REPORT: Gilbert won't return as head coach

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Greg Gilbert will not return as head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs this season, reports Mikael Lalancette.

Greg Gilbert ne sera pas de retour comme entraîneur-chef des Sea Dogs. Il restera sans doute associé à l’organisation. Dossier à suivre. #LHJMQ

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) July 29, 2021

The announcement comes just a couple weeks before the start of training camp. Saint John's first pre-season game is set to take place Aug. 19.

Gilbert was named Sea Dogs head coach in June 2020 and led the team to a 15-14-3-1 record during the bizarre 2020-21 season. While the team showed glimpses of its potential, the Sea Dogs once again struggled to consistently play their best hockey.

The 59-year-old had previous head coaching experience in the NHL, AHL and OHL prior to coming to Saint John. He won three Stanley Cups as a player.

Former Sea Dogs on the move

Saint John Sea Dogs

A couple former Saint John Sea Dogs are on the move.

On the opening day of NHL free agency, the Montreal Canadiens signed Mike Hoffman to a three-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million.

Hoffman spent last season with the St. Louis Blues where he recorded 17 goals and 19 assists in 52 games. He added one goal in four playoff games.

This will be Hoffman's fourth NHL team after stints with the Blues, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.

Hoffman played a season-and-a-half of junior hockey in nearby Drummondville. He spent the 2009-10 season with the Sea Dogs where he recorded 46 goals and 39 assists in 56 games as an overager, winning the QMJHL's most valuable player award.

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Kings traded Bokondji Imama to the Arizona Coyotes last week in a deal that involved three other players.

Imama has yet to appear in an NHL game and has spent much of the past four seasons in the AHL with the Ontario Reign. There will certainly be more playing opportunities with the Coyotes given their lineup situation over the next few seasons.

Thank you Boko for being a leader on the ice and in the community for four years! Your influence and fights will be missed. pic.twitter.com/23BxIqoQIG

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) July 27, 2021

Imama, 24, spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the club win the President Cup in 2017.

Three Sea Dogs earn NHL camp invites

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

At least three Saint John Sea Dogs have been invited to NHL camps in the coming weeks.

The Sea Dogs announced earlier this week via social media that forward Brady Burns has been invited to Edmonton Oilers training camp; defenseman Charlie DesRoches has received an invite to Buffalo Sabres rookie camp; and forward Peter Reynolds will attend Columbus Blue Jackets training camp. 

Reynolds was surprisingly not selected in last weekend's NHL Draft. Burns and DesRoches, meanwhile, have been eligible for each of the past two NHL Drafts.

Reynolds, playing in his first QMJHL season, registered 15 goals and 16 assists in 33 games. He also had a goal and three assists in six playoff games.

Burns registered 18 goals 20 assists in 32 games this past season. He added five goals and two helpers in five playoff contests.

DesRoches had four goals and 22 assists in 32 regular season games in 2020-21. He added four assists in five playoff matches.

Several Sea Dogs should be attending NHL rookie and/or training camps over the next couple months. 

Jeremie Poirier (2020, 3rd round CGY), William Villeneuve (2020, 4th round TOR), Ryan Francis (2020, 5th round CGY), William Dufour (2020, 5th round NYI) and Cam MacDonald (2021, 5th round TBL) have all been drafted into the NHL while more could receive free agent invites.

Reds to allow full capacity at Aitken Centre

The Saint John Sea Dogs appear poised to play in the first Canadian major junior hockey game (pre-season - but it's something!) that will allow a full capacity crowd since March 2020.

The UNB Reds, who will host four Sea Dogs pre-season home games in August and September, announced Tuesday morning that the originally planned capacity restrictions have been removed. The announcement comes as the province is set to remove all provincial COVID-19 restrictions on Friday at midnight.

“Be prepared to have someone sitting beside you,” said Reds marketing and special events manager Nick Zildjan in an updated post on the athletics program's website. “That might be someone you don’t know, that hasn’t been part of your bubble or unit through the pandemic. We’re hoping the Aitken Centre is full for these games, and our Reds events in the days and weeks after.”

