CHURCHILL WINS ALLAN CUP

Former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender Jason Churchill won the Allan Cup last night with Clarenville Caribous, beating the Bentley Generals 5-3 to win Canada’s senior hockey championship.

Churchill made 39 saves to help his Newfoundland and Labrador club win the national crown in a game that was aired nationally on TSN. The St. John’s Telegram reports that Churchill stopped 23-of-25 shots in the second period alone.

From TSN.ca:

Dale Sullivan, Travis Champman and Brandon Roach all scored with the man advantage in a 4:56 span to give Clarenville, from Newfoundland and Labrador, a commanding early lead. It was the Caribou's first appearance in the senior amateur men's hockey championship.

The Generals, who made the final for the fourth straight year, lost for the second time in a row. Bentley won the Allan Cup in 2009 and was a finalist in 2008 and 2010.

Churchill played with the Sea Dogs during their inaugural season in 2005-06. The St. John’s native was forced to play behind a young and inexperienced defense core and faced a ton of shots each night. He had a record of 14-44 to go along with a 4.16 goals against average and a 0.894 save percentage.

Despite his bad numbers, he did collect 14 of the Sea Dogs’ 15 wins that season. He also had one shutout.

The netminder started his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

- Thanks to Randy Corey from FreddyPuck.com for the tip.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE
The QMJHL released the official schedule for the Saint John Sea Dogs – Victoriaville Tigres quarter-final playoff series. It is the same schedule as the one reported on the Tigres’ Facebook page yesterday.

Here it is (all times local):

2011-04-08 VICTORIAVILLE VS. SAINT JOHN - 7:30 pm
2011-04-09 VICTORIAVILLE VS. SAINT JOHN - 7:00 pm
2011-04-12 SAINT JOHN VS. VICTORIAVILLE - 7:00 pm
2011-04-13 SAINT JOHN VS. VICTORIAVILLE - 7:00 pm
2011-04-15 SAINT JOHN VS. VICTORIAVILLE - 7:00 pm
2011-04-18 VICTORIAVILLE VS. SAINT JOHN - 7:00 pm
2011-04-19 VICTORIAVILLE VS. SAINT JOHN - 7:00 pm

CUSTOM GOAL HORN
The goal horn at Harbour Station had a different tune to it in the final game of the regular season after Michael Kirkpatrick scored. A video labeled “Michael Kirkpatrick Custom Goal Horn" has popped up on YouTube.



Pretty good tune.

ON THE RISE
Central Scouting had some meetings this weekend to discuss their final rankings for upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Among the things discussed were about the top defensemen available for the draft. That list, of course, includes Sea Dog Nathan Beaulieu.

"Nathan is a fluid skater, hard worker and reads the play well," Central Scouting's Chris Bordeleau, who specializes in the QMJHL, told NHL.com, via Fox News. "We thought he should have had more points than he had (45 points in 65 games), but overall he has the NHL quickness already. That's what is really important at this stage."

Beaulieu was ranked ninth among North American players in Central Scouting’s midterm rankings.

- Thanks to Eric for the link.

THE BIG DEBATE
Also discussed at those same meetings yesterday (after a lunch break) was the debate of who is the better pick: Sean Couturier or Jonathan Huberdeau.

“Chris Bordeleau, who spends most of his time viewing players in the 'Q', opened discussions with a solid evaluation of centers Jonathan Huberdeau and Sean Couturier,” states NHL.com. “He spoke of Huberdeau's great hands around the net and Couturier's two-way acumen. Saint John defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has also been on the radar of every scout and his play was worthy of a lengthy discussion by those boys within the Conn Smythe Board Room.”

SEASON ENDING TALK
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Mario Durocher had a season ending question and answer session with the Cape Breton Post on Friday. His thoughts on the first round playoff sweep by the Sea Dogs:

"For a lot of guys, it was their first experience in the playoffs. I think that experience will be good. They played one of the best teams in Canada and we gave them goals. We know that we have to be in really top shape. If you have to play four games in five days and we have to play a short bench, they have to realize they have to be in good shape. They have to be bigger and stronger, so the summer will be a key thing for a lot of guys. Sometimes dumping the puck and avoiding turnovers make a difference and that’s what they did. Those were little things like that we learned from Saint John."

BUSY WEEK
It’s going to a busy week for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

On Wednesday, the annual QMJHL Awards Gala will be held in Montreal. On Thursday, the QMJHL and CHL will announce the host of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup. Then on Friday and Saturday, Games One and Two of their quarter-final series against Victoriaville will take place.

Buckle up.

THE CASE FOR FULLERTON
A good piece from Bill Hunt of the Daily Gleaner on how little recognition former Sea Dogs goaltender Travis Fullerton gets for his winning ways with the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.

"But it's another slap in the mask of Fullerton, who has quietly had a spectacular career at UNB: the first to be blamed when things go wrong, the last to be credited when they go right. Look at the season just completed: 31 goals against in 20 games in the regular season: a 1.60 goals against average. Five shutouts. Post season: nine appearances. Six wins. Two shutouts. And then solid and sometimes spectacular last weekend."

Fullerton has now won two national championships with the V-Reds.

PEACE OUT AMYOT
Former Sea Dogs defenseman Pascal Amyot finished his junior career last week as the Halifax Mooseheads were swept away by the Montreal Juniors.

"Everything goes so fast," Amyot said through tears to the Chronicle Herald. "It feels like just yesterday I was a rookie in the league and now it’s over.

"After being in this league for five years, I came to realize that you don’t know the luck you’ve had until it’s gone."

Amyot, who has to be considered one of the smartest players in junior hockey, will continue studying engineering at Dalhousie next year and will play for the Tigers in the AUS ranks.

Photo Credits: HockeyDB, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, David Connell Web Album

SAUVE RECALLED AGAIN

The Vancouver Canucks just can’t catch a break on the blue line this season. But bad news on the injury front for the Canucks continues to be good news for former Saint John Sea Dogs defender Yann Sauve.

