MHL season begins Friday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BOUCTOUCHE, NB - The Maritime Hockey League begins its 2024-25 regular season on Friday night and, as usual, there are some Saint John Sea Dogs connections to keep an eye on.

Here's a quick look at where the Sea Dogs connections – a large chunk of whom were invites to training camp this year – will start start the season.

Amherst - Jack O'Blenis

Amherst - Charles-Antoine Lavallee*

Amherst - Jeremie Richard*

Fredericton - Jake Tracey

Fredericton - Joshua Henry*

Grand Falls - Matthew Ferdinand*

Grand Falls - Brayden Campbell*

Miramichi - Will Allen*

Miramichi - Jack Flanagan*

Pictou County - Owen Arnold*

Truro - Frederic Cousineau

Valley - Nathan Casey

Valley - Cael MacDonald

West Kent - Kiefer Lyons

*attended Sea Dogs training camp this season

Former Sea Dogs coaches Greg Leland and Jeff Cowan, meanwhile, continue to work behind the bench of the Grand Falls Rapids.

Lyons, who is playing his overage season, is a player to keep an eye on. He posted 32 goals and 26 assists in 42 MHL games last year and has the potential to be amongst the league scoring leaders this season. The Quispamsis native appeared in one playoff game with the Sea Dogs last year.

Henry, a sixth-round pick, is the only member of Saint John's 2024 draft class to appear on an MHL roster.

CHL TV packages and prices released

CHL TV prices and packages for the 2024-25 season have been released.

CHL season packages remain the same price as last year while the league season pass has increased once again. League monthly and daily prices remain the same in price while the CHL is introducing a CHL wide day pass this year.

From the CHL:

Among the many packages available this season, fans can enjoy complete access to both the 2024-25 regular season and the 2025 playoffs from all three Member Leagues of the CHL by purchasing a CHL All-Access Pass for $274.99 plus applicable taxes. Only with this exclusive CHL TV pass can fans watch more than 2,100 regular season and playoff games from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL covering 60 markets across Canada and the United States.

Viewers can alternatively enjoy complete access to every regular season game from their favourite league over the duration of the 2024-25 campaign by purchasing a WHL, OHL, or QMJHL Regular Season Pass for $129.99 plus applicable taxes.

This will be the fourth season of CHL TV. Below is how the season packages have been priced over the years (taxes not included).

CHL All-Access Pass (with playoffs) 

2024-25: $274.99

2023-24: $274.99 

2022-23: $279.99 

2021-22: Not offered 

CHL All-Access Pass (no playoffs) 

2024-25: $184.99

2023-24: $184.99 

2022-23: $179.99 

2021-22: $159.99 

League Pass (no playoffs) 

2024-25: $129.99

2023-24: $124.99 

2022-23: $119.99 

2021-22: $109.99

There was some major streaming news announced in the AHL on Thursday. AHL TV is no longer its own platform as the league has shifted its streaming service over to FloHockey, which has had an expanding portfolio for years now.

OHLer Lominac added to Dogs roster

Sarnia Sting

As the regular season inches closer, the Saint John Sea Dogs don't appear to be done with roster tweaks just yet.

The Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting announced Wednesday afternoon that 18-year-old forward Dennis Lominac has been "re-assigned" to the Sea Dogs.

“Dennis is a great teammate, and a player that put the work in this summer," Sting general manager Dylan Seca said in a news release. "We felt he deserves the opportunity to play more, so this decision helps him in that regard. We wish him all the best in St. John's.”

The team presumably (hopefully?) meant Saint John.

Lominac, a Michigan native, had three goals and two assists in 53 games with Sarnia last season, his first in the OHL. Lominac signed with the Sting in May 2023 after getting passed over in the OHL draft.

The Sea Dogs' online roster shows the 5'09", 175 lbs forward wearing No. 93.

Lominac's numbers in the OHL were underwhelming but you just never know what will happen when they hit the QMJHL. There have been countless examples over the years of players who couldn't stick in OHL lineups but thrived in the QMJHL.

Saint John's roster also shows that forward Billy Kollias has been added to the team's protected list. The 19-year-old split last season between the Gatineau Olympiques and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, posting a combined five goals and four assists in 59 games.

