SUMMER CAMP BEGINS TODAY

Hockey Canada’s world junior summer evaluation camp kicked off today in St. John’s, Newfoundland. At the camp are two Saint John Sea Dogs defencemen in Simon Despres and Nathan Beaulieu.

The players arrived at the St. John’s airport yesterday and began workout sessions today.

According to Nike Training’s Twitter page, the players took part in “SPARQ Protocol Drills.” Since Nike is insane, they live steamed the event on their Facebook page.

Beaulieu and Despres will be competing on Team Red along with fellow Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players Brandon Gormley, Charles-Olivier Roussel, and Jean-Francois Berube. On Team White, QMJHL players include Olivier Roy, Nicolas Deslauriers, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, Sean Couturier, and Louis Leblanc.

The first practice for the two Sea Dogs defenders is tonight at Mile One Centre. Coverage of this event is unreal, with Hockey Canada set to broadcast all practices on FastHockey.com for free.

There will be two intersquad games, with the first taking place on Friday and the second on Saturday. Both games can be watched via webcast for a fee of $6.99.

This camp will help Hockey Canada and the coaching staff assemble Canada’s roster for the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo and Niagara, N.Y.

HUBERDEAU MAKES U-18 TEAM

A year ago, it wasn’t clear if Jonathan Huberdeau would ever wear a Saint John Sea Dogs sweater. But after luring their first round draft choice away from the NCAA, it was clear Saint John had a solid player with lots of potential.

He’s future as an elite NHL prospect took a step forward today as he was named to Canada’s Under-18 Team for the Memorial Ivan Hlinka Tournament. The roster was named following the final intersquad game of the summer selection camp.

“It was a very competitive camp, and choosing these 22 players was by no means an easy task,” said Head Coach George Burnett of the Belleville Bulls in a release. “All of the players named today have earned their spot on the roster, and we look forward to getting to Europe and defending Canada’s gold medal.”

Huberdeau was one of only four players from the Quebec Major Hockey League to be named to the team. He will be joined by Chicoutimi goaltender Robin Gusse, Montreal defenceman Xavier Ouellet, and Victoriaville forward Phillip Danault.

The Sea Dogs forward scored a goal and added an assist in his three intersquad games at the camp. Although Team White lost all three games, they did come back from a 5-0 deficit today to lose the game 8-7 in a shootout.

The St. Gerome, Quebec native scored 15 goals and 20 assists in 61 games played in the regular season with the Dogs. In the playoffs, he added 11 goals and seven assists.

From the Hockey Canada press release:

Canada has won the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka in five of the past six years, and will play in Group B with Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland, a group that will be based out of Piestany. Group A, which consists of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and the United States, will play out of Breclav.

Canada will face the Czech Republic in an exhibition game in Breclav on Saturday, August 7 before opening the tournament against Sweden on Monday, August 9. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals on Friday, August 13, with the gold medal game scheduled for Saturday, August 14.

There will be no TV or radio coverage of the event. Hockey Canada’s official website, www.hockeycanada.ca, is the place to find complete coverage of Canada at the tournament.

National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team breakdown

2 goaltenders, 7 defencemen, 13 forwards
21 players from the Canadian Hockey League
13 players from the Ontario Hockey League
4 players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
4 players from the Western Hockey League
1 player from the Central Canadian Hockey League
20 players with experience in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence

FIVE INVITED TO TRAINING CAMP

The Quebec Major Hockey League website lists five free agents on the Saint John Sea Dogs’ roster with training camp set to open two weeks from today.

They are defenceman Yohann Mathieu and forwards Phillip Fife, Sebastien Huberdeau, Dylan Jones, and Peter Trainor.

Mathieu was originally picked up by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the fifth round, 90th overall in the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft. He played eight games with the Drakkar in 2008-09, recording no points, nine penalty minutes, and a +3 rating.

The 6’4”, 205 lbs backend was released by the Drakkar on May 31, 2010 according to the league website. He would play as a 19-year old next season if he were to make the team.


Fife is a 5’09”, 180 lbs center from Loretteville, Quebec. The forward recorded 15 goals and 17 assists with the Fredericton Canadians of the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League last season in 32 games.

Huberdeau, the brother of current Sea Dog Jonathan Huberdeau, would be a 20-year old if he were to make the team. The elder Huberdeau scored five goals and added 18 assists in 26 games with the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League’s St. Jerome Panthers.

