Big Win in CB to End 2022

Photo - Eagles website

Our Halifax Mooseheads might have been on the road but did they ever end 2022 in a big way! With the 2023 World Juniors being played at the Scotiabank Centre to end the calendar year, the Mooseheads played back-to-back games in Sydney against the Cape Breton Eagles. Halifax lost the first match this weekend but Mathis Rousseau was not going to let his team lose two in a row. Recently acquired forward Josh Lawrence continued to prove that Cam Russell and co. made the right decision as he recorded 7 points on Saturday afternoon as the Herd won 11-3. Zachary L'Heureux also continued to rack up points since his return as he opened the scoring and finished the game with four points. Eagles overager Ivan Ivan tied it up at 1 at the 10:07 mark and he scored again early in the second period which made it 3-2 for the road team at that point. The Mooseheads would go on to score 8 straight goals to extend their lead with Lawrence scoring his hat trick goal with just over two and a half minutes remaining in the middle frame. Surprisingly, only one of the 11 goals Halifax scored were on the man advantage but they did have just 3 power plays during the game. 

FINAL: Mooseheads 11 at Eagles 3
Stars: 3. Jordan Dumais HAL | 2. Zachary L'Heureux HAL | 1. Josh Lawrence HAL
Attendance: 2,140

GAME LOG
First period
6:19 HAL Zachary L'Heureux (12) | A: Lawrence & MacKinnon
10:07 CAP Ivan Ivan (11) | A: Squires & Johnson
14:39 HAL Jake Furlong (4) | A: Doucet & Cataford
18:40 HAL Josh Lawrence (17) | A: L'Heureux

Second period 
0:22 CAP Ivan Ivan (12) | A: Johnson & Lavoie
3:25 HAL Josh Lawrence (18), PP | A: Whynot
7:31 HAL Jordan Dumais (26) | A: L'Heureux & Vidicek
13:14 HAL Cameron Whynot (3) | A: Lawrence & Furlong
17:28 HAL Josh Lawrence (19) | A: L'Heureux 

Third period
0:56 HAL Jordan Dumais (27) | A: Schultz & Vidicek
4:42 HAL Mathieu Cataford (21) | A: Lawrence & Whynot
11:51 HAL Alexandre Doucet (31) | A: Dumais & Vidicek
12:36 HAL Josh Lawrence (20) | A: MacKinnon
18:21 CAP Luke Patterson (8) | A: None

Shots: 43-27 in favour of Halifax 
Powerplay: HAL - 1-for-3, CAP - 0-for-2

SCORES
Acadie-Bathurst 2 at Charlottetown 3
Moncton 4 at Saint John 1
Sherbrooke 5 at Quebec 2
Drummondville 5 at Rimouski 4
Val-d'Or 0 at Rouyn-Noranda 8
Baie-Comeau 6 at Chicoutimi 5 OT
Shawinigan 2 at Victoriaville 5
Gatineau 5 at Blainville-Boisbriand 4

Missing in action: Attilio Biasca (WJC) and David Moravec (WJC)

Up next: Halifax will continue their road trip with their first game of 2023 against the Sea Dogs in Saint John on January 6

Herd Word

I can't believe today is Boxing Day and since we have a little break, I thought I would catch up on some news that has happened the past few weeks. The second half of the season should be an exciting time.

TOP PROSPECTS
The NHL/CHL top prospects game will make an appearance this season on January 25, 2023 and there will once again be a Halifax Mooseheads player on the roster. The Canadian Hockey League announced the 40 young men that will play in the game earlier this month. 17-year-old Mathieu Cataford will look to impress the scouts next month in Vancouver. Congrats to Mathieu and good luck, show them what you got. 

Photo - Mooseheads Twitter

DOUCET COMES TO HALIFAX
Our Halifax Mooseheads made yet another big trade last week, acquiring Alexandre Doucet from the Val-d'Or Foreurs. Doucet is from Sherbrooke, QC and has played his whole career with Val-d'Or. The 20-year-old has played really well this season in which he is leading the league in goals with 27 and is second in the Q in points. Halifax gave up three draft picks in the trade; 2023 1st round, 2024 2nd round and 2023 3rd rounder. "He's a game-changer. We think this trade gives us one of the best players in the league this season and makes our lineup even more dangerous than it already was," Cam Russell said. 

Halifax will have to deal with the overage situation now that the team has four players and clubs are only allowed three on their roster. Welcome to the team Alexandre. 

Biasca in pre-comp action
Photo - Swiss hockey Twitter

WORLD JUNIORS
The 2023 World Junior Hockey Championships begin today and while there won't be any Mooseheads players representing the home country Canada, Halifax will have a couple of guys on other country teams. Herd captain Attilio Biasca for the third straight year made Team Switzerland and will actually be wearing the C on his jersey for his country during the tournament. The Swiss are in Group B so they are playing in Moncton. Their first game is today at noon AT against Finland while they'll also play Slovakia, Latvia and the United States in round robin action. Meanwhile, defenseman David Moravec will look to help Team Czechia improve on their 4th place finish at the 2022 summer tournament. Czechia starts the week with a tilt against Canada this evening at 7:30pm AT. They'll also have matches versus Germany, Austria and Sweden. 

UPCOMING GAMES
Your Moose are back in action on Wednesday night when they travel to New Brunswick to battle the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The match will start a four game road stand for Halifax as the Scotiabank Centre is being used for the aforementioned World Juniors. Halifax will play two games in Cape Breton to end 2022 including a New Year's Eve afternoon tilt. Moose Country will have to wait until January 8 to see their team on home ice again. The club's first promotional match of 2023 takes place on January 14 with a t-shirt giveaway. 

Photo - Thunder Twitter

FOURNIER SIGNED BY CARDIFF
Former Halifax Mooseheads forward Stefan Fournier is headed overseas after being signed by the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL. Fournier has played the majority of the last five seasons with the ECHL's Wichita Thunder. The 30-year-old has recorded seven goals and 12 points in 17 games so far during the 2022-23 season. Cardiff doesn't expect the Dorval, QC native to play a game in Wales until December 31. "The reports we have on Stefan are very exciting, a player that I believe our fanbase will instantly embrace. He plays with an edge, throws his weight around, is willing to drop the gloves and scores dirty goals in front of the net," says Devils head coach Brodie Dupont. 

