SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

ST. LAURENT OFF TO SOLID START
Former Sea Dogs netminder Karel St. Laurent is off to a solid start with the British Columbia Junior ‘A’ Hockey League’s Surrey Eagles.

St. Laurent made his debut on November 4th in Langley, an 8-4 Eagles win. Saint John’s backup goaltender in 2008-09 and 2009-10 made 37 saves in the victory. He then backstopped Surrey to a 5-4 overtime win over Langley the next night.

"He hadn't played for two or three weeks and he admits in the first game there were one or two goals he would like back," Eagles head coach Matt Erhart told Surrey Now last Tuesday. "He was better the next two nights; he made some big saves for us, especially in the third period and overtime Friday. He's been really solid for us."

"He played major junior hockey for the past three years," the coach said. "He's been on a really good team for the past two years as one of the two goalies playing for them. When he became available we thought he would be a good addition to the team."

THE POUTINE
SN reader Paul Leger has been telling us about his dream of having poutine sold at Harbour Station for quite awhile.

So, Paul has created a online petition to help support the movement. Apparently, Harbour Station doesn’t currently have the proper equipment to make the cheese and gravy goodness. We encourage everyone to sign, mainly because Harbour Station menu options are few and far between.

We still don’t know how you can have a QUEBEC Major Junior Hockey League team and not sell poutine.

MILL RAT PEOPLE
The Saint John Mill Rats will have a familiar face running their game day operations.

“Selma Kilisli, who was a game day hostess and community assistant for the Sea Dogs, has joined the Mill Rats staff as game day operations manager,” reported the Telegraph-Journal on October 30th. “Among her duties will be the familiar role of roving master-of-ceremonies during Mill Rats home games.”

PHILLIPS INTERVIEW
Our friend Randy Corey of Freddy Puck Radio interviewed Zach Phillips Friday on the weekly Fredericton based hockey program. They discuss just about everything.

Interview begins around the 31 minute mark:



Freddy Puck Radio airs every Friday night at 6pm on the interweb and 95.7 The Wolf in the Freddy Beach area.

LOTS OF MONEY
Pink in the Rink was quite successful this year in the QMJHL.

"The QMJHL and each of its eighteen franchises worked very hard to develop pink prototype jerseys in collaboration with our official supplier, Reebok/CCM, and its partner in this project, SP Apparel," said Commissioner Gilles Courteau in a release. "More than 400 pink jerseys worn by the players were sold with the proceeds being distributed to local, regional or national organizations dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. Furthermore, the QMJHL’s major partner, TELUS, came on board, contributing $100 for every goal scored during the 18 fight against breast cancer games. In total, 125 goals were scored, bringing TELUS’ contribution to $12,500. Today, I am proud to announce that over $115,000 have been generated as a result of our clubs’ efforts. Congratulations to all of our teams for their valued contribution. Also, thank you to our great fans for their lending their support behind this important endeavour."

SUPER THOUGHTS FROM A SUPER SERIES
Derek LeBlanc from HockeySense.ca had some thoughts on Game One of the Subway Super Series at Harbour Station.

On Nathan Beaulieu: “He did have a goal and an assist with 5 shots but didn’t look like his normal noticeable self. He didn’t stand out as much as he normally does.”

On Stanislav Galiev: “Looked like one of the strongest Russians out there. It must have been weird for him to be the enemy in his home barn.”

BEAULIEU SENIOR IN HOUSE
According to last Wednesday’s London Free Press, former Sea Dogs head coach Jacques Beaulieu was in the house for the Super Series and watched his son Nathan skate for Team QMJHL.

“The Russians said it’s their best team they’ve sent over since 1990,” Beaulieu said. “When the game’s in London, it will be a big one for (London Knights goaltender) Igor (Bobkov). He’s trying to show the Russians something. He’s trying to show us. He’s fighting for minutes, fighting to get into games.”

Beaulieu, now an assistant coach with the Knights, was reported to be in Rouyn-Noranda during Saint John’s recent road trip.

LADS AND LOBSTERS
This is something different:

PIPELINE SHOW
Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell went on The Pipeline Show on Saturday to talk Sea Dogs. Among other things, Roszell discusses the five Sea Dogs players on the draft radar.

You can check out the interview HERE by selecting the November 13 show.

COOL IN SCHOOL
As announced before Saturday’s home game, defenseman Kevin Gagne is the Sea Dogs’ scholastic player of the month. The QMJHL made it official on Monday.

Gagne is currently enrolled at the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus.

Also of note, Mickael Audette is the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies top scholastic player for October. He is the netminder who lost his mind in a game against Saint John earlier this season.

BONUS LINKS
Nathan White on the Sea Dogs' representing in the NHL Central Scouting rankings released yesterday.

Neate Sager on the Sea Dogs staying away from posting Patrick Roy on the big screen. Chris Bosh sucks.

Photo Credits: Surrey Eagles Facebook page, Wikipedia, Sea Dogs website, Sea Dogs newsletter

POSTSCRIPT: Team Russia 4, QMJHL All-Stars 3

By Station Nation Staff

SUPER SERIES GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Team Russia 4, QMJHL All-Stars 3
Team QMJHL Goals: Jonathan Brunelle, Ryan Kavanagh, and Brandon Gormley
Team Russia Goals: Vladimir Malinovskiy, Nikita Dvurechensky (2), and Artemiy Panarin
Winning Goaltender: Emil Garipov
Losing Goaltenders: Maxime Clermont and Louis Domingue

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Russia: 1/2, QMJHL: 1/3
Shots on Goal: Russia: 6+13+3=22, QMJHL: 11+13+25=49
Length: 2:28
Attendance: 3,335

QMJHL SCRATCHES
Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres, as expected, missed this game due to a shoulder injury. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect practiced with the Sea Dogs yesterday after missing both weekend games.

"I fully expect to be able to play this weekend," said the ‘Big Horse’ to the Sea Dogs’ official Twitter page yesterday.

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was also out.

THE RECAP
Russia stunned the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars for the second consecutive game, defeating the Canadians 4-3 in Game Two of the 2010 Subway Super Series last night in Drummondville, Quebec.

It was a similar game to the one played Monday at Harbour Station in Saint John. It was a back-and-forth, physical affair that saw neither team hold a two goal lead at any point in the match.

Team QMJHL opened the scoring at 4:08 when Drummondville Votigeur Jonathan Brunelle beat Emil Garipov to give the Canadians a 1-0 lead. But the Russians would respond at 5:48 when Vladimir Malinovskiy beat Maxime Clermont on a rebound to tie it at 1-1.

The QMJHL got their lead back in the second period when a point shot went wide and was picked up by Jonathan Huberdeau. He sent a beautiful pass to Ryan Kavanagh in front who had an open cage to make it a 2-1 game.

