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Wildcats, Sea Dogs named to Q’s all-star, all-rookie teams

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The QMJHL announced its all-star teams this week, and there’s plenty of good news for the New Brunswick teams.

After finishing first overall in the league, the Moncton Wildcats have three players on the first all-star team.

Defenceman Tommy Bleyl, forward Caleb Desnoyers and goaltender Rudy Guimond all made the top squad.

Bleyl led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 goals and 68 assists in 63 games.

Desnoyers only made it into 45 games this season but still had 22 goals and 56 assists. He was also the only player from the Q to earn a spot on Team Canada at the World Juniors.

He signed an entry-level deal with the Utah Mammoth earlier this year.

RELATED: Wildcats star signs NHL deal

Guimond put up stellar numbers between the pipes, playing 50 games and winning 40 of them to go with a 2.27 GAA, a .922 save percentage and three shutouts.

Bleyl also made the all-rookie all-star team.

He was joined by Saint John Sea Dogs standout Alexis Joseph, selected first overall in the 2025 QMJHL draft.

Joseph put up 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games with the Sea Dogs.

Here are the full rosters for the all-rookie, first and second all-star teams:

Rookie All-Star Team

  • Goaltender: Jan Larys, Drummondville
  • Defenceman: Tommy Bleyl, Moncton
  • Defenceman: Malik L’Italien, Halifax
  • Forward: Egor Shilov, Victoriaville
  • Forward: Alexey Vlasov, Victoriaville
  • Forward: Alexis Joseph, Saint John

Second All-Star Team

  • Goaltender: William Lacelle, Rimouski/Blainville-Boisbriand
  • Defenceman: Tomas Lavoie, Cape Breton/Chicoutimi
  • Defenceman: Marcus Kearsey, Charlottetown
  • Forward: Philippe Veilleux, Val-d’Or
  • Forward: Justin Carbonneau, Blainville-Boisbriand
  • Forward: Nathan Leek, Charlottetown

First All-Star Team

  • Goaltender: Rudy Guimond, Moncton
  • Defenceman: Tommy Bleyl, Moncton
  • Defenceman: Alex Huang, Chicoutimi
  • Forward: Maxim Massé, Chicoutimi
  • Forward: Caleb Desnoyers, Moncton
  • Forward: Thomas Verdon, Rouyn-Noranda
Moncton Wildcats 3

Playoff round 2 for Moncton Wildcats begins Friday

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The first two games of round two of the Moncton Wildcats playoff series are scheduled this week.

There’s no confirmation yet who the Cats will face as they await the results of the Western Conference series, but it’s expected they will battle either the Gatineau Olympiques or the Val D’Or Foreurs

Tickets for the April 10 and April 11 games at the Avenir Centre are on sale now through Ticketmaster.

The Moncton Wildcats beat the Saint John Sea Dogs in four games straight in round one of the Gilles-Courteau playoff series.

Saint John_Sea Dogs_Logo_

Pressure is off for Sea Dogs in first-round series against Moncton

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New Brunswick bragging rights are on the line as the Saint John Sea Dogs prepare to face the Moncton Wildcats in a first-round playoff series.

The rivalry returns to the post-season for the first time since the President’s Cup final in 2010.

To put that in perspective, Sea Dogs rookie Alexis Joseph was not even a year old when that series took place.

Moncton won that series in six games.

On paper, the series looks like a mismatch.

The Wildcats finished the season in first place in the QMJHL and are the defending champions.

The Sea Dogs finished 14th overall a year after missing the playoffs altogether.

But Saint John president and general manager Trevor Georgie thinks that could help his team.

“You know, the pressure’s all on the number one seed,” he said, referring to the Wildcats. “For us, there’s really no pressure in a matchup like this.”

Georgie said it’s a chance for the Sea Dogs to gain some valuable experience.

“We have a group of 16 players that have not yet played their first CHL playoff game,” Georgie said. “They’re going to their first taste of playoff hockey, and they’re going to get it against a rival.”

Georgie said despite his team’s lack of experience, there’s a lot of talent on the roster.

And the group is ready to go.

“In these situations when you’re playing a top seed, you need to embrace having the pressure off,” Georgie said.

The roster isn’t the only part of the team lacking playoff experience.

Head coach Brian Casey, who took over bench duties in late February, is a rookie at the major junior level

Casey has more than eight years coaching experience at the U Sports, U18 and Junior A levels.

He won back-to-back Atlantic University Sport championships as an assistant coach with the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men in 2016 and 2017, along with a national silver medal in 2016.

Casey was also the head coach of the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Fredericton Red Wings from 2019 to 2021.

Georgie said Casey has brought positivity and energy to a team that had a difficult start to the season.

“He knows what it takes to go through these stretches and win,” Georgie said.

As far as predictions, Georgie would only say the series should be a good one.

Game 1 is Friday night at the Avenir Centre.

Wildcats vs. Sea Dogs Round 1

  • Game 1: March 27, 7 p.m. Saint John @ Moncton
  • Game 2: March 28, 7 p.m. Saint John @ Moncton
  • Game 3: March 31, 7 p.m. Moncton @ Saint John
  • Game 4: April 1, 7 p.m. Moncton @ Saint John
  • *Game 5: April 3, 7 p.m. Saint John @ Moncton
  • *Game 6: April 5, 3 p.m. Moncton @ Saint John
  • *Game 7: April 7, 7 p.m. Saint John @ Moncton
    * – if necessary
cape breton eagles

Eagles ‘feeling good’ heading into Q playoffs

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The Cape Breton Eagles will look for a high-flying start to the QMJHL playoffs.

They’re heading to Newfoundland to face the Regiment for Games 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday.

The Eagles finished sixth in the Eastern Conference this year with 69 points, Newfoundland were third with 80 points.

Cape Breton Head Coach Jason Clarke says his team is feeling good.

“I liked our final weekend of the regular season. Our powerplay has gotten hot over the last five or six games. Special teams are very important heading into a playoff run. We’re very confident heading into the postseason,” said Clarke, who is in his first season behind the Eagles bench.

He’s expecting an energetic atmosphere in St. John’s, as Q playoff hockey returns to Newfoundland for the first time in 18 years.

The teams will head to Centre 200 for Games 3, 4 and 5 next week.

Clarke says they’re looking forward to playing at home in front of the best fans in the league.

“The fans are our 7th Player. We’re excited to put that jersey on and play in front of our fans, and make them proud of our work ethic and how we conduct ourselves on the ice.”

Clarke says the leadership group has done a great job getting the team ready for the postseason.

“We have players from last year, and some we’ve traded for that have gone on long playoff runs. That experience is being shared with our younger guys, just like it has all season long.”

Cape Breton fell in six games in last year’s opening round to Baie-Comeau.

In 2024, the Eagles tied their longest playoff run in franchise history, making it to the third round.

William Villeneuve

Former Sea Dog gets the call to NHL

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A member of the 2022 Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs could be set to make his NHL debut.

Defenceman William Villeneuve was called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs this week, the first time he’s been promoted to the big club.

Exactly when Villeneuve makes his NHL debut is up in the air.

The NHL is in the midst of an extended break while the Winter Olympics continue in Italy.

The Leafs don’t play again until Feb. 25, when they head to Tampa, Fla., to face the Lightning.

Villeneuve was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL draft by the Leafs.

He’s spent the last four seasons with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In 205 games with the Marlies, Villeneuve has 12 goals and 96 assists.

Villeneuve was a Sea Dog from 2018 through 2022, putting up 21 goals and 132 assists in 216 regular season games, and was an important part of the Memorial Cup-winning team in 2022.