Moose Announce Roster

YOUR 2015-16 HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

1  Eric Brassard  G  (Longueuil, QC)

2  Cooper Jones  D Bridgewater, MA, USA) *

3  Walter Flower  D  (Lunenburg, NS)*

4  Domenico Argento  D  (Montreal, QC)

5  Cavan Fitzgerald  D  (Boston, MA, USA)

9  Jean-Sebastien Taillefer  D  (Les Coteaux, QC)

11  Morgan Nauss  D  (Hammonds Plain, NS)

12  Danny Moynihan  C  (Windham, NH, USA)

16  Vincent Watt  LW  (Pointe Claire, QC)

17  Brett Crossley  C  (Dartmouth, NS)

21  Arnaud Durandeau  LW  (Beaconsfield, QC)*

26  Taylor Ford  D  (Dorval, QC)

28  Dominik Blain-Dupuis  C  (Gatineau, QC)*

32  Andrew Shewfelt  RW  (Dartmouth, NS)

34  Kelly Bent  RW  (Halifax, NS)

40  Kevin Resop  G  (St. Petersburg, FL, USA) 

41  Maxime Fortier  RW  (Lachine, QC)

51  Barrett Dachyshyn  C  (Halifax, NS)*

53  Ilya Putintsev  RW  (Moscow, Russia)*

61  Joel Bishop  C  (St. John's, NL)*

71  Connor Moynihan  LW  (Windham, NH, USA)

81  Cody Donaghey  D  (St. John's, NL)

89  Otto Somppi  C  (Helsinki, Finland)* 

96  Timo Meier  RW  (Herisau, Switzerland)

*indicates rookie

CAMP: Moose release 3 more

Photo - Mooseheads website

The Halifax Mooseheads announced this afternoon that they have released 3 more players. This is definitely a rebuild year after they cut two players from last year's team. Defenceman Mathieu Charlesbois was sent back to his QMAAA team while Sam Hunter and forward Jordan King were released after not being claimed on waivers.

With this recent round of cuts, the roster for your 2015-16 Mooseheads is official. I will post the roster and numbers later tonight.

CAMP: Down to 27

Photo - Herd website

Your Halifax Mooseheads announced this morning another round of cuts at training camp. The cuts come after another disappointing weekend of pre-season games, where Saturday's matchup in Truro was called off because of fog and Sunday's ended in a 5-1 defeat against Moncton.

Players cut:
Ben Higgins     F
Denis Toner     D
Eddie Banville     F
Makail Parker     F

This leaves 27 players in camp; including 2 goaltenders, 10 defenceman and 15 forwards.

Pre-season Game vs. Charlottetown

The Halifax Mooseheads continue their preseason tonight in Truro against the Charlottetown Islanders

Opponent: Charlottetown Islanders
Where: Rath Eastlink Community Centre (Truro)
When: August 22nd 2015
Time: 7:00pm
Tickets: $10.00

Charlottetown Islanders
Preseason record: 2-0-0-0, 6pts
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 5
Head coach: Jim Hulton
Scoring leader: David Comeau (2G & 4A)
Leading goaltender: Matthew Welsh (0.00 GAA)

Halifax Mooseheads
Preseason record: 0-2-0-0, 0pts
Goals for: 5
Goals against: 9
Head coach: Dominique Ducharme
Scoring leader: Arnaud Durandeau (3A)
Leading goaltender: Kevin Martin (0.00 GAA)


Notes...

• Tickets can be purchased at the arena or online only now after the Mooseheads box office sold out of their limited amount of tickets
• Halifax is looking for their first win in the preseason
• This is the first meeting against the Islanders in the preseason

Here are the official line-ups for tonight’s preseason game:

Poll #12

As we get close to the regular season, I thought I would post another poll. Where do you think the Halifax Mooseheads will finish the 2015-2016 QMJHL season in the standings?

1. 1st in the League
2. 1st in the Maritimes division
3. 2nd in the Maritimes division
4. 3rd in the Maritimes division
5. 4th-6th in the Maritimes division
6. Bottom 5 of the QMJHL

One, two, three, VOTE!!

