Notebook: Burbidge gets Sens camp invite

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge has received an invite to Ottawa Senators development camp.

The 17-year-old was not selected during this week's NHL Draft. He was ranked 110th amongst North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, making him a candidate for a late round pick.

Off to the Nation's Capital 🔜

Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge has been invited to the Ottawa Senators Development Camp!#CityOfChampions | @Senators pic.twitter.com/pEXZBnmjSq

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 30, 2023

Burbidge was not ranked at all in the mid-season rankings, proving just how much his play improved as his first season in the QMJHL progressed. The Falmouth, NS native finished the regular season with 19 goals and 50 points in 68 games.

Ottawa's development camp begins Sunday and ends on Thursday, July 6. 36 players will be attending.

HALL OF FAME RECAP

A quick video recap of last Friday's Sea Dogs Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly.

Light year for QMJHL at NHL Draft

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The 2023 NHL Draft went pretty much as expected for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Only 12 players from the QMJHL heard their names called in rounds two through seven on Thursday in Nashville. No players from the league were picked in Wednesday's first round.

As expected, newly acquired Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Ethan Gauthier was the first QMJHL player selected, going in the second round, 37th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has frequently drafted from the Q over the years.

Moncton Wildcats offensive defensemen Etienne Morin joined Gauthier in the second round, going 48th overall to the Calgary Flames. Morin joins the likes of former Saint John Sea Dogs Jeremie Poirier and Yan Kuznetsov in Calgary's defensive prospect pool.

Here's a look at where all the QMJHL players landed in this year's NHL Draft.

Round 2, 37th overall by Tampa Bay - Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville)

Round 2, 48th overall by Calgary - Etienne Morin (Moncton)

Round 3, 77th overall by Vegas - Mathieu Cataford (Halifax)

Round 3, 83rd overall by Nashville - Dylan MacKinnon (Halifax)

Round 4, 116th overall by Seattle - Andrei Loshko (Rouyn-Noranda)

Round 4, 122nd overall by New Jersey - Cam Squires (Cape Breton)

Round 4, 128th overall by Montreal - Quentin Miller (Quebec)

Round 5, 131st overall by Chicago - Marcel Marcel (Gatineau)

Round 5, 145th overall by New York Islanders - Justin Gill (Baie-Comeau)

Round 6, 191st overall by Florida - Luke Coughlin (Rimouski)

Round 7, 199th overall by Philadelphia - Matteo Mann (Chicoutimi)

Round 7, 224th overall by Columbus - Tyler Peddle (Drummondville)

The only real surprise to be picked was Gatineau Olympiques forward Marcel Marcel, a 19-year-old who had a strong showing at the world juniors with Czechia. He was not included in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings.

Shawinigan Cataractes defenseman Jordan Tourigny, who tumbled to 123rd in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, was not selected.

No Sea Dogs were picked. Forward Cole Burbidge was listed by many as a late round pick but ultimately was not selected. He will likely be invited to an NHL development camp in the coming days.

Saint John's 2022 Memorial Cup championship now one year old

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's been one year since the Saint John Sea Dogs lifted the Memorial Cup on home ice.

Captain Vincent Sevigny scored just 2:35 into the first period to help lead the Sea Dogs to a 6-3 victory over Mason McTavish, Arber Xhekaj and the Hamilton Bulldogs in the championship game on June 29, 2022.

Along with Sevigny, Cam MacDonald, Riley Bezeau, William Dufour, Josh Lawrence and Peter Reynolds scored. Nikolas Hurtubise made 25 saves in the win.

The victory finished off a spectacular tournament inside TD Station and some fantastic community events outside. The 2022 Memorial Cup will not be forgotten in this city for some time.

NHL Draft begins tonight

NHL.com

The first round of the NHL Draft is always exciting — but it will likely be a low key evening for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Forward Ethan Gauthier, formerly of the Sherbrooke Phoenix and currently of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, is the highest rated QMJHL player. Gauthier could be a late first round pick — but it's not a guarantee. Same goes for Moncton Wildcats offensive defenseman Etienne Morin, who most have projected as a second round selection.

The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft takes place Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Atlantic in Nashville. Rounds two through seven begin at noon on Thursday.

