Photo supplied by the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The Saint John Sea Dogs had a busy few weeks ahead of the QMJHL’s January 25 trade deadline.
The front office pulled off a number of trades this month, saying goodbye to 2019 first overall pick Joshua Roy while adding two NHL prospects.
Team president and general manager Trevor Georgie said it’s been a tough season to evaluate the roster, with a few players still missing due to international travel regulations.
“We knew we needed a bit more experience and a bit more punch to the lineup and consistency,” said Georgie. “It’s still a pretty young group, and we’ve been playing short a 20-year-old waiting for Vladislav Kotkov to show up.”
Roy was the Sea Dogs’ leading scorer in 2021, with 17 points through the team’s first 15 games, looking as though he was set to build on the 44 points he posted as a 16-year-old rookie in 2020.
However, the Dogs wanted to accommodate his request to be moved to a different market. In exchange, they landed four high draft picks from Sherbrooke.
“Anytime you can bring in three first-round picks and a second, it’s really money in our pocket,” Georgie said.
He says the picks could be used in the draft, or to shop for players in future trades next off-season.
In another move last week, the Dogs added forward and Calgary Flames prospect Ryan Francis in a deal with Cape Breton.
Georgie says fans can look forward to Francis injecting a little offensive punch into the lineup.
“He’s a skilled, very offensively gifted forward,” said Georgie. “He’s a sniper, a gifted playmaker. Not big, or overly physical, but he’s a sneaky scorer and playmaker.”
Francis posted 15 points in 21 games before the season went on hiatus, following up on his 24-goal, 72-point season in 2020.
Saint John also picked up 20-year-old goalie Zachary Emond, a prospect with the San Jose Sharks. Emond formerly won the President Cup and Memorial Cup with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
“I think as a veteran that has that kind of experience and has seen it, I think he’ll bring a lot of real good experience to the room and also share some of those pearls of wisdom that he’s picked up along the way,” Georgie said.
With New Brunswick teams still waiting for news on when they will return to the ice, Georgie said he isn’t sure whether Roy’s request for a trade was influenced by the Quebec division’s teams continuing the season in a bubble environment.
“That may have been a piece that factored in, but I don’t know for certain,” Georgie said. “I do know that having a Quebec bubble, there’s some certainty there. Knowing that there’s a bit of a structure to having them.”
He says the Quebec bubble environment is supported in large part by provincial funding, which is a ‘different financial reality’ than the Maritimes division teams are able to operate under.
Despite the team being sidelined for the past few months, Georgie says he’s proud of his players for their patience.
“It’s frustrating for our players… It’s been two months, it feels like training camp all over again. It feels like a whole new season,” he said.
“These are young men that are committed to a life playing hockey, to be cooped up in that hotel room or a bedroom is not what they want to be doing.”