The Canucks recalled Sauve again yesterday and is listed on the team's line-up for tonight's game. The National Hockey League’s regular season champions face the Edmonton Oilers this evening at Rogers Arena.

“It’s always bad for a team to get an injury, but it’s a chance for me to be here and play some games,” said Sauve to the Vancouver Province. “It’s a boost of confidence every time you come here and get to play with those guys. You learn a lot from it.”

“My parents would be watching anyway, but I think it’s good for my little town of Rigaud (near Montreal) to see a guy from there playing on Hockey Night in Canada.”

Vancouver was forced to recall the 21-year old when Chris Tanev was hurt in Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

The injuries continue to pile up for the Canucks as the playoffs get closer. From the team’s website:

Vancouver has also been hurting, with forwards Mikael Samuelsson (thigh) and Tanner Glass (ribs/abdominal) and defenseman Christopher Tanev (upper body) day-to-day. Defenseman Dan Hamhuis is out indefinitely with a concussion. Defensemen Alexander Edler (back), Lee Sweatt (foot) and Andrew Alberts (wrist) are on injured reserve. Forward Manny Malhotra had left eye surgery and is out for the season.

Sauve has played in three NHL games this season but did not pick up any points.

In 37 games with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, the first overall pick in the 2006 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft has three goals and nine assists.



Photo Credit: Winnipeg Free Press

FULLERTON, UNB WIN UNIVERSITY CUP

FREDERICTON – Travis Fullerton made 28 saves to help the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds win the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championship last night on home ice. It is Fullerton’s second Cavendish Farms University Cup and the school’s third in five years.

The former Saint John Sea Dog was outstanding in goal, earning his second straight shutout of the tournament in the Varsity Reds’ 4-0 victory over the McGill Redmen. His reputation as a big game goaltender was proven once again as the netminder made several incredible stops to keep momentum going in UNB’s favour.

After allowing only one-goal in three tournament games, fans chanted Fullerton’s name during some of the trophy presentations. When the Riverview native was named to the tournament all-star team, his name was chanted for a good 20 seconds.

From the Daily Gleaner:

"I felt good from the opening puck in Game 1," he said. "I didn't know I had let in one goal all tournament. We did a great job all tournament. This year is the only year I felt really, really comfortable here. All year I felt really good. I played some of my best games of the year here. I don't know if you can compare the championships, but to win it in front of the home fans is unbelievable.

"This is one of my top seasons for sure," Fullerton said. "We didn't get the result we wanted last year and everybody came back focused this year. For sure I wanted to play my best hockey and I think I did."

Former St. John’s Fog Devil Luke Gallant was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He netted the game winner in Sunday’s game while Daine Todd scored a pair and another former Fog Devil, Matt Fillier, also scored.

CIS top-scorer and ex-Sea Dog Alexandre Picard-Hooper couldn’t break through the wall of Fullerton and the UNB defense. Picard took a penalty late in the third period with the game already out of reach at that point.

UNB hosts the University Cup again next season at the Aitken Centre.

EX-DOGS MEET IN CIS FINAL TONIGHT

FREDERICTON – In a winner-take-all bout, two former Saint John Sea Dogs find themselves on opposing sides tonight in Fredericton.

Tonight, the 2011 Cavendish University Cup wraps up at the Aitken Centre with the host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds taking on the McGill Redmen in Canadian Interuniversity Sport action. Game time is 8:00 pm and can be seen live across the country on Rogers Sportsnet.

Tonight’s Gold Medal game features two 2-0 teams taking on each other. UNB won their first game in thrilling style as Josh Kidd fired a point shot with four seconds left to give the hosts a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Dinos. Last night, the V-Reds battled through some questionable officiating to beat the Western University Mustangs 4-0 to advance to today’s final.

In yesterday’s game, ex-Sea Dogs goaltender Travis Fullerton picked up the shutout win. The Riverview native is expected to start tonight’s championship game as well. In 2009, Fullerton backstopped the V-Reds to a national championship in his rookie season.

The Times & Transcript reported on Wednesday that the netminder “posted a CIS-best 1.60 goals-against average and topped the Atlantic University Sport conference with a .928 save percentage this season. He finished with a 15-4 regular-season record and five shutouts.”

As seen in his playing career – and especially with the young 2007-08 Saint John team – Fullerton lives for big games. He has come up huge several times in this tournament and he’ll be looked upon to do so again this evening against the Redmen.

McGill opened the tournament on Thursday as well with a 2-1 win over the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. The Redmen advanced to the final with a solid 6-3 victory over the Alberta Golden Bears.

The Redmen feature former Sea Dogs forward and CIS player of the year Alexandre Picard-Hooper. Picard scored once and added an assist in yesterday afternoon’s tilt against the Golden Bears.

Like Fullerton, Picard was an overager on the Sea Dogs’ surprising 07-08 team.

This has been an unbelievable tournament so far and every game has provided entertainment. Both UNB games have featured incredible atmosphere – and tonight will be no different. Buckle up.

PICARD NAMED CIS TOP PLAYER

FREDERICTON – Former Saint John Sea Dogs star Alexandre Picard-Hooper took home a big honour Wednesday night at the CIS Awards Banquet in Fredericton.

The third-year McGill Redmen forward won the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the CIS Player of the Year.

According to the Montreal Gazette, “in 28 conference games, the first-team all-Canadian scored 11 goals, with 47 assists, which was also the best in Canada and two shy of the school record set by George Burnett in 1982-83.”

"Alex is a skilled, crafty centre who is very smart and good at both ends of the ice," said Redmen coach Kelly Nobes to the Canadian Press. "He has eyes in back of his head and makes guys around him better."

In 246 career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games with Saint John and the Baie-Comeay Drakkar, Picard registered 137 goals and 186 assists. Traded to Saint John on September 18, 2007, the sniper had 23 goals and 45 assists in 58 games.

Picard helped a young and inexperienced Sea Dogs team go all the way to the QMJHL semi-finals before bowing out to the powerful Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in four games. He was part of a solid 20-year trio that also featured 42-goal scorer Scott Howes and arguably the best goaltender in club history in Travis Fullerton.

