Events

The regular season schedule was released back in mid-June and now our Halifax Mooseheads have announced their promotional schedule for 2026-27. There are more events than what is shown below but these continue to be the team continually has and are special games. 

Annual events
HOME OPENER - September 19 vs. Moncton Wildcats
90's Night - October 24 vs. Charlottetown Islanders
DND Appreciation Night - November 14 vs. Quebec Remparts
Toque Toss - December 13 vs. Saint John Sea Dogs
Moose Fight Cancer - February 6 vs. Charlottetown Islanders
Fan Appreciation - March 20 vs. Moncton Wildcats

See the full promotional schedule in the 'Schedule' tab above. 

Our 20's - Halifax Mooseheads

via QMJHL.ca

Throughout the summer, we'll be looking back at the QMJHL careers of our 20-year-old players, who will be moving on to new opportunities next season. Today, we feature the graduating players of the Halifax Mooseheads. 

Connor MacPherson
An Ontario native, MacPherson took a winding path before arriving in Halifax for the 2025-26 season. He spent two seasons with Leamington in the GOJHL, one with Penticton in the BCHL, and another at the University of New Hampshire in the NCAA before earning an invitation to the Mooseheads' training camp. He made the team and wrapped up his 20-year-old season with 26 points (12G, 14A) in 64 games. 

Photo - Saltwire

Samuel Rousseau
Selected by the Huskies in the 12th round of the 2021 QMJHL Draft, 208th overall, Rousseau has every reason to be proud of his junior career, which comes to an end after 193 QMJHL games (80 points). Rousseau appeared in two games with the Huskies as a 16-year-old but truly made his mark with the St-Eustache Vikings in the QMAAA, where he dominated with 58 points in 39 games. He earned a full-time roster spot in Rouyn-Noranda in 2022-23 and remained there for three full seasons, helping the Huskies reach the playoff semifinals in 2025. The 6-foot, 198-pound winger was then traded to the rebuilding Mooseheads, where his leadership, work ethic, and production--28 points (12G, 16A) in just 34 games--made him a valuable addition. He will continue his career next season at Long Island University. 

Photo - Mooseheads website

*Unlike the other 17 QMJHL teams, the Mooseheads finished the 2025-26 season with only two 20-year-old players on their roster. 

Mooseheads bolster camp roster

It has been said that the Halifax Mooseheads could be a contender during the upcoming 2026-27 season and the moves that the team has made in the off-season have strengthened that belief. 

On draft day, the Herd traded for Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mateo Nobert in the hopes of improving the team's offence as the 19-year-old record 30 goals and 78 points last season. That number was higher than Halifax's leading scorer Oleg Kulebiakin who had 73.

Photo - Herd website

As I posted last night, our Mooseheads made a move the day before the CHL Import Draft to select second overall instead of at #20 where they originally were scheduled to pick. On Wednesday, it was announced that both players, forward Paul Sintschnig and defenceman Nico Uschan, have signed QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreements. 

"We're very excited to officially welcome Paul and Nico to the Mooseheads organization," said General Manager Cam Russell. "Both players bring a strong combination of skill, competitiveness, and international experience, and we believe they'll be great additions to our lineup and our dressing room. We look forward to helping them continue their development in Halifax and are eager to see the impact they can make this season." 

The signing signals an end of Carlos Handel and Jasu Mensonen stints with the green and red. Mensonen played in Moose Country for one season on loan from Lukko U20, according to Elite Prospects. Handel, meanwhile put two years here in North America and has decided to go back home to suit up for Kolner Haie. 

Halifax received another commitment earlier this week, this time from centre Jackson Smail who also signed a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The 18-year-old was selected by the Herd in the third round, 44th overall at the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft after a strong season at Winchendon School. Smail, a native of Milton, VT, finished second on his team in scoring with 62 points in 34 games as a centre. 

Brady Smith
Photo - Elite Prospects

"We're excited to add a player of Jackson's calibre to our organization," said Russell. "He has shown strong offensive ability and we're looking forward to seeing him compete at training camp."

This might be the highest amount of American-born players on the team's training camp roster as the brass signed another free agent from the States last week in defenceman Brady Smith. He will be entering his 19-year-old season in 2026-27 and played the past four years at Taft School where he served as an alternate captain. Originally from Columbine Valley, CO, Smith scored 41 points in 99 career games. Brady joins Arlington, MA-native forward Evan Nee as a free agent while the club also drafted eight Americans back in June. Whether they all come to camp is to be determined. 

Training camp is set to open on August 19th at the team practice facility. The full schedule and roster will be released in the next couple of weeks. 

International summer tourneys/camps participants

Photo - Herd Twitter

There will be a few Halifax Mooseheads players and personnel on the international stage this summer. 

First up was Canada's national U-17 development camp where three Herd prospects suited up in Oakville, Ontario last week. In total, 80 young men from across the country were invited to the camp then divided into four teams before playing exhibition matches against each other over three days. Jack Cameron and Emrik Menard teamed up on Canada Black while Maveric Thisdelle was put on Canada Gold. Thisdelle had the best showing, scoring twice and recording 3 points in three games meanwhile Menard scored a goal. 