But the Russians just would not go away. Nikita Dvurechensky made a spin move in front while on the power play to tie the game at 6:47. Then at 9:44, Dvurechensky was at it again when he fired a wrist shot from the slot to give the visitors their first lead of the game.

In the third, Brandon Gormley fired a point shot that deflected off a Russian and in to tie the game once again. But the Russians would respond at 6:57 when Artemiy Panarin scored after some nice work by Denis Golubev to give the visitors a 4-3 lead and an eventual win.

YIKES
Given the dominance in which the Canadian Hockey League has had over the Russians in the Subway Super Series in the past, two straight losses just isn’t good for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

It’s only the second time in the tournaments history that the Russians have swept the QMJHL All-Stars. The Russians have never won more than two games in this six game event.

No disrespect to the Russian team, but the QMJHL is surly a bit embarrassed by losing both games. There are only a handful of players on the Russian team who would be considered standouts as a hockey prospect. Then there is the QMJHL All-Stars, the majority of whom have or will be drafted into the National Hockey League.

Of course, travel has to come into play as the Russians typically struggle more as they move west. But if the OHL and WHL blowout the Russians by a wide margin, it will certainly give the 'Q' a bad image.

But, then again, maybe the Russians have sent over a much more talented team than in the past - or at least much strnger netminders. We shall see as the tournament shifts to London, Ontario tonight when the visitors take on the OHL ALL-Stars – a league they have never won a game against.

WHERE WAS GALIEV?
Before the game even started the Russians had everyone confused. Despite what everyone was led to believe, Saint John Sea Dogs forward Stanislav Galiev did not play for his home country last night.

“All joking aside, the games on Nov. 8 in Saint John and Nov. 11 in Drummondville are important for Galiev's bid to earn a spot on the Russian national team for the world junior championship in Buffalo, N.Y.,” wrote Scott Briggs in the Telegraph-Journal on October 21st.

“One of the top rookies in the Quebec league a year ago, Galiev will play for Russia in Saint John tonight and on Wednesday in Drummondville, Que.,” wrote Marty Klinkenberg in Monday’s Telegraph-Journal.

Then in some post-game audio posted on the Sea Dogs website, the interviewer asked Galiev what his goals were heading into Game Two of the Super Series.

Despite all this, Galiev did not play. According to the Rogers Sportsnet broadcast, it was simply a case of wanting to get Val-d’Or Foreurs defenseman Artem Sergeev into a game in the series. Going by the official Russian roster on the Super Series website, it would be assumed that both QMJHL Russians would play in each game since the players were not divided into categories like the OHL Russians are.

According to today’s Telegraph-Journal, “Galiev was expected to play in Wednesday's tilt as well, but the coaching staff changed its original plan.”

BOURNIVAL TRADED
Michael Bournival had an impressive Super Series, one that has put him on Hockey Canada’s radar.

Today, the Colorado Avalanche draft pick was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Ryan O’Byrne.

Bournival, 18, leads the Shawinigan Cataractes with 24 points - 10 goals and 14 assists - in 17 games this season. In the two Super Series games, he had a goal, five shots, and two penalty minutes. He was a standout in Game One while playing on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sean Couturier.

DANAULT BROKE HIS FACE

Victoriaville Tigres forward Phillip Danault broke his face in the first period while going hard to the net. Danault went through the crease and was clotheslined by the crossbar, knocking out three of his pearly whites. He went to dressing room immediately.

Later on in the game, Sea Dogs forward Zach Phillips appeared to hit a Russian in the face with his stick. He went to the bench with a bloody nose.

HIGH PRAISE FOR HUBERDEAU
Jonathan Huberdeau really stood-out in this game because of his chemistry with Drummondville Voltigeurs forward and soon-to-be-superstar Sean Couturier.

The two played excellent together in Game One and again last night in Couturier’s home building. Couturier, who many have pegged to be the first overall pick in this June’s NHL Draft, is a strong candidate to fill a forward roll on Canada’s world junior team this winter.

Huberdeau is a long shot to make Team Canada given his size when compared to other junior eligible forwards, but as Rogers Sportsnet pointed out during the broadcast, Huberdeau definitely helped his chances of earning an invite.

It’s also interesting to note that Couturier and Huberdeau could be teammates right now as Saint John drafted Huberdeau in 2009 with Drummondville’s draft pick. The pick was acquired by the Sea Dogs in the Chris DiDomenico trade.

HARD TIMES
The Russians have now won a total of eight games in this series since it began back in 2003 as the Re/Max Canada-Russia Challenge. They have 36 along the way and have been outscored 201-100, according to Wikipedia.

But against the QMJHL, the Russians have an impressive 7-9 record and have only been outscored 70-55. With seven of their eight wins coming against the QMJHL, their only other win came back in 2007 against the Western Hockey League.

THE TOTALS
How the four Sea Dogs faired in this event:

Zach Phillips: 2 GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS – 0PIM – 5SOG

Jonathan Huberdeau: 2GP – 0G- 1A – 1PTS – 0PIM – 4SOG

Nathan Beaulieu: 2GP – 1G – 1A – 2PTS – 0PIM – 7SOG
*Tied for the team lead in points

Stanislav Galiev: 1GP – 0G – 0A – 0PYS – 0PIM – 1SOG

HIGHLIGHTS


SPORTSNET POST-GAME


QUICK HITS
All of the players from both teams were introduced again... the game was not sold-out but it was a bit better than most had expected. The rink has a total capacity of 4,000 and 3,335 spectators took in the match. There were quite a few empty seats… none of the four QMJHL goaltenders to play in this series were amazing… Sean Couturier was the player of the game for Team QMJHL… the QMJHL website has an interview with Couturier and QMJHL head coach Andre Tourigny after the game... Team QMJHL outshot Russia 25-3 in the third period.

NEXT GAME
The Russians head to London to face the OHL All-Stars tonight at 8:00 pm at the John Labatt Centre. The match can be seen live on the dreaded Rogers Sportsnet One channel.

BACK TO BUSINESS
The games that really matter for the Sea Dogs get going again this weekend. The Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Saturday night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: Subway Super Series website, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Rogers Sportsnet

A STUNNING SWEEP

SN RECAP
FINAL: Team Russia 4, Team QMJHL 3

DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. – After years of mediocrity in the Subway Super Series, the Russians are finally doing something right.

After taking the first game of the 2010 series over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars in Saint John Monday, they couldn’t possibly take Game Two as well, could they? Well, they did.

A 4-3 victory over Team QMJHL Wednesday night in Drummondville gave the Russians a two game sweep to open the event. The Russians also swept the QMJHL back in 2004 with both games being decided in a shootout. The visitors have never won more than two games in this six match event.

The Russians played a similar game to the one they performed Monday at Harbour Station. They slowly picked away at the QMJHL squad and the took the lead in the second period. Like in Game One, neither team held a two goal lead at any point.

