Catching up on some news and notes

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Catching up on some news…

• Sea Dogs assistant coach Paul Boutilier has been named head coach of Team Canada Black for the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase will be held July 26 to Aug. 2 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. 
• Former Sea Dogs assistant coach Greg Leland was named head coach and general manager of the Campbellton Tigers last week.
• Former Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc was not signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, making him eligible for this year’s NHL Draft. LeBlanc was a seventh round pick of the Jackets in 2014.
• The Journal Pioneer has an article on Summerside native and former Sea Dogs forward Brett Gallant winning the Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters.
• The CHL website has an article on the top QMJHL players available for this year’s NHL Draft. Sea Dogs defenseman Luke Green is one of those players.
• Sportsnet also took a look at the top Q players available for this year’s draft, ranking Green seventh.
• In Future Considerations’ final rankings, Green was ranked 47^th.
• In Craig Button’s latest rankings, Green was ranked 63^rd.
• Green had a fairly strong showing at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo.
• The Sea Dogs drafted nine forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender with their 14 picks in this year’s QMJHL Entry Draft.
• The News has an article on Sea Dogs draft pick Kevin Mason.
• The 2016 CHL Import Draft will take place on Tuesday, June 28 at noon.

Kelly Bent joins Dalhousie Tigers

Kelly Bent is sticking around the Maritimes.

The super pest of the QMJHL’s Maritimes Division has committed to the Dalhousie University Tigers for the 2016-17 season.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Tigers,” said Bent in a Tigers news release. “The team has a great history and a bright future and I look forward to contributing to their future success. Having played with a number of the current players, I think it will be an easy transition for me. It’s an honour to be able to attend and compete for Dalhousie.”

The Tigers have been one of the worst teams in Atlantic University Sport for years, only avoiding the conference’s basement because of the now-defunct St. Thomas University Tommies. According to HockeyDB, the Tigers have not reached double digits in wins since the 2010-11 season.

A number of former Sea Dogs have played for the Tigers in the past. Last season, ex-Dog Connor Donaghey suited up for Dalhousie.

As a 20-year-old last year with the Halifax Mooseheads, Bent recorded six goals and nine assists in 54 games. His 2015-16 season will likely be most remembered for the infamous incidents with Joe Veleno and Bokondji Imama.

Bent, known as a pest and agitator, had 13 goals, 23 assists and 522 penalty minutes in 215 games. He spent the 2013-14 season with the Sea Dogs where he registered four goals and two assists in 56 games.

Bent joins Derek Sheppard (York), Mike DiPaolo (WES), and Spencer Metcalfe (UPEI) as former QMJHL most penalized players now in CIS.

— Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) June 13, 2016

At the moment, the Tigers will play their first game – a pre-season game – on Sept. 24 against the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Halifax Forum.

Gallant, Lake Erie win Calder Cup

Brett Gallant is a Calder Cup champion.

Gallant’s Lake Erie Monsters defeated the Hershey Bears 1-0 in overtime on Saturday night in Cleveland, completing a sweep of the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League’s championship series.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the winner with two seconds remaining in the first overtime period.

The #CalderCup is back in Cleveland thanks to this OT game winner by @OBjorkstrand! #SCTop10 #BattleTogetherhttps://t.co/OJGfVMvGwD

— Lake Erie Monsters (@monstershockey) June 12, 2016

Cleveland doesn’t win things too often.

Oliver Bjorkstrand winner. First Calder Cup in 50+ years for Cleveland, first ever for a Columbus affiliate.

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 12, 2016

Gallant wasn’t in the Lake Erie lineup on Saturday, but did play in Monday’s Game 6 where he recorded an assist. It was Gallant’s first game since April 8 in Toronto where he was stretchered off after collapsing on the team’s bench.

The Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer recently had an article on Gallant, providing an update on what happened to the former Sea Dogs tough guy in Toronto.

From the Plain Dealer:

Doctors found that he suffered from a heart condition. After surgery and rehabilitation, Gallant was able to get back into form and return to help his team earlier this week.

Gallant recorded one assist in 48 regular season games with the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his professional career in the AHL, recording six goals, seven assists and 1,013 penalty minutes in 236 games. He has appeared in four NHL games, spending some time with the New York Islanders in 2013-14.

