Wildcats, Sea Dogs battle for New Brunswick pride in QMJHL playoffs

The Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs face off in QMJHL playoffs.

The battle of New Brunswick starts this weekend, but the regular season standings say it may not be a fair fight.

The Moncton Wildcats host the Saint John Sea Dogs Friday and Saturday night in the first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) playoffs.

On paper, it’s a mismatch.

Moncton finished with 104 points and captured the QMJHL regular season title for the second straight year.

They’re also second in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) power rankings, finishing with 53 more points than their provincial rival.

Wildcats head coach Gardiner MacDougall said being that far ahead of Saint John in the standings just means they have an extra home game in the best of seven series.

“Everything starts equal now. The pride of New Brunswick, it’s terrific for the fans,” said MacDougall. “They have an exciting young team. They’ve done a great job with their drafting. They’ve got a lot of talent and we’ve had some great games. Offensively, they’re a treat to watch.”

QMJHL scout and analyst Craig Eagles agrees and said the Sea Dogs have a lot of talent up front.

“They’ve underachieved this year, coaching change, but Brian Casey and his coaching staff, they’re going to be prepared. This is a great opening round series for the Moncton Wildcats to really dig in and gain some experience as a group,” said Eagles.

The Wildcats made it all the way to the Memorial Cup final last year, but came up short.

This year, instead of rebuilding, they re-tooled and added new talent, including several American free agents.

MacDougall said this season’s success is partly due to career years from some of the returning players and the chemistry between the veterans and newcomers.

“You bring 18 new players in, sometimes it’s going to take a while to form first of all the brotherhood off the ice that leads to the on-ice performance and this group has blended in really, really well. I can’t say enough about the dressing room and the chemistry,” said MacDougall.

Eagles said the biggest difference between last year’s team and this year’s is the depth up front.

“Team speed is a tremendous asset for the Moncton Wildcats and that’s how they’re going to have success here in the playoffs, if they can wear down their opposition with their speed,” said Eagles.

MacDougall also pointed out the savvy moves by the team’s front office including his son Taylor, the team’s general manager and director of player operations.

The franchise has taken advantage of a rule change in 2024 that allows players to play in the CHL while maintaining their college eligibility in the United States.

“There’s a lot of choices for players now,” said MacDougall. “The hockey world’s changed here in the last 18 months and there’s lots of different choices and every team wants to do the best to get the best players you can.”

Eagles gave credit to Talor MacDougall and his staff for identifying talent from the United States and bringing high profile free agents to Moncton.

“I think facility, the organization, how players are treated. The Moncton Wildcats, along with a lot of other teams here in the Q, definitely have a pipeline to the eastern seaboard now and you’re going to see that pay dividends moving forward,” said Eagles.

The Wildcats were led by several players, but two in particular stood out.

American Tommy Bleyl broke the QMJHL record for most points by a defenceman in a rookie season with 81.

Captain Caleb Desnoyers missed the first 19 games of the year, played for Canada at the World Junior Championships, and still finished with 78 points in 45 games.

Desnoyers was selected fourth overall by the Utah Mammoth in last year’s NHL draft.

Eagles thinks this group is more than capable of returning to the Memorial Cup.

“There’s a high probability of that,” he said. “Moncton have a very good chance of repeating as Q-league champions.”

Game one starts Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Avenir Centre.

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