Jonathan Brunelle of the hometown Voltigeurs put Team QMJHL ahead 1-0 when he scored at 4:08. But the Russians would reply at 5:48 after a point shot was stopped by QMJHL starter Maxime Clermont but couldn’t stop the rebound as Vladimir Malinovskiy tied the match at 1-1.

After a scrum in front of the net, a Russian forward gave a few slaps to Saint John Sea Dog Jonathan Huberdeau face.

“Huberdeau a little feisty tonight,” commented Rogers Sportsnet play-by-play man Rob Faulds.

The Canadian squad would have a late power play but couldn’t tie the match.

Team QMJHL got their lead back at 3:14 of the second period. A Nicolas Deslauriers point shot went wide and bounced off the boards. Huberdeau found it and sent it through the crease to an open Ryan Kavanagh. The Quebec Rempart had a wide open net and made it 2-1.

But the Russians would respond as they have done all tournament long. On the power play, a pass from the boards found Nikita Dvurechensky in front. He performed a spin move and released a shot on net that skimmed through Clermont to tie the match at 2-2.

The visitors would then take a 3-2 lead at 9:44 when Dvurechensky fired a wrist shot from the slot and beat Clermont give the Russians their first lead in match.

Later on, Huberdeau sent a great pass from behind the goal that found an open Sean Couturier in front but was denied by Russian netminder Emil Garipov. The Sportsnet crew then discussed the chemistry involving Huberdeau and Couturier and the possibility of the two playing on a line at the world juniors in the future.

Team QMJHL tied the game at 2:26 on the power play. Moncton Wildcat defenseman Brandon Gormley fired a point shot and deflected past the Russian goaltender to make it a 3-3 game.

But at 6:57, the Russians would once again retake the lead. Denis Golubev made a great play at the line by throwing Nathan Beaulieu off the puck. He carried the puck into the zone and dished it over to Artemiy Panarian who had a wide open net to make it 4-3.

Fast forward to the final minute and Domingue on the bench in favour of the extra attacker, Team QMJHL put the pressure on and had a few good scoring chances but could not tie the match, giving Russia their second win of the Super Series.

Shots in the game were 49-22 in favour of the Canadians.

Russia went one-for two on the power play while the QMJHL All-Stars went one-for-three.

NOTES: See Super Series Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Russians head to London, Ontario tomorrow to face the OHL All-Stars.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

PRE-GAME: Subway Super Series - Game 2

GAME DAY

What: 2010 Subway Super Series – Game Two
Who: Team Russia vs Team QMJHL
When: 8:00 PM AST
Where: Marcel Dionne Centre, Drummondville, Que.

ROUND TWO
After defeating the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars on Monday night in Saint John, the Russian junior squad will look to go 2-0 on their east coast venture. Game Two of the 2010 Subway Super Series is tonight in Drummondville beginning at 8:00 pm.

A powerful third period propelled the Russians to a 5-4 victory at Harbour Station, their first win in the Super Series since 2008. Only once have the Russian selects won both games against the QMJHL which was back in 2004 in Quebec City and Montreal. Both were shootout wins.

Monday’s match was a back-and-forth affair with neither team ever holding a two goal lead. It was also quite physical compared to the normal Quebec league action. Maxim Kitsyn had two goals and an assist to lead the way for Russia. Nathan Beaulieu and Philipp Danault each had a goal and assist for the Canadians.

The game will once again feature four Saint John Sea Dogs players. Beaulieu will join his forward teammates Zach Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau on the Canada side. Stanislav Galiev will sport a Russian jersey.

Each Sea Dog player played well in Game One. Along with Beaulieu’s goal and assist, Huberdeau added a helper. Galiev missed the net on a breakaway.

Going in 0-2 in this event would be a bit embarrassing for the QMJHL given the dominance that the other CHL leagues have had in recent years. They won’t want that to happen tonight.

VISITING TEAM: Team Russia
Record: 1-0-0-0
All-Time vs CHL: 7-36
All-Time vs QMJHL: 6-9
Fun Fact: Russia has won Game Two of the Subway Super Series twice in the tournaments history.
Roster:

Forwards:
Stanislav Bocharov (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Anton Burdasov (Traktor, Chelyabinsk)
Nikita Dvurechensky (OHK Dynamo)
Denis Golubev (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Sergey Kalinin (Avangard, Omsk)
Maxim Kitsyn (Metallurg, Novokuznetsk)
Alexey Kruchinin (VMF, Sankt-Peterburg)
Vladimir Malinovskiy (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)
Artemiy Panarin (Vityaz, Chekhov)
Daniil Sobchenko (Lokomotiv, Yaroslavl)
Artem Voronin (Spartak, Moscow)
Pavel Zdunov (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)

Defencemen:
Zakhar Arzamastsev (Metallurg, Novokuznetsk)
Georgy Berdyukov (SKA, Sankt-Petersburg)
Maxim Berezin (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)
Mikhail Grigoryev (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Maxim Ignatovich (Sibir, Novosibirsk)
Nikita Pivtsakin (Avangard, Omsk)
Andrey Sergeev (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)
Yuri Urychev (Lokomotiv, Yaroslavl)

Goaltenders:
Emil Garipov (Neftyanik, Almetyevsk)
Dmitry Shikin (Amur, Khabarovsk)

QMJHL Games:
Stanislav Galiev (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Artem Sergeyev (Val d’Or Foreurs)

HOME TEAM: Team QMJHL
Record: 0-1-0-0
All-Time vs Russia (CHL): 36-7
All-Time vs Russia (QMJHL): 9-6
Fun Fact: This is the second straight year that this event will be played in Drummondville. Team QMJHL won last season 3-1 in Game One.
Roster (for tonight’s game only):

Goaltenders
Louis Domingue (QUE)
Maxime Clermont (GAT)

Defensemen
Nathan Beaulieu (SNB)
Nicolas Deslauriers (GAT)
Brandon Gormley (MON)
Ryan Kavanagh (RIM)
Jean-Philippe Mathieu (DRU)
Xavier Ouellet (MTL)
Charles-Olivier Roussel (MTL)

Forwards
Guillaume Asselin (CHI)
Louis-Marc Aubry (MTL)
Michaël Bournival (SHA)
Jonathan Brunelle (DRU)
Sean Couturier (DRU)
Phillip Danault (VIC)
Jonathan Huberdeau (SNB)
Brandon Hynes (VIC)
Louis Leblanc (MTL)
Jonathan Lessard (BAT)
Philippe Paradis (PEI)
Trevor Parkes (MTL)
Zach Phillips (SNB)

ON THE TV AND INTERWEBS
Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS beginning at 8:00 pm. It will also be streamed on Sportsnet.ca.