Good luck on the other side Stefan, Moose Country will be cheering for you. 

Moose Ranked 9th Before Christmas

Photo - QMJHL website

Our Halifax Mooseheads head into the Christmas break ranked 9th in the country after two big victories against the Charlottetown Islanders over the weekend. 

Halifax leads the Maritimes division with a record of 21-7-3-1 which is also good enough for third place overall in the QMJHL. Markus Vidicek had two goals and an assist in a 7-2 win versus the Islanders on Saturday night while defenseman Dylan MacKinnon also picked up three points (1G&2A). The night before, the Mooseheads top line of Jordan Dumais, Zach L'Heureux and Josh Lawrence recorded a combined nine points in a 7-3 victory. 

The Mooseheads are sure to look a bit different once they return to the Scotiabank Centre which unfortunately will not be until January 8 against Cape Breton. The winter trade period began on Sunday so we'll have to see what moves Cam Russell makes over the next two weeks to get ready for the second half. After Christmas, our Herd will return to action with a road trip Bathurst before heading to Cape Breton to end 2022. 

Below is the full standings

The top 5 leading scorers for Halifax 
Jordan Dumais 61pts (24G & 37A) 

Mathieu Cataford 44pts (20G & 24A)

Josh Laawrence 43pts (16G & 27A)

Markus VIdicek 40pts (16G & 24A)

Attilio Biasca 27pts (8G & 19A)

Twenty-one wins in 32 games is pretty good. Hopefully we will see even more victories in the second half of the season. Either way, I am excited to cheer the boys on in the new year. 

QMJHL Names Scholastic POM

Every month, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announces a Scholastic Player of the Month which recognizes a player on each team with his performance on ice and in the classroom. The player is selected based on their school results, their implication, the school-hockey conciliation, their team spirit and their on-ice performances. 

For your Halifax Mooseheads, Jake Furlong was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for November. Furlong had a goal and 10 points in the month over 14 games. 

Team	Player	Program	Institution
BAT	Joseph Henneberry	Business	Acadia University
BAC	Vincent Collard	Social Sciences	Cégep de Baie-Comeau
BLB	Eliot L’Italien	Secondary 5	Académie Les Estacades
CAP	Owen Arnold	High School	Sydney Academy
CHA	Alexandre Tessier	Business	UPEI
CHI	Félix Bédard	Natural Sciences	Cégep de Chicoutimi
DRU	Tristan Roy	Social Sciences	Cégep de Drummondville
GAT	Tye Austin	Sciences	Acadia University
HAL	Jake Furlong	Finance	St. Mary’s University
MON	Vincent Filion	Sciences	Université de Moncton
QUE	Andrew Gweon	Health Sciences	Dalhousie University
RIM	Patrik Hamrla	English	École cours d’anglais de Rimouski
ROU	Kyle Hagen	Grade 12	Northern Pre University
SNB	Alexis Cournoyer	High School	Northern Pre University
SHA	Alexis Bonefon	Natural Sciences	Cégep de Shawinigan
SHE	Anthony Munroe-Boucher	Social Sciences	Cégep de Sherbrooke
VDO	Nathan Drapeau	High School	Northern Pre University
VIC	Loick Daigle	Natural Sciences	Cégep de Victoriaville

Halifax Make Big Trade

The Halifax Mooseheads made a big trade on Monday, picking up 20-year-old Josh Lawrence from the Blainville Armada. In exchange, the Herd let go of two draft picks; a 2023 second rounder and 1st round selection in 2024. Lawrence, a native of Fredericton, NB, has played strong so far this season scoring 32 points in 25 games with the Armada. The overager had a career best 101 points in 2021-22, helping the Saint John Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup. 

Photo - Herd website

“We are very pleased to add someone of Josh's caliber to our already talented lineup. He brings elite level offense and valuable experience that will help our club tremendously this season,'' Russell said in the team's press release. 

I would like to welcome Josh to Moose Country! Looking forward to next Thursday when the Moose will be back home to take on Blainville.

DUMAIS SIGNS ELC
Congratulations are in order to forward Jordan Dumais who signed a 3-year entry level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets over the weekend. Dumais was selected by the Jackets in June 96th overall after putting up 109 points last season. The 18-year-old may surpass that number this year as he already has 54 points in 24 games. He leads the Canadian Hockey League in scoring and some have said that his play so far could get him on a spot on Canada’s world Junior team during the holiday break. 

Photo - Swiss hockey twitter

Other news and notes..

• Zachary L’Heureux made his season debut this past Friday where he picked up a goal and an assist. 
• Talking about the World Juniors, we know at least one Mooseheads player that will be participating as captain Attilio Biasca was named to Team Switzerland today for the tournament. 
• Here’s a crazy stat according to the NHL website, the New Jersey Devils are 17-0-0-0 this season when former Herd Nico Hischier records at least a point. 
• Arenas in Antigonish and Truro will get a pre-tournament game each in a few weeks while the Scotiabank Centre will host 4 matches. 
• Nobody cares probably but on Nov. 19 I got to watch Moose alumni Brad Marchand play live where he picked up 3 assists in a 6-1 Bruins win. Here’s a picture from that night (sorry it’s blurry, I was far away & using my phone camera) 

Stats Sunday: October

Games played: 12
Record: 8-1-2-1, 19pts
Goals for/against: 45/34
Powerplay*: 30.0%
Penalty kill*: 82.9%
Shutouts: None

