Dates, format announced for first CHL USA Prospects Challenge

The inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge will take place this November in London and Oshawa.

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled the details of the new event on Tuesday. Games will be played Tuesday, Nov. 26 in London and Wednesday, Nov. 27 in Oshawa. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 1.

According to the news release, " the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s Member Leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – face-off against those from the U.S. National Under-18 Team in a two-game series."

News of the new event – which will replace the CHL NHL Top Prospects Game – was confirmed by the CHL in June.

This should be a fascinating event especially as the CHL/NCAA recruiting war is expected to take a major turn over the new few years. Braxton Whitehead of the Regina Pats announced his commitment to Arizona State University for the 2025-26 season even though no rules have been changed yet.

The CHL provided a few additional details about the event's future in Tuesday's news release.

Set to be a part of the calendar over the next three seasons, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and NTDP’s U18 team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. Players for the CHL team will be provided by NHL Central Scouting as selected by the NHL’s 32 clubs, and much like other national events in the CHL, the hosting duties of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will rotate between the CHL’s three Member League markets each year.

While not confirmed, next year's event will presumably take place in QMJHL territory with the Memorial Cup being held in the WHL.

Three current Dogs earn main NHL camp invites

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

All three current Saint John Sea Dogs who attended NHL rookie camps have been invited to the main training camps of their respective teams.

Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals), Matteo Mann (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tyler Peddle (Columbus Blue Jackets) have all earned invites to main camps.

Of the three, only Mann has the option to play in the AHL or ECHL this season. A seventh-round pick of the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft, Mann appeared in one game with the ECHL's Reading Royals at the end of last season. He recently scored for the Flyers rookies in a game against the New York Rangers over the weekend.

Mann is entering his overage season of junior hockey, meaning a 20-year-old spot would open up on Saint John's roster if he turned pro.

Mateiko and Peddle will be returned to junior unless they surprise and make their respective NHL teams.

The 18-year-old Mateiko is attending his first camp with the Capitals after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Peddle, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick of Columbus last year. The 19-year-old is entering his fourth season in the QMJHL.

All three could miss Saint John's first two games of the regular season, which will be played this Friday and Saturday at TD Station.

Current, former Sea Dogs take part in NHL rookie camps

Embed from Getty Images

We know three current Saint John Sea Dogs are taking part in NHL rookie camps this year, but there are also a few former Sea Dogs participating.

Current Dogs Matteo Mann, Tyler Peddle and Eriks Mateiko have all been on the ice this weekend with their respective organizations. Below is a full list of current and former players who earned invites this year.

Vancouver: Jonathan Lemieux

Utah: Drew Elliott

Columbus: Tyler Peddle

New York Islanders: William Dufour

New York Rangers: Kale McCallum

Philadelphia: Matteo Mann

Washington: Eriks Mateiko

Montreal: Charles Savoie

Ottawa: Philippe Daoust

Elliott (UNB), McCallum (UNB) and Savoie (Concordia) are all attending as free agent invites.

It's good to see Philippe Daoust at Ottawa camp, who has had a rough run of injuries since turning pro. William Dufour, meanwhile, will be looking for a bounce back year with the New York Islanders organization. Dufour posted 25 points in 55 AHL games last season after registering 48 in 69 games in his rookie season.

Dufour #Isles pic.twitter.com/rccCTumzyp

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 14, 2024

A few Sea Dogs draft picks from over the years are also taking part in rookie camps: Matt Stienburg (Colorado), Justin Hryckowian (Dallas) and Fedor Svechkov (Nashville).

Main NHL training camps begin later this week.

Mann scores, Peddle fights in eventful Saturday at NHL rookie camps

Philadelphia Flyers

It was an eventful Saturday for a couple Saint John Sea Dogs currently attending NHL rookie camps.

In Allentown, PA, Matteo Mann scored for the Philadelphia Flyers rookies in a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers rookies. Mann's power play goal opened the scoring.

You're the Mann, Matteo. 🚀 #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/XTjL5ahhLt

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 14, 2024

Not many would have predicted Mann to score in this game. The Sackville native has scored just nine goals in his entire 170-game QMJHL career.

Here's Mann speaking after the game.

Mann made some headlines earlier in the week for practicing some fighting techniques in practice.

Sawyer Boulton and Matteo Mann working on fighting technique 👊🏻 @NastyKnuckles pic.twitter.com/6IoWzprCB6

— Travis Ballinghoff (@travieballin26) September 13, 2024

Saturday's game was the second and final rookie matchup of this portion of Flyers camp. Mann, who is eligible to turn pro this season and appeared in one ECHL game with the Reading Royals last year, is likely to earn an invite to the next stage of training camp.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-2

FINAL: Saint John 4, Charlottetown 2

TYNE VALLEY, PEI - The Saint John Sea Dogs are heading into the regular season on a winning note.

The Sea Dogs won their pre-season finale on Saturday night at the Cavendish Farms Community Event Centre in Tyne Valley, PEI, defeating the Charlottetown Islanders 4-2. The win gives the Sea Dogs a 4-2 record in exhibition play this year.

Olivier Groulx scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Elliot Dubé and newcomer Dennis Lominac. Charles-Edward Gravel played the entire game in net, making 38 stops in the win.

It was a much stronger performance from Saint John compared to last weekend's games, which saw them get outscored a combined 16-1. The Sea Dogs were engaged at both ends of the ice and – even though they allowed 40 shots – were much more aggressive and organized defensively.

Saint John was outshot 14-2 in the first period but managed to grab a 1-0 lead. The Dogs led 3-0 with seven minutes remaining in the third but goals from Simon Hughes and Matthew Butler got Charlottetown back in it. Groulx iced the game with a long empty net goal with 1:32 remaining.

Nicolas Ruccia made 18 saves in the loss.

Pre-Season Game Day 6: at Islanders

TYNE VALLEY, PEI - As many mainlanders head to PEI for the Greta Van Fleet show tonight, the Saint John Sea Dogs will travel across the bridge to play their final game of the pre-season.

The Sea Dogs play their sixth and final pre-season content tonight at 7 p.m. against the Charlottetown Islanders. The game will be played at the Cavendish Farms Community Events Centre in the small community of Tyne Valley.

The Sea Dogs started the pre-season 3-0, which included two wins over the Islanders. But, since the exhibition schedule resumed following Labour Day weekend, Saint John has struggled, dropping both of their games and getting outscored a combined 16-1.

It's pre-season, and you can only put so much value in the results. But there are no doubt a few things the Sea Dogs will look to clean up tonight in their final tuneup before the regular season begins.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/YouTube

Pre-Season Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-2-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 1-4-0-0.

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Islanders met last Sunday at TD Station where Charlottetown won 6-0. 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 made 32 stops in the loss.

2024 pre-season head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-1-0-0 against the Islanders this pre-season while Charlottetown is 1-2-0-0.

Last meeting: See above.

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.