Gallant played in 131 games with the Sea Dogs from the 2005-06 season to 2007-08, registering eight goals, four assists and 439 penalty minutes in 131 games.

Photo: @SeaDogsDK

O'Leary taken first overall in MHL Draft

Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Matthew O’Leary was taken first overall by the St. Stephen Aces in Saturday’s MHL Draft.

O’Leary was drafted by the Sea Dogs in the 12^th round of last year’s QMJHL Entry Draft. The defenseman registered nine goals and 17 assists in 32 games with the St. John’s Privateers midget AAA team this past season. He added one goal and two assists in six playoff games.

A number of other Sea Dogs prospects were taken in today’s draft. Via The Q News, here are the full results:

No. 1 – County – Matthew O’Leary – Saint John

No. 13 – Woodstock – Ian Smallwood – Saint John

No. 19 – Pictou County – Matthew Steinburg – Saint John

No. 21 – Truro – Jack McGovern – Saint John
No. 29 - Miramichi - Devan Newhook - Saint John

No. 67 – Pictou County – Nick Fewer – Saint John

Truly honoured to be selected 1st overall by the @AcesJrHockey in the 2016 @THEMHL draft #Blessed

— Matt O'Leary (@Matt_oleary419) June 11, 2016

O’Leary and Smallwood were both drafted by Saint John in last year’s draft. The others were taken this year.

Meanwhile, Nico Blachman (Campbellton) and Gabriel Bettez (Miramichi) of the Sea Dogs were taken in the MHL’s QMJHL Supplementary Draft. Prospects Simon Elsliger (Dieppe), Michael Waugh (Miramichi) and Kevin Mason (Pictou) were chosen as territorial picks. 

Observations from the draft (part two)

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

PET PEAVES

• It’s sad to read personal attacks on players, and their families, who have admitted that they are not comfortable with a move to a location that would require them to be fully immersed in a language they do not speak or understand. Also, some of these young men do not want to continue their education remotely – especially if there are no schools available in the mother tongue. Unfortunately, every year there will be more kids vilified for their honesty and commitment to education.
• It is interesting to read comments on social media, including message boards, in which so-called fans openly question the intelligence of team management and scouts after they select players that were rated relatively low– if at all – by Central Scouting or publications such as HockeyProspect.com. As Danny Flynn said prior to the start of the proceedings, draft day is the scouts’ version of Christmas – they have made their lists, checked them more than twice, and are ready for the gifts they are about to receive on behalf of their respective teams.
• Let’s not forget that these scouts are passionate about the game and they receive very little – in terms of money – for the countless hours they spend in various cold arenas, often after driving through less than ideal conditions. 
• Also, fans – especially of teams which place emphasis on size – often grumble about the height and/or weight of a player which was taken a few months prior to the draft. Teams do seriously consider genetics and growth rates, in addition to hockey sense, tenacity and other skills and factors. For example, Sea Dogs captain Spencer Smallman was roughly 5’6’’ during his draft year. Considering that Smallman was 6’1” and 197 lbs during the 2016 playoffs, the Sea Dogs’ fourth round selection (No. 70) in 2012 worked out extremely well.

Observations from the draft (part one)

