the 2017 NHL Draft.

Bowers is the most notable of the three. The 16-year-old Halifax native registered 15 goals and 18 assists in 56 games with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks last season. The centre was drafted by the Sea Dogs in the second round of this year’s QMJHL Entry Draft but is, at the moment, still committed to returning to Waterloo.

Future Considerations lists Bowers as the 27^th best player available for the 2017 NHL Draft.

McLaughlin was drafted by Saint John in the 2015 draft. The 16-year-old forward had 24 goals and 19 assists in 33 games with Cushing Academy last year. The Massachusetts native is committed to St. Lawrence University for the 2018-19 season.

Mirageas was also picked by the Sea Dogs in the 2015 draft. The 17-year-old defenseman recorded six goals and 16 assists with Avon Old Farms last season. The Massachusetts native is committed to Providence College for 2018-19.

Charlottetown's Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the brother of Sea Dogs forward Mathieu Joseph, also made the list.

Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings is projected to go first overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.