After a rocky start to the 2023-24 QMJHL regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs are gearing up for their playoff run.
The Sea Dogs finished last in the Maritimes Division and 16th in the overall standings ahead of the Quebec Remparts and Val-d’Or Foreurs.
Despite the rocky start, Head Coach Travis Crickard said he’s proud of his players nabbing the last playoff spot in the league.
“It was, I think, a pretty stressful and kind of pressure-packed last couple of weeks of the regular season,” Crickard said in an interview earlier this week.
“I’m really happy for the players to get this opportunity to experience playoffs for those who haven’t yet and for our older players to extend their junior careers or even get some additional opportunities to showcase what they can do for future prospects, whether that be pro, NHL draft or university hockey.”
Crickard described the regular season as a tale of four seasons The team got off to a slow start with the style of play they were using, he said, and after some lineup changes, there was a vast improvement around Christmas.
“A very challenging season from a coaching perspective to find the right style that works for the personnel that changed so much throughout the season, but in general, very proud of the group for achieving this objective,” he added.
All six Maritime teams made the playoffs. The Sea Dogs are major underdogs against the top-ranked Drummondville Voltigeurs, who finished the regular season with 48 wins to Saint John’s 20 wins.
This will be the first time the two teams meet in the QMJHL playoffs. The Voltigeurs made the playoffs last year but lost in the first round to the Victoriaville Tigres in five games. They last won the league title in 2009.
Despite winning a Memorial Cup in 2022, Saint John is looking for its first post-season series victory since winning the 2017 President’s Cup, now known as the Gilles-Courteau Trophy. They had a first-round exit that year, losing in five games to the Gatineau Olympiques.
Crickard said he is very excited about the prospect of playing in a playoff environment.
“I think anytime you get the opportunity to play in playoffs, you learn a lot about your team, learn a lot about yourself and what you’re made of, and there is just a whole different vibe around playoff hockey,” he said.
“There are more fans in the building, it is louder, and every inch of ice they fight for matters. I cannot stress enough how much different it is and yet how exciting it is as well.”
The series between the Sea Dogs and Voltigeurs will begin this Friday in Drummondville for games one and two. Games three and four will be played next Tuesday and Wednesday at TD Station.