Kollias has been playing with the QJHL's Montreal Rangers this season. He's recorded three goals and an assist in two games.

Saint John could start the regular season without forwards Tyler Peddle and Eriks Mateiko due to NHL camps. Forward Egan Beveridge, meanwhile, has been absent from training camp.

The Sea Dogs play their final pre-season game on Saturday in Tyne Valley, PEI against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Notebook: Regular season coming soon

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season.

Just one more weekend of pre-season play remains before the games get real. Saint John closes out exhibition action next Saturday, taking on the Charlottetown Islanders in Tyne Valley, PEI.

Then things get serious. The Sea Dogs will play their first two games of the regular season on home ice, hosting the Moncton Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 20 and the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday, Sept. 21.

There will be plenty of excitement around Saint John's season opener as Gardiner MacDougall returns behind a TD Station bench for the first time since leading the Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup championship.

LAFORGE TO ONTARIO

Former Sea Dogs forward Nico Laforge has found a new home for the 2024-25 season.

The MHL's Grand Falls Rapids have traded Laforge's rights to the OJHL's Cobourg Cougars. The 20-year-old forward made his Cougars debut in the club's season opener on Friday, scoring in a 7-4 loss to the Trenton Golden Hawks. 

Nico LaForge with his first OJHL Goal! Assists to Liam Oravsky (First OJHL Point) and Duncan Schneider!#DoTheROAR pic.twitter.com/EI1EEwE7J2

— Cobourg Cougars (@CougarsHockey) September 7, 2024

Laforge has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Sea Dogs, which included 21 games during the Memorial Cup year of 2021-22. He leaves the QMJHL having posted eight goals and 17 assists in 126 career games.

The 5'7", 170 lbs Laforge was a long shot to make this year's Sea Dogs team as an overager. He did not attend training camp.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-0

FINAL: Charlottetown 6, Saint John 0

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It was another rough outing for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon.

Coming off a 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday, the Sea Dogs once again struggled defensively in a 6-0 pre-season loss to the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs are now 3-2-0-0 in pre-season play with all three of their wins coming in the first half of camp.

Like the Eagles, the Islanders were able to take advantage of the many odd man chances the Sea Dogs gave them. Charlottetown also went 2/4 on the power play.

Saint John had some decent scoring chances throughout the game but just couldn't get the bounces to go their way. There were a couple chances where Saint John players began to celebrate only to realize the puck didn't cross the line.

The Sea Dogs were once again missing a few key regulars. But, it's not like half of this team were call ups. Saint John clearly has some things to work on as the regular season inches closer.

Charlottetown entered this game having scored five goals in all of their previous four pre-season games combined. Mathis Valente, Matthew Butler, Spencer Caines, Nikita Voyaga, Ross Campbell and Madden Steen all scored. Donald Hickey made 33 saves in the win.

Justin Robinson played the entire game in net – and made a few big stops – in the loss.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - For the first time this pre-season, the Saint John Sea Dogs will play a true home game.

Officially, today's contest is Saint John's third home game of the QMJHL's pre-season following contests in St. Stephen and Fredericton. But this afternoon, the team will take to the ice at the familiar confines if TD Station.

The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders this afternoon at 3 p.m. It's the third of four meetings between the clubs with Saint John having won the previous two. They'll also meet next Saturday in Tyne Valley, PEI.

Saint John will look to rebound from a tough 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday, a game that saw the Sea Dogs dress a shorthanded lineup.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-1-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 0-4-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 10-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday in Port Hawkesbury. Elliot Dubé scored Saint John's lone goal while Charles-Edward Gravel and Justin Robinson split the loss in net. The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Logan Biser scored Charlottetown's lone goal. Nicolas Ruccia made 29 saves in the loss.

2024 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-0-0-0 against the Islanders this pre-season while Charlottetown is 0-2-0-0.

Last meeting: Aug. 21 in Pownal, PEI where the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 5-1. Coen Miller scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Reid Calder, Jeremie Richard and Darien Reynolds. Logan Biser scored Charlottetown's only goal. Charles-Antoine Girard and Luciano Ruggiero split the win in goal. Hudson Bradley took the loss.

2023-24 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-0-2 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 6-3-0-0 against Saint John.