A Look Back: The Exceptional Trade and Its Trade Tree
June 6, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
Six and a half years ago, the Saint John Sea Dogs completed one of the largest trades in CHL history and they continue to reap the rewards of that deal to this day, including at this weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft. Let's take a look back on how the future of the team was impacted by this trade.
It was December 17, 2017 when then Sea Dogs President & General Manager, Trevor Georgie was faced with the tough decision to either keep 17-year-old star forward Joe Veleno or trade the first and only exceptional status player in QMJHL history.
The Sea Dogs had won the 2017 President Cup the season prior, and needed to make a decision to keep their young Captain or make the painful decision to trade him to a contender in order to set themselves up for a future championship. Rumours swirled around the League, with the asking price for Veleno at a whopping five first-round picks. Ultimately, it was future NHL Coach Dominique Ducharme, then GM and Head Coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, who stepped up and paid the (almost full) asking price.
The news broke on December 8th that Captain Joe Veleno was on the way to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for three first-round picks and two second-round picks. At the time, the deal was the biggest return for a single-player in QMJHL history. It appeared to be a win-win for both teams; Saint John was coming off their third President's Cup win in 2017 and ready to kickstart their next cycle while Drummondville looked to make a push for their second league title.
When the trade tree is broken down in detail, the wins just keep piling up for the Sea Dogs. First, they used the 2018 first-round pick to select defenceman Jeremie Poirier eighth overall. The Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec native went on to play four seasons in the Port City, finishing his career as the franchise's all-time leader in points and goals by a defenceman. Poirier was also a key piece of the 2022 Memorial Cup championship roster.
The next piece of the trade was Quebec's second-round pick in 2018 and that was used to select another member of that 2022 Memorial Cup team, forward Brady Burns. In five seasons with Saint John, Burns set the franchise all-time points record surpassing Sea Dogs Hall of Famer, Jonathan Huberdeau.
This is where the trade tree really starts to blossom. The first-round pick in 2019, originally belonging to Blainville-Boisbriand, turned out to be the first overall pick which the Sea Dogs used on forward Joshua Roy. He would spend two seasons with the team before being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix for another massive haul. In return, Saint John received first-round picks in 2021, 2022, and 2023 along with a second-round pick in 2021.
The 2021 first-round pick ended up being the 20th overall selection and, after acquiring the #19 pick in a separate deal, the Sea Dogs chose to strike a deal with Halifax to move down seven spots while also picking up an extra third-round pick. The two picks acquired from the Mooseheads were used on forward Francis Woods and goaltender Olivier Brideau, who was later dealt to the Rimouski Oceanic for sixth and 10th round picks in 2025. That is the end of that branch, for now.
With the 2021 second-round pick acquired from Sherbrooke, Saint John selected forward Vince Elie. After two years with the Sea Dogs, Elie was traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes this past season for 17-year-old forward Olivier Groulx and the Cataractes' 2024 second-round pick, which is slated to be the 27th overall selection this weekend.
Both remaining picks from the Joshua Roy deal were later traded as Saint John loaded up for their Memorial Cup run during the 2021-22 season. The team used the 2022 first-round pick, along with other assets, to acquire forward Marshall Lessard from the Val-d'Or Foreurs. After winning the Memorial Cup, Lessard returned for his overage season with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for a second-round pick in 2023. That pick became current Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge, leaving the possibility for that branch to continue growing in the coming years.
The 2023 first-round pick was part of the package that brought goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise to the Port City along with forward Danny Akkouche in January of 2022. Hurtubise backstopped the Sea Dogs to four wins at the 2022 Memorial Cup en route to their second CHL championship while Akkouche was part of the roster for the 2022-23 and part of the 2023-24 season. That is how that branch of the trade tree ends.
Moving back up the tree a bit to the next branch and that is the 2020 first-round pick. Defenceman Nathan Drapeau was drafted by the Sea Dogs with that pick, 15th overall. The product of Mont-Joli, Quebec played two seasons in Saint John and is yet another player from this tree that was part of the Memorial Cup championship in 2022. Through a series of trades the following year, Drapeau brought a pair of picks to the Sea Dogs that were used to select forward Alexis Beaudoin and defenceman Julien Bonnet at the 2023 draft. With both of those players still part of the organization, we'll have to wait a little longer to see where this branch goes.
The last piece of the original Veleno trade is Drummondville's 2020 second-round pick. The pick was flipped in January of 2019 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for Halifax's second-round pick in 2019. Saint John would use it to select forward Charles Savoie, who played two and a half seasons before being dealt to the Cape Breton Eagles during the 2021-22 campaign in a package for another 2022 Memorial Cup champion, Connor Trenholm.
Trenholm played the remainder of that season and half of the next with the Sea Dogs, registering a total of 34 points in 69 games. He was then traded to the Moncton Wildcats for second-round picks in 2023 and 2025, with the pick in last year's draft used to select current Sea Dogs blueliner Olivier Duhamel. With the 2025 second-round pick still to come, this branch of the trade tree remains unfinished.
All in all, the Joe Veleno blockbuster deal brought the Sea Dogs six members of their 2022 championship roster and three of their current players, along with several picks and prospects that could still make an impact for the franchise over the next several years.
Rebuilds are difficult, and trading away star players is unpopular, but those tough decisions are important for the best interest of a franchise, especially if it has future championship aspirations. GM Anthony Stella had to make a few of those difficult trades in his first full season as GM, but the Draft is a glimpse into what the future could hold for the Sea Dogs.
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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from June 6, 2024
- A Look Back: The Exceptional Trade and Its Trade Tree - Saint John Sea Dogs
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- Moncton Wildcats Acquire MacKinnon & Vidicek from Halifax - Moncton Wildcats
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