CAMP: Moose cut two more, Somppi arrives

It's official. Everyone assumed but the Halifax Mooseheads made it official that they will go with the same goaltending duo that they had last season after another round of cuts were made today.

Otto Somppi
Photo - Herd twitter

Players cut:
Kevin Martin   G
Raphael Blais   G

With those two cuts it leaves the training camp roster at 31.




Today, Otto Somppi arrived after taking part in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic. Somppi played for Finland and he had three points in the preliminary round. Today was his first day practicing with the team after a long trip from Finland. In an article posted by the team, it is not decided if he will play on Saturday in the exhibition game against the Charlottetown Islanders.

CAMP: Overager situation decided

The Halifax Mooseheads announced their first round of cuts this morning. Among them were 20 year olds Brandon Vuic and Sam Leblanc which means that the team has decided on who they would like their overagers to be. Halifax will be going with Eric Brassard, Danny Moynihan and Kelly Bent for the upcoming season which really is no surprise to anyone. The Mooseheads cut a total of 14 players over the weekend but didn't announce the names until this morning. Protected goalie Ryan Huestis tweeted early on Monday that he is looking forward to joining the Valley Wildcats this weekend. It leaves 32 players left in camp with Otto Somppi to join the team tomorrow.

Players cut:
Ryan MacDonald     F
Blake Fudge     F
Tristan Tardif      F
Sam Leblanc     F
Marc-Olivier Gilbert     F
Drew Packman      F
Gabriel Vanier      F
Josh Fitzgerald     D
Brandon Vuic      F
Nicholas Gibson     D
Jordan Lepage     D
Kirklin Allen      G
Ryan Huestis      G
J-P Brais      G

Forwards Jakov Novak and Dallas Farrell voluntarily left camp late last week. No reason was given.

Good luck to the players who were cut today in their careers this season.

Controversial SO Goal Gives CB Win

A controversial goal in the shootout cost the Mooseheads a preseason victory on Saturday night on 'home' ice. Anthony Sorrentino skated in on goal, lost the puck and went back to retrieve it before shooting it past goaltender Ryan Huestis. Most of Halifax fans thought that once Sorrentino had lost the puck, the referees should have called the penalty shot dead and the ensuing goal shouldn't count. The rest of the game was back and forth and pretty physical. Even with mostly rookies in the match, you can tell that there is a rival between the two Nova Scotian teams no matter what time of year it is. Halifax's rookies were quite impressive especially Ilya Putintsev, Arnaud Durandeau and Cooper Jones. Both Jones and Putintsev chipped in with a goal each and Durandeau had 3 helpers.

Halifax-Cape Breton Game at a Glance
FINAL: Halifax 4 at Cape Breton 5 SO
Halifax scorers: Ilya Putintsev, Cooper Jones, Danny Moynihan(2)
Cape Breton scorers: Dominic O'Halloran, Peyton Hoyt, Colin MacSween, Yannik Bertrand
Powerplay: HFX - , CAP -
Shots: Mooseheads - 39, Eagles - 30
Attendance: n/a (capacity: 5,000)

Bodnarchuk Skates With Moose, Notes From Camp

Andrew Bodnarchuk (white helmet)
Photo.- Herd twitter

Mooseheads alumni Andrew Bodnarchuk has been skating with the new crop of Halifax Mooseheads this week. The 27 year old is in Halifax for the a few weeks and decided to check out the players fighting for a spot on this year's team. He's participated in all three days of practices. Bodnarchuk, originally from Drumheller, Alberta, is getting ready for the Columbus Blue Jackets training camp in late September.

