The Saint John Sea Dogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), based in Saint John, New Brunswick. The team joined the league as an expansion franchise for the 2005-06 season and has used a harbour seal as its mascot and logo subject since its founding. [1]
Design and History
The original Saint John Sea Dogs logo, introduced when the team entered the QMJHL in 2005, was a side view of a seal diving out of the water. The mark was designed by Hawk Communications, a New Brunswick-based marketing and advertising firm, and used royal blue, grey and black with a spot of red on the seal’s eye. [1]
In July 2025, the Sea Dogs unveiled a new logo, wordmark and jerseys, marking the first logo redesign since the club entered the league in 2005. [2] The updated logo was designed by Brian Gundell, who has also worked on projects for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. [3] Like the previous logo, the new mark depicts a seal emerging from the waters of Saint John Harbour and the Bay of Fundy. [4]
The redesign was described by the team as a fresh look anchored in tradition. [2] The project had been in development for two years, according to team president Trevor Georgie. [2] The team had not modified its jersey since the 2009-10 season. [2]
In advance of the 2024-25 season, the Sea Dogs celebrated their 20th anniversary with a commemorative logo, also designed by Gundell. [4] That anniversary mark featured three Gilles-Courteau Trophy and two Memorial Cup silhouettes inside a blue circle, above the Roman numerals “XX” in white with a silver outline, all contained within a black roundel. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The seal in the logo represents the harbour seal, a species native to the waters around Saint John. The 2025 redesign places more emphasis on blue, and the team describes its colour palette as Sea Dogs Blue, Harbour Seal Black and Heritage Brick Red, the latter drawn from the red brick buildings of Saint John. [4] The only red element of the new branding package is the seal’s eye in the primary logo. [4]
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