The Montreal native has always done well academically, winning the scholastic player of the year award in 2007.

The Redmen, meanwhile, have a lot of work to do this week as they battle for the Cavendish University Cup Championship at the Aitken University Centre in New Brunswick’s capital city. The team will play in the tough Pool B with the Alberta Golden Bears and the AUS runner-ups, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

Pool A consists of Travis Fullerton and the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, the Western Mustangs, and the Calgary Dinos.

McGill begins the tournament tomorrow afternoon against the X-Men. A full schedule can be found HERE. All games will be webcasted on the SSN Network and broadcasted on CHSR Radio. Saturday and Sunday games will be on Rogers Sportsnet.

MacDONALD IN, PASSINGHAM OUT

It appears Troy Passingham will have to wait to get his chance at dressing for a National Hockey League game.

The Detroit Red Wings gave Passingham a call yesterday and it looked as though he would backup goaltender Jimmy Howard with Chris Osgood still injured. But that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. From the Red Wings website:

The Red Wings today announced that goaltender Joey MacDonald has been recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. MacDonald will serve as Jimmy Howard’s backup tonight when the Red Wings host the Vancouver Canucks at Joe Louis Arena (7:30 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports Detroit Plus and 97.1 The Ticket).

MacDonald, 31, has appeared in twelve games for Detroit this season, posting a 4-4-2 record. He currently leads all Red Wings' goaltenders with a 2.10 GAA and .926 save percentage. To clear a roster spot for MacDonald, the Red Wings have placed veteran goaltender Chris Osgood (groin) on injured reserve.

Passingham was brought in as an emergency backup because the Red Wings did not have the salary cap room to call-up MacDonald. But with Osgood being placed back on the IR, it allowed room for MacDonald to be recalled from the AHL.

It’s unfortunate news for Passingham, but at least he was given an opportunity. It surely wasn’t an ideal situation for the Red Wings who play the NHL’s best, the Vancouver Canucks, tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

In an article posted in the Red Wings website, the former Saint John Sea Dogs netminder was playing ‘Call of Duty’ at his girlfriend’s house when he received the news.

The Detroit Free Press reports that even the Red Wings staff seemed to be caught off guard by the move and didn’t have a nameplate for his stall in the dressing room. Instead, a generic “RedWings” plate was put in place.

“At least it’s a name people recognize,” he said to the Free Press, laughing.

In a USA Today article posted earlier today, it stated that if Passingham is unable to find somewhere to play professional hockey next season, he will suit up in the Canadian university ranks.

Photo Credit: Sea Dogs Facebook page

TROY PASSINGHAM - RED WINGS BACKUP

Troy Passingham is expected to be the backup goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings tonight.

No, this is not a joke.

He was a third string netminder for the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2007-08, appearing in just two games. Tonight, he’ll become just the second player in franchise history to sit on a National Hockey League bench.

From USA Today:

Ontario Hockey League goalie Troy Passingham was hanging out with his girlfriend Monday when he received the call that every junior goalie would love to get: The Detroit Red Wings wanted him.

With Joey McDonald down in the minors and Chris Osgood unavailable, the Red Wings needed to sign Passingham to be Jimmy Howard's emergency backup Wednesday for a game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Passingham, who finished his junior career with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, has apparently singed a 24-hour amateur tryout contract with the Red Wings. He isn’t expected to play unless Howard gets injured.

"Obviously, that's in the back of your mind, but I'm just happy to be here and watch these guys play," said Passingham about playing in an emergency situation to the Vancouver Province. "Obviously there was a lot of excitement [when the Wings called] and a really long day. You get butterflies, but that's hockey. You've just got to be ready. Maybe, I'll be sitting on the bench. Maybe I'll read a book."

"Still chasing the dream," he said to USA Today.

Passingham will join Yann Sauve, who made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season, as the only two Sea Dogs to appear in an NHL lineup.

The former Sea Dogs' journey to the NHL is an odd one. He barely played in his full season with Saint John and then played a year of junior ‘A’ hockey in Ontario in 2008-09. He then went on to help the Windsor Spitfires win the MasterCard Memorial Cup last year.

He was traded by the Spitfires to Sarnia mid-season. In 24 games with the Sting he went 9-10-2-1 with a goals against average of 4.76 and a save percentage of 0.879.

The Red Wings host the Canucks tonight at 8:30 pm at Joe Louis Arena. The game can be seen on TSN.

CANUCKS RECALL SAUVE

For the second time this season, the Vancouver Canucks have called up former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Yann Sauve.

Sauve was called up last night by the Canucks, forcing him to miss the Manitoba Moose game against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The Pens won the game 2-0 at the MTS Centre.

The recall was needed after defenseman Sami Salo was injured in Monday’s contest against the Minnesota Wild.

From the Vancouver Sun:

Earlier Tuesday, coach Alain Vigneault seemed to be holding out hope that Salo might be able to play tonight.

"I think there's a good possibility, but that being said we'll see tomorrow morning how he feels," Vigneault said after Tuesday's practice. "If he can go, great. If he can't, we've got plenty of time to call somebody up from Manitoba and get him here by game time."

But just a couple of hours after Vigneault made those comments, the Canucks announced that Sauve was being summoned from the farm.

In his first three National Hockey League games, Sauve didn’t record any points or penalty minutes. He did, however, make a nice diving play to get the puck ahead that resulted in a Canucks goal.

In 31 games with the Moose, he has two goals, seven assists, and 12 penalty minutes.

Obviously, this was good news for any Sea Dogs followers. But the recall was also a bit unfortunate as Sauve was forced to miss last night’s Moose game against the Baby Penguins. Former Sea Dogs captain and a frequent partner of Sauve on the blue line, Alex Grant, was making his 2010-11 AHL debut after a short East Coast Hockey League stint.

