Sea Dogs Extend Camp Invites to 17 Free Agents
Published on July 17, 2025 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
SAINT JOHN, N.B. - The Saint John Sea Dogs have extended free-agent invites to 17 players, the team announced Thursday.
Forwards Niko Baljak, Brayden Campbell, Bryce Cunningham, Max Donatelli, Josh Frenette, Alexis Gauthier, Tristan Gravenor, Ryan Hodkinson, Carter McIllwraith, Kaidan Sahajpal and Dax Vader, along with defencemen Vincent Croteau, Louis Métivier and Ethan Tatomir, and goaltenders Anthony Alessi and Vladislav Bryzgalov, are all set to take part in the team's training camp in August. 20-year-old forward Natan Éthier will also join Sea Dogs training camp on loan from the Shawinigan Cataractes.
Baljak, 16, recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in 10 games with Viking VC Hockey U18. The six-foot-five, 195-pound centreman also appeared in 24 games with the Laval Prime of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League.
Campbell, a Saint John native, took part in Sea Dogs training camp last year before joining the MHL's Grand Falls Rapids for the 2024-25 season. The 18-year-old finished with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 52 games.
Cunningham, also 16, tallied 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 26 games with the Sussex Regional High School Sonics. The six-foot-two, 210-pound forward helped lead the Sonics to a Dog Bowl Championship title in February and was named tournament MVP.
Donatelli, from Barrington, R.I., is a five-foot-nine, 160-pound forward who notched 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists) in 30 games with St. George's School. The 18-year-old also represented the New England District at the 2024 USA Hockey Boys National 17 Festival, earning four points (two goals, two assists) in six games.
Frenette, a 19-year-old left-winger from Oshawa, Ont., played 58 games with the NAHL's Maryland Black Bears, finishing with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists). He was an 11th-round pick of the Peterborough Petes in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
Gauthier, a five-foot-11, 160-pound forward, racked up 57 points (12 goals, 45 assists) over 62 games with the Collège Bourget U18 program.
Gravenor, 19, contributed 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 53 games for the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Montreal native added three points (two goals, one assist) in 12 playoff contests.
Hodkinson, a former 13th-round selection of the Oshawa Generals, put up 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 46 regular season games with the St. Marys Lincolns (GOJHL), and added 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 19 playoff outings. The six-foot-four, 195-pound centreman is originally from Ontario.
McIllwraith, 16, finished second in team scoring for the Fredericton Caps U18 of the NBPEIMU18HL, collecting 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games. The five-foot-eight, 180-pound forward chipped in another 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 10 playoff games.
Sahajpal, from Mount Pearl, N.L., has spent the past two seasons in the U.S. In 2024-25, the five-foot-10, 160-pound forward registered 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 30 games with The Winchendon School.
Vader, 17, suited up for 33 games with the Stratford Warriors in the GOJHL, producing 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists).
Croteau, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., captained Shawnigan Lake School's U18 team in B.C. this season. The 18-year-old defenceman scored 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 36 games, and added six points in eight playoff appearances.
Métivier, a six-foot-two, 170-pound blue-liner, split his year between the Bas St-Laurent Albatros U17 and the Collège Notre-Dame Albatros in the Quebec U18 league, combining for 12 points (four goals, eight assists) across 37 games.
Tatomir, from Leamington, Ont., had 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 37 games with the OJHL's Leamington Flyers. The 18-year-old also contributed six assists in 12 playoff contests.
Alessi, 17, went 18-10-2 with a .923 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL). In the playoffs, the five-foot-10, 175-pound netminder posted a .914 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average over seven games.
Bryzgalov, 19, of Haddonfield, N.J., made 22 appearances with the NAHL's Corpus Christi IceRays, finishing with a 10-9-2 record, .906 save percentage and 2.95 goals-against average. He is the son of former NHL goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.
Éthier, a six-foot-one, 165-pound left-winger, has played 169 career games in the QMJHL. Limited to five games last season due to injury, the Rosemère, Que., native recorded three points (one goal, two assists). In 2023-24, he posted 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 62 games and helped Shawinigan win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy in 2022.
Forward Luc-Alexandre Sedawey was also invited to camp but will not attend due to injury.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from July 17, 2025
- Trio of Regiment draft picks invited to Canada U17 Camp - Newfoundland Regiment
- Sea Dogs Extend Camp Invites to 17 Free Agents - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Charlottetown's Own Andrew Spider MacNeill to Join Team Canada at 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Charlottetown Islanders
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