It’s no fluke that the Saint John Sea Dogs are ranked No. 1 overall in Canada among major junior hockey teams.
That lofty status was validated Monday when nine Sea Dogs appeared on the release of the NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for draft-eligible North American skaters.
“It’s pretty impressive,” said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant. “Obviously our scouting staff did an outstanding job.”
Sea Dogs’ director of hockey operations and associate coach Mike Kelly echoed those sentiments.
“It’s a tribute to the scouts, the kids and their families,” said Kelly. “Obviously a lot of sacrifice goes in to getting this far.
“I know Norm Gosselin’s out there with his chest stuck out somewhere,” Kelly said with a laugh, referring to the team’s former chief scout who left the Dogs to join the scouting staff of the Phoenix Coyotes over the summer.
To put things in perspective, both the Moncton Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan each placed one player on the list of 212 – defenceman Olivier Houle of the Titan at No. 178 and Moncton forward Olivier Daoust at No. 182.
Jonathan Huberdeau is the top Dog on the list at No. 4 but he has plenty of company. The six-foot-one, 168-pound forward has 27 goals and 38 assists in 40 games and is second in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in scoring.
Huberdeau doesn’t just bring skills to the table, though, which is likely a big reason why he’s so high on the list. His passion and feistiness will likely be what separates him from most of the pack.
Defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, who stands a hair under six-foot-two and tips the scales at 185 pounds, is No. 9 overall and the third-ranked player from the Q. He has eight goals and 20 assists in 40 games. He’s also the second defenceman listed behind Dougie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs.
Second-year forward Zack Phillips has enjoyed a breakout season and checks in at No. 12. He has 27 goals and 33 assists in 40 games and is fourth in the league in scoring.
Slovakian forward Tomas Jurco has been a solid contributor for the Sea Dogs in his two seasons in Saint John and occupies No. 24 on the Central Scouting list. Jurco, six-foot-two and a questionable 193 pounds, has 17 goals and 15 assists in 33 games. As impressive as this appears, Jurco might actually look at this as a bit of a slight, which could light a fire under him in the second half.
Home-grown star Ryan Tesink is rated No. 49. The 5-11, 157-pound centre has six goals and 16 assists in 36 games and is an impressive plus-19.
Tesink’s linemate, Scott Oke, holds down the No. 58 spot while Saint John product Aidan Kelly is ranked 80th.
Defenceman Gabriel Bourret is ranked 108th by Central Scouting after putting up four goals and 15 assists in 37 games.
Defensive specialist Jason Cameron is listed at 114th. Former Sea Dog defenceman Guillaume Cloutier, who was dealt to Chicoutimi during the Christmas trading period for Eric Gelinas, is ranked 46th.
Defenceman Michael Paliotta, a six-foot-three, 198-pound defenceman with the U.S. under-18 program, was drafted by the Sea Dogs in 2009. He’s ranked 32nd.
“The kids are playing well and when you’re winning as much as we have in the last year and a half, you get some attention,” said Gallant. “I’m real happy for the guys.”
COUTURIER NO. 2
While the Sea Dogs grabbed the spotlight with nine players listed, Bathurst’s Sean Couturier, a member of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, is ranked second overall, just behind Gabriel Landeskog of the Kitchener Rangers and just ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels.
Couturier, six-foot-four and 195 pounds, recently returned from Buffalo, N.Y., where he represented Canada at the world junior tournament, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in seven games. He was the youngest member of Team Canada.
NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
Acadie-Bathurst Titan netminder Olivier Roy saw action in three games at the world juniors, posting a record of 1-2 with a goals-against average of 3.57 and a save percentage of .875. He can take solace in the fact the world will not end because of a sub-par showing and he needs to look no further than last year’s tournament when Fredericton’s Jake Allen was in a similar situation with Team Canada.
Allen rebounded from the disappointment of losing to the United States with an impressive start to his pro career with the American Hockey League’s Peoria Rivermen. He has a record of 15-3-0 with five shutouts, boasts a goals-against average of 1.76 and a save percentage of .945. Allen is property of the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the second round of the 2008 NHL entry draft, 34th overall.
SALUTING DESPRES, JURCO
The Saint John Sea Dogs will salute two of their stars tonight prior to their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game against the visiting Prince Edward Island Rocket at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.
Defenceman Simon Despres was a stalwart on the point for Canada at the recently contested world junior championship in Buffalo. As most everyone knows by now, Canada surrendered a 3-0 third-period lead and dropped a 5-3 decision to the Russians in the gold-medal game.
Despres registered three assists, had nine shots on goal and was a plus-7 in seven games, while Jurco suited up for Slovakia and had a goal in six games with a very respectable even plus/minus rating. His family will be in attendance tonight when the youngster is saluted at centre ice.
Peter McGuire is the city editor of the Telegraph-Journal. His QMJHL column appears each Tuesday. Reach him at mcguire.peter@telegraphjournal.com