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Jordan Dumais 27, Markus Vidicek 22, Mathieu Cataford 15, Attilio Biasca 12, Jake Furlong 8
Goals: Jordan Dumais 12, Markus Vidicek 8, Mathieu Cataford 7, Attilio Biasca 5, Jake Furlong 2
Assists: Jordan Dumais 15, Markus Vidicek 14, Attilio Biasca 8, Mathieu Cataford 8, Cameron Whynot 6
Penalty minutes: Dylan MacKinnon 19, Mathieu Cataford 12, Brady Schultz 10, Markus Vidicek 10, Jake Todd 9
Plus/minus: Markus Vidicek +14, Jordan Dumais +12, Mathieu Cataford +6, Brady Schultz +5, Cameron Whynot +3
Rookie scoring: Braeden MacPhee 3pts, Owen Phillips 2pts, Jack Martin 1pt, Reece Peitzsche 1pt

Goaltender stats*
Mathis Rousseau     6-1-1-1     2.63 GAA     0.909 SAV%
Brady James     2-0-1-0     2.94 GAA     0.899 SAV%

*overall

Note from Moose Country

Hi everyone,

Most blogs don't do this but I wanted to let you know why it seems like I've disappeared at least on here. I am still sharing news, pictures and scores on my social media accounts though. Our Halifax Mooseheads have had a great start to the season which I will have a post on later today. 

Back to why I've been MIA though. In the summer, I got a new job which is the first time I have been working full time since about 2014. It's been very busy to start as I am still training plus I am also going to school part-time so I don't have a lot of brain capacity to think of much else right now. So for this season, posts will be very sporadic but I hope you will bear with me and continue to support my blog. 

I really do appreciate everyone who reads my blog and follows my social media. Thank you!

Game Day 1: vs Cape Breton

PREVIEW - After being delayed for a week because of Hurricane Fiona, our Halifax Mooseheads will have their home opener finally this evening as they welcome the Cape Breton Eagles to the Scotiabank Centre. It's the first game for both teams during the 2022-23 regular season as the storm created a number of postponements the past seven days. Halifax will be debuting their new look tonight in front of the Moose Country faithful, who have had mixed feelings about the updated logo. The Mooseheads should have a full roster Saturday as forwards Jordan Dumais, the team's leading scorer last year, and Zachary L'Heureux were returned to the club by their respective NHL teams in the last 48 hours. The team is expected to be a Cup contender this season and will have a few new players in the line-up which includes import defenseman David Moravec and free-agent forward Brody Fournier. Cape Breton's top point getter Ivan Ivan is back this year for the Eagles as an assistant captain after spending time at Detroit Red Wings camp. The Eagles are predicted to finish in the lower part of the standings and have quite a different roster than they did in 2021-22 including a new head coach in Jon Goyens. Despite all this, the battle of Nova Scotia matches are always an exciting time so get ready to rock the arena as the Herd kick off their season. 

Game coverage
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry | Post-game: Halifax Mooseheads

Overall records
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (3rd in Maritimes division, 12th overall)
Eagles: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (5th in Maritimes division, 14th overall)

Leading scorers
CAP: n/a
HAL: n/a

Head-to-head
Like I said this is the first game between these two this season. During 2021-22, Halifax went 8-0-0-1 against the Eagles while Cape Breton had a 1-8-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The two clubs finished last season in Sydney on May 1 with Halifax coming on top 5-4 as Mathieu Cataford provided three assists in the win.

Not playing
Probably will be some healthy scratches

Out of town
Oceanic vs. Armada - 5:00 p.m.
Sagueneens vs. Drakkar - 5:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Foreurs - 5:00 p.m.
Sea Dogs vs. Wildcats - 7:00 p.m.
Titan vs. Islanders - 7:00 p.m.
Huskies vs. Cataractes - 8:00 p.m.
Olympiques vs. Remparts - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will head to New Brunswick to take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday night. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. 

Herd Word

With the regular season beginning this week, there is lots of news popping up so I thought I would do another Herd Word. 

CHL TOP 10
The Canadian Hockey League announced the pre-season edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings on Tuesday and our Halifax Mooseheads were among the honourable mention teams on the list. 

According to the website; The climb up the ranks begins this season for the Halifax Mooseheads as the club returns a well-rounded offensive core headlined by newly minted Columbus Blue Jackets draftee Jordan Dumais who was one of only seven QMJHL skaters to reach triple-digit production last season. 

Other honourable mention teams include the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. 

MACKINNON
It's been a good summer for alumni Nathan MacKinnon who after leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup title back on June 26, signed an 8-year contract extension earlier this week. The contract will start in the 2023-24 season and is worth $100.8 million dollars. At an average annual salary of $12.6 million, this will make MacKinnon the highest paid player in the National Hockey League. 

"Nathan is obviously one of the premier players in the NHL so a long-term extension was something we wanted to get done before the season started," said Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland. "He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high compete level that makes him a generational player. We are thrilled he will continue to be a member of this team and this community for many years to come." 

"Denver's the only place I want to be, for sure," MacKinnon recently said in Henderson, Nevada, during a pre-season player media tour. 

MacKinnon has recorded 242 goals and 648 points in 638 career regular season games. The 27-year-old is going into his 10th NHL season and his point total ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time scoring list. 

PREDICTIONS/PREVIEWS
Many believe that the Mooseheads will contend for the Maritimes division title this season and could contend in the playoffs in the spring. 

Chronicle Herald's Willy Palov shared his predictions of how the QMJHL will end come March;

3. Halifax Mooseheads: There's some debate about whether this is Halifax's 'go for it' year or if it's 2023-24. With the depth and balance the Mooseheads have in their lineup, it might end up being both. Zachary L'Heureux, Cam Whynot, Jordan Dumais and Mathieu Cataford are just some of the blue-chip pieces in place for a turn at the top of the cycle that should last a minimum of two years. 

The QMJHL shared their division previews for the 2022-23 season and on Wednesday, it was the Maritimes division's turn. Check out the video below.

Below you'll also find a video from the Canadian Hockey League previewing the QMJHL. 

HERD ON TV
Our Halifax Mooseheads will be in two games that will be apart of the CHL on TSN broadcast this season. The Herd's game against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on November 3 and their match at the Moncton Wildcats on November 27 are among the fifteen-ish games set to be shown on TSN in the first half of the season. For a full list of matches, click here. 