Grant, who spent over half the season recovery from a nasty hit he took at rookie camp, was a plus-2 and registered three shots.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

MEMORIAL CUP SCHEDULE
The 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup schedule and game times were finalized this week. The QMJHL representative opens the tournament on May 20 at 8:00 pm against the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

Here is the full schedule (times are in EST):

Round-Robin Game 1 – QMJHL vs. Mississauga on Friday May 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 2 – OHL vs. WHL on Saturday May 21, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 3 – Mississauga vs. WHL on Sunday May 22, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 4 – OHL vs. QMJHL on Monday May 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 5 – WHL vs. QMJHL on Tuesday May 24, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 6 – Mississauga vs. OHL on Wednesday May 25, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Tie-Breaker (if necessary) – Thursday May 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Semi-Final – Friday May 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Championship Final – Sunday May 29, 2011 at 7:00 pm

All games are broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet.

SAUVE SENT DOWN
Yann Sauve made his presence known on the Vancouver Canucks blue-line over the past few games, but with the teams inured defense core finally starting to return, the former Saint John Sea Dog was returned to the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose earlier this week.

"It was real fun, a good experience," Sauve said to the Winnipeg Free Press Wednesday. "For sure the pace is faster but I think I got a tempo going and I think I stepped up my game a bit. I had to, otherwise they were going to eat me alive."

In three games with the National Hockey League club he had no points or penalty minutes.

SEA DOGS ON NHL.COM
The Sea Dogs were featured on NHL.com the other day. Not much of an article, but you get what you can get on NHL.com.

Here is a selection from the post:

Keep in mind that there could be as many as six players from the QMJHL taken in the first round of the 2011 Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn., on June 24. The last time the league produced as many as four first-round NHL draft picks was 2007 when forwards Jakub Voracek, Logan MacMillan, Angelo Esposito and David Perron were all taken among the top 26 selections.

Not only could there be as many as six players from the 'Q' drafted in the opening round, but four of the players might very well be from the surging Sea Dogs.

PRE-GAME RITUALS
The QMJHL website had a video this week asking players what are the most bizarre pre-game rituals they have seen in the league. Nathan Beaulieu and Zack Phillips were both asked.

Click HERE to check out the video.

THE LATEST FROM ISS
International Scouting Services released their Top 30 Rankings for February last week over at Hockey’s Future.

Jonathan Huberdeau was the highest ranked Sea Dog, coming in at No. 13. The only other Saint John player on the list was Tomas Jurco who was ranked at No. 30. The only other player from the QMJHL to make the list was Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Sean Couturier.

THE CASE FOR HUBERDEAU
Another terrific post from Kirk Luedeke of 2011 Bruins Draft Watch. Friday, the site had an article on why the Boston Bruins may consider drafting Jonathan Huberdeau with their top pick (i.e. the Toronto Maple Leafs pick).

The post has a quote from a NHL scout:

"The biggest surprise for me this year with Huberdeau is the goal scoring. I knew he was an excellent passer from seeing him last year, but I didn't see how aggressive he was going to be at taking the puck to the net and finishing off the play. He put a lot of work into his shot, and he's playing with a lot of confidence. The puck is going in a lot for him, and I don't see that it's a fluke. He's got some real upside."- Quebec-based NHL scout for Western Conference Team

A GREAT DAY
Nice article on the QMJHL website about the Sea Dogs'  rise to the top.

"We have a hell of a team here and we plan on going to the Memorial Cup," Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said in the article. "There’s a lot of work to do, but that’s our goal."

GALLANT BEING GALLANT

Former Saint John Sea Dogs enforcer Brett Gallant recently signed with the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Gallant, who is the Sea Dogs franchise leader in penalty minutes, has not lost his fighting skills over the years.

Last Sunday in a loss against the Hershey Bears, Gallant had an epic tilt with Joel Rechilcz. From Sweetest Hockey on Earth:

Soon it became 3-1 Bears as Joel Rechlicz (yes, Joel Rechlicz) scored his first goal of the season. Not only his first goal, but his first ever AHL goal and his first goal since his 2007-2008 IHL season (s/t to Tim Leone for that fact). Right after, Rechlicz dropped the gloves with Brett Gallant. It was a brilliant fight, both guys got in some huge punches and the fight lasted for at least a minute. That’s the kind of fight people will be talking about the next day. Before the end of the period, the Sound Tigers got one goal back.

Here is the round of fisticuffs:



“That was a really long fight,” Rechlicz said to The Patriot News. “I give credit to the other guy on the other side. He’s a pretty tough kid. He looks small, but he throws pretty hard.”

Gallant played 13 games with the Elmira Jackals this season and 12 games with Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League before getting his AHL gig. In seven games with the Sound Tigers, Gallant has already accumulated 23 penalty minutes.

Photo Credit: Sweetest Hockey on Earth; Thanks to Emily B. for the links

VIDEO: Sauve vs Dallas

Yann Sauve may not have gotten a point on this play, but he certainly helped in making it happen.

Sauve dove to chip the puck ahead to Daniel Sedin which would eventually lead to a beautiful passing play finished off by Henrik Sedin at 15:43 of the third period.



Sauve would finish the game with no points, a plus-1 rating, three shots, and spent 14:47 on the ice. The NHL.com boxscore also shows that Sauve spent 20 seconds on the Canucks penalty kill last night.

In three games with the National Hockey League club, the former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman has no points or penalty minutes, a zero rating, and five shots.

SOLID DEBUT FOR SAUVE

Defenseman Yann Sauve became the first Saint John Sea Dog to skate in a National Hockey League game last evening as he played a role in the Vancouver Canucks’ 4-1 victory in Minnesota over the Wild.

Sauve managed to fight through the nerves and played a solid defensive game. He saw 12 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time, not bad for an 20-year playing in his first NHL game.

The Vancouver Province has more:

Yann Sauve has come a long way since a concussion threatened his season last September. He played 12: 16, had no points, was an even plus-minus and only made one major gaffe -when Wild centre John Madden turnstiled him midway through the third, but goaltender Cory Schneider saved his bacon by making a big stop.