THE RINK
Arena: Marcel Dionne Centre
Capacity: 4,000
Year Built: 1963
QMJHL Arena Guide

NEXT SUPER SERIES GAME
The Super Series moves to Ontario for games in London tomorrow and in Sudbury on Monday Nov. 15. The series concludes in the Western Hockey League with games in Kamloops, BC on Wednesday Nov. 17 and in Prince George, BC the following night.

NOTE: All records from Wikipedia.

Photo/Image Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, CBC

POSTSCRIPT: Team Russia 5, QMJHL All-Stars 4

By Station Nation Staff

SUPER SERIES GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Team Russia 5, QMJHL All-Stars 4
Team QMJHL Goals: Nicolas Deslauriers, Nathan Beaulieu, Alex Saulnier, and Michael Bournival
Team Russia Goals: Nikita Pivtsakin, Maxim Kitsyn (2), Denis Golubev, and Anton Burdasov
Winning Goaltender: Dmitry Shikin
Losing Goaltenders: Olivier Roy and Jean-Francois Berube

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Russia: 0/3, QMJHL: 1/5
Shots on Goal: Russia: 4+18+9=31, QMJHL: 7+17+16=40
Length: 2:22
Attendance: 6,488

QMJHL SCRATCHES
Unable to play in the game for the QMJHL All-Stars due to injury were Simon Despres, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, Louis Leblanc, and Louis-Marc Aubry. Three players replaced the four injured players: Eric Gelinas, Alex Saulnier, and Phillip Danault.

NOT AGAIN. RUSSIA WINS 5-4.
A Subway Super Series game doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

A back-and-forth, physical, and goal filled affair ended with the visiting Russian national junior squad taking a 5-4 victory against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars last night at a sold-out Harbour Station.

"If you give them space, they're going to beat you,'' Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu said of the Russians to the Telegraph-Journal. "We just gave them too many opportunities tonight.''

The all-stars opened the scoring early in the first when an Xavier Ouellet point shot went off Beaulieu’s skate and in. But the Russians would tie it less than five minutes. The seesaw battle took off when Nicolas Deslauriers scored at 13:21 of the first only to have Russia tie it again in the second period

Team QMJHL held a 4-3 lead going into the third frame but went into sleep mode for a few minutes in the third and it would be costly. The Russians tied the game 17 seconds in and took the lead at 7:01.

QMJHL had a hard time getting any offense going late, giving the visitors a 5-4 win in Game One of the six game coast-to-coast series.

Station Nation Recap

Telegraph-Journal Recap

CHL.ca/QMJHL.ca Recap

Canadian Press Recap

PRE-GAME STUFF
Unlike in 2008 when Saint John hosted Game Two of the event, both teams lined up on the blue line and were introduced player-by-player. Sea Dogs forward Stanislav Galiev was introduced last for Russians and received a loud ovation. Zach Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Nathan Beaulieu were introduced last on the QMJHL side.

Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant, along with Sea Dogs CEO and majority owner Scott McCain and that overly excited woman from Subway that is in Saint John all the time, performed the ceremonial puck drop. There was a brief video tribute for Grant on the Harbour Station scoreboard as well.

Although Grant, who played for Saint John from 2005-2009, was booed by Saint John fans on a few occasions, he received a loud ovation as honorary captain of the game.

The guy who sang at the 2008 event performed the Russian and Canadian anthems once again.

THE GREATEST MOMENT EVER
One of the best moments of the night came when the QMJHL players were being introduced. When it came time to introduced Wildcat players Brandon Gormley and Aelx Saulnier – both were booed. A bunch of people mentioned it on Twitter, so the boos were indeed heard over the Rogers Sportsnet broadcast.

That is awesome.

CURSED
Harbour Station is just like little Moscow to the Russian junior team. After the Canadian Hockey League went 6-0 in last year’s Super Series, the QMJHL All-Stars fell once again to the Russians at Harbour Station. In fact, the Russians last win in the event came back in 2008 in Saint John.

Harbour Station is the now the only Canadian Hockey League venue to have hosted two Super Series games and feature the Canadians losing both times.

LOVING LIFE
Saint John fans will like the looks of the QMJHL website:

SUBWAY SUCKS
After watching this game, we’re not sure how anyone can eat Subway for at least a week.

There were board ads, commercials, ice ads, banners on each staircase, banners on a music stand on the concourse, a Subway tent set up at the entrance, the programs had Subway all over it, and even the players jerseys had the Super Series logo - featuring Subway – on them.

Someone even busted out the old Saint John Flames Subway blimp – which had the Flames dragon marked over.

THE LEGEND
Maxim Kitsyn loves the event. He led the way for Russia in last year’s event and then scored two goals last night. He was one of three Los Angeles Kings prospects to appear in the game.

THE FOULS
As if having advertising on a hockey sweater wasn’t a foul enough, the Russian team went a step further by posting their captain ‘C’ and alternate ‘A’ on their jeresys with hockey tape.

Galiev (pictured) was spotted by the Sea Dogs’ Twitter page at morning practice performing an interview in a snazzy jersey.

THE SEA DOGS
There were supposed to five, but with Simon Despres out of commission with a shoulder and/or hip injury, four Saint John Sea Dogs players played in the game.

Nathan Beaulieu made the biggest impact on the score sheet as an Xavier Ouellet point shot in the first period went off his skate and in to give Team QMJHL and early lead. He also assisted on Nicolas Deslauriers' goal to make it 2-1 for the home team. He played an overall solid game but tried to do too much at times like he has been known to do from time-to-time. Beaulieu finished the game tied for the team high in shots with five.

Jonathan Huberdeau played on the top line with Sean Couturier and Michael Bournival. The line had a ton of ice time and Huberdeau was impressive, making several nice offensive plays. He looked determined to score all night but never could. He did, however, set up Bournival’s second period marker. Huberdeau finished the game with one shot on goal.

Zach Phillips also made his presence felt, making some solid offensive plays and was very involved in the play. His line also saw a lot of ice time. He had a great chance to score in the first period when he was left alone in front but sent the puck high. He finished the match with three shots on goal.

Finally, Stanislav Galiev suited up for the Russians. His best scoring chance came in the third period when he was sprung on a long breakaway but missed the net high and wide. He saw a fair bit of ice time and didn’t look out of place at all. He finished the night with a shot on goal.

Galiev and Beaulieu’s “feud” has been well documented over the past few weeks. Briggs reported in today’s Telegraph-Journal that the two had some words during a stoppage in play during the third period.

"I told him there's no way they're going to beat us,'' said Beaulieu about his conversation with Galiev. "I had a bitter taste in my mouth when I saw the final (score) on the clock. I know it doesn't count in the standings, but I was very disappointed we didn't come out with the two points.”

Of course, a game of this nature wouldn’t be complete without an odd quote from Galiev.

"I (like) when Russian music is playing in the locker room,'' he said.