The CHL also announced their TV Game of the Week broadcast schedule and it includes Halifax's match on October 8 versus the Islanders in Charlottetown. Fans can watch the game via the CHL mobile app and online at watch.chl.ca for free. Full schedule here. 

IMPORTANT DATES

• The date and location for the NHL/CHL Top Prospects game was announced by Regina Pats star and 2023 draft-eligible prospect Connor Bedard the other day. It will be played in Bedard's hometown of Vancouver, BC on January 25, 2023. 
• The QMJHL's holiday trading period will be Sunday, December 18 to Friday, January 6.
• Dates for the 2023 Memorial Cup were also announced and the tournament will be played from May 26 to June 5 in Kelowna. 

Photos - Avalanche Twitter & CHL website

Lots of Moose at NHL camps

There are plenty of young men on NHL teams main camp rosters that have suited up for the Halifax Mooseheads sometime in their career. Many of the players are Herd alumni but there are a few who are currently on the Mooseheads’ opening night roster (bolded). 

A lot of camps have already started after teams had their rookies participate in tournaments and training over the weekend. 

Below is a list of players
Samuel Asselin - Boston Bruins
Justin Barron - Montreal Canadiens
Evan Boucher - Calgary Flames
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia Flyers
Jonathan Drouin - Montreal Canadiens
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets
Arnaud Durandeau - New York Islanders
Nikolaj Ehlers - Winnipeg Jets
Cavan Fitzgerald - Carolina Hurricanes
Martin Frk - St. Louis Blues
Zach Fucale - Washington Capitals
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Anaheim Ducks
Nico Hischier - New Jersey Devils
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand - Boston Bruins
Jared McIsaac - Detroit Red Wings
Timo Meier - San Jose Sharks
Robert Orr - Carolina Hurricanes
Xavier Parent - New Jersey Devils
Jakub Voracek - Columbus Blue Jackets
Mackenzie Weegar - Calgary Flames
Cameron Whynot - Calgary Flames
Filip Zadina - Detroit Red Wings

Keep it plugged into the club's social media to see how these guys do and I'll share a list of where players land next month. Good luck to all the players in their respective training camps. 

Friday's Home Opener Postponed

Who would've thought a hurricane would postpone the beginning of the Halifax Mooseheads season?

Hurricane Fiona is coming towards the Atlantic provinces and is expected to make landfall Friday night / Saturday morning which has forced the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to postpone games in the Maritime division this weekend. This includes our Mooseheads home opener on Friday night against the Charlottetown Islanders. 

The following list are the other matches that have been postponed: 
Sept 23 - Moncton vs. Cape Breton
Sept 23 - Charlottetown vs. Halifax
Sept 24 - Halifax vs. Charlottetown 
Sept 24 - Acadie-Bathurst vs. Saint John 
Sept 25 - Cape Breton vs. Moncton

A new date has yet to be determined but Halifax did say that tickets purchased for the home opener will be honoured at the reschedule game. 

Stats Sunday: Pre-season

The Mooseheads have finished their pre-season schedule after playing the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday night. 

Games played: 5
Scores*: 0-8, 4-3, 3-2, 5-3, 10-5
Record: 4-1-0-0, 8pts
Goals for/against: 22 / 21
Powerplay: 26.3%
Penalty kill: 71.4%

Team leaders
Points: Mathieu Cataford (10pts), Attilio Biasca (6pts), James Swan (5pts)
Goals: Attilio Biasca (4G), James Swan (4G), Brody Fournier (2G)
Assists: Mathieu Cataford (9A), Dylan MacKinnon (3A), Attilio Biasca (2A)
Penalty minutes: Dylan MacKinnon (12 mins), Stephen Davis (6 mins), Bryson Boudreau (6 mins)
Plus/minus: Attilio Biasca (+8), Mathieu Cataford (+5), Dylan MacKinnon (+4)

Goaltending stats
Mathis Rousseau:  2-0-0-0   2.01 GAA   0.935 SAV%
Brady James:  2-0-0-0   3.99 GAA   0.878 SAV %
Jack Milner: 0-0-0-0   5.27 GAA   0.840 SAV%
George Foti: 0-1-0-0   8.24 GAA   0.800 SAV%

*Halifax's score is first

Herd Word

ROOKIE CAMPS
There are a number of former and current Halifax Mooseheads players attending rookie camps and tournaments this weekend. A few of the big tournaments will feature our Herd trying to make the main camp of teams that they are with. Recent NHL draft picks Jordan Dumais and Jake Furlong will be hoping to showcase that Columbus and San Jose made the right choice in selecting them.

via NHL.com

Check out which players will be attending rookie camps below
Markus Vidicek - Arizona Coyotes   
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks 
Evan Boucher - Calgary Flames
Cameron Whynot - Calgary Flames
Bobby Orr - Carolina Hurricanes 
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets 
Justin Barron - Montreal Canadiens 
Xavier Parent - New Jersey Devils  
Arnaud Durandeau - New York Islanders 
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia Flyers
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators 
Zack Jones - New Jersey Devils

PRE-SEASON 
The Herd finished their exhibition schedule on Friday night on 'home' ice against Cape Breton and they came out on top by a score of 10-5. Halifax scored six goals in the third period which included 2 by Attilio Biasca. Third year forward James Swan recorded a hat trick and 17-year-old Mathieu Cataford added to his pre-season point total with five assists last night. The victory gave the Mooseheads a 4-1-0-0 record in the pre-season. 

I'll have final stats from the pre-season in tomorrow's post. 

via Jackets Twitter

DUMAIS
18-year-old Jordan Dumais ended the 2021-22 regular season with 109 points to lead Halifax in scoring which led the Columbus Blue Jackets to picking him 96th overall in the 2022 NHL draft. Dumais wasted no time in showing the Jackets they made the correct decision back in June by scoring two goals on Thursday afternoon. It led to Columbus' 7-1 defeat against the St. Louis rookies at the Traverse City prospect tournament. 