The former Sea Dogs played 18 shifts, averaging 40 minutes per shift according to NHL.com. He recorded one hit and was credited for one giveaway.

''That was one mistake, it's going to happen and I'll probably play it different next time for sure,'' said Sauve to The Province on his error in the third period. ''After the first couple of shifts I was feeling a bit better and the nerves were gone. It was a good experience.''

Before the game, the Vancouver Sun had a great article on Sauve’s bizarre season that his seen him go from car accident to the NHL.

“My mom didn't believe it,” Sauve said of his late-night phone call Monday to tell his parents, Carol and Michel, he had been called up from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. “She thought I was kidding because I always do this. But they were really happy. They were half-asleep. They were really happy.

“Hopefully, I'll be in Vancouver [after the road trip ends Thursday in Nashville] and they'll probably come down there. But we'll go game by game.”

The Sun also had the best title of any Sauve reading: “Yann Sauve’s Canucks journey: From hood ornament to NHL.”

CanucksTV spoke to the first overall selection in the 2006 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft after the game:




At the end of the day, it was a proud moment for the Sea Dogs franchise to see one of the players they developed make the jump to ‘The Show.’ It was the first of many of these moments to come.

SAUVE SET TO MAKE HISTORY

More info on Yann Sauve’s National Hockey League debut continues to roll in.

Rogers Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy has been in beast mode today, posting up a storm on Twitter. Murphy reports that Sauve will wear No. 47 as he has in the past with the Vancouver Canucks during exhibition games.

Some other stuff, including the defense pairings:

Of course, what is bad news for Andrew Alberts is probably good news for Sauve. The Canucks are currently missing four other defensemen along Alberts and his broken wrist: Dan Hamhuis (concussion), Keith Ballard (knee sprain), Alex Edler (back surgery), and Lee Sweatt (foot fracture).

From Nucks Misconduct:

These injuries and fourth line holes have made it a rookie parade which continues tonight with Yann Sauve playing his first NHL game as our 12th blueliner this season. Coincidentally Sauve was paired with Sami Salo just last week with the Moose. Since the bottom pairings are going to be notably weak, Bieksa and Ehrhoff will probably flirt with 30 minutes TOI again.

While Sauve will be the first Saint John Sea Dog to appear in a NHL game, the 20-year old will be making Victoria Salmon Kings history as well. From VicNews.com:

Take note hockey fans, Yann Sauve’s debut as a Vancouver Cancuk against the Minnesota Wild tonight (Feb. 15) is a piece of history for the Victoria Salmon Kings organization.

Sauve will be the first Salmon King to climb the organizational ladder from the ECHL to AHL (Manitoba Moose) to the NHL's Canucks.

Trivia buffs back off, the three minutes former Salmon Kings’ goalie Rob McVicar played for Vancouver in 2005-06 was emergency stuff. Sauve is a bona fide NHL prospect.

Sea Dogs president Wayne Long chimed in on what will be a proud and historic moment for the still-young junior hockey franchise.

“Yann is an outstanding hockey player, but more importantly he’s an outstanding young man. He’s a great ambassador for our organization and I’m looking forward to watching him play many more games in the National Hockey League,” said Long in a team release.

“We’re extremely proud of how far Yann has come. To think back to when he arrived here as a 16-year-old and to see his progress to date, that’s what junior hockey is all about,” Long said. “We’re proud when anyone from our organization moves on to the next level, whether it’s in hockey or in life. But there’s something extra special about the NHL. It’s what every kid dreams of, and we hope to see many more of our alumni there in the future.”

The Canucks, currently the best team in the NHL, take on the Minnesota Wild tonight at 9:00 pm on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. If you don’t have the NHL package or whatever the game is probably blacked out. Gotta love Sportsnet.

The crew at ‘Nucks Misconduct’ have a game preview.

Photo Credit: Dan Murphy

SAUVE GETS THE CALL

The Vancouver Canucks announced late last night that defenseman Andrew Alberts fractured his wrist in the team’s 3-2 loss in St. Louis. The injury added to an already depleted defense core that features five d-men on the sidelines.

To fill the void on the backend, the Canucks called up a familiar face – Yann Sauve.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman is expected to play for the top team in National Hockey League this evening when they travel to Minnesota to face the Wild at 9:00 pm AST.

From the Vancouver Province:

It's come to the point where the call-up from the Manitoba Moose is Yann Sauve -who's missed most of the season after being hit by a car in downtown Vancouver before training camp in September, suffering a concussion. Sauve, who turns 21 this week, will join the Canucks in Minnesota today and is slated to play his first NHL game.

Sauve is a stay-at-home type and that likely worked in his favour.

If Sauve plays this evening, he’ll become the first Sea Dog alum to appear in a NHL contest.

It has been an eventful season for the 2006 first overall selection in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft. It started off with him getting hit by a car in downtown Vancouver during Canucks rookie camp in the fall. He was diagnosed with a concussion amongst other bumps and bruises.

“It might have been a French-English thing, I'm not quite sure,” Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said earlier this season, “but he decided to walk the opposite way of everybody else and got hit by a car.”

After a lengthy recovery and some mystery about where the team that took him the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft would send him, Sauve started his season in late November with the East Coast Hockey League’s Victoria Salmon Kings. In eight games, he had two assists and four penalty minutes.

After the brief ECHL stint, Sauve joined the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose where he has been playing since his call-up last night. In 20 matches, the Rigaud, Quebec native has three assists and eight penalty minutes.

In four seasons with Saint John, Sauve accumulated 20 goals, 82 assists, 296 penalty minutes, and a plus-14 rating in 251 regular season games. In 39 post-season contests he recorded six goals, 14 assists, 67 penalty minutes, and was a minus-eight.

VIDEO: Passingham still going strong

Troy Passingham has become quite a story.

In 2007, he was the Saint John Sea Dogs’ third string goaltender and only saw action twice all season. Fast-forward to last spring, he was hoisting the Memorial Cup as a member of the Windsor Spitfires.

