Dogs open season ranked 7th in CHL Top 10

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The hype surrounding the 2026-27 Saint John Sea Dogs continues to grow.

In the pre-season edition of the CHL Top-10 rankings – released on Wednesday – the Sea Dogs were ranked seventh. Only two other QMJHL teams cracked the rankings and both play in the Eastern Conference: the Cape Breton Eagles at No. 2 and the Quebec Remparts at No. 8.

The Memorial Cup host Guelph Storm were ranked first.

This is the first time the Sea Dogs have appeared in the CHL Top-10 rankings since the final weeks of 2021-22 regular season.

Here's what the CHL website said about the Sea Dogs:

Saint John’s playoff-series drought dates back to its 2017 QMJHL championship run, though the club captured the Memorial Cup as host in 2022. With an experienced core and a busy offseason, the Sea Dogs appear poised not only to end that drought, but to challenge for their first QMJHL title in a decade. Top 2027 NHL Draft prospect Alexis Joseph (24G-36A in 54 GP) leads an attack reinforced by former U.S. National Team Development Program forward Jamie Glance and CHL Import Draft picks Matyas Cancik and Oliver Ozogany. The club’s top-three scorers from last season—Joseph, Alexander Donovan (25G-28A in 63 GP) and Olivier Groulx (20G-46A in 64 GP)—all return, while former eighth-overall QMJHL pick Dylan Rozzi (20G-25A in 64 GP) is another breakout candidate. The Sea Dogs rebuilt their defense by adding former fourth-overall pick Thomas Charbonneau (2G-9A in 48 GP), Brandon Delarosbil (8G-14A in 60 GP) and veteran Julien Lanthier (3G-12A in 43 GP) to a group led by Olivier Duhamel (5G-21A in 58 GP). Buffalo Sabres fourth-rounder Samuel Meloche gives that revamped blue line an established goaltender behind it.

The Sea Dogs open the QMJHL regular season on Friday against the Newfoundland Regiment at the Mary Brown's Centre.

Saint John won't have to wait long to face another one of the CHL's most hyped teams. The Dogs will host the Eagles on Sept. 26 and visit Sydney on Oct. 2. The two will meet eight times in the regular season but only twice after the holiday trade deadline.

The Sea Dogs will face the Remparts Nov. 12 at TD Station and March 12 in Quebec City.

Opening night roster unveiled

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs unveiled their opening night roster on Wednesday.

The Sea Dogs will start the 2026-27 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season with a roster of 24 players: two goaltenders, nine defensemen and 13 forwards.

The final roster comes with no surprises. As mentioned, the team is expected to open the season at nearly full strength. Defenseman Olivier Duhamel is expected to remain on the injured list for a couple months, which is likely the reason for the team opting to keep nine defenders for the time being.

Introducing your 2026-27 #SJSeaDogs opening night roster 🐶🌊

🗞️ » https://t.co/UYfXKhdMFA
🎟️ » https://t.co/HddIyY3yaQ#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/DbXjNoMxW8

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 16, 2026

Only 12 of these 24 players ended last season with the Sea Dogs. The team had a busy summer bolstering its lineup – and it feels like more changes could come over the next few months.

The Sea Dogs will start the season with just two overagers (forward Olivier Lemieux and defenseman Julien Lanthier) and two imports (forwards Matyas Cancik and Oliver Ozogany), leaving the team with some roster flexibility.

Along with Cancik and Ozogany, the Sea Dogs also selected defenseman Vertti Svensk in this summer's CHL Import Draft but he remains in Finland playing pro hockey. Defenseman Lawrence Williams is the lone member of Saint John's 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft class to start the season with the club.

Cancik, Ozogany and Williams join highly touted American forward Jamie Glance as the lone players on Saint John's roster without any QMJHL experience.

The Sea Dogs open the regular season on Friday night when they visit the Newfoundland Regiment in the first of back-to-back games.

Sea Dogs appear close to full strength

It looks as though the Saint John Sea Dogs will be close to full strength when the 2026-27 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season opens on Friday.

