Saint John Sea Dogs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint John Sea Dogs
CitySaint John, New Brunswick
LeagueQuebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
DivisionMaritimes
Founded2005
Home arenaTD Station
ColoursRoyal blue, black, white & grey[1]
       
General managerAnthony Stella
Head coachTravis Crickard
Websitesjseadogs.com
Championships
Playoff championships2011, 2022 Memorial Cup Champions
2011, 2012, 2017 QMJHL Champions

The Saint John Sea Dogs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Saint John, New Brunswick. Founded as an expansion team in 2005, the Sea Dogs play their home games at TD Station and became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win a Memorial Cup championship in 2011. The Sea Dogs won the 2022 Memorial Cup as the host team, and has won three President's Cup championships in 2011, 2012, and 2017.

History[edit]

The city of Saint John was granted a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League expansion team for the 2005–06 season, to replace the American Hockey League's Saint John Flames that relocated in 2003. The Sea Dogs' first head coach was Christian La Rue under general manager Bob LeBlanc. The Sea Dogs were also given the first overall pick at the 2005 QMJHL Draft, selecting defenceman Alex Grant. The Sea Dogs did not qualify for the playoffs in their first season of play.[2]

During the offseason, La Rue was replaced with former London Knights assistant coach Jacques Beaulieu. Following the mid-season resignation of Leblanc, Beaulieu assumed the dual role of coach and general manager. The Sea Dogs had another first overall pick at the 2006 QMJHL Draft, where they selected defenceman Yann Sauvé.[3] The team missed the playoffs again in 2007, and selected defenceman Simon Després first overall.[4] The team also selected goaltender Robert Mayer third overall at the 2007 CHL Import Draft.[5]

In 2008, the team signed coach Beaulieu's son Nathan.[6] In the 2008–09 season, the Sea Dogs hosted the second game of the Canada–Russia Series at TD Station. The Russians defeated Team QMJHL by a score of 4–3, with the Canadian roster featuring four Sea Dogs players: Grant, Després, Sauvé, and rookie Steven Anthony (in place of an injured Chris DiDomenico).[7][8] Later that season, the Sea Dogs fired Beaulieu after a first round playoff loss.[9]

Karel St. Laurent, shown here with the Reading Royals, won seven games during the winning streak.

In the 2009 QMJHL Draft, the team chose future NHL forward Jonathan Huberdeau 18th overall. In the 2009 CHL Import Draft, the Sea Dogs chose Russian forward Stanislav Galiev first overall as well as Slovakian forward Tomas Jurco fourth overall.[10] In the 2009–10 season, the Saint John Sea Dogs won 22 consecutive games beginning on October 17 until December 12. The offense was led by Mike Hoffman (45 points). Following their streak, the Sea Dogs were first place in the league.[11]

In 2011, Yann Sauvé became the first player from the Saint John Sea Dogs organization to play an NHL game with his draft team, the Vancouver Canucks.[12]

The Sea Dogs tied a QMJHL record for most wins in a season with 58 in 2010–11, and won their first QMJHL President's Cup. In the same season, the Sea Dogs then became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win a Memorial Cup.[13] The Sea Dogs won their second Memorial Cup in 2022.[14]

Saint John Sea Dogs celebrate winning the 2011 Memorial Cup championship.

Season-by-season results[edit]

Regular season[edit]

QMJHL season standings.[15]

Legend: OTL=Overtime loss, SOL=Shootout loss

Season Division Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points Pct % Goals
For
Goals
Against
Standing
Division QMJHL
2005–06 East 70 15 47 2 6 38 0.214 174 325 8th 17th
2006–07 70 20 47 1 2 43 0.286 209 337 8th 18th
2007–08 70 41 22 4 3 89 0.586 265 238 2nd 5th
2008–09 Atlantic 68 34 30 2 2 72 0.500 222 232 3rd 9th
2009–10 68 53 12 1 2 109 0.779 309 187 1st 1st
2010–11 Maritimes 68 58 7 1 2 119 0.875 324 165 1st 1st
2011–12 68 50 15 0 3 103 0.757 298 180 1st 1st
2012–13 68 23 44 1 0 47 0.346 173 271 5th 16th
2013–14 68 19 44 2 3 43 0.316 165 255 6th 17th
2014–15 68 32 26 4 6 74 0.544 237 241 2nd 9th
2015–16 68 42 20 6 0 90 0.662 258 222 1st 3rd
2016–17 68 48 14 5 1 102 0.750 287 180 1st 1st
2017–18 68 14 43 9 2 39 0.287 181 301 6th 18th
2018–19 68 13 49 2 4 32 0.235 169 364 5th 17th
2019–20 64 30 33 1 0 61 0.477 226 280 4th 11th
2020–21 33 15 14 3 1 34 0.515 138 136 3rd 11th
2021–22 68 47 17 1 3 98 0.721 311 201 2nd 3rd
2022–23 68 24 38 5 1 54 0.397 233 318 5th 15th
2023–24 68 20 39 5 4 49 0.360 185 293 6th 16th

Playoffs[edit]