Passingham went 35-10-3 in the Ontario Hockey League with the Spits last season, a far cry from is 1-1 record with Saint John during the 2007-08 campaign.

On January 8, the Spitfires traded the overage goalie and an eighth-round pick in 2011 to the Sarnia Sting. In exchange, the Spits got defenseman Brent Sullivan and goaltender John Cullen.

Yesterday, A Channel News in London had a great piece on Passingham’s epic journey.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 9, Mooseheads 2

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – MOOSEHEADS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 9, Halifax 2
Saint John Goals: Jonathan Huberdeau (27), Nathan Beaulieu (7, 8), Steven Anthony (15, 16), Zach Phillips (27), Mike Thomas (11), and Michael Kirkpatrick (13, 14)
Halifax Goals: Charles Bety (13), Brent Andrews (10)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Jacob DeSerres
Losing Goaltenders: HAL – Frederic Piche and Anthony Terenzio
News 88.9 Top Dog: Eric Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Mooseheads: 2/6, Sea Dogs: 4/6
Shots on Goal: Mooseheads: 13+15+11=39, Sea Dogs: 14+13+9=36
Length: 2:13
Attendance: 5,513

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Defenseman Simon Despres and forward Tomas Jurco were given the night off after returning from the World Junior Hockey Championships earlier this week.

Defenseman Kevin Gagne missed his third straight game with what the Sea Dogs are calling an “upper body injury.” Defenseman Spencer MacDonald, who was recalled from junior ‘A’ last week, is no longer with the big club. Forward Scott Oke was a healthy scratch.

BLOWOUT CITY
The Saint John Sea Dogs put the hammer down on Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre, blowing out the hometown Mooseheads 9-2 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Sea Dogs scored early and often against the Mooseheads, beating former Saint John goaltender Frederic Piche on their first shot of the game just 39 seconds into the opening period.

"It was just one of those nights," said Mooseheads captain Travis Randell to the Chronicle Herald. "All the bounces went their way and nothing went right for us. They’re a highly skilled team, the best team in the country, and they’re going to score if you give them any chances."

Jonathan Huberdeau was the goal getter on the early marker, walking around former Sea Dog Pascal Amyot and then going high glove on Piche. The Mooseheads tied the game on a power play 5:01 thanks to a Charles Bety tip – but that would be as close as the Herd would get on this night.

Nathan Beaulieu gave the Sea Dogs their lead back at 11:16 with a power play goal. Then Steven Anthony scored two straight to send Saint John to the dressing room with a 4-1 lead.

Rookie Anthony Terenzio replaced Piche in goal to start the second frame. Things didn’t go much better for him in net as the Sea Dogs were able to add four more to their lead. Zach Phillips scored just 16 seconds in followed by a Mike Thomas shorthanded goal at 7:02. Michael Kirkpatrick then made his presence known, scoring twice to give Saint John a 8-1 lead after 40 minutes.

In the third and Piche back in net, Beaulieu scored his second of the game at 15:54. The man advantage goal came with Saint John mostly using their third and fourth lines as the power play unit. Brent Andrews scored late in period but it didn’t mean much as the Dogs cruised to a 9-2 victory.

The Mooseheads, a rebuilding club, have been in blowouts before. But there was something about this game that really made it feel as though the Mooseheads were never in it after the puck dropped.

"Even if you had a three-goal lead going into the third period against a team like that it wouldn’t be safe," Randell said. "They’re a dangerous team no matter what the score is and it’s even tougher to come back against them because they’ve got so many good players."

NOT PICHE’S NIGHT
It certainly was a night to forget for Frederic Piche. After being traded to the Mooseheads on Thursday, the goaltender was given the start against his old team who just so happen to be the most offensively dangerous club in the QMJHL.

Piche got lit up in the first period, allowing four goals on 14 shots. After backup Anthony Terenzio allowed four goals of his own in the middle frame, Piche relieved him at 13:35. The 19-year let in a Nathan Beaulieu laser in the third period, his only goal against on nine shots.

The Mooseheads’ defense didn’t help him a lot, either, allowing shooters to walk straight past them on some occasions. Was it the right move for the Moose to start Piche against his former team in his Halifax debut? That is definitely a debatable question.

The player the Sea Dogs got in return for Piche, goaltender Mathieu Corbeil, spent the night on the bench backing-up Jacob DeSerres.

STREAKING
The Sea Dogs improved to 6-0-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season and have now outscored the club 35-14. Saint John has now won four straight contests and lost only once in the unofficial second half of the season.

The Mooseheads on the other hand have lost two straight. Metro Halifax tweeted that the Herd have “lost by seven or more goals just seven times in 528 games over the past eight seasons.”

GELINAS, SEED MAKE DEBUTS
Two newly acquired defenseman made their Sea Dogs debut last night. Eric Gelinas, acquired on Wednesday in exchange for Guillaume Cloutier, got lots of ice time. He created a solid scoring chance early in the first period after unleashing a point shot. He assisted on two goals, was a +4, recorded two shots, and had a team high four shots.

Jason Seed also made his Sea Dogs debut on the backend. He was a +1 and had one shot on goal in the game.

DeSERRES PLAYS WELL IN WIN
Despite the lopsided score, Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres made some big saves in the game. He made a few highlight cross crease stops that, although the game was already out of reach for the Mooseheads, kept the momentum going in Saint John’s favour.

In total, DeSerres made 37 saves on 39 shots as Halifax outshot the Sea Dogs, 39-36.

Also of note, this was the first time DeSerres has started back-to-back games this season. He started in Tuesday’s shootout win over Bathurst.

THE BIG LINE
The big line of Steven Anthony, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Zach Phillips had yet another big night for the Sea Dogs.

Anthony recorded two goals and one assist, Huberdeau one goal and four assists, and Phillips one goal and two assists. In total, the trio combined for four goals and seven helpers. Since the three have been put together, they have been one of the hottest lines in the QMJHL.

