Cournoyer signs in BCHL as Saint John's overage situation gets interesting

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Alexis Cournoyer is heading west.

The BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings announced Monday the signing of the Saint John Sea Dogs forward. Cournoyer will be an overager with the Spruce Kings.

“We expect Alexis to fill some of the void left behind from our graduating players, especially at the centre position,” said Prince George head coach Alex Evin in a press release. “We were impressed with his personality and character and his desire to win. Alexis will be a great fit within our organization both on and off the ice.”

Cournoyer is coming off a strong season with the Sea Dogs where he recorded 13 goals and 28 points in 67 games — his first full year in the QMJHL. He spent the 2021-22 season with the Maritime Hockey League's Grand Falls Rapids.

It's not uncommon to see overage players from the QMJHL head to the BCHL — but it's a bit more noteworthy this year given some of the new restrictions on BCHL players following the league's decision to leave Hockey Canada.

The departure of Cournoyer would seem to make Saint John's overage situation a bit less complicated — but that doesn't appear to be the case. Kevin Barrett of Postmedia (paywall) reports that the team has let go 20-year-old goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov and added overage forwards Alexis Brisson and Mathis Cloutier.

The overage situation with @SJSeaDogs takes an interesting turn on the eve of the August trading period. @QMJHL https://t.co/OdVcVugKux

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) July 31, 2023

Brisson posted 11 goals and 22 assists in 51 games with a bad Blainville-Boisbriand Armada team last year while Cloutier had 11 goals and 21 assists in 56 games split between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Val-d'Or Foreurs.

More former Sea Dogs on the move (and staying put)

Huntsville Havoc

We're in the thick of the off-season but there's been plenty of activity recently involving former Saint John Sea Dogs. Here's a quick rundown.

• Forward Samuel Dove-McFalls has signed with Lausitzer Füchse of Germany's tier-two league for the 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old spent last season in the AHL and ECHL. Dove-McFalls played with an under-16 team in Berlin back in 2011-12.
• Forward Cole Reginato is returning to the Southern Professional Hockey League's Huntsville Havoc. The 25-year-old has spent the past three seasons in Huntsville, posting a total of 189 penalty minutes in 58 games. "We are thrilled to have Reggie back for another season," said Havoc head coach Stuart Stefan in a news release. "The energy and physicality he brings make him a key player for us. We look forward to his continued growth and impact on the ice.” 
• Defenseman Zach Welsh, who played in eight games with Saint John last season, had his Maritime Hockey League rights traded from the West Kent Steamers to the Truro Bearcats. Welsh played in 44 games with Truro in 2019-20.
• Forward Nicolas Guay is returning for a second season with the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions. The 24-year-old appeared in all 72 games with the Lions last season, his first full year as a pro.
• Forward Ostap Safin has reportedly renounced his Czech citizenship and applied for a Russian passport to make it easier for him to find a roster spot in the KHL, where he's joining Lada Togliatti. The 24-year-old spent last season in the Czech league after playing three years of pro hockey in North America.
• Forward Jacob Chantler has signed with the Alvinston Killer Bees of the Western Ontario Super Hockey League. The league aims to "capitalize on an 'under serviced' market for players graduating the junior ranks," according to The Beacon Herald. The 20-year-old spent last season with the GOJHL's St. Mary's Lincolns.
• Back in April, forward Julien Tessier signed with French club Amiens. Tessier spent the past four seasons with UQTR, helping the Patriotes win the University Cup in 2022.
• Troy Dumville, a former assistant general manager of the Sea Dogs, resigned as president of the Maritime Hockey League last week. Dumville has accepted a full-time scouting position with the Winnipeg Jets.

Midgley back in QMJHL with Mooseheads

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Jim Midgley is back in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Midgley was named the new head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads on Monday, replacing Sylvain Favreau who resigned a few weeks ago.

This is Midgley's second stint with the Mooseheads. He was an assistant with the club from 2011 to 2017 and was head coach during the 2017-18 campaign. Despite posting a 43-18-6-1 regular season record in 2017-18 and a trip to the second round of the playoffs, Midgley was let go by the Moose soon after their season ended.

Midgley inherits a Mooseheads team that reached the QMJHL final last season and will be one of the favourites to lift the Gilles Courteau Trophy next May. Midgley was in attendance for some of Halifax's playoff games.

“After speaking with Sam and Peter (Simon) and Cam (Russell), it was obvious that our visions for the future of this organization are aligned which was important to me," Midgley said in a press release. "I’m excited to return to the place where I spent seven great seasons and I have been keeping close tabs on the team since I left. Nova Scotia is home for my wife and I, and we are extremely happy with this opportunity."

Midgley was an assistant coach under Jacques Beaulieu in Saint John during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. He was then the director of hockey operations at Rothesay Netherwood for two years before joining the Mooseheads.

His other Saint John connection is his most recent work as an assistant coach with Gerard Gallant's New York Rangers.

All 18 QMJHL clubs now have head coaches in place after an extremely busy off-season. Less than a month ago, eight clubs were without head coaches.

The Cape Breton Eagles, meanwhile, have named former Sea Dogs goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon the team's new goaltender and video coach. The 26-year-old played in three games with Saint John during the 2014-15 season.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Eagles organization and join the community of Sydney,” said Mann-Dixon in a news release. “It’s a surreal experience coming back to coach in the league after playing for four years. I am grateful for the opportunity and very thankful to have someone around with as much experience as Scott (Gouthro, the team's goaltender advisor).”