"There's no size limit anymore," said Trent Vogelhuber, who is coaching the CBJ prospects team in Traverse City. "You have skill and you can score like that, you're gonna find a way to play. He's got to keep working, get a little stronger, and obviously he's a young kid, but the stuff you can't teach is there."

Check out one of the goals here. 

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Individual game tickets went on sale on Tuesday for all 34 regular season games. Prices range from $10 for youth tickets to $27 for adult tickets in the lower bowl. You can purchase them on ticketatlantic.ca 

Full promotional schedule can be found below.

via Mooseheads Twitter

CAPTAIN
Halifax is looking for a new group to lead the team during the 2022-23 season since the three men who wore letters last year have moved on. General Manager Cam Russell and company have yet to name this year's group but I asked my followers on my Instagram who they thought would be given the C. The results ended like this:

Zachary L'Heureux - 47%
Cameron Whynot - 20%
Jordan Dumais - 19%
Evan Boucher - 13%

With all four of these young men away at NHL camps, we most likely will not find out who will lead this year's team until possibly October. 

NEW LOOK
A big announcement was made by our Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday morning with the team coming out that they will have a new look for 2022-23. Feeling have been mixed with the new logo but everyone has seemed to enjoy the announcement video that was posted which you can see below. The logo is a lot cleaner and someone noticed that the H seems to be in the shape of Citadel Hill which I think is a nice nod to the city. 

I wonder if this will mean that new jerseys are on the way as well but we'll have to wait and see. There certainly will be some new merchandise for the upcoming season as the shop website is currently under construction to showcase products with the updated logo. Not sure any club has had the exact same logo for almost 30 years so it really was time to make a change. Let me know what you think about it in the comments below. Can't wait to see the logo on the ice in less than a week though. 

via Mooseheads Facebook

Around the CHL ~ volume #1 preview edition #10

The Canadian Hockey League regular season begins in less than 2 weeks so to get you ready I thought I would recap how last season went. Check back all year long for more stories about the CHL and your Mooseheads. 

here are last year's leaders:
Division champions 2021-22
WHL - Winnipeg Ice (East) 68 games played, 53-10-3-2 record, 111 points, 317 goals for/152 goals against; Edmonton Oil Kings (Central) 68 games played, 50-14-3-1 record, 104 points, 295 goals for/182 goals against; Everett Silvertips (U.S.) 68 games played, 45-13-5-5 record, 100 points, 280 goals for/190 goals against; Kamloops Blazers (B.C.) 68 games played, 48-17-3-0 record, 99 points, 287 goals for/176 goals against
OHL - Hamilton Bulldogs (East) 68 games played, 51-12-3-2 record, 107 points, 300 goals for/176 goals against; Windsor Spitfires (West) 68 games played, 44-17-4-3 record, 95 points, 305 goals for/248 goals against; North Bay Battalion (Central) 68 games played, 43-18-3-4 record, 93 points, 267 goals for/198 goals against; London Knights (Midwest) 68 games played, 39-22-5-2 record, 85 points, 299 goals for/211 goals against
QMJHL - Quebec Remparts (East) 68 games played, 51-15-2-0 record, 104 points, 302 goals for/175 goals against; Charlottetown Islanders (Maritimes) 68 games played, 48-13-7-0 record, 103 points, 283 goals for/179 goals against; Sherbrooke Phoenix (Central) 68 games, 46-17-2-3 record, 97 points, 274 goals for/202 goals against; Gatineau Olympiques (West) 68 games played, 39-15-11-3 record, 92 points, 248 goals for/193 goals against

League championships 2022
President's Cup - Charlottetown Islanders vs. Shawinigan Cataractes (Cataractes won series 4 games to 1 game)
J. Ross Robertson Cup - Hamilton Bulldogs vs. Windsor Spitfires (Bulldogs won series 4 games to 3 games)
Ed Chynoweth Cup - Edmonton Oil Kings vs. Seattle Thunderbirds (Oil Kings won series 4 games to 2 games)

Memorial Cup 2022
Teams - Edmonton (WHL champion), Hamilton (OHL champion), Saint John (hosts) and Shawinigan (QMJHL champion)

Final June 25, 2022 Saint John vs. Shawinigan 5-3

SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS WIN 2022 MEMORIAL CUP!!!



Saint John will look to repeat as Memorial Cup champions but they'll have a difficult time with more than half of the roster from the 2022 championship team moving on. This year the Memorial Cup will be held in Kamloops, home of the Kamloops Blazers who will be in the tournament no matter what. Prospects will look to continue impressing scouts as some will be eligible to be invited to World Junior camps in early December, which will most likely include at least one Halifax Moosehead as the city is co-hosting the tournament. 

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

Photo - QMJHL website

The QMJHL has been doing some previews of each of their 18 clubs this month and they recently did one on our Halifax Mooseheads. Click on the link below to see Jordan Dumais' highlights. 

From QMJHL.ca 

The last time the Halifax Mooseheads won a playoff series, they were also that year's Memorial Cup host team. Going on four seasons later, this methodically crafted crew has once again reached the point where many consider it the team to beat in the Maritimes. 

Two of the central up front are 2021 Nashville Predators first-rounder Zachary L'Heureux and 2022 Columbus Blue Jackets draftee Jordan Dumais, the latter coming off a season that saw him finish third in the league's regular season scoring derby. This duo will be surrounded by a talented cast, including overager Evan Boucher, who, after arriving from the Ontario Jr. A ranks midway through last season, posted 25 goals in 37 games. Markus Vidicek returns following a strong sophomore season while 2021 QMJHL first-rounder Mathieu Cataford aims to build off a 2021-22 campaign that saw him earn a spot on the league's Rookie All-Star Team before helping Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. 

Last year's top point producer among defensemen, Jake Furlong, returns after hearing his his name called out by the San Jose Sharks at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Fourth-year veteran Cam Whynot will again be on hand to log key minutes and Connecticut native Brady Schultz returns after a solid first Q campaign. Dylan MacKinnon, a teammate of Cataford's at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, enters his NHL draft year eager to take the next step in his junior career. 