QUICK HITS
Four of Saint John’s seven penalties in the game were hooking calls… Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was not on the bench for the second half of the game, reported News 88.9. It’s unknown where he was… Michael Kirkpatrick is now three points back of tying Ryan Sparling’s franchise record for career points as a Sea Dog… Saint John went a solid 4/6 on the power play… the Silvervision feed at the Metro Centre kept showing the same people: a group of young ladies, some guy in a green jacket, and occasionally a body suit man… the first shot in the first and second periods both went in… the Sea Dogs tied their season high for goals in a game. They recorded nine in that insane game in Moncton earlier this season… Stephen MacAulay and Pierre Durepos were the only Saint John players without a shot on goal… Steven Anthony had a team high six shots… Carl Gelinas led the Mooseheads in shots with six… Mike Thomas is now fourth overall in the QMJHL in shorthanded goals with three… to relive the match, check out the SN Live Blog replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket at 7:00 pm on Tuesday at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: RicLaf Flickr, RicLaf Flickr, Moose Maniac

ROUGH NIGHT FOR FORMER SEA DOG

HALIFAX - Still wearing his Saint John Sea Dogs pads and mask, Frederic Piche fell victim to his former team’s dynamic offense on Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre.

In his first start as Halifax Moosehead since being traded from Saint John on Thursday in exchange for goaltender Mathieu Corbeil, Piche allowed five goals on 24 shots with four of those coming in the first period. Safe to say it wasn’t the first impression Piche wanted to give his new team.

The Sea Dogs scored early and often en route to a 9-2 blowout win over the Mooseheads. But to be fair to the Mooseheads and Piche, the Herd’s young and developing defense could only do so much to stop the nation’s top ranked team who are averaging an insane 4.8 goals per game.

"There wasn’t much any goalie could’ve done on a lot of those goals," Moosehead Travis Randell said the Chronicle Herald. "They have a lot of NHL-projected guys for the first couple rounds of the draft. There are a lot of high-calibre players on that team with NHL-calibre shots. There’s only so much (the goalies) could do."

According to Metro Halifax, it was “the Herd’s worst home loss since a 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the Moncton Wildcats on Dec. 27, 2009.”

Just 39 seconds into the match, Jonathan Huberdeau began his terrific night by dancing around former Sea Dog Pascal Amyot and then firing a wrist shot over the glove of the former Sea Dogs goaltender. It was apparent that the Sea Dogs knew Piche’s weaknesses after practicing with the netminder all season as high-to-the-glove-side began to become a popular destination for pucks hitting the back of the cage.

With the score 4-1, rookie Anthony Terenzio replaced Piche in net to start the second period. He didn’t fare much better, allowing four goals just under-14 minutes of action. While Piche sat on the bench, the Metro Centre’s video feed showed the interesting picture of him, wearing a Mooseheads jersey, sitting beside Corbeil, wearing a Sea Dogs sweater, separated by nothing more than a sheet of glass.

The 19-year old would allow just one more goal on the night which came from a Nathan Beaulieu power play blast in the third period. One can only imagine what kind of thoughts were going through Piche’s head as the match came to a close.

The Sea Dogs are now 6-0-0-0 against the Moose this season. Their next meeting is February 5 in Halifax and their final meeting of the year goes on February 22 at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: QMJHL, John Moore

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

SAUVE SENT TO MOOSE
As we posted the other day, former Sea Dogs defenseman Yann Sauve was assigned to the Manitoba Moose last Thursday. The 20-year had been playing with the East Coast Hockey League’s Victoria Salmon Kings where he had two assists in seven games.

Sauve’s stint in the ECHL was believed to be for conditioning after finally recovering from a concussion he suffered in September. Now, the Vancouver Canucks must decide where to put Sauve for the rest of the season.

A second round pick of the Canucks in 2008, there have been rumblings of him possibly returning for a final year of junior in Saint John.

OKE NAMED TOP STUDENT
Sea Dogs forward Scott Oke was named the teams Student of the Month for November last week. Oke was presented with the honour at Harbour Station earier this month.

Oke is currently a 12th grade student at St. Malachy’s High School.

ISS FEATURES
Tomas Jurco was the lone Sea Dog to make International Scouting Service's list of top 30 prospects for the upcoming National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Jurco was placed in the No. 22 spot and joined Drummondville’s Sean Couturier, ranked first overall, as the only Quebec leaguers to make the list.

Four Sea Dogs – Jonathan Huberdeau, Zach Phillips, Guillaume Cloutier, and Scott Oke – were listed as “risers.” All four have a paragraph written about them on the Hockey’s Future website.

“Showed us a little more every viewing; played well with Kelly and Tesink,” says the scouting service about Scott Oke. “Showed better vision and passing ability then seen in early viewings; made a few smart 5 foot passes and a few good 30 foot passes, finding seams. Doesn't always see his options, but is showing more patience with puck. Worked hard and made the most of limited ice time...played 4th line with no PP or PK.”

JURCO ON TPS
Last week, Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco went on The Pipeline Show radio program. To download the interview, click HERE.

TELUS DISCOUNT
Telus has released their mid-season webcast pricing. You can now buy all webcasts – live and archived – for the remainder of the regular season and all of the playoffs for $129.95.

NEW YEARS EVE
The annual Wildcats – Sea Dogs New Years Eve Game is always a great show, but this year there will be some added events for the Rivalry Cup match.

From a City of Saint John release:

The fun begins at 7:30 p.m. at Harbour Station with a Salute to Saint John Sports Heroes. This special historic event will honour some of Saint John’s outstanding sports personalities as part of the pre-game festivities before the Sea Dogs take on provincial rivals, the Moncton Wildcats. It is a presentation of City Stories, Saint John 225’s online social history project.

The Salute to Saint John Sports Heroes will honour Olympian Monica Hitchcock, international basketball official Fred Horgan and the legendary 1972/73 Mooseheads hockey team, winners of the Hardy Cup. Joining them at centre ice will be the St. Mary’s Band, one of Canada’s longest existing community bands (created in 1903) and tenor Owen McCausland, who will perform the national anthem.