The Buffalo Sabres announced Tuesday that Sea Dogs goaltender Samuel Meloche has been reassigned back to junior. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Sabres in the 2025 NHL Draft and had been attending the team's rookie camp, which included seeing some action in a game against Boston Bruins rookies.

With NHL training camps shortened by the increased 84-game season, many players like Meloche probably won't get main camp invites like they once did.

Two other Sea Dogs attended NHL rookie camps last weekend: Alexander Donovan joined the Montreal Canadiens while Ryan Howard earned a Winnipeg Jets invite. Both the Habs and Jets prospects played in a tournament with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators in Gatineau over the weekend.

Neither Donovan nor Howard earned invites to their team's main camp.

On the injury front, the only Sea Dogs player expected to be out long term is defenseman Olivier Duhamel. The 18-year-old is expected to miss the first couple months of the season.

In short, the Sea Dogs will be close to full strength when they open the season in St. John's on Friday night. Game time against the Newfoundland Regiment is 6:30 p.m. Atlantic.

Of note, it looks like the team will start the season with just two overagers (forward Olivier Lemieux and defenseman Julien Lanthier) and two imports (forwards Matyas Cancik and Oliver Ozogany). The Saint John lineup that starts the season likely won't be the same as the one that finishes it.

Notebook: Single game tickets now available

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Single game tickets to every Saint John Sea Dogs home game are now on sale.

Tickets to all 32 home games went on sale Monday at noon. The team had previously announced season ticket details.

Here's a look at the total single game ticket prices – which includes the lovely service and order processing fees – for each age demographic.

Adult: $26

Senior: $25

25 and under: $21

9 and under: $17

It looks like total ticket prices (which, again, include fees and taxes) are pretty similar to what they have been in recent seasons.

One change is that it does appear fans can purchase any seat in the upper bowl this season (with the exception of most end zone seating). Last season, the top half of most upper bowl sections could not be purchased until ticket sales volume required it. 

IT'S GAME WEEK

The Sea Dogs will play regular season hockey this week.

Saint John will open the season on the road this Friday and Saturday, visiting Gordie Dwyer and the Newfoundland Regiment. The Sea Dogs struggled at Mary Brown's Centre last season, going 0-4, and will likely be playing in front of a capacity crowd on Friday.

Both teams will be well rested. The Regiment last played a pre-season game on Aug. 31 while the Sea Dogs haven't played since Sept. 4.

The Sea Dogs will play their first home games the following weekend. Saint John hosts the Moncton Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 25 and the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday, Sept. 26.

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.

Three Sea Dogs get NHL rookie camp invites

Three Saint John Sea Dogs will attend National Hockey League rookie camps this weekend.

Goaltender Samuel Meloche, a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2025 NHL Draft, is off to Sabres camp. Forwards Alexander Donovan and Ryan Howard will attend Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets rookie camps, respectively, on a free agent basis.

The Sabres will host the Boston Bruins prospects for a pair of games on Sunday and Monday.

The Times Herald reports that Meloche will likely start one of Buffalo's games against Boston. The Times Herald also reports that Meloche expects to join Northeastern University next fall.

“It’s great for everyone, especially goaltenders, because as we know, it takes longer to develop,” Meloche said. “… It’s advantageous for everyone that you don’t have to rush to sign your contract and turn pro early. You can (have) a couple more years to develop and keep growing your game.”

The Canadiens and Jets will both participate in the NHL Prospect Challenge in Gatineau this weekend. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will also take part.

The Jets and Habs will meet on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, Winnipeg will play Toronto while Montreal will face Ottawa.

Sea Dogs prospect Brian McFadden, meanwhile, will take part in Washington Capitals rookie camp. McFadden, who is playing with the USHL's Chicago Steel this season, was a fifth-round pick of the Caps in this year's NHL Draft.

Former Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko will also participate in Capitals rookie camp. A 2024 draft pick of Washington, Mateiko missed a large chunk of last season with an Achilles injury. 

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen, who the team traded to the Moncton Wildcats last season, will attend Tampa Bay Lightning rookie camp. Vilen was a seventh-round pick of Tampa Bay in this summer's NHL Draft.