Take a look at Maveric Thisdelle's tally #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/uaHDAyuOQ8

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) July 20, 2026

Mooseheads head coach Brad MacKenzie will be on the bench for Team Canada at the 2026 Ivan Hlinka Gretzky Cup it was announced earlier this month. The Charlottetown, PE native is set to wear the maple leaf as an assistant coach, helping North Bay Battalion's Ryan Oulahen. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, Ryan, Brad and Kyle to the staff for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup," said Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar. "Each brings a pedigree of coaching experience, particularly in short-term international competition, which will be a tremendous asset as we prepare for the tournament." 

Photo - USA Hockey Twitter

Sophomore forward Malik L'Italien was among the 27 players unveiled to be on Hockey Canada's training camp roster. The camp is set for July 27-Aug. 1 in Edmonton, AB and will include practices and a game against Sweden on July 30. A list of the young men who will actually represent their country at the tournament is expected to be announced on this weekend. 

USA Hockey has already released their roster for the Hlinka tournament and it showcases defenceman Cameron Minella. The 16-year-old played a full season for Halifax in 2025-26, recording nine points (3G & 6A) as a rookie. Congrats to Cam on being named to the team. 

No one from the Mooseheads was named to the the World Juniors Summer Showcase rosters but that doesn't mean that one of our guys can't play their way on to representing their country after Christmas. 

Austrians selected in Import Draft

At the end of June, the Canadian Hockey League held their annual import draft and for the second year in a row, teams were allowed to pick up to three players on the day. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads were able to make a big move twenty-four hours beforehand as they traded their 20th pick in the import draft to Baie-Comeau in return for the Drakkar's 2nd overall pick. The Quebec club also received two selections in the 2027 QMJHL Draft. 

Photo - Herd Twitter

The move allowed Cam Russell and the Herd to select 17-year-old Paul Sintschnig of Klagenfurt, Austria. Sintschnig played at several levels in 2025-26 including 32 games with Villacher SV of the ICEHL - the premier professional hockey league in Austria, where he recorded 5 goals and 7 points. He boasts a high hockey IQ, makes intelligent plays across all three zones and isn't afraid to play physically, according to the team's release. 

In the second round, Halifax drafted Sintschnig's fellow countryman and Villacher teammate Nico Uschan with the 81st pick. Uschan is a 19-year-old defenceman and will be looked upon to bring a steady, veteran presence to the team. The Villach-native scored a goal and had 4 points in 24 games played for the senior club. 

Russell and the brass passed on their third round selection as sophomore Oleg Kulebiakin is set to return to the club in the upcoming season and teams are only allowed three import players. 

Congrats to these two young men on being selected by the Mooseheads. We should see them suit up in the red and green when training camp opens up in mid-August. 

Herd players on dev camp rosters

Now that the NHL entry draft is over, teams are turning their attention to development camps and seeing which prospects they want to bring into training camp later in the summer. Only two current Mooseheads were drafted over the weekend but more were also named on rosters. 

Photo - Elite Prospects

Check out the list below to see who will participate in development camps this week. 

Shawn Carrier - Colorado (2026) - Colorado Avalanche development camp June 30-July 2
Mathieu Cataford - Vegas (2023) - Vegas Golden Knights development camp June 29-July 2
Carlos Handel - Montreal (2025) - Montreal Canadiens development camp June 30-July 2
Quinn Kennedy - undrafted - invited to Utah Mammoth development camp June 29-July 2
Oleg Kulebiakin - Tampa Bay (2026) - Tampa Bay Lightning development camp June 30-July 3
Dylan MacKinnon - Nashville (2023) - invited to Boston Bruins development camp June 29-July 2
Mateo Nobert - Vegas (2025) - Vegas Golden Knights development camp June 29-July 2
Daniel Walters - undrafted - invited to Los Angeles Kings development camp June 29-July 2

I've included Mateo Nobert on here even though he has not played a game for the Herd yet but the team traded for him earlier this month, so I can't see him not suiting up in the red and green. Tampa Bay released their camp roster before the draft and I have not seen an updated version with their new prospects but an article did mention Kulebiakin will be in attendance. 

Hopefully we'll see some of these guys during rookie camps in September. Good luck to the young men this week. 

NHL Draft

Photo - Daily Faceoff

Here are some notes from the NHL Entry Draft that was held this past weekend in Buffalo, NY...

• No surprise, Yukon-native and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the draft lottery last month. 
• Team personnel weren't even at the draft which I haven't seen before, so that led to a number of celebrities announcing the picks in the opening round on Friday night. 
• Multiple sons of former NHL players were selected, the most I think I've ever seen and to guys I watched as a teenager which is crazy. This included Caleb Malhotra who was chosen No. 3 by the Vancouver Canucks, a club that is coached by his father Manny Malhotra.
• Halifax Mooseheads import forward Oleg Kulebiakin went in the second round, higher than he was ranked, to the Tampa Bay Lightning at 52nd overall. 
• After being passed over last year, forward Shawn Carrier was selected 195th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. The two other ranked players, Eddy Doyle and Daniel Walters were not drafted. 
• In total, 20 QMJHL players were drafted over the seven rounds in 2026