Members of the Sea Dogs will also be participating in the New Years Eve celebrations on the boardwalk following the game.

McGUIRE CHRISTMAS WISHES
Telegraph-Journal columnist Peter McGuire released his annual Christmas gifts to the Sea Dogs column on Tuesday. Always a good read.

KREIDER TO PLAY FOR USA
A Sea Dogs draft pick will once again play for the Americans at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Drafted by Saint John in the 10th round of the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, Chris Kreider was named to Team USA yesterday.

"I was just playing and trying to enjoy it," Kreider told NHL.com yesterday about last year’s tournament where he and the Americans captured gold.. "It kind of just passes you by, but I guess that's the nature of the beast."

Currently playing with Boston College where he has five goals and six assists in 16 games, Kreider has never reported to Saint John.

NO BEAULIEU IN GUELPH
Former Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu will not be moving to the Guelph Storm organization as a head coach. The London Free Press recently suggested that he may be a candidate for the vacant position.

The Storm announced today that Scott Walker, 37, who joined the team on a volunteer basis in late October and will now serve as the team’s head coach.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM FREDDY BEACH
Daily Gleaner columnist David Ritchie gave some Christmas wishes for a couple of Fredericton-area Sea Dogs players earlier this week:

For Saint John Sea Dogs' Zack Phillips and Mike Thomas, both of Fredericton: For the Sea Dogs to win a Quebec Major Junior championship, and enhance the city's chances of hosting the Memorial Cup tournament. A credible host program is part and parcel of any potential winning bid, and with the Sea Dogs success over the past season and a half, they've already earned respect at the national level, due in great measure to the play of the second-year Phillips and captain Thomas.

ANOTHER LOOK AT SLOVAKIA
Patrick King of Rogers Sportsnet had another look at Team Slovakia’s entry for the world juniors.

Slovakia will ice a roster that is somewhat familiar to junior hockey fans. Guelph Storm forward Richard Panik, who was a member of that 2009 team, will be back for his third tournament while seven more from the CHL will join him. The most notables are defenceman Martin Marincin, an Edmonton Oilers draft pick that played in last year's tournament, and potential first round pick, forward Tomas Jurco.

The country finished fourth last year in Saskatoon.

NO RELATION
Abitibi Express reports that the Sea Dogs’ trade yesterday to acquire Alexandre Beauregard has no relation to the Steven Delisle trade that took place earlier this season.

The Sea Dogs acquired the NHL drafted Delisle for a 12th round pick earlier this year but he remains in the pro ranks. Beauregard was traded to Saint John yesterday for a first round pick.

Apparently, Montreal, Saint John, Victoriaville, and Drummondville were all interested in his services. Stephane Leroux of RDS tweeted yesterday that the Juniors were very close to landing him but would not give up a first round pick.

DELISLE UPDATE
Speaking of Steven Delisle, Justin A. Cohn of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette had an update on the defenseman on December 13.

Defenseman Steve Delisle did have surgery on his shoulder and is presumed out for the season, unless he has an extremely fortuitous recovery.

“Defenseman Steven Delisle also has been moved from 10-day to the 30-day injured reserve list after undergoing potentially season-ending shoulder surgery,” reports News-Sentinel.com.

The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has appeared in just six games this season with the Central Hockey League’s Fort Wayne Koments.

DESPRES ON WORLD JUNIORS
It’s been rare to see Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres quoted anywhere during the world juniors. On Monday, Despres gave TSN, via BuffaloNews.com, his thoughts on Canada being considered on underdog in the tournament.

"They don't know what's waiting for them," Despres said. "I think, we're going to come out strong in the tournament. We'll put on a good, competitive show."

Canada plays their final pre-tournament game tonight in Kitchener against Finland at 8:30pm AST on TSN2.

Photo Credits: Vancouver Canucks, Telus, AP, Columbus Blue Jackets

FORMER DOGS COACH ON THE MOVE?

According to the London Free Press, former Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Jacques Beaulieu could find himself once again head coaching a Canadian Hockey League club in the near future.

Apparently, there have been some rumblings that Beaulieu could be hired to coach the Guelph Storm. The Storm fired their head coach, Jason Brooks, on Monday.

And while this is all speculation, there are already rumblings that Beaulieu is one of the men being considered to take over from former Knight Jason Brooks, who was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Storm on Monday.

Beaulieu has all the tools. He’s been a long-time assistant with the Knights and has coached them during their most successful years. He left four years ago to become coach and general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs. He made them successful and even though he was fired in his third year, he built the foundation of the team that is now No. 1 in Canada.

He returned to the Knights as an assistant coach, and does a lot of the heavy slugging. Also, he’s proven he can handle all aspects of building a team. (London Free Press)

Beaulieu was hired as the Sea Dogs head coach back in 2006 and later took over the general manager role that season (2006-07). He rebuilt Saint John’s roster, allowing the team to make the semi-finals in 2007-08 after finishing with just 20 wins the season before.

In 2008-09, the Sea Dogs failed to meet the lofty expectations put on them over the off-season, falling to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in four games in the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. Beaulieu was fired not long after the Dogs’ playoff run came to an end.

Beaulieu will certainly be remembered more for his job as general manager than his role behind the bench. If not for current London Knights assistant coach, Saint John likely wouldn’t have made it to the President’s Cup Final last season. Although the Mike Kelly/Gerald Gallant era drafted and traded for a number of players who make the Dogs the No. 1 team in Canada today, Beaulieu is responsible for setting up most of the major acquisitions.

Ironically, Guelph’s general manager is one of the many Mike Kelly’s circulating around the Canadian sporting scene.

The father of Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu finished his coaching career in Saint John with a 95-111 record.

Beaulieu has, however, attached himself to the Knights nicely once again and is an asset to London’s coaching staff.

“I don’t know 100% yet what I would do (if I was asked about Beaulieu),” Knights general manager Mark Hunter said. “I would have no problem at the end of the year, but this is the middle of our season. It’s a tough position.”