Sea Dogs forward enjoying second season surge

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Now 30 per cent into his second year with the Saint John Sea Dogs, 19-year-old forward Noah Reinhart continues to assert himself in the lineup.

The Dundas, Ont., native leads the team with four power-play goals, is second in shots with 59 and plus-minus (plus 5) and fifth overall in scoring on the team with eight goals and eight assists as it continues a road trip this week through Quebec.

The production is a reward for an off season of dedication and determination in many areas after making the team as a free agent invite in the 2022-23 QMJHL season.

“I’ve been finding those soft spots in the offensive zone and being in a good spot around the net. Those have been the things helping me score those extra goals,” said the six-foot, 197-pound winger, who is one of the team’s alternate captains this season.

“This is one of my last year’s in the league and I have pick up the pace and dominate. I just want the puck on my stick more and I want to be in those situations to help the team.”

Reinhart was one of many new players who flourished in the second half of last season with Saint John, and it carried over to this year for the rebuilding Sea Dogs, now 6-12-1-2 on the campaign.

Before venturing east, he juggled the option of playing major junior hockey or in the U.S. college system but ultimately chose Saint John.

“I just wanted to make the team at first and now, after getting used to the league, I want to make that next step to pro hockey,” he explained.

After a rookie season in which he produced 43 points in 65 games (30 points in 34 games in the second half), he did not waste the summer and worked out hard, on a regimented schedule that included three or more power skating sessions a week in Burlington, Ont.

“I think it really helped me just pick up my speed and my agility – I did some other things but the power skating was one of the biggest things that helped me the most.”

Lucas Romeo of the Charlottetown Islanders was also there and their Q-bond helped the off-season enjoyment at the rink during the sessions.

“I worked hard in the summer and I took a lot of big steps with my skating and in a lot of areas,” Reinhart said. “After this summer, I did expect some big improvements.”

As for the team, he is confident the squad can improve and just has to eliminate small mistakes that accumulate through 60 minutes and ultimately result in losses.

“We’ve had a bit of a tough start but I think we have the ability,” he said. “We’ve been in games, but then we shoot ourselves in the foot. So, we just have to stick to the structure of our team. keep listening to what the coaches are telling us, and I think we’ll come out of the right end of things.”

Saint John fell 6-2 to Baie Comeau on Wednesday to start their current three-game trek away from home. Eriks Mateiko and Nicolas Bildodeau, two others who thrived last year, scored for the Dogs in a contest that was 2-2 with less than two minutes left in the second period.

The team took on Chicoutimi on Friday at 8:30 p.m. and then will travel to Rimouski for a date with the Oceanic Sunday at 4 p.m.