Season 1st round 2nd round 3rd round Finals
2005–06 Did not qualify
2006–07 Did not qualify
2007–08 4–0 P.E.I. Rocket 4–2 Acadie–Bathurst Titan 0–4 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
2008–09 0–4 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
2009–10 4–1 P.E.I. Rocket 4–0 Gatineau Olympiques 4–2 Victoriaville Tigres 2–4 Moncton Wildcats
2010–11 4–0 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4–1 Victoriaville Tigres 4–0 Lewiston Maineiacs 4–2 Gatineau Olympiques
2011–12 4–0 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4–0 Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4–1 Chicoutimi Saguenéens 4–0 Rimouski Océanic
2012–13 0–4 Halifax Mooseheads
2013–14 Did not qualify
2014–15 1–4 Baie-Comeau Drakkar
2015–16 4–1 Acadie-Bathurst Titan 4–3 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 1–4 Shawinigan Cataractes
2016–17 4–0 Rimouski Océanic 4–0 Val-d'Or Foreurs 4–2 Chicoutimi Saguenéens 4–0 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
2017–18 Did not qualify
2018–19 Did not qualify
2019–20 QMJHL playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Lost round-robin tournament
2021–22 2–3 Rimouski Océanic
2022–23 1–4 Gatineau Olympiques
2023–24 0–4 Drummondville Voltigeurs

Memorial Cup[edit]

The Memorial Cup is contested annually by the champions of the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League, as well as the host team. The competition consists of a round-robin, a semi-final game, and a final game. Below are the results of every game the Saint John Sea Dogs have competed in.

Year Round-robin Semi-finals Final
2011 4–3 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors Bye to Final 3–1 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
3–2 Owen Sound Attack
4–5 Kootenay Ice
2012 3–5 London Knights 4–7 Shawinigan Cataractes
5–2 Edmonton Oil Kings
4–1 Shawinigan Cataractes
2017 2–3 Windsor Spitfires 3–6 Erie Otters
7–12 Erie Otters
7–0 Seattle Thunderbirds
2022 5–3 Hamilton Bulldogs Bye to Final 6–3 Hamilton Bulldogs
3–4 Edmonton Oil Kings
5–3 Shawinigan Cataractes

Players[edit]

Team captains[edit]

  • 2005–06 Vincent Lambert / Kevin Coughlin
  • 2006–07 Charles Bergeron / David MacDonald
  • 2007–08 Alex Grant
  • 2008–09 Alex Grant / David Stich
  • 2009–11 Mike Thomas
  • 2011–12 Jonathan Huberdeau
  • 2012–13 Jonathan Huberdeau / Pierre Durepos
  • 2013–14 Sébastien Auger
  • 2014–15 Olivier LeBlanc / Mark Tremaine
  • 2015–17 Spencer Smallman
  • 2017–18 Joe Veleno / Bailey Webster
  • 2018–19 Anthony Boucher / Michael Campoli
  • 2019–20 Nicolas Guay
  • 2020–21 Vacant
  • 2021–22 Vincent Sévigny
  • 2022–23 Charlie DesRoches
  • 2023–24 Peter Reynolds

Sea Dogs Hall of Fame[edit]

NHL alumni[edit]

The following players have played in at least one National Hockey League (NHL) game as of the 2023–24 season:[21][22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS MAKE A SPLASH INTO THE Q". CHL.ca. March 24, 2005. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  2. ^ Stephens, Rick (December 8, 2023). "Sea Dogs Hope Pups Will Bring Better Days". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Yann Sauve To Participate in Top Prospects Game". OurSports Central. January 9, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Simon Després Named To Canadian National Under-18 Team". OurSportsCentral.com. October 2, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "CHL Import Draft". CHL.ca. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Nathan Beaulieu". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Saint John To Host Game Two Of 2008 Canada-Russia Challenge". OurSports Central. August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  8. ^ "Anthony will replace DiDomenico at the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge". CHL.ca. November 14, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  9. ^ admin (March 30, 2009). "Sea Dogs relieve Jacques Beaulieu of his duties". LHJMQ. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "2009 CHL Import Draft". Canadian Hockey League. 2009. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  11. ^ "22 Game Winning Streak". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. December 15, 2009. Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  12. ^ "Vancouver Canucks recall defenseman Yann Sauve". The Columbian. March 15, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  13. ^ chlwebproduct (May 30, 2011). "Saint John Sea Dogs win 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Barrett, Kevin (June 29, 2022). "Saint John Sea Dogs win Memorial Cup with 6-3 victory over Hamilton Bulldogs". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "QMJHL standings". theqmjhl.ca. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "HUBERDEAU NAMED FIRST INDUCTEE INTO SEA DOGS HALL OF FAME". CHL.ca. August 18, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "MIKE THOMAS NAMED FIRST PRESIDENT OF SEA DOGS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION". CHL.ca. August 9, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "FORMER SEA DOGS COACH GERARD GALLANT HEADED TO QMJHL HALL OF FAME". CHL.ca. November 25, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "GERARD GALLANT & MIKE KELLY RETURN FOR HALL OF FAME". CHL.ca. May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  20. ^ Perry, Brad. "Thomas Chabot To Join Sea Dogs Hall Of Fame". Country 94. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sea Dogs In The NHL". CHL.ca. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Sportak, Randy (January 9, 2024). "Calgary Flames 2020 second-round draft choice Yan Kuznetsov to make his NHL debut against Ottawa". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

External links[edit]