RUSSIAN FANS

Saint John doesn’t have the biggest Russian population, but there were a few characters scattered around Harbour Station. The most notable was the group sitting along the side boards in the west end (pictured). After the game, several Russian players skated over and gave a wave following the handshakes.

YAHOO! THOUGHTS
Lost in the excitement of last night’s entertaining affair was the fact that this game does have a purpose. Hockey Canada folks were on hand to watch the assembled QMJHL talent and continue to prepare for the World Juniors in December.

Buzzing The Net has a solid look at some of the risers and fallers from the game.

THE ROY FACTOR
Acadie-Bathurst Titan netminder Olivier Roy was average to say the least. Many have him as one of the leading candidates for the Team Canada job, but he had his struggles last night. Playing half a period in a tournament like this may not hurt your chances of making the team if you play poorly – but it won’t help them either.

Speaking of Roy, @bmwillett2k10 sent in a solid factoid about his new mask:

It's a Boys in Red Tribute mask, with a little photo of Ghengis Khan on the side.

ODD SIGN
For some reason, there was a Sea Dogs sign reading “We Want The Cup” at the game. Here is some blurry evidence from @captin_seadog:

Also odd was the fact that the Subway noise clapper things featured “Go Dogs Go” on them.

FULL HIGHLIGHTS


SPORTSNET POST-GAME


QUICK HITS
There was a guy playing the banjo on the concourse for some reason… the very bizarre BMO Bank Card promotion, where fans are asked to wave their card in the air, made its Harbour Station debut. Something just doesn’t seem right about this… looked like a good chunk of cereal was collected for local school breakfast programs… no French public address announcer last night… a picture of former Sea Dog Yann Sauve appeared in the programs.

LOOSE ENDS
The QMJHL website interviewed Nathan Beaulieu after the game.

Station Nation’s official photographer, Marc Henwood, has some of his pictures posted on the Isurus Photography Facebook page. More to come.

SN friend Marc Grandmaison has his pictures posted over on his Facebook page.

The Sea Dogs website has post-game audio featuring Stanislav Galiev.

NEXT GAME
Game Two of the Subway Super Series is Wednesday night at 8:00 pm in Drummondville. The game can be viewed on Rogers Sportsnet, RDS, and online at Sportsnet.ca.

Photo/Image Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, SN Graphics Department, QMJHL Website, Sea Dogs TwitPic, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Blair Cameron Twitter

RUSSIANS DEFEAT QMJHL ALL-STARS IN GAME ONE OF SUPER SERIES

FINAL: Russia 5, QMJHL All-Stars 4

SAINT JOHN – Apparently, Maxim Kitsyn lives for the Subway Super Series.

The Russian forward, who led the 2009 Super Series in scoring, recorded two goals and added a helper in Russia’s 5-4 upset win over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars in Game One of the 2010 Subway Super Series on Monday at Harbour Station.

It was a very entertaining, back-and-forth affair that saw neither team hold a two goal lead at any point in the game. In the end, a slow start to the third period by the QMJHL squad would be costly as Russia scored the game tying and winning goal in the frame.

The Quebec team made it 1-0 at 1:43 of the first period on the power play. An Xavier Ouellet point shot went through a screen and deflected off Nathan Beaulieu’s skate and past Russian netminder Dmitry Shikin.

The visitors would tie the affair at 5:29 when Kitsyn used a fallen ‘Q’ defenseman as a screen in front, beating QMJHL goaltender Olivier Roy upstairs to tie t at 1-1.

After a failed power play attempt by the Canadians, they went to work while shorthanded. Philipp Danault made a sweet play to get around a Russian defenseman and dish the disc over to Nicolas Deslauriers. The Los Angeles Kings prospect chipped the puck over Shikin to make it 2-1 for the home side after one frame.

Shots in the first were 7-4 QMJHL.

Anton Burdasov cut through the crease at 2:20 of the middle period to the tie the match once again.

Just over a minute later at 3:22, Jonathan Huberdeau sent the puck from the corner to Michael Bournival in front who went five-hole to make it 3-2.

At 5:19, the Russians would tie the game once again. Denis Golubev was down low and accepted a pass, beating Roy upstairs to tie it at 3-3.

But the Canadians would have the last say in the second. Alex Saulnier shot the puck on goal from the rim of the faceoff circle but was stopped. He picked up his own rebound and beat Shikin at 9:09 to make it 4-3 QMJHL after two periods.

Shots in the second were 18-17 Russia.

Just 17 seconds into the third, Kitsyn scored his second of the game to make it a 4-4 hockey game by beating Jean-Francois Berube at the side of the goal.

Then at 7:01, the Russians took their first lead of the game. A shot through a screen at the top of the circle found its way through to make it a 5-4 game. Nikita Pivtsakin was credited with the marker.

The Q-league all-stars would have chances to tie the game once again but never could. In the final minute, the home team pulled Berube but could not mount any solid offensive pressure.

Shots in the final stanza were 16-9 QMJHL

Russia went 0/3 on the power play while the QMJHL went 1/5.

NOTES: See Station Nation tomorrow for some sights, sounds, and thoughts on Game One of the Super Series.

NEXT GAME: The Quebec league all-stars travel to Drummondville for a Wednesday night rematch with the Russians.

Photo Credit: Marc Grandmaison

PRE-GAME: Subway Super Series - Game 1

GAME DAY

What: 2010 Subway Super Series – Game One
Who: Team Russia vs Team QMJHL
When: 7:00 PM AST
Where: Harbour Station, Saint John, NB

SHOW TIME
The city of Saint John will be at the center of the Canadian junior hockey world this evening as the 2010 Subway Super Series kicks off at 7pm at Harbour Station.

A sell-out crowd (or at least close to one) will be in hand to watch a Russian national junior team take on the best world junior eligible Canadians from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In the past, the Canadian Hockey League has had the upper hand versus the Russians. But back in 2008 when Saint John last hosted the event, Team QMJHL fell 4-3 to the visitors.

This match will feature four Saint John Sea Dogs – defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Phillips for Team QMJHL and forward Stanislav Galiev joins the Russians. Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant will be an assistant tonight.

There will be lots of future National Hockey League players featured in the game as well as players who will be on Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo this Christmas season.

Love this event or hate this event – it’s the best Canadians in the QMJHL on one sheet of ice. Enjoy it.