Some other news:

• 2015 draft pick Dallas Farrell, of Stratford, PEI, has volunteering left training camp, the team announced on Twitter this morning. No reason was given. This leaves 46 players in camp right now with Cody Donaghey arriving either today or tomorrow.
• A couple of other alumni visited Cole Harbour Place on Wednesday. Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan Falkenham checked out the first intrasquad game.
• I suspect that the first cuts will come after this evening's red/green game and will probably be announced tomorrow morning.
• Halifax starts their pre-season schedule tomorrow night at the Halifax Forum versus the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Tickets are still available at $8 a person.

Around the CHL ~ volume #1 preview edition #4

Check out the recap of what happened last season. Hope you enjoyed my posts last season. Keep reading and don't be afraid to ask me anything about my blog.

here are last year's leaders:
Division champions 2015-16
WHL - Victoria Royals (B.C.) 72 games played, 50-16-3-3 record, 106 points, 281 goals for/166 goals against; Brandon Wheat Kings (East) 72 games played, 48-18-4-2 record, 102 points, 319 goals for/197 goals against; Lethbridge Hurricanes (Central) 72 games played, 46-24-1-1 record, 94 points, 304 goals for/218 goals against; Seattle Thunderbirds (U.S.) 72 games played, 45-23-4-0 record, 94 points, 228 goals for/186 goals against
OHL - Erie Otters (Midwest) 68 games played, 52-15-1-0 record, 105 points, 269 goals for/183 goals against; Kingston Fronteancs (East) 68 games played, 46-17-3-2 record, 97 points, 252 goals for/189 goals against; Sarnia Sting (West) 68 games played, 42-19-5-2 record, 91 points, 254 goals for/192 goals against; Barrie Colts (Central) 68 games played, 43-22-0-3 record, 89 points, 295 goals for/207 goals against
QMJHL - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (West) 68 games played, 54-9-3-2 record, 113 points, 302 goals for/181 goals against; Shawinigan Cataractes (East) 68 games played, 44-19-4-1 record, 93 points, 281 goals for/220 goals against; Saint John Sea Dogs (Maritimes) 68 games played, 42-20-6-0 record, 90 points, 258 goals for/222 goals against

League championships 2016
President's Cup - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. Shawinigan Cataractes (Huskies won series 4 games to 1 game)
J. Ross Robertson Cup - London Knights vs. Niagara IceDogs (Knights won series 4 games to 0 games)
Ed Chynoweth Cup - Brandon Wheat Kings vs. Seattle Thunderbirds (Wheat Kings won series 4 games to 1 game)

Memorial Cup 2016
Teams ~ Brandon (WHL champion), London (OHL champion), Red Deer (Hosts), and Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL champion)

Final May 29, 2016 London vs. Rouyn-Noranda 3-2 OT

LONDON KNIGHTS WIN 2015 MEMORIAL CUP!!!


London will look to repeat as Memorial Cup champions. The Windsor Spitfires will be hosting the national championship tournament next May. The 2017 CHL/NHL BMO Top Prospects game will be hosted by the Quebec Remparts on January 26.

Red Wins Intra-Squad Series

Team Red will skate away from this first week of training camp with a intra-squad series victory after beating Team Green 2-1 this afternoon at Cole Harbour Place.

Red now has a 2-0 'series' lead and the last game is tomorrow afternoon at 4pm, same place. It was a very intense physical game. The players are definitely trying to show the coaching staff that they deserve to be here. Sophomore Brett Crossley scored the opening goal for Green then Tristan Tardif tied the game in the first period. 2014 draft pick Gabriel Vanier potted the winning goal with less than 6 minutes left in the second period.

Team Red takes Game 1

Red/Green Intrasquad game face-off
Photo - Myles Dennis

Newly acquired Jakov Novak didn't take long to prove to the Mooseheads management they made the right decision claiming him off waivers on Monday. It still doesn't mean he will make the final roster but he certainly made a good case in the first of 3 intrasquad games this evening at Cole Harbour Place. The Riverside, Ontario native had two goals in a losing cause as his Team Green went down 3-4 to Team Red on Wednesday.

