Sea Dogs primed for playoffs after strong regular season

The scenario couldn’t have been better for the Saint John Sea Dogs on March 12.

Playing before a capacity crowd of 6,438 at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs posted a convincing 4-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats to clinch the Maritimes Division title. Saint John had trailed its archrival earlier in the season before rallying with a stellar second half. The reward is a No. 3 seed entering the QMJHL playoffs.

“We’re pretty excited with the way things have gone,” Sea Dogs general manager Darrell Young said. “When you have a new coach (Danny Flynn) and a new coaching staff, there’s a learning curve involved when you’re trying to establish your culture. The players adapted by the middle of December and they gained a greater understanding of what we’re trying to achieve here.”

The Sea Dogs are enjoying the best of both worlds. Not only are they winning, they also have several NHL prospects and others who are pegged to be selected in future NHL drafts.

The lists in The Hockey News Future Watch represent the latest in a long line of accolades. Defenceman Jakub Zboril is ranked as the top Boston Bruins prospect, while fellow rearguard Thomas Chabot is fifth on Ottawa’s list.

Both blueliners appeared in this year’s world juniors, with Zboril playing for the Czech Republic and Chabot for Team Canada.

Chabot also played for Team QMJHL in the annual Canada-Russia Series, as did teammates Nathan Noel and Mathieu Joseph. Underage rookie forward Joe Veleno and goalie prospect Alex D’Orio suited up for Canada Black in the World Under-17 Challenge, while sophomore defenceman Luke Green skated in this year’s Top Prospects Game.

“It’s a great learning tool,” Young said. “They’re all situations where you’re under pressure and you’re scrutinized and you have to perform. It helps these players prepare for the playoffs. We’re really proud of our players for their development.”

While there’s endless optimism surrounding the team’s younger players, several veterans enjoyed career years. Fourth-year centre Matthew Highmore led the Sea Dogs with 75 points, more than tripling last season’s output. The 2012 first-round draft pick also provided valuable leadership throughout the campaign.

“I think last year was a disappoint for him and for us,” Young said. “But Danny and I know this kid’s history. We know his background, we know what his work ethic is and what his commitment to the game is. We believed he would have a bounce-back season.

“He scored 50 points two seasons ago as a 17-year-old and I think last year was a blip on the map. He’s going to be a leader for us in the playoffs and next year if something doesn’t happen on the pro side.”

All three 20-year-olds played major roles in Saint John’s success. Winger Sam Povorozniouk scored a team-leading 39 goals, while Matt Murphy added a championship pedigree to a young defence corps that doesn’t have any 19-year-olds.

Goalie Marc-Antoine Turcotte was good in his first season as a regular, winning 27 games and providing stability when the club was still finding its way in the first half. Turcotte also pushed Alex Bishop, who won 15 games while posting a .905 save percentage.

“Marc-Antoine has been a great warrior for us and probably our most valuable player,” Young said. “He’s allowed us to develop Alex D’Orio and not rush him and not put him in a situation where he had to compete and perform right away.

“D’Orio is going to be a starter in this league and he’s one of the best 16-year-old goalies in Canada, if not the world. We’re pretty excited about the depth we have in net.”

While the Sea Dogs were expected to have a strong season, there were early challenges. Seven players were selected at the NHL Draft last summer and two more received training camp invites.

All nine of those players were missing for parts of the season’s early going, creating gaps in the lineup and delaying the formation of team chemistry. When they eventually returned, there was still more work ahead.

“We have our team back, now we have to become a team,” Flynn said at the time. And the veteran bench boss was right.

It took most of the first half for things to gel. But when they did, the Sea Dogs surged their way to first place after Christmas.

“There’s a big difference between assembling talent and assembling a team,” Flynn said. “We had a good group of kids with a good skill level, but to get them to buy into a team concept was the challenge for the coaching staff.

“It was a revolving door of players coming and going. That was an issue and I was trying to push them beyond their limits, and trying to convince them that we needed to play a certain way if we’re going to win. It’s still a work in progress.”

There were exciting developments off the ice as well. New president Trevor Georgie was introduced in January, after which majority owner Scott McCain announced the team would bid to host the 2019 MasterCard Memorial Cup.

For now, however, the Sea Dogs are preparing for what they hope will be a long playoff run.

“We’re not going to wait until 2018-19 to chase the MasterCard Memorial Cup,” Young said. “We’re going to chase it every year. Our goal as an organization is to be a top team in the Quebec League and one of the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League. That’s why we’re here and it’s our responsibility to the players to give them the best development program as possible.”