VISITING TEAM: Team Russia
Record: 0-0-0-0
All-Time vs CHL: 6-36
All-Time vs QMJHL: 5-9
Fun Fact: The Russians have not won a game at this event since November 19, 2008 – a 4-3 win at Harbour Station.
Roster:

Forwards:
Stanislav Bocharov (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Anton Burdasov (Traktor, Chelyabinsk)
Nikita Dvurechensky (OHK Dynamo)
Denis Golubev (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Sergey Kalinin (Avangard, Omsk)
Maxim Kitsyn (Metallurg, Novokuznetsk)
Alexey Kruchinin (VMF, Sankt-Peterburg)
Vladimir Malinovskiy (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)
Artemiy Panarin (Vityaz, Chekhov)
Daniil Sobchenko (Lokomotiv, Yaroslavl)
Artem Voronin (Spartak, Moscow)
Pavel Zdunov (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)

Defencemen:
Zakhar Arzamastsev (Metallurg, Novokuznetsk)
Georgy Berdyukov (SKA, Sankt-Petersburg)
Maxim Berezin (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)
Mikhail Grigoryev (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Maxim Ignatovich (Sibir, Novosibirsk)
Nikita Pivtsakin (Avangard, Omsk)
Andrey Sergeev (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)
Yuri Urychev (Lokomotiv, Yaroslavl)

Goaltenders:
Emil Garipov (Neftyanik, Almetyevsk)
Dmitry Shikin (Amur, Khabarovsk)

QMJHL Games:
Stanislav Galiev (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Artem Sergeyev (Val d’Or Foreurs)

HOME TEAM: Team QMJHL

Record: 0-0-0-0

All-Time vs Russia (CHL): 36-6
All-Time vs Russia (QMJHL): 9-5
Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, the QMJHL has three of the CHL’s four all-time regulations loses against Russia.
Roster (for tonight’s game only):

Goaltenders:

Jean-Francois Bérubé, Montreal Juniors
Olivier Roy, Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Defencemen:
Nathan Beaulieu, Saint John Sea Dogs
Nicolas Deslauriers, Gatineau Olympiques
Simon Després, Saint John Sea Dogs Eric Gelinas, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Jérome Gauthier-Leduc, Rimouski Oceanic
Brandon Gormley, Moncton Wildcats
Ryan Kavanagh, Rimouski Oceanic
Xavier Ouellet, Montreal Juniors
Charles-Olivier Roussel, Montreal Juniors

Forwards:
Guillaume Asselin, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Louis-Marc Aubry, Montreal Juniors Alex Saulnier, Moncton Wildcats
Michael Bournival, Shawinigan Cataractes
Sean Couturier, Drummondville Voltigeurs
Jonathan Huberdeau, Saint John Sea Dogs
Brandon Hynes, Victoriaville Tigres
Louis Leblanc, Montreal Juniors Phillip Danault, Victoriaville Tigres
Philippe Lefebvre, Montreal Juniors
Jonathan Lessard, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Philippe Paradis, PEI Rocket
Trevor Parkes, Montreal Juniors
Zack Phillips, Saint John Sea Dogs

SAULNIER REPLACES AUBRY
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League announced on November 3rd that Moncton Wildcats forward Alex Saulnier will suit up for game one of the Subway Super Series. Saulnier will replace Montreal Juniors forward Louis-Marc Aubry who will miss the game due to injury.

GELINAS REPLACES DESPRES
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League announced yesterday that Chicoutimi Saguenéens defenseman Éric Gélinas will suit up for game one of the Subway Super Series. Gélinas will replace Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Després who will miss the game due to injury.
According to today’s Telegraph-Journal, Despres will also miss Game Two in Drummondville on Wednesday. As previously reported, Despres also told the paper he has been suffering from a shoulder injury. He missed this past weekend’s game with a believed hip injury.

DANAULT REPLACES LEBLANC
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League announced yesterday that Victoriaville Tigres forward Phillip Danault will take part in the Subway Super Series which starts today in Saint John. Danault will replace Montreal Juniors forward Louis Leblanc who will miss the game after sustaining an injury this weekend.

GAUTHIER-LEDUC OUT
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League announced yesterday that Rimouski Océanic defenseman Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc will miss the Subway Super Series due to injury.

WE'RE TALKING 'BOUT PRACTICE
Both Team QMJHL and Team Russia practiced this morning at Harbour Station. Here is a shot of Team QMJHL from the Sea Dogs' Twitter page:

TICKETS
At the time of this posting, there were still seats available for this evening's game at Harbour Station. They can be bought by phone, internet, or by visiting the box office. Select Subway locations are offering customers the chance to obtain a discounted upper bowl ticket with the purchase of any six-inch sub.

When the seats are all gone, it is expected that standing room tickets will be made available.

CEREAL
Fans are reminded to bring a box of cereal or oatmeal to tonight’s game. The boxes will be donated to local school breakfast programs.

WE ON THE TV
This game can be viewed live on Rogers Sportsnet East, West, and Pacific. Sportsnet Ontario will carry the game on a one-hour tape delay. RDS will also be broadcasting the match.

The Sportsnet crew consists of Rob Faulds, Sam Cosentino, and Louis Jean.

WELCOME HOME
Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant will serve as an honourary captain for the tonight’s game. Grant, who played with Saint John from 2005-2009, is currently on the Pittsburgh Penguins injured reserve after suffering multiple injuries in the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Tournament last month in London, Ontario.

THE BIG BOY
The only real star playing for Team Russia in this event is Los Angeles Kings prospect Maxim Kitsyn. The forward led the Super Series in scoring last year and also played for his country at the 2010 world juniors.

“Kitsyn is a supremely talented young forward withthe body and skill package to suggest he could one day develop into a power forward,” writes HockeysFuture.com. “Playing in the KHL however, he was inconsistent shift-to-shift, let alone game-to-game, failing to display his offensive ability with any sort of regularity. However, when playing against lesser competition, Kitsyn has shown a great confidence and elite play, suggesting he simply needs more time to physically mature.”

Kitsyn was selected by the Kings in the sixth round, 158th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

SUPER SERIES SURVIVAL GUIDE

• The prices for programs are jacked right up for these CHL events. You’re looking at a $5 program tonight.
• TV timeouts suck. In the NHL, they are taken after the 6, 10, and 14 minute marks of the period, unless there is a power play, a goal has just been scored, or the stoppage was as a result of an icing. They seemed very long at the ’08 Canada-Russia game.
• They usually sell pucks and hats at this bad boy.

NEXT GAME
The Subway Super Series moves to Drummondville, QC on Wednesday before moving to Ontario for games in London on Thursday Nov. 11 and in Sudbury on Monday Nov. 15. The series concludes in the Western Hockey League with games in Kamloops, BC on Wednesday Nov. 17 and in Prince George, BC the following night.

Note: All past event totals are from the Subway Super Series Wikipedia page.

Image Credits: Harbour Station, Google, QMJHL, SeaDogsHockey TwitPic, Google, Rogers Sportsnet

DESPRES TO MISS GAME ONE WITH INJURY

Simon Despres’ hip injury will keep him out of the lineup for Game One of the 2010 Subway Super Series tomorrow night. Despres has missed the last two Saint John Sea Dogs games .