Barrett Dachyshyn, who was recently invited to camp, got Red on the board late in the 1st period which gave them a 1-0 lead. Gabriel Vanier, a 2014 7th round draft pick by the Herd, scored 1:06 into the middle frame giving Team Red a 2-0 lead. Returning players Jordan King and Vincent Watt scored the other goals for Red. Overager Kelly Bent scored in the middle frame to close the gap to 2-1.

Camp continues tomorrow morning with team practices while a second intrasquad game will be held at the same time and same place.

Ciampini Announces University Commitment

Former Halifax Mooseheads player Luca Ciampini has announced where he will be attending university this year. The 21 year old has committed to the Concordia University Stingers for the 2015-16 season.



Luca, originally from Montreal, Quebec, played four seasons for your Mooseheads before being traded to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar during the 2014 off-season. He had a career season with the Drakkar scoring 77 points, 33 of which were goals.

“I grew up playing hockey in the area so I’m very happy to be able to play close to home, especially after five years away,” Ciampini said of his decision to join the Stingers. “This is a great program. I’m excited about playing for Marc-André Element and being with a lot of the guys I know on the team.”

The Ontario University Association regular season begins October 10. Good luck to Luca at Concordia.

PRESEASON: Herd to play 6 games

Your Halifax Mooseheads are set to play six games during the preseason starting on the weekend. Like usual a majority will be against their provincial rivals; the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The two Nova Scotian teams will play each other 4 times over the course of the three week preseason. Halifax will also play a game in Truro with ticket proceeds helping minor hockey in the area.

Below is the full schedule for a reminder:
Saturday August 15 vs Cape Breton at 7pm (Halifax Forum)
Sunday August 16 at Moncton at 4pm (Red Ball Internet Centre)
Saturday August 22 vs Charlottetown at 7pm (Rath Eastlink Community Centre - Truro)
Sunday August 23 at Cape Breton at 4pm (Emera Centre Northside)
Saturday August 29 at Cape Breton at 7pm (Centre 200)
Thursday September 3 vs Cape Breton at 7pm (Halifax Forum)

Tickets for all 3 "home" games are now on sale.

Somppi In Ivan Hlinka Tournament

Otto Somppi
Photo - Mooseheads website

Halifax Mooseheads 2015 import draft pick Otto Somppi will be spending this week with Team Finland in Slovakia at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. As announced by the Mooseheads last week, he will join the team at camp on August 18. The 17 year old and the Finns have already played one game in the tournament, defeating Team USA 5-1 this morning. Somppi had a goal and an assist to help his team get the victory.For the full schedule click here.

Congrats to Otto for making the team. Check back on Friday when the tournament finishes to see how the young prospect did.

CAMP: Players arrive on Tuesday

The 2015-16 hockey season begins in 3 days when training camp for your Halifax Mooseheads opens on Tuesday afternoon with player registration. By my count there is 20 returning players but it doesn't mean that there are only 2 open spots for the rest of the players at camp to fight for. Two of those returning players will have to be traded or cut, while a couple of them did not play most of the season. As we have seen in the past just because you played on the team last season does not mean you will make it this year. 

Here is the first week's schedule
August 11
3-5pm                 Player arrival and registration
6pm                    Team and billet barbecue

August 12
9-9:50am           Team Red practice
10-10:50am       Team Green practice
4-6pm                 Red vs. Green intrasquad game

August 13
9-9:50am           Team Red practice
10-10:50am       Team Green practice
4-6pm                 Red vs. Green intrasquad game

August 14
9-9:50am           Team Red practice
10-10:50am       Team Green practice
4-6pm                 Red vs. Green intrasquad game

August 15
10-10:50am       Morning skate CHP
7pm                    Preseason game- Screaming Eagles vs. Mooseheads (Halifax Forum)

August 16
7pm                    Preseason game- Mooseheads @ Wildcats (Red Ball Internet Centre)

All practices and intrasquad games are being held at Cole Harbour Place and are open to the public free of charge.