Between the pipes, Brady James and Mathis Rousseau return to form the netminding tandem for yet another season. 

It's been a long time to get back to this stage for GM Cam Russell and the rest of the Mooseheads braintrust. Fans will be in for a treat if this herd comes thundering through the Maritimes Division and beyond this year. 

2021-2022 Mooseheads Stats:

Team Record	38-28-1-1 (78 points)
Division Ranking	4th Maritimes
Overall Ranking	8th
Goals For	272 (6th)
Goals Against	272 (15th)
PP (Overall)	23.3% (9th )
PK (Overall)	69.8% (18th)
Leading Rookie (PTS)	Cataford (17-29-46)
Leading Scorers (PTS)	Dumais (39-70-109)
	Desnoyers (42-46-88)
	Vidicek (18-47-65)
	L’Heureux (22-34-56)
	Cataford (17-29-46)

Events

The Halifax Mooseheads released their schedule for the upcoming season earlier this summer and have finally announced the events happening during the 2022-23 season. Check out below for the dates of the yearly special games. With the 2023 World Juniors being hosted in Halifax free Christmas, there is no Battle of Nova Scotia event this year.

Annual events
HOME OPENER - September 23 vs. Charlottetown Islanders
Mooseheads Fight Cancer - January 28 vs. Cape Breton Eagles
DND Appreciation Night - March 4 vs. Cape Breton Eagles 
Teddy Bear Toss - December 10 vs. Gatineau Olympiques
Fan Appreciation Night - March 25 vs. Charlottetown Islanders

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

Opening Night Roster

YOUR 2022-23 HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

3  Dylan MacKinnon  D  Riverview, NB
5  Brady Schultz  D  Monroe, CT, USA
6  Markus Vidicek  C  Kirkland, QC

7  David Moravec  D  Havlickuv Brod, Czechia
8  Jack Martin  D  Upper Coverdale, NB*

9  Attilio Biasca  LW  Zug, Switzerland
10  Mathieu Cataford C  Saint-Constant, QC
11  Jordan Dumais  RW  L-ile-Bizard, QC

12  Brody Fournier  F  Lombardy, ON 
14  Logan Crosby  LW  Salt Springs, NS
16  James Swan  LW  Ville St-Laurent, QC
17  Cameron Whynot  D  Kentville, NS
19  Reece Peitzsche  C  Beaver Bank, NS*

21  Braeden MacPhee  C  Moncton, NB*
26  Owen Phillips  D  Hammonds Plains, NS*

30  Mathis Rousseau  G  Boisbriand, QC

33  Brady James  G  Beaconsfield, QC

43  Jake Furlong  D  Upper Tantallon, NS
48  Liam Welsh  C  Halifax, NS*
61  Jake Todd  C  Beaver Bank, NS*
66  Zachary L'Heureux  LW  Mercier, QC

71  Evan Boucher  LW  Timmons, ON

*indicates rookie

CAMP: Mooseheads Make Final Cuts

General Manager Cam Russell and company made their final cuts to the training camp roster on Tuesday morning. The club announced that two players were released with one being veteran Stephen Davis. Halifax also let go of goaltender Jack Milner which really isn't a surprise. 

Photo - TSN

The 20-year-old quickly became a popular player for the Mooseheads and was an alternate captain during the 2021-22 regular season. "We all love Stephen here, the players, coaches and staff. He's a great person and will be missed but we are also extremely excited with the seven talented defencemen who have earned their spots on the roster and are the best fit for our team at this time." Russell said of the move. The departure of Davis means the Mooseheads will begin the season with one overage player in the form of forward Evan Boucher. 

This means that the Herd will break camp with 22 players on the roster and go with 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders to start the 2022-23 regular season. 

Good luck to Stephen with his new team wherever he ends up. 

Orr Traded to Gatineau

While writing my previous post, our Halifax Mooseheads made another big announcement saying they completed a couple of trades on Sunday morning. Halifax acquired a pair of draft picks from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for forward Bobby Orr. The move creates some space amongst a crowded forward group at training camp. The 19-year-old scored 21 goals and 44 points in 63 games last season. He had 76 points in 104 games for the club over two seasons after being acquired from Saint John in the summer of 2020. 

Photo - Herd website

In a separate deal Halifax finalized a swap with the Charlottetown Islanders for defenceman Alexandre Tessier who had been attending Isles camp on a conditional loan. The Herd will receive a ninth round pick in the 2024 draft. 

Good luck to both Bobby and Alexandre with their new teams and thank you for the memories in Moose Country, we'll miss you boys. 

This means that the 2022 training camp is down to 24 players which includes thirteen forwards, 8 defencemen and three goaltenders. 

Herd Word

Former Halifax Mooseheads have had some big things happen over the last week or so while the current team is coming together for the regular season. 

Photo - AMH Photography

MACKINNON PARADE
The 2013 NHL number one pick Nathan MacKinnon won the Stanley Cup back in June with the Colorado Avalanche and he finally had his day with the trophy last weekend. MacKinnon brought the Cup back to Halifax where he played junior hockey for a parade and the city showed up big time. His teammates Gabriel Landeskog and Andrew Cogliano were also in the parade. Before it began, Nathan was on Citadel Hill to shoot off the noon gun. The 28-year-old answered a few questions from Paul Hollingsworth afterwards in Grand Parade Square in front of thousands of fans. 

It was a good parade and it was nice to see Kid Mack give props to his family, coaches and the city of Halifax for helping him get to where he is today. 

Check out some highlights from the day in the video below. 

WORLD JUNIORS
Well, the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were finally able to be completed last weekend with Team Canada raising the trophy on August 20. With Canada's victory, former Mooseheads captain Elliot Desnoyers is a champion! Congrats to Desy on winning the gold medal. The 20-year-old finished the tournament with an assist in 7 games played. The Canadians went undefeated and won the final match 3-2 in overtime over Team Finland. 