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today that Chicoutimi Sagueneen Eric Gelinas will take Despres’ roster spot on Team QMJHL for Monday’s game against a Russian national junior team.

A limited amount of tickets are still available for tomorrow’s game at Harbour Station. The game will also be broadcast coast-to-coast on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS. Game time is 7pm.

Gelinas scored in last night’s game at Harbour Station in the Saqueneens 4-3 shootout win over the Sea Dogs at the Station. In 18 games this season, the New Jersey Devils draft pick has three goals and five assists.

Despres will be the second Sea Dog in franchise history to miss the event to an injury. Back in 2008 – the last time Harbour Station hosted a Canada-Russia game – Chris DiDomenico was unable to play after suffering a late injury. DiDomenico still made the Canadian world junior team, however.

The severity of Despres injury is not known as he was listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game all weekend. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect was scheduled to play in Game Two of the series on Wednesday in Drummondville as well but a QMJHL release did give any info on that game.

Saint John will still be represented by defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Phillips. Stanislav Galiev will also be suiting up for Team Russia. Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant will be an assistant for the Canadian team.

Furthermore, Quebec Remparts goaltender Louis Domingue has been added to the Game Two roster.

"Louis' play has been spectacular these past few weeks, and we feel that he deserves an opportunity to showcase his game at the Subway Super Series,” said Team QMJHL head coach André Tourigny in a release. "Louis will split time with Maxime Clermont in game two."

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The Super Series

Just three days away from the opening game of the 2010 Subway Super Series, it’s time to take a look back at what was the 2008 version of the tournament which featured a stop in Saint John.

On November 19, 2008, Harbour Station played host to Game Two of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge – now called the Subway Super Series. The game was seen coast-to-coast on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS just as this Monday’s Super Series will be from Harbour Station.

According to Wikipedia, the Canadian Hockey League has a 36-4-2 all-time record against the Russian juniors in this event and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-stars have a 9-3-2 record. The Ontario Hockey League has never lost a game.

In front of a capacity crowd of 6,451 fans at a rocking Harbour Station, the Russian team defeated the QMJHL all-stars 4-3 to pick up a rare victory over the Canadians.

Andrey Marygin opened the scoring at 14:21 of the first. Team QMJHL got rolling at 1:18 of the second when Maxime Sauve scored. But the Russians would take the lead back at 3:05 with a shorthanded goal and then a two goal lead at 6:46. But Luke Adam, who made his NHL debut a few days ago with the Buffalo Sabres, put the ‘Q’ all-stars back within a goal at 8:20.

In the final frame, the visitors took a two goal lead again at 16:01. The Canadians would respond nine seconds later but it wouldn’t be enough as the Russians went on to victory by score of 4-3.

Here are the highlights:




NOTES

• Just like in 2008, Rogers Sportsnet’s broadcasting crew is expected to involve Rob Faulds and Sam Cosentino.
• Four Sea Dogs played in the game for Team QMJHL: defensemen Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, and Simon Despres and forward Steven Anthony replaced the injured Chris DiDomenico. On Monday, four Sea Dogs will once again play for their league while Stanislav Galiev will suit up for Russia.
• Mike Hoffman played in the game as a Drummondville Voltigeur. He was traded to Saint John in the off-season.
• Alex Grant was named the player-of-the-game for Team QMJHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect will be an honourary captain on Monday night. He had an assist in the game.
• To view the official game sheet, click HERE.

SUPER SERIES TICKETS ALMOST GONE

Less than 500 tickets remain for the Game One of the 2010 Subway Super Series reports the Saint John Sea Dogs website. A limited number of standing room tickets will be available for $14 each when there are no seats remaining.

The game, which takes place next Monday at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station, will be on a one-hour tape delay on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS for those unable to attend the match.

"We need to sell just under 600 tickets between now and Monday,'' said Sea Dogs president Wayne Long in today’s Telegraph-Journal. "I would encourage people to get out now and get their tickets.''

The Sea Dogs’ Twitter page tweeted yesterday afternoon that roughly 600 tickets were still available for the match that will see Team QMJHL take on a team of Russian junior players.

With so few tickets left and the Saint John market traditionally being patient when it comes to buying such things, this game should be a sell out. By having a capacity crowd, it should give Saint John’s 2012 Memorial Cup hosting hopes a minor boost.

When Harbour Station played host to the game back in 2008, the game sold out with several days remaining until the contest. Although fans don’t really get passionate about this coast-to-coast six game series, the Station was rocking as the Russians defeated the QMJHL all-stars.
Game Two of the series will be November on 10 in Drummondville. Mikael Lalancette has been keeping track an eye on ticket sales in the Quebec city, where the game is becoming a tough sell.

SUPER SERIES NEWS & NOTES

WILDCAT ADDED TO ROSTER
One of the Saulnier twins will be suiting up for Team QMJHL next Monday at Harbour Station.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced this afternoon that Moncton Wildcats forward Alex Saulnier will replace Montreal Juniors forward Louis-Marc Aubry for Game One of the Subway Super Series.

From the Montreal Juniors blog Hockey Points:

Louis-Marc Aubry continues to nurse his knee which suffered a minor injury back in early October. Montreal won't rush him back into the lineup until the injury, which is believed to be a sprain, heals completely. Consider Aubry a "game day" decision to play against Quebec City in Montreal on November 5th.

Alex Saulnier, who plays alongside his twin brother Allain in Wildtown, has registered seven goals and 20 assists in 20 games so far this season.

TICKETS STILL ON SALE
Tickets to Game One of the Subway Super Series, which takes place next Monday at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station, are still available. The Harbour Station website currently lists ticket availability as “limited,” which usually means there are between 1,000 to 2,000 tickets remaining.

The Sea Dogs tweeted this earlier today:

Fewer than 600 seats presently available for opening game of the 2010 Subway Super Series!

DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Our friend Paul tweeted this to us last week:

Subway Super Series tickets being sold at Subway locations in Saint John. $10 for upper bowl ticket with purchase of 6" sub.

Weird this hasn’t been mention anywhere else. Not sure if this deal is still available but it’s worth checking out of you don’t have tickets. All Subway locations are promoting this event to an insane level.

AN ALL-WORLD TEAM?
Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show has been making a strong case over the past few weeks for a format change for the Subway Super Series. The majority of Canadian Hockey League followers would like to see it changed as well.

One the proposed changes are having an all-world team made up of non-Canadian players in each CHL league take on their respective leagues Canadian all-stars. What might the QMJHL roster look like? Click HERE.

