What effect will the Newfoundland Regiment have on youth hockey development in Newfoundland and Labrador?
Dawson Wall
Kicker
The young hockey players of Newfoundland and Labrador will soon have a team to look up to and root for in their city.
A major junior hockey team moving to Newfoundland from New Brunswick will offer more opportunities for youth and young adults to improve their hockey skills and get more ice time close to home.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is moving to Newfoundland and Labrador – more specifically to the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s for the 2025-26 season.
The QMJHL is a hockey league for ages 16-20, many of whom are preparing for careers in major hockey leagues such as the NHL. Some notable Titan players who have played in the NHL are Stanley Cup champion Patrice Bergeron and hall of famer Roberto Luongo.
The Newfoundland Regiment is the name of the now-relocated team, a nod to the Canadian Armed Forces unit of the same name.

The team has been sold to a group of three shareholders in Newfoundland – John Harvey Patten, John Steele and Jason Sharpe. The Titan suffered from a lack of attendance and losses up to $1 million in yearly revenue, as stated in a press conference by Titan shareholder Marc Guignard.
The team’s arena in Bathurst has a maximum capacity of 3,524 people while the Mary Brown’s Centre can seat up to 7,000, which the shareholders hope will bring in more fans.
Jabez Seymour, a Bay Roberts native who plays for the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL, suggests the relocation will be good for hockey development in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Kids will see what it takes to be good players,” Seymour said.
A St. John’s child plays hockey in his driveway. Now that junior hockey is returning to the capital, young players might draw inspiration from the high level of play. Photo illustration by Dawson Wall/Kicker.
Seymour has faced the Acadie-Bathurst Titan many times and believes the team’s culture will fit well in St. John’s.
“Newfoundlanders are typically known as hard workers,” Seymour said, “and they are a hard-working team.”
Newfoundland hosted another QMJHL team – the St. John’s Fog Devils – from 2005 to 2008 before it moved to Montreal.
Although the Fog Devils lasted only three years, some Newfoundlanders are still hopeful the Regiment will have staying power.
“Unfortunately, teams do leave sometimes,” said former Hockey NL president Jack Lee. “I don’t think that will happen this time.”
Like Seymour, Lee says he’s hopeful about the impact the new team will have on younger players.
“It not only gives them role models, but it gives them hope,” said Lee.
With the team’s addition, junior players from Newfoundland and Labrador will have more options to stay closer to their homes.
“When you leave your home, you leave your family and friends,” said Lee.
The Titan currently has three first-round draft picks for the QHMJL 2025 draft. Those picks could be a great opportunity for the team to draft Newfoundland talent, which Lee says hasn’t had much time in the spotlight.
“We live on an island, and the exposure we get is limited,” Lee said.
Although the team is moving to another province, one player on the team will be returning home.
Ty Peddigrew, a centre for the team, will play in his hometown when the team moves to St. John’s.
Be the first to comment