The Regiment Have Arrived

With the end of an era in Quebec for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan who won the Memorial Cup back in 2018, the history of the franchise will now continue in St. John's, Newfoundland after the team was sold to a group of investors led by Glenn Stanford, the former Chief Operating Officer of the AHL's St. John's IceCaps. We know of the issues that plague any St. John's team - largely distance and travel costs - so I'm hoping that the investors have deep pockets to make this venture work, but the Newfoundland Regiment will take the ice next season after making their first selection in the QMJHL Draft while unveiling their home uniforms for the very first time!

The team will play out of the 7000-seat Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, and there's no denying that the arena is one of the best on the east coast. The QMJHL has called St. John's home before as the St. John's Fog Devils called the city home from 2005-08, but financial woes put the team in jeopardy in their second season. That team was sold to Montreal businessman Farrell Miller and moved to Montreal where they became the Montreal Junior Hockey Club who, in 2011, became the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Clearly, the QMJHL would like to find stable ownership in Newfoundland, but time will tell.

If there's one thing that should excite fans in St. John's, it's the youth that the Regiment will boast. The Regiment owned the fifth-, sixth-, and eighth-overall picks in this year's draft, so they were going to add some solid talent right off the bat to help boost their franchise. Benjamin Veitch went fifth-overall from St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario, but he's a St. John's kid who has had no trouble lighting the lamp as a 15 year-old centreman. Defender Quinn Norman was the sixth-overall pick, and he's also a St. John's-born player who can play both sides of the puck at the U16 level. The Regiment went outside Newfoundland with the eighth-overall pick as Nova Scotia-born forward Phenwick MacLean showed he was an offensive dynamo at the U18 level despite only being 16 years-old.

While no one is expecting any of Veitch, Norman, or MacLean to put up Connor McDavid-type numbers in their QMJHL careers, having a few local products dot the lineup should stir some fan interest in the team to help boost ticket and merchandise sales. Having those solid players joining the likes of Dawson Sharkey, Noah Laberge, and Maddex Marmulak should get the Regiment off to a good start in their new history on The Rock. Head coach Gordie Dwyer will have some solid talent to work with in St. John's for the 2025-26 season.

You may be asking what the team will wear, so let's take a peek!

From their own release, "The jersey showcases a rich navy blue base, complemented by maroon and white accents that create a dynamic and eye-catching aesthetic. At its heart lies the commanding caribou head logo, a nod to the badge of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment of the First and Second World War, originally inspired by the Newfoundland Highlanders, a paramilitary cadet corps formed in 1907. Below the logo, the word 'NEWFOUNDLAND' stretches across a white banner, a bold declaration of the team's unwavering connection to its community and heritage." A lot of marketing jargon is in that paragraph, but the final product looks pretty good so far!

My only quibble as a personal takeaway is that I'm not a big fan of the contrasting namebar that the Regiment appear to be using based on Quinn Norman's jersey. I've always felt that highlighting the name on the back with the contrasting colour puts a little more emphasis on the player's name when they're supposed to be operating as a unit, but this is a personal thing. The Regiment seem to be comfortable adding this detail to the jerseys, so I'd expect no one from the team to complain. My only question is will they do it on the white jerseys?

Despite the team using sublimated jerseys tonight, I'm hoping they'll come fully embroidered at some point because the Regiment logo could look pretty amazing if they were to chain-stitch the caribou's fur. I know this would add to the cost of the jerseys, but you have to think the Regiment would go for something that looks awesome as opposed to just having the logo sublimated on the jersey. For a guy who considers logos as works of art, make it happen!

If you want to watch the QMJHL Draft, Eastlink's broadcast of it is up on YouTube. The Eastlink team did a good job with their coverage, and they seemed generally excited for the Regiment's unveiling of their jerseys along with the outlook for the team. Being that they're far more in the know than I about the players being selected, I highly recommend their coverage of the draft if you're interested!

It seems the newest Newfoundland-based QMJHL team is off to a good start based on their draft selections and their jersey unveiling. I can't say that they'll be competing for a Memorial Cup next season or beyond, but I can tell you that they'll look good doing it if tonight's jersey debut is any indication. Assuming the adage holds true, if teams play better when they look good, the Regiment should find success quickly while being backed by passionate St. John's fans!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!