MEET THE RUSSIANS
There has been no official announcement as of yet, but RussianProspects.com has the believed Russian roster for the event:

Goalies
Dmitry Shikin, Amur Khabarovsk
Evgeny Ivannikov, SKA-1946
Emil Garipov, Neftyanik Leninogorsk

Defensemen
Maxim Berezin, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk
Sergei Andreev, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk
Yuri Urychev, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk
Maxim Ignatovich, Sibir Novosibirsk
Egor Yakovlev, Bars Kazan
Georgi Berdyukov, SKA St. Petersburg
Mikhail Grigoriev, Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Zakhar Arzamastsev, Metallurg Novokuznetsk
Alexei Marchenko, CSKA Moscow

Forwards
Denis Golubev, Bars Kazan
Daniil Sobchenko, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Nikita Dvurechensky, Dynamo Moscow
Kirill Lebedev, Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Pavel Zdunov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Vladimir Malynovsky, Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Stanislav Bocharov, Bars Kazan
Artemy Panarin, Vityaz Chekhov
Anton Burdasov, Traktor Chelyabinsk
Artem Voronin, MHC Spartak
Denis Sander, Rubin Tyumen
Sergei Kalinin, Avangard Omsk
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk
Alexei Kruchinin, HC VMF St. Petersburg
Dmitry Goldenkov, Amur Khabarovsk

Of course, add Saint John Sea Dogs forward Stanislav Galiev for the QMJHL portion of the event.

If you have heard of more than four players on the list, you should probably be running this blog. Zakhar Arzamastsev and Alexei Marchenko are highlighted on the site as 2011 draft prospects. Maxim Kitsyn is listed as a Los Angeles Kings prospect.

Some of you remember Kitsyn from the NHL draft. He was the one pictured (above) with the oddly shaped head.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

DOUBLE-O
Former Sea Dogs forward Olivier Ouellet has resurfaced in Quebec. The crafty center is currently playing with the Inouk de Granby in the Quebec ‘AAA’ ranks and has seven goals and four assists in 11 games but is also a -8.

Ouellet left the Sea Dogs during the first half of last season and eventually ended up playing in 25 games with Shawinigan Cataractes last year. In 48 career games with Saint John, he had 14 goals and 24 assists.

The 20-year old was always regarded as a solid second line player, but had a hard time finding ice time last year with the likes of Steven Anthony, Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Zach Phillips available to fill that role.

(Ed. Note: Props to Stacie for sending this in.)

‘EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOCKEY EDITION’
According to the Vancouver Canucks website, the team is looking for Steven Anthony to perform an “Extreme Makeover: Hockey Edition.” The site says that they are hoping Anthony “can ditch that nice guy persona on the ice” and add some nastiness to his game.

“After the game (Canucks assistant coach) Rick (Bowness) just said that for me to play like I did in that Calgary game, playing every shift as hard as I can, hitting guys, skating and moving my feet, he said play like that in Saint John and do it consistently and that I’ll have success,” said Anthony about a Canucks pre-season game. “So that’s what I took back from Vancouver and I think that’s going to help me this season.”

Anthony also spoke about where he sees the Sea Dogs team heading this year.

“I think we do have all the tools in place to repeat as league champs and hopefully win it all this time instead of losing in the finals. We had a weekend early on where we played Moncton, Montreal and Rimouski, three teams that are near the top of the league and we won all three games.”

(Ed Note: Thanks to SN reader Cody for sending this in)

GELINAS PUT ON WAIVERS
Our friend Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post informed us last week that former Sea Dogs goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas has been put on waivers by the Central Hockey League’s Odessa Jackalopes. The Jackalopes are the ‘AA’ affiliate of the New York Islanders.

According to OA Online, “Gelinas started both of the Jackalopes games to open the season, suffering a 5-3 loss at Missouri on Friday. He then was between the pipes for Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Quad City.” He was put on waivers after number one goaltender Joel Martin returned from an American Hockey League tryout.

Gelinas played some of the best hockey of his career last season with Saint John, recording a record of 21-5, a goals against average of 2.56, and a save percentage of 0.913. He would be moved to Shawinigan during the holiday trading period in a controversial trade.

PICTURES
The Brunswick Square Facebook page has some pictures a fashion show that took place awhile back, featuring a few Sea Dogs players.

ALEX GRANT MODELING AS WELL
Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant was doing some modeling last week as well, appearing at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Meet the Players Mixer Night. Grant showed off one of the Penguins’ new specialty jerseys honouring firefighters.

Grant is still on the Pittsburgh Penguins injured reserve list after his nasty injury during the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie tournament in which he suffered a a broken left wrist, pulled ligaments in his neck, and a bruised jaw.

According to the WB/S Penguins blog Chirps From Center Ice, Grant “had a splint on his left wrist and is still a few months away from a return.”

PICARD-HOOOOOOOPER
Former Sea Dogs forward Alexandre Picard-Hooper was named one of the McGill University Athletes of the Week last week.

“Picard-Hooper, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound centre on the men's hockey team, scored four points, including a pair of goals, as the Redmen defeated UQTR 6-2 in Trois-Rivieres last Thursday,” states a release on the University website. “The 23-year-old finance junior assisted on the game’s first goal to give McGill a 1-0 lead midway through the opening period, then scored early in third to put the Redmen ahead 2-1. After the Patriotes tied the game at 2-2, Picard-Hooper assisted on what proved to be the winning goal, then scored his second marker to put the game out of reach at 5-2 with five minutes remaining. A graduate of College de Chicoutimi, he joined the Redmen in 2008 after playing for St. John in the QMJHL.”

Picard played in 58 games with the Sea Dogs in 2007-08, scoring 23 goals and 45 assists. In the post-season, he added another four goals and 12 assists to help Saint John reach the QMJHL semi-finals.

SALLOWS ON TESINK
The epic website that is DanSallows.com had a question and answer segment posted this past week with Sea Dogs rookie Ryan Tesink. Among the questions asked were: is there an NHLer you mold your game after, in your opinion, what is the biggest goal you’ve ever scored, and his thoughts on the NCAA route among other things.

He also asked some of the bizarre questions that are given to players at the NHL Combine.

‘If you could have dinner with any 3 people you wanted, who would you pick’

Ryan: Jonathan Papelbon, Jim Carey, and Peyton Manning.

MORE ON DESPRES
Yet another article on Simon Despres' improved confidence and work ethic has been release – this time written in the French language.

Despres also tells CyberPresse.ca that the Penguins told him he is capable of playing in the NHL this season but did not have enough ice time to make it worth keeping the Big Horse.

S.S.S.
Game one of the Subway Super Series goes down two weeks from tonight at Harbour Station. There are still some awesome seats left.

“The game is not sold out yet, please encourage your friends and family to come out and support the Sea Dogs playing as well as show the CHL and QMJHL that Saint John, NB is the best choice for the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup!!!,” posted the Sea Dogs on their Facebook page last week.

BEAULIEU VIDEO
Halifax Mooseheads play-by-play John Moore interviewed Nathan Beaulieu in Halifax this weekend.



Photo Credits: David Connell web album, Chirps From Center Ice