Oh, that sound! Aitken Centre box office ticket machines are humming.
Haven’t heard that since March of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣!!!@UNBFredericton @QMJHL @SJSeaDogs @monctonwildcats @ABTitan @IslandersHKY #goredsgo pic.twitter.com/jGHbmpmRCl

— UNB Reds (@UNBAthletics) July 27, 2021

More from the Reds website:

Originally, under soon-to-be updated COVID-19 protocols, UNB indicated that the Aitken Centre would operate at a reduced capacity for the August games, with a re-assessment to occur before the September games.

But with New Brunswick’s announcement of moving into the green phase of the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan on July 31st, the facility will be allowed to open every seat.

Masks will still be required when entering and moving throughout the Aitken Centre, and while in your seat, except while consuming food or beverages.

UNB is working to have concessions available.

Even in the green phase, ticket holders will be asked to respect physical distancing as much as they can while inside the facility.

Tickets will be sold for individual games. Four-game packages will also be available.

Tickets to all four games went on sale this morning.

MacDonald drafted by Lightning

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Cam MacDonald was the lone Saint John Sea Dog to be selected in this year's NHL Draft.

MacDonald was taken in the fifth-round, 160th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He joins Mathieu Joseph (2015), Bokondji Imama (2015) and Maxim Cajkovic (2019) as Sea Dogs to be selected by the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.

The 18-year-old forward is coming off a strong campaign with the Sea Dogs, recording 10 goals and seven assists in 30 games. He has the makings of a well-rounded, 200-foot player who will play a much larger role with the Dogs in the coming seasons.

Coming in at No. 160 is Cameron MacDonald from the @SJSeaDogs of the @QMJHL!

Welcome, Cam 👋 pic.twitter.com/vqmnYIGeVL

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 24, 2021

MacDonald was not included in a lot of mock drafts and rankings. He was ranked 136th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Sea Dogs forward Peter Reynolds did not have his name called. It comes as a surprise given that he was ranked as high 37th by Dobber Prospects; 47th by Elite Prospects; and 89th by Future Considerations.

Seven players on my board went undrafted:
71. C Peter Reynolds
73. C/LW Jeremy Wilmer
81. C/LW Trevor Wong
87. RHD Kalle Ervasti
91. LHD Jimi Suomi
97. LHD Luke Mittelstadt
100. RHD Ruben Rafkin

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) July 24, 2021

Reynolds recorded 15 goals and 16 assists in 33 games with Saint John last season. He'll likely receive an invite to an NHL rookie/training camp this fall.

Four QMJHL players taken in first round

Fyodor Svechkov is now a member of the Nashville Predators organization.

Svechkov, taken 23rd overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, was selected with the 19th overall pick in Friday's opening round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Many publications had him going a few spots higher, so this could be seen as a small slide.

It remains very unlikely Svechkov, 18, reports to Saint John.

Nashville gets a terrific two-way center in Fyodor Svechkov. Skilled and responsible, he'll move over to SKA-St. Petersburg's organization next season, a great place to develop

— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) July 24, 2021

Four current QMJHL players were selected on Friday night.

17th overall by St. Louis: Zachary Bolduc (Rimouski)

22nd overall by Edmonton: Xavier Bourgault (Shawinigan)

27th overall by Nashville: Zachary L'Heureux (Halifax)

30th overall by Vegas: Zachary Dean (Gatineau)

Rounds 2-7 take place on Saturday. Sea Dogs forward Peter Reynolds will very likely hear his name called at some point.

Other players to keep an eye are Sea Dogs forward Cam MacDonald; former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy; 2020 Dogs draft pick and Providence College commit Guillaume Richard; and former Dogs prospect Bobby Orr.

Some other news and notes...

• Four of the top five picks were University of Michigan guys. Wild.
• Boston University commit Tyler Boucher, who was projected to be a second-round pick by most, went 10th overall to the Ottawa Senators.
• The Habs selecting Logan Mailloux, who renounced himself from the draft a few days ago, with the 31st overall pick was the biggest shocker - and disappointment - of the night. Please read The Athletic's coverage on this situation.