By: Lorne Webster | SN Staff

• The QMJHL’s staff - notably the Commissioner - and television partners must have been ready to pull their hair out during a two-and-a-half-hours long first round, in which several trades – including a couple changing hands twice in the span of minutes – resulted in having only pick No. 1 (Halifax) and No. 19 (Rouyn-Noranda) utilized by the team originally slated to draft in those positions. Halifax, Baie-Comeau and Chicoutimi were key players in an extremely active trading session, which completely reshuffled the deck of round one.
• Kudos to Cam Russell and the Mooseheads for making bold moves to expedite their rebuild by making trades to allow them to select the top rated forward (Benoit-Olivier Groulx - 1(1)), top rated defenseman (Jared McIsaac – 1(2)), second rated goaltender (Alexis Gravel – 2(20)) and top rated US player (Jake Wise – 7(111)). It felt like déjà vu all over again when Halifax and Baie-Comeau brought back memories of the Nathan MacKinnon/Jonathan Drouin draft.
• Baie-Comeau also made a series of trades, which resulted in four first round draft choices – Gabriel Fortier (4 – brother of Moosehead Maxime), Xavier Bouchard (5 - son of Rouyn-Noranda coach/GM Gilles), Shawn Element (9) and Edouard St-Laurent (16). However, Baie-Comeau did not make another selection until the sixth round. 
• Chicoutimi was also very active - but it might take a Philadelphia lawyer or forensic accountant a few days to figure out all of their gives and takes.
• Based primarily on the reaction from the Sea Dogs draft table, Darrell Young, Danny Flynn et al were extremely surprised (bordering on shocked) to hear Sherbrooke select Saint John Vito’s standout Anderson MacDonald at No. 10 – one pick ahead of Saint John. MacDonald and his supporters likely were equally surprised as he did not look happy when he passed the Sea Dogs’ table. Despite rumblings that MacDonald was seriously considering opportunities in the USA and Europe – and with highly rated defensemen still available – Sherbrooke made the move to choose the power forward. It will be interesting to see how that scenario plays out.
• After calling a time out to regroup, the Sea Dogs selected Olivier Mathieu - the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League’s leading rookie scorer. Many had speculated that Saint John would choose Dartmouth power forward Andrew Coxhead - if still available and MacDonald was chosen before the Sea Dogs slot. But reports circulated prior to the draft that Coxhead was heading to a US prep school in the fall - which appeared to influence a few teams, including Saint John. Coxhead was subsequently selected by Quebec at No. 14. When Coxhead did not go on stage, there were conflicting reports as to whether he was even in the building.
• The Sea Dogs created the largest waves in round two, when they made a trade with Chicoutimi to acquire pick No. 32 and selected Shane Bowers (Waterloo – USHL). Bowers was a re-entry player who did not report to Cape Breton after being chosen fourth overall in 2015. Despite suggestions of a pre-arranged deal between the Bowers family and Saint John, GM Darrell Young was adamant in pre-draft and post-draft interviews with Station Nation and others that he had not spoken with Bowers or his support group since last year. This was clearly a calculated gamble that could pay off in a big way, IF Bowers - arguably the top available prospect in the 2016 draft - agrees to sign with Saint John. The thoughts of having Joe Veleno and Shane Bowers playing together are extremely exciting.
• During the fourth round, Saint John completed a trade with Val-d’Or by sending left wing – and Detroit Red Wings prospect – Adam Marsh to the Foreurs, along with pick No. 87 in round five, in exchange for pick No. 72 in round four as well as a second round selection in 2018. 
• The Sea Dogs also appeared to be surprised in round four when Cape Breton selected Oliver Wahlstrom – the second rated US player from Sweden via Maine – at No. 68, just one pick ahead of Saint John’s selection.  Wahlstrom recently signed a letter of intent with Harvard University after initially committing to the University of Maine in grade seven - which made him one of the youngest players to ever make a NCAA commitment.
• There were several QMJHL family connections associated with the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft. Amongst the players selected were sons of notable coaches. Besides Gilles Bouchard’s son Xavier to Baie-Comeau at No. 5, Benoit Groulx – former Gatineau coach/GM and current head coach of Syracuse (AHL) – was beaming when his son Benoit-Olivier was selected first overall by Halifax.  Later in the draft, new Halifax head coach Andre (‘Bear’) Tourigny had the pleasure of seeing his sons, G Jean-Philippe and C Felix-Antoine, drafted at 145 and 146, respectively, by Rouyn-Noranda. The Sea Dogs also selected Matthew Steinburg – son of current Saint Mary’s University head coach (and former NHL first round draft choice) Trevor Steinburg – in the tenth round (177).
• There were also several brothers of current QMJHL players and/or prospects selected as well. Of those with ties to the Sea Dogs, Felix Pare – younger brother of Saint John’s 2015 first round (10^th overall) selection, Cedric – was chosen in the third round (No. 38). Then it was Moncton’s turn to add brothers with Saint John connections. The Wildcats first choice of the day, which wasn’t until No. 50 in the third round, was Noah Massie – whose older brother Jake is a prospect for Saint John and the Chicago Blackhawks. Moncton added a third Massie brother, Dylan, in the 12^th round (No. 211). It would be fun to see the older Massie come to Saint John to play against his kid brothers – but the chances likely are slim, given Jake’s commitment to the University of Vermont. Also, in the sixth round (No. 104), Moncton added Clark Webster – little brother to Sea Dogs’ defensive stalwart Bailey Webster.