Trainor played on the same team as Fife last season, recording 16 goals and 22 assists in 35 games played – placing him third in team scoring. The capital city native is a 5’11”, 190 lbs left winger.

Jones, a Saint John native, played for his home town Vito’s last season. In 26 games he registered seven goals and seven assists. The 6’00”, 185 lbs right winger will join the likes of Aidan Kelly, Jason Thorpe, and Alex Simpson at camp.

“(Saint John Sea Dogs) are excited for training camp to start. Players arrive in 2 weeks!!! Get your season tickets now,” stats the Sea Dogs’ Facebook page.

Saint John training camp opens at 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 17.

HUBERDEAU SCORES; TEAM ANNOUNCED TODAY

Jonathan Huberdeau scored the lone goal for Team White in a 5-1 loss to Team Red at the Hockey Canada under-18 summer selection camp yesterday in Calgary, Alberta.

Team Red picked up their second win of the camp, capturing an 8-7 victory on Sunday night. The Saint John Sea Dogs' Huberdeau recorded an assist in the game.

“But unlike one night earlier, when Red took a 3-0 lead before White found the scoresheet, White answered back less than three minutes after Garrett Meurs’ goal thanks to Jonathan Huberdeau, whose blind backhand from the slot surprised Jeffrey Noonan, and tied the game 1-1,” reports a Hockey Canada press release.

The goal took place at 6:08 of the first period.

Philip Danault of the Victoriaville Tigres had the game winning goal for the second straight match.

Red outshot White 34-21.

For a full recap, visit the Team Canada website.
The two teams wrap up camp with the third and final Red-White game on Tuesday afternoon at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena. Following the game, the coaching staff will choose a 22-player roster that will represent Canada at the 2010 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

DUNNETT JOINS T-WOLVES

Nathan Dunnett has decided to play is overage season in the Maritime Junior Hockey League rather than the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

“I had the opportunity to stay in Quebec, but I just thought, you know, my 20-year-old year - my last year - I'd like to come back home and play in front of the home fans," Dunnett said to the Times & Transcript. "And they're supposed to have a good team too."

Drafted by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the ninth round of the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft, Dunnett will play with the Miramichi Timberwolves next season as a 20-year old.

"I just really wanted to get the opportunity to win and I think with the Timberwolves there's going to be a good chance of that," he said.

Although he never played a game in a Saint John uniform, his name is well cemented in Sea Dogs history as the opposing net minder on one of the most thrilling games in franchise history. With under 3.6 seconds remaining in an October 30, 2009 game in Baie-Comeau and the Dogs down a goal, Michael Kirkpatrick sent a shot off from a faceoff that took place to the side of Dunnett. The goal would squeak by Dunnett, sending the game to overtime and eventually a shootout – where Kirkpatrick won the game.

At the time, the win tied Saint John’s franchise record for consecutive wins with seven. The Sea Dogs would go on to win 15 more consecutive tilts.

Selected 147th overall in 2007, Dunnett was traded to Drummondville on December 17, 2007 for a ninth round draft pick. In 15 games with the rebuilding Voltigeurs, the Whitney, New Brunswick native registered four wins and eight loses.

After starting the 2008-09 season with the Volts, Dunnett was later traded to the Drakkar where he would spend the next one-and-a-half seasons.

In his four year QMJHL career, Dunnett has a record 40-47, a goals against average of 3.86, and save percentage of 0.876. In just three post-season games, he has a 1-2 record, 4.48 GAA, and 0.864 save percentage.

The goaltender also sat on the bench last season as Baie-Comeau’s other backstop and former Sea Dog Simon Giroux put on a clinic at Harbour Station. The Sea Dogs would win 4-2, but outshot the Drakkar 55-19.

HUBERDEAU RECORDS ASSIST IN OPENER

Jonathan Huberdeau found the point sheet in the first Team White vs Team Red tilt at Canada’s Under-18 summer selection camp yesterday.

The Saint John Sea Dog forward added an assist on a third period goal by Myles Bell. Despite the marker, Huberdeau’s Team White fell to Team Red 8-7 at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary, Alberta.

Victoriaville Tigre Philip Danault scored a hat trick for Team Red in the win.

The next game is tonight and the third game will be Tuesday afternoon. Following Tuesday’s game, the coaching staff will choose a 22-player roster that will represent Canada at the 2010 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

For a full game summary, visit the Hockey Canada website.