QMJHL maritimes division preview: Can the Sea Dogs win it all?

Yahoo’s Buzzing the Net will preview the upcoming 2015-16 QMJHL season, going division by division and asking the biggest question of each team. Here is the West Division preview. The East preview is available here, and the West Division is available here. The season opens on Thursday with the defending President’s Cup champion Rimouski Oceanic hosting the Shawinigan Cataractes

Saint John Sea Dogs – 2014-15 record: 32-26-4-6 for 74 points; Division finish: 3rd; Result: Lost to Baie-Comeau in first round;

Will this year’s team be as good as the 2009-2012 editions?

They have the potential. With seven NHL picks on the roster, they are the deepest team in the league, though they aren’t close to the 13 picks the 2009-10 team eventually boasted, or the 11 picks from the back-to-back Memorial Cup teams.

Joe Veleno, the first overall pick in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft, will likely be another NHL pick, while Luke Green will probably go high in this year’s NHL edition. His brother Matt could also be picked, and Nathan Noel and Bailey Webster could both be picked in their draft+1 years. That would make 11 picks, and that would be a close call.

The Sea Dogs have a deep forward group with five of those NHL picks up front (Adam Marsh, Samuel Dove-McFalls, Spencer Smallman, Mathieu Joseph and Bokondji Imama), along with Matt Green, Noel, Veleno and Daniel Del Paggio, and overager Sam Povorozniouk continues the trend of OHL reclaimation projects. The blueline has first rounders Ottawa Senators Thomas Chabot and Boston Bruins selection Jakub Zboril, along with Luke Green, Webster, overager Adam Bateman and Jason Bell, with new import pick Oliver Felixson.

The goaltending is the only real question mark, and much like those 2009-2012 teams, they had to acquire a netminder to go all the way, be it Marco Cousineau, Jacob de Serres or Mathieu Corbeil. This year, the Sea Dogs reached out to acquire Marc-Antoine Turcotte to man the pipes.

Head coach Danny Flynn has been to the promised land twice with the rival Moncton Wildcats, so he knows how to mould a championship team.

Veleno could not have joined a better team for his development. The youngster will be the youngest player in the league, and he won't have to play top-line minutes if he isn't ready for them. He can play as many minutes as his talent allows, and he isn't a necessary star for the team to win games. It's the ideal situation for him to develop.

Saint John is the early favourite to run the league and win the President’s Cup, and their team on paper looks nearly dominant.

Charlottetown Islanders – 2014-15 record: 35-28-1-4 for 75 points; Division finish: 2nd; Result: Lost to Quebec in second round;

Will Mason McDonald hold up this season?

What could have been for the Islanders last season. They have a very successful season, catch up to the dropping Saint John Sea Dogs to take second in the division, and then meet the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the first round. Things were looking up, then disaster struck, with a major injury to netminder Mason McDonald.

While backup Daryl MacCullum played admirably, and they won the series against the Phoenix in six games, they were swept hard against the Remparts. They could have been a more formidable opponent to Quebec on their route to the final if they had their number one goalkeeper on the ice and not in the press box.

McDonald, a Calgary Flames pick, is back and looking to take the crown of the best netminder in the CHL, and he could take the title this season. He is that good.

Also returning are the scoring duo of Senators pick Filip Chlapik and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Daniel Sprong. They both had over a point a game last season, and Sprong’s 39 goals is third-highest among returning QMJHL players. Alexandre Goulet and Filip Rydstrom have also returned, and sophomores Keith Getson and Mitchell Balmas will jump into bigger roles.

The defence is good, but could use a boost at Christmas. Dexter Weber and David Henley lead a solid if unspectacular group.

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – 2014-15 record: 31-31-3-3 for 68 points; Division finish: 5th; Result: Lost to Quebec in first round;

Will the team need first round pick Shane Bowers up front?

He certainly would help, but he has chosen the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL instead, so there is a hole up front.