Photo - Hockey Canada Twitter

Also in the tournament were Herd alumni Senna Peeters (Austria) and current forward Attilio Biasca (Switzerland). Peeters recorded a goal and 3 points in the preliminary round as Austria lost all 4 games to end in 9th place. Biasca had a great tournament scoring four goals and picking up 2 assists but unfortunately, Switzerland lost in the quarter-finals to Canada.

Photo - Birdgeport Islanders Instagram

DURANDEAU
23-year-old Arnaud Durandeau, who played for Halifax for four years from 2015-2019, got some good news last week when the New York Islanders signed him to a two-year two-way contract along with three other players. Durandeau set new career highs in goals (15), assists (22) and points (37) in 64 games with the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL last season. He ranked third on the team in goals and was tied for fifth in points during his third professional campaign. Congrats to Arnaud on signing a new contract.

TRAINING CAMP UPDATE
Things have been moving quickly at training camp this past week. Cam Russell and company made more decisions, releasing sixteen additional players. On Thursday, a total of nine young men were cut from the camp roster. The following players were cut from the camp roster on Thursday; Justin Breton (F), Mathis Laplante (F), Landon MacIntosh (F), Dominic MacKenzie (D), Cade Moser (F), Joe Power (D), Adam Tkacz (G), Ty Totten (F) and Ben Wallace (F). Goalie George Foti was released from camp on Wednesday. Six players were cut on Saturday morning including forwards Antoine Fontaine, Lou Levesque, Brandon Abbass and Bryson Boudreau along with defencemen Hugo Boucher and Dylan Chisholm. 

Russell made a trade on Wednesday afternoon as well when they acquired centre and Beaver Bank, NS-native Jake Todd from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in exchange for a 2023 4th round draft pick. Todd has played the past two seasons with the Cole Harbour Wolfpack where he has scored 79 points in 55 games with 23 goals and 56 assists. 

All these moves mean that there are 25 players remaining at camp. Another small round of cuts still needs to happen before the 2022-23 regular season roster is named but I suspect that will happen before the end of August. 

ZADINA

Photo - Wings website 

The Detroit Red Wings announced on Friday that they have re-signed right winger Filip Zadina to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1.825 million. Zadina, 22, skated in 74 games with the Red Wings in 2021-22 and recorded a career-high 24 points (10-14-24) and 10 penalty minutes. Originally selected by Detroit in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Filip has totalled 61 points in 160 NHL games. 

Congrats to Filip on signing a new contract. 

CRITCHLOW
Former Herd Cameron Critchlow has been named captain of the EIHL's Manchester Storm for the 2022-23 season. The 31-year-old is heading into his fourth season in England. Critchlow played one season for Halifax back in 2011-12. He had 14 goals and 37 points in 54 games last season with the Storm. Manchester start their regular season on September 10 against the Coventry Blaze. 

Photo - Storm Twitter

CAMP: Herd Release 7 Before 1st Pre-Season Game

Photo - Mooseheads Twitter

As I expected, our Halifax Mooseheads have made the first round of cuts before they play in their first pre-season game tonight. General Manager Cam Russell made the announcement on Tuesday morning, saying that the club had released seven players.

Players leaving
G  Russ Decoste  
D  Mathieu Taillefer
D  Ben Robertson
D  Noah Razon
F  James Chase
F  Kyle Greene
F  Hudson Clarke

According to the press release, Clarke suffered a clavicle injury during an intrasqaud game on Monday and has decided to return home. The team is also awaiting the arrival of 2022 CHL import draft pick David Moravec who is expected to arrive later tonight. 

With these moves, it leaves 40 players on the training camp roster. 

Good luck to all the 7 guys who left camp with whatever team you end up with this year. 

Pre-season Game: at Cape Breton

Opponent: Cape Breton Eagles
Where: Glace Bay Miners Forum
When: August 23, 2022
Time: 7:00pm
Tickets: $5

Halifax Mooseheads
Preseason record: 0-0-0-0, 0pts
Goals for: 0
Goals against: 0
Head coach: Sylvain Favreau
Scoring leader: n/a
Leading goaltender: n/a

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Preseason record: 0-1-0-0, 0pts
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 6
Head coach: Jon Goyens
Scoring leader: Kiefer Avery (1G)
Leading goaltender: Xavier Farrah 0-1-0-0 

Notes

• This is the first game for our Halifax Mooseheads during the 2022 pre-season 
• Cape Breton posted that tonight’s game will not be broadcasted live 
• Rosters for the match have not been released but I suspect they will be filled with rookies
• The two teams will meet again tomorrow in Halifax 

47 Players to Attend Training Camp

Photo - Saltwire

Halifax Mooseheads hockey is getting close to being back and it begins with training camp starting on Saturday. The team announced schedule details for camp last week, which you can find here. 

The Mooseheads have invited 47 players to participate in camp over the next month. The roster breaks down to six goaltenders, 15 defenceman and 26 forwards It consists of 17 returning players along with all fifteen of Halifax's draft picks from 2022 plus more. I suspect the first cuts will be made before the first pre-season game on Tuesday. 

Below is the 2022 Training Camp roster. 
Brandon Abbass  F  (free agent)   
Attilio Biasca  F  (import)   
Evan Boucher  F  (free agent)
Hugo Boucher  D  (draft '22)
Bryson Boudreau  F  (free agent)   
Justin Breton  F  (draft '22)   
Mathieu Cataford  F  (draft '21)
James Chase  F  (draft '22)    
Dylan Chisholm  D  (free agent)
Hudson Clarke  F  (draft '22)    
Logan Crosby  F  (draft '21)
Stephan Davis  D  (draft '18)
Russ DeCoste  G  (free agent)
Jordan Dumais  F  (draft '20)
Antoine Fontaine  F  (draft '22)
George Foti  G  (draft '22)
Brody Fournier  F  (free agent)
Jake Furlong  D  (draft '20)
Kyle Greene  F  (draft '22)
Zachary L'Heureux  F  (trade)
Mathis Laplante  F  (draft '22)
Lou Levesque  F  (draft '22)
Landon MacIntosh  F  (free agent)
Dominic MacKenzie  D  (draft '22)
Dylan MacKinnon  D  (draft '21)
Braeden MacPhee  F  (draft '20)
Jack Martin  D  (draft '21)
David Moravec  D  (import)
Jack Milner  G  (draft '21)
Cade Moser  F  (draft '22)
Robert Orr  F  (trade)
Reece Peitzsche  F  (draft '22)
Owen Phillips  D  (draft '22)
Joseph Power  D  (draft '21)
Noah Razon  D  (draft '21)
Ben Robertson  D  (draft '22)
Mathis Rousseau  G  (draft '20)
Brady Schultz  D  (draft '20)
James Swan  F  (draft '20) 
Mathieu Taillefer  D  (draft '22)
Adam Tkacz  G  (free agent)
Tyler Totten  F  (free agent)
Markus Vidicek  F  (draft '20)
Ben Wallace  F  (draft '21)
Liam Welsh  F  (draft '21)
Cameron Whynot  D  (trade)