Former Herd Players To Play at BMO Centre on Saturday

Event logo
Photo - Facebook page

There will be a few former Halifax Mooseheads players on the BMO Centre ice on Saturday August 8. Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Andrew Bodnarchuk are all set to skate as part of the Jordan Boyd Celebrity Hockey Challenge that will be happening this weekend. The three players were apart of last year's event as well. They will be separated between the 6 teams of local hockey players that will be battling it out for the Boyd's Cup and will also be playing in the all-star game during Saturday evening.

For a full list of professional hockey players that will be attending, click here.

Jordan Boyd was a promising hockey player when he passed away attending the Acadie-Bathurst Titan training camp two years ago. He collapsed on the first day of camp from an "undiagnosed heart condition called Arythmogenic Right-Ventricle Cardiomiopathy (ARVC)."

"His brother Greg created this event, through the support of his family and many volunteers to celebrate his life, give back to heart research and treatment initiatives, and to give the community and participants a day to remember, filled with fun."

You can find the official website here.

I'll be attending some of the day's games and posting and posting pictures online. Go check it out!! The all-star game will start at 5pm with tickets being sold mid-afternoon.

PRESEASON: Mooseheads release training camp roster

Photo - Mooseheads website

Your Halifax Mooseheads released the roster for their 2015-16 training camp today.

The camp roster includes 48 players broken down to 7 goaltenders, 26 forwards and 15 defenceman. It consists of 20 returning players, 24 Mooseheads draftees and a free agent invites. Halifax will be looking for offensive power and some good young blueliners. Unless one of the young goalies impresses quite well, sounds like the Herd will be going with the same tandem they had last season; Eric Brassard and Kevin Resop. With Nikolaj Ehlers likely to make the jump to the pros this year; that leaves a big gap in the scoring department and also opens up an import spot for Otto Somppi who looks to be joining Timo Meier in both those areas left by Ehlers.

Here's the roster:
Forwards
Ilya Putinsev                    Kelly Bent                     Brett Crossley
Maxime Fortier                Jordan King                  Dominik Blain-Dupuis
Andrew Shewfelt             Timo Meier                   Gabriel Vanier
Marc-Olivier Gilbert         Vincent Watt                 Eddie Banville
Connor Moynihan           Brandon Vuic                Tristan Tardif
Makail Parker                  Arnaud Durandeau       Drew Packman
Dallas Farrell                   Ryan MacDonald          Joel Bishop
Ben Higgins                    Sam LeBlanc                 Blake Fudge
Danny Moynihan             Otto Somppi

Defenceman
Mathieu Charlesbois      Denis Toner                  Cody Donaghey
Cooper Jones                Nicholas Gibson            Jean-Sebastien Taillefer
Taylor Ford                    Brandon Worthen          Cavan Fitzgerald
Josh Fitzgerald              Domenico Argento        Morgan Nauss
Sam Hunter                   Jordan Lepage              Walter Flower

Goaltenders
Raphael Blais                Kirklin Allen                    Eric Brassard
Jean-Philippe Brais       Kevin Martin                   Kevin Resop
Ryan Huestis

Otto Somppi will not be at camp until August 18 while Jordan Lepage is injured but will still attend. 

I will release more details on training camp in the coming days including the first week's schedule and breaking down the intra-squad game rosters.

Flower, Team White Win U17 Camp Title

Walter Flower
Photo - ckbw.ca

Halifax Mooseheads prospect Walter Flower scored a goal in the championship game to help his Team White to an Under-17 Team Canada Summer Showcase camp title earlier today in Calgary. It was the only point the 16 year old had in the 5 day camp, which will help Hockey Canada select who will represent the country in the upcoming World U17 Hockey Challenge. Team White won the game 6-5 in overtime against Team Green. Flower and Team White ended with a record of 2 wins and an overtime win.

Arnaud Durandeau, another Herd prospect, had a better camp but it wasn't enough to get his Team Blue to the title game. Durandeau scored two goals to help Blue get a 5-4 victory in today's 3rd place game at the camp. The 16 year old finished the week with 5 points all together adding an assist on Monday and collecting a goal and an assist on Sunday.