However, the blueline could be the deepest in the league, and covers all the styles. Alexandre Gosselin and Columbus Blue Jacket pick Olivier LeBlanc can provide the offensive play, Loïk Léveillé and Duncan MacIntyre give great two-way play, and Jonathan Deschamps and Maxim Baillargeon are defensive rocks.

Up front, Detroit prospect Evgeny Svechnikov and Maxim Lazarev are back, as well as Pierre-Luc Dubois and Carolina Hurricanes selection Clark Bishop. Sixth overall pick Peyton Hoyt will bring energy, and pre-season gem Anthony Sorrentino is in the fold. Jordan Ty Fournier is a great pickup up front.

Alexandre Bélanger is a solid overager to take as a starter, and first rounder Kyle Jessiman will back him up.

While Bowers would really make a good team better, this is already a deep playoff team. They may now need to acquire that top-6 forward instead to make a run.

Halifax Mooseheads – 2014-15 record: 32-30-4-2 for 70 points; Division finish: 4th; Result: Lost to Moncton in second round;

Is there more to this team than the Timo Meier show?

This will be the Timo Meier show this season. Last year, he could ride Nikolai Ehlers coat-tails and this season he will have to show his talents alone.

The Moynihans, Connor and Danny, are back, as is Brett Crossley. Euro picks Otto Somppi and Ilya Putintsev will look to contribute, as will top pick Arnaud Dandurand. Barrett Dachyshyn also made the team.

The blue line is bolstered by the addition of Toronto Maple Leaf prospect Cody Donaghey, as the back end is bland without him. They have depth, but nothing by way of stars, save Donaghey.

Eric Brassard is back as an overager to start in net, and Kevin Resop will back him up.

There are a lot of questions that need answered up front, but the back ends are looking alright for the Herd to sit around the same place again this season.

Moncton Wildcats – 2014-15 record: 46-19-0-3 for 95 points; Division finish: 1st; Result: Lost to Quebec in third round;

Can the Wildcats replicate their success from last season?

They will be in tough to repeat their season from last year. League point leader and Arizona Coyote pick Conor Garland is back and will lead the offence, but he has no Ivan Barbashev to feed one-timers.

The Wildcats have tried to piece-meal a top-half team in the league and lots of questions need to be answered. Blueliner Jacob Sweeney signed an ATO with the New Jersey Devils, and may not be back with the team, which would be a huge loss. Players like Liam Murphy, Cameron Askew, Will Bower, Noah Corson and Zach MacEwen will have to take steps forward. The European picks, forward Manuel Wiederer and defender Maximiilian Glassl, will be leaned on to kick in some offence.

The Klima twins, Kelly and Kevin, have emerged with the team, after fizzling out with the London Knights and the Springfield Jr. Blues.

Netminder Zach Fortin will have to prove his numbers last year with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL wasn’t a fluke, and that his previous QMJHL experience is a thing of the past. Backup Sébastien Dupré may take over if he can’t.

On paper, the Wildcats are the Halifax Mooseheads, with a slightly worse star winger, a slightly worse number one defenceman and a overage goaltender with a worse junior hockey statline.

There’s a lot of moving parts with the Wildcats this season. It’s clear Garland will put up points, but with who and when isn’t clear.

Acadie-Bathurst Titan – 2014-15 record: 17-43-6-3 for 42 points; Division finish: 6th; Result: Missed playoffs;

Can the Titan make the playoffs?

Finally, we can say the future of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan is bright. Forwards Jordan Maher and Yan Plourde are bolstered by top pick Antoine Morand, fellow rookie Samuel L’Italien and Euros Vlad Kuznetsov and Daniil Miromanov.

Elijah Francis should make a big step forward and join Vancouver Canucks pick Guillaume Brisebois at the top of the blueline corps. Anthony Beaulieu is a great depth addition, and Mark Trickett and Nicolas Dumulong are strong defenders.

If Daniel Vautour can replicate his success from last season, the Titan could be in good shape, but they are very raw, especially up front. They might make the playoffs, and they might not.

Either way, this season isn’t theirs to win. They would be better served to stockpile picks for the draft coming next June.