Biasca's Goal Advances Switzerland

Halifax Mooseheads import player Attilio Biasca scored late in the third period to give his Switzerland team their first victory of the world juniors and advance to the quarter final round. The goal at the 15:53 mark of the final frame made the score 3-2 in their match against Team Austria. Former Herd Senna Peeters has been participating in the tourney as well but for the Austrians and recorded an assist on Monday in the loss. Biasca also had an assist in the game, making it four points in the prelims for the 19-year-old. Austria finished the first round with four losses meaning they will be relegated for 2023. 

Like I said, the victory advances Switzerland to the medal round where they will take on 2021-22 Moose captain Elliot Desnoyers and Team Canada. Hopefully Desnoyers will be able to show his offensive power in the next round as he currently has no points. Canada went undefeated in the preliminary round after picking up a 6-3 win over Finland yesterday. 

The quarter-finals are set to go on Wednesday in Edmonton at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. Finland and Germany will kick off the day, followed by Sweden and Latvia, Canada and Switzerland and finally USA vs. Czechia. You can watch Desnoyers vs. Biasca on TSN tomorrow evening at 8:00pm AT. 

Photo - Switzerland Twitter

Training Camp Details Announced

Details for our Halifax Mooseheads 2022 Training Camp were released by the club today and it looks pretty much like a pre-COVID camp. Players will return to Moose Country with registration on August 20 at RBC Centre in Dartmouth. Action on the ice kicks off the following day at 9am with the first-of-four Green vs White scrimmages. All games and practices will be open to the public according to the press release.

Below is the schedule for the first couple of weeks
August 21 & 22
9am   Green vs White Intrasquad Game 
3pm   Green vs White Intrasquad Game

August 23 
7pm   Pre-season game at Cape Breton

August 24 
7pm   Pre-season game vs Cape Breton

August 25 
11am   Practice
3pm   Practice

August 26
7pm   Pre-season game vs Saint John

August 29-September 1
10am   Practice

A limited amount of tickets for the home pre-season games will go on sale August 9th at 11am at TicketAtlantic.com

Eastlink To Show 14 Moose Games

Eastlink TV has announced their broadcast schedule for QMJHL games during the 2022-23 season. Cape Breton, Charlottetown and Halifax all have select matches that will be shown on the Friday Night Hockey broadcasts.

Your Halifax Mooseheads will be on Eastlink fourteen times this season. The first broadcast involving the Herd will be September 23 against the Charlottetown Islanders for the team's home opener. There will also be 3 special Thursday evening matches.

Below is the full schedule (all games 7pm unless noted):

FRI September 23   vs. Charlottetown Islanders
FRI September 30   at Cape Breton Eagles
FRI October 7   vs. Victoriaville Tigres
FRI November 4   at Cape Breton Eagles
FRI November 18   vs. Saint John Sea Dogs
FRI November 25   at Cape Breton Eagles
THU December 8   vs. Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
FRI December 16   vs. Charlottetown Islanders
THU January 12   vs. Quebec Remparts
SAT January 28   vs. Cape Breton Eagles
FRI February 3   at Charlottetown Islanders (7:30pm)
FRI February 17   vs. Acadie-Bathurst Titan 
THU March 2   vs. Saint John Sea Dogs
FRI March 24   vs. Cape Breton Eagles

You can view the full schedule here. 

Canada Skates To Gold

Team Canada is back on top! 

This means that a couple of Halifax Mooseheads players are champions. Defenceman Dylan MacKinnon and forward Mathieu Cataford made Canada's Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster last month and have been participating in the tournament all week in Red Deer, Alberta. The Canadians went undefeated in the preliminary round and went up against Finland in the semi-final match. Canada won the game 4-1 to book their ticket in the gold medal game where they took on Team Sweden. The score of the championship match was 4-1 as well, it is the first Hlinka Cup victory for the red and white since 2018. 

Photo - Hockey Canada Twitter

Both Cataford and MacKinnon finished the tournament with an assist in five games played. Congrats to these two young men and the rest of the team on winning the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Saturday. 

Final standings as follows; Canada (gold), Sweden (silver), Finland (bronze), Czechia, United States, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany

Two Moose Named to Team Canada

Hockey Canada announced their roster for the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup and two Halifax Mooseheads sophomores will be participating in the tournament that begins today. Forward Mathieu Cataford and defenceman Dylan MacKinnon made the under-18 team meaning that they will be in Red Deer, Alberta for the next week. 

Photo - Hockey Canada Twitter

Cataford, who was drafted by Halifax 6th overall in 2021, led the QMJHL's 16-year-old age group in points with 46 (17G & 29A) last season in 62 games. The Saint-Constant, QC native had a goal, an assist and a penalty in Canada's final pre-tournament match on Friday, helping the red and white to a 6-0 victory. 

MacKinnon was selected by the Herd one spot before Mathieu last summer. He picked up a goal and an assist during the 2021-22 regular season in 52 games. 

Congrats and good luck to Dylan, Mathieu and Team Canada this week. The home country will kick off the tournament tonight with a match against Switzerland at 7pm MDT. See the full schedule here.