Trusting the Process: The Sea Dogs’ Championship History

The junior hockey cycle, and everything that comes with it, is familiar to the Saint John Sea Dogs and their fan base. Typically, the cycle includes a few seasons of rebuilding followed by one or two years of contention. The process requires patience, investment, and unwavering trust of the process.

At the end of the process, one team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League hoists a Cup over their head while seventeen others share in the disappointment. At the end of the process, one team in the Canadian Hockey League raises a Memorial Cup banner, while 59 others look on with envy. The junior hockey cycle is a high-stakes game that is not for the faint of heart, hoping to be on the good side of 1 in 18 odds of winning the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and 1 in 60 odds of winning the Memorial Cup.

For the Sea Dogs, a commitment to trusting the process has led to consistently successful rebuilds. Since entering the league in 2005, the team has never gone more than five seasons between championships, with their longest build being the very first one. And while tough seasons are always part of the process, the team has qualified for the playoffs in 14 of their 19 seasons and only finished at the bottom of the standings twice (despite selecting first overall six times).

Saint John won it’s first QMJHL championship in 2011, after just six years of existence and became the first team from the Maritimes to win the Memorial Cup that same year. They’ve since won the President’s Cup twice more in 2012 and 2017, and most recently captured the Memorial Cup in 2022. Since winning their first championship in 2011, no team in the CHL has won more Cups.

Despite being the youngest active franchise in the QMJHL, the Sea Dogs sit fifth in the league with three President’s Cups and second for Memorial Cup championships, in it’s current four-team format, with two.

The process of building each of those championship rosters began at the same place; the QMJHL Entry Draft. Saint John has drafted a total of 24 players in the first round and 14 of those players went on to win championships with the Sea Dogs. While a championship contending roster requires much more than just first round picks, they’re certainly an important piece of the plan.

That brings us to this year’s 2024 QMJHL Draft, which will be held at the Avenir Centre in Moncton. As the team continues to build toward their next championship, Saint John enters the draft with two picks in the first round, the fifth and eighth overall selections. The team has never drafted fifth overall in its history and has held the eighth pick just two times previously (Sea Dogs all-time leading scoring defenceman Jeremie Poirier and 2017 President’s Cup champion Matthew Highmore.)

It will also be the ninth time in franchise history that the Sea Dogs have at least two first round picks in the same draft. The previous eight times all resulted in a championship in the next five years, with one of the most recent instances coming in 2018 when Saint John had three first round selections. Who were those players? 2022 Memorial Cup champions William Villeneuve, Jeremie Poirier, and Josh Lawrence.

All three made the immediate jump to the Sea Dogs roster as 16-year-olds and went on to play four seasons in the Port City, ultimately leading them to their second Memorial Cup championship on home ice in 2022. The Sea Dogs also have three first round picks for the 2025 QMJHL Draft.

Rebuilding a team is filled with pivotal moments, but few as franchise-outlook defining as the Draft. The Draft is typically a flurry of activity including trades and selections that will shape the roster of a team for seasons to come. While each draft class is very different, there is consistency at the Sea Dogs draft table. Familiar faces at the table on June 7 and 8 will include Sea Dogs Owner and CEO Scott McCain (5 championships), Sea Dogs President Trevor Georgie (2 championships), Sea Dogs Head Coach Travis Crickard (1 championship), and Sea Dogs General Manager Anthony Stella (2 championships).

Stella and the team’s scouting staff have been working tirelessly all season preparing for next weekend in Moncton, one of the many important, and exciting events for the franchise and its fans, ready to trust the process once again.

For the latest Sea Dogs news, visit SJSeaDogs.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/sjseadogs), Twitter (@SJSeaDogs), and Instagram (@SJSeaDogs).