🚨 New @TheHockeyNews on the Q 🚨@KevinBarrettNB joins @willmacwriter and I to discuss the NHL Draft and QMJHL coaching moveshttps://t.co/iBRKx4TRXA

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) June 28, 2023

Thursday should be a much more eventful day for the QMJHL. Along with Gauthier and Morin (if they don't get chosen in the first round), Halifax's Mathieu Cataford and Dylan MacKinnon; Cape Breton's Cam Squires; Rouyn-Noranda's Andrei Loshko; Drummondville's Tyler Peddle; and a few others should have their names called.

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge has a shot at getting chosen on Thursday. Burbidge, who wasn't even ranked in the first half of the season, finished 110th in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings.

Burbidge was listed in a few final rankings.

NHL Central Scouting: 110 (North American skaters)

FCHockey: 135

Hockey Prospect: 206

McKeen's:136

Another player to watch over the next couple days is Bradly Nadeau of the BCHL's Penticton Vees. Nadeau, from Saint-François de Madawaska, is projected to be a late first rounder or early second rounder much like Gauthier. Nadeau and his brother, Joshua Nadeau, are committed to the University of Maine for next season.

Sea Dogs announce free agent camp invites

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced Tuesday that seven free agents have been invited to the team's training camp in August.

The group is made up of five forwards, one defenseman and one goaltender — an unsurprising split given how many defensemen the Sea Dogs have returning and drafted at this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs are still a young and rebuilding team, meaning many of these players have a legit shot of making the club with a strong showing at training camp. Given Saint John's limited amount of high draft picks the last couple years, finding some hidden gems is a must.

Here's a quick look at the seven invites.

Cameron Lowe - Forward - 6'1" and 174 lbs
The 19-year appeared in 47 games with the OHL's Erie Otters in 2021-22, recording four goals and two assists. He appeared in four games with the Otters this past season along with 23 games with the GOJHL's St. Catherines Falcons where he posted 14 goals and 20 assists. Lowe, a Niagara Falls native, added two goals and an assist in five playoff games.

Samuel Assinewai - Forward - 5'10" and 154 lbs

Assinewai played in 40 games with the OHL's Flint Firebirds in 2021-22, posting five goals and nine assists. He appeared in six games with the Firebirds last season, registering a goal and an assist. Assinewai spent most of last year with the NOJHL's Greater Sudbury Cubs where he had 16 goals and 45 points. He added five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff games. Notably, Cameron Lowe appeared in one playoff game with the Cubs as well. Assinewai also played with Team Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge.

Colby Morin - Forward - 5'11" and 168 lbs
The 17-year-old Grand Falls native had two goals and five assists in 28 Maritime Hockey League games with the Edmundston Blizzard last season. Morin is a graduate of the Fredericton Caps program. He was a sixth-round pick of the Cape Breton Eagles in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft.

One year since The DuFOUR Game

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

QUISPAMSIS, NB - Friday's Saint John Sea Dogs Hall of Fame ceremony was a reminder that the franchise has had quite a few memorable championship runs.

With those championship runs come great games — and perhaps the greatest game in Sea Dogs franchise history was played on this day one year ago.

It's been one year since The DuFOUR Game, which saw the Sea Dogs erase a three-goal first period deficit and defeat the rival Shawinigan Cataractes 5-3 to earn a bye straight through to the 2022 Memorial Cup final.

William Dufour had one of the greatest performances in Memorial Cup history, scoring four goals — which included a natural hat trick in the second period to tie the game. Dufour, the Memorial Cup MVP and leading scorer, had a remarkable 15 shots in the game.

"After the first period we just talked to ourselves in the locker room," Dufour said after the game. "After killing the penalty, the breakaway, I said no, I won't miss more chances like that. I can't. I buried one right after, almost on the penalty kill, and then right after on a faceoff. It was just amazing with the crowd and everything it was just, wow."

William Dufour was the ⭐️ Saturday as he powered the @SJSeaDogs to the final of the 2022 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada after a FOUR-goal performance! pic.twitter.com/UNMdWWTMuX

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 26, 2022

"It's pretty special wasn't it," Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall said of Dufour's performance.