Sea Dogs Draft Recap: High-End Prospects, Building Blocks, and Calculated Risks
MONCTON, N.B. – The Saint John Sea Dogs made 13 selections, including three in the first round, at the 2024 QMJHL Draft this past weekend in Moncton. In total, the team selected six forwards, six defencemen, and one goaltender.
“Entering this draft we had some important boxes that we wanted to check off and we feel that we accomplished that,” said Sea Dogs General Manager Anthony Stella.
With the fifth overall pick, the Sea Dogs selected six-foot, 191-pound center William Yared from the Lac St-Louis Lions. One of the most complete players in the Draft, the Mont-Royal, Quebec native scored at a point-per-game clip with 42 points in 41 games this season in the Quebec U-18 ranks. Three picks later Saint John, the first team to step on stage for the second time on the night, nabbed Yared’s linemate Dylan Rozzi with the eighth overall selection. The five-foot-11 left winger totalled 46 points in 42 games this season, including 17 goals.
“These were two players we were very high on and they sat right at the top of our list. To get one would have been great, but to get both of them is tremendous for our future,” commented Stella.
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— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 8, 2024
Saint John entered the draft with two first round selections, however late in the opening round the team announced a trade with the Rimouski Oceanic to acquire the 19th overall selection in exchange for Moncton’s first-round pick in 2025. They used the pick to select highly-touted defenceman Cameron Chartrand. The Saint-Lazare, Quebec native spent the 2023-24 season with the Bishop Kearney Selects 15’s in the United States posting 33 points in 61 games. He also played for Team Canada at the 2024 Youth Olympics, where Sea Dogs head coach Travis Crickard served as an assistant coach. Chartrand was ranked fifth on the QMJHL Central Scouting list.
“We considered Cameron the best D in this draft,” said Stella. “Nearing the end of the 1st round we saw an opportunity and we took a chance. The player had clear intentions on his future and now it’s up to us to present all this organization can offer.”
With their first pick of day two, the Sea Dogs added defenceman Cruz Scanzano of the Lac St-Louis Lions with the 26th overall selection. The six-foot-one, 184-pound product of Lachine, Quebec posted six points and 36 penalty minutes this season. In the third round, Saint John turned to Chambly, Quebec native Rafael Courchesne with the 45th overall selection. The six-foot-two netminder went 11-10-1-0 with a .895 save-percentage, 3.76 goals-against-average, and one shutout.
The Sea Dogs made two selections early in the sixth round taking defenceman Joshua Henry and forward Jamie Glance with picks number 93 and 95, respectively. A product of Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia, Henry spent this season at Rothesay Netherwood School where he totaled nine points in 31 games. Glance, a five-foot-eight winger from New Hampshire, racked up a whopping 54 goals and 112 points in 58 games with Mount St. Charles Academy.
Saint John selected defenceman Brian McFadden out of Catholic Memorial High School in the seventh round, followed by highly-skilled forward Zachary Morin in round eight. Morin suited up for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms this season and is one of the top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Defenceman Frederick Bourque of the Intrépide de l’Outaouais U17 and forward Dylan-Alec Chery of the Taft School Rhinos were the Sea Dogs selections in rounds 11 and 12, followed by defenceman Matas Janulis in the 13th round. In the 14th round, Saint John picked up Glance’s Mount St. Charles teammate Matthew Krayer. The five-foot-nine, 160-pound center had 79 points in 56 games this season with the Saints.
“We added some important pieces for the future and took some calculated risks,” Stella said. “Overall we feel that we got the most that we could have out of this Draft with our picks. We acquired value, high end prospects, and players that we can build with. On paper we’re very happy and now, we move into the summer and the work begins.”
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