Sea Dogs bolster offence, acquire forward Julien Gauthier

Julien Gauthier (12) celebrates his goal for Canada while playing at the World Junior Hockey Championships. (Paul Chiasson/CP)

The Saint John Sea Dogs have acquired forward Julien Gauthier from the Val d’Or Foreurs in exchange for forward Nathan Cyr-Trottier and a plethora of draft picks.

Gauthier is coming off an impressive showing at the world junior championship where he scored five goals in seven games for Canada. He has put together a strong campaign for the Foreurs so far, picking up 27 points in 23 games.

“We are very pleased to welcome Julien to our team,” Sea Dogs President and General Manager Trevor Georgie said. “He’s another weapon, a goal-scorer that brings us size and skill.”

In return for the Carolina Hurricanes 21st overall draft pick in 2016, the Foreurs will receive a 2017 third-round pick, two 2018 second-round picks and a 2019 first-round pick. Cyr-Trottier is a 16-year-old currently playing for the Trois-Rivières Estacades in the Quebec Midget AAA hockey League. He was selected by the Sea Dogs in the fourth round in last year’s entry draft.

The Sea Dogs are 23-10-4 and lead the Maritimes division by one point in the QMJHL standings. They currently lead the league in goals scored and adding Gauthier is a statement move by a team hoping to make a championship run.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.