Kilfoil to join Mooseheads; Pekarcik added to USHL roster

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It's been an eventful few days for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

On Thursday, the Halifax Mooseheads announced that Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil has committed to the club for the 2023-24 season. In March, Kilfoil signed a tender agreement with Dubuque to play with the United States Hockey League club this coming season.

“We are extremely thrilled to be able to make this announcement today,” Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell said in a news release Thursday.

“He has incredible talent and would have gone much higher in the draft, so we are lucky to land a player of his caliber. He will immediately step in and become a key member of our team this season and beyond. We can’t wait to see him on the ice with our players at training camp next month.”

The 16-year-old played in 25 games with both the Buffalo Regals under-16 squad and Salisbury prep school. Kilfoil spent the 2021-22 season at Mount St. Charles where he was roommates with Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge. Halifax notably traded up to select Kilfoil in the second round after Saint John chose Beveridge.

The Kilfoil news is a big get for the QMJHL but a big loss for Dubuque — which the Fighting Saints made up for on Monday. The USHL club announced that Slovakian forward Juraj Pekarcik has been added to the team's active roster just a couple weeks after being selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

🚨 ROSTER NEWS | The Fighting Saints have added forward Juraj Pekarcik to the active roster. #HalosHigh

Pekarcik on being a Fighting Saint 🗣 "I'm very excited to be part of the Dubuque team and I'm very excited to be there. I think it's the best choice for my development." pic.twitter.com/kaICuZbtUn

— Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) July 17, 2023

"I'm very excited to be part of the Dubuque team and I'm very excited to be there," Pekarcik said in a tweet posted by the Fighting Saints. "I think it's the best choice for my development."

Pekarcik spent last season in Slovakia and was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in this year's NHL Draft. The 17-year-old likely would have been an impactful player immediately for the rebuilding Titan.

These moves are nothing new as the recruiting war continues to heat up between the CHL and the USHL. Players who opt to play in the USHL maintain their NCAA eligibility.

Former Sea Dogs on the move

Dawson Stairs is heading to Dalhousie University.

It was announced Thursday that the former Saint John Sea Dogs forward has committed to the Dalhousie Tigers of Atlantic University Sport for the 2023-24 season. He'll study commerce while playing for the men's hockey team.

“I am very excited to join the Tigers,” said Stairs in a news release. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about both the school and the hockey program from current and former players. The coaches and players were very supportive during the recruiting process, which I value. From there, I knew Dalhousie was the school I wanted to attend and continue my hockey career. I am excited to put on the black and gold and play in front of the Dalhousie fans.”

Stairs was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft and played parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs. He also played with the Cape Breton Eagles and Charlottetown Islanders during his QMJHL career, which saw him record 106 points in 176 games.

The Fredericton native spent his overage season in the Maritime Hockey League with the Campbellton Tigers.

The Tigers have struggled to be competitive over the past decade in the heavyweight AUS but seem to be doing a better job at recruiting in recent years. Former Sea Dogs forward Matt Green led the Tigers in scoring last season.

Dalhousie begins the regular season on Oct. 6 at Saint Mary's.

A few other Sea Dogs alumni news items...

• Players who received qualifying offers from ECHL clubs: Oliver Cooper (Fort Wayne), Nicolas Guay (Trois-Rivieres), Cedric Pare (Wheeling) and Kelly Bent (Wichita). 
• Goaltender Callum Booth is heading overseas, signing with the Cardiff Devils of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. Booth played in the AHL, ECHL and the German DEL last season. A Carolina Hurricanes draft pick in 2015, Booth helped the Sea Dogs win the President Cup in 2017.
• After spending last season with SC Bern, forward Chris DiDomenico has signed a two-year-deal with HC Fribourg-Gottéron. DiDomenico spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with Fribourg-Gottéron. This will be the sixth straight season that the 34-year-old has played in Switzerland's National League.
• Goaltender Noah Patenaude is also heading to the National League, signing a two-year deal with HC Ajoie. Patenaude, a dual Canadian and Swiss citizen, played in 14 games with the HCB Ticino Rockets last season, who are part of the the tier-two Swiss League.

Beveridge officially commits to Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have locked in American forward Egan Beveridge.

Beveridge, Saint John's top pick in this June's QMJHL Entry Draft, has officially committed to joining the team for the 2023-24 season, the Sea Dogs announced Wednesday.

“We’re thrilled to announce that Egan and the Beveridge family have officially committed to join the Sea Dogs organization,” said Sea Dogs general manager Anthony Stella in a news release. “To add a player of Egan’s caliber to our team is a major step towards the continued success of this franchise.”

A New Hampshire native, Beveridge recorded 16 points in 10 regular season games and 10 points in five playoff games with the Chicago Mission last season. He played at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island the year before.

The 16-year-old is currently taking part in USA Hockey’s BioSteel Boys 16 Player Development Camp where he's regularly been playing top line minutes.

“When a player like Egan who has many options chooses our program to develop as a player, student and person we take great pride and responsibility in that," added Stella in the release. "Today is a great day for this team and we will work hard to continue with this momentum."

This news doesn't come as a surprise but certainly reduces the chances of a last minute change of plans. Beveridge attended the draft in Sherbrooke and took part in the team's development camp in Quispamsis.

While on the small side (he's listed at 5'8" and 168 lbs), he showed off quickness and skill at the team's development camp. This drafting and signing could prove to be a significant part of Saint John's rebuild.