Thirtieth Season Roster

YOUR 2023-24 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  Liam Kilfoil  C  Quispamsis, NB*
10  Mathieu Cataford LW  Saint-Constant, QC
11  Jordan Dumais  RW  L-ile-Bizard, QC

12  Brody Fournier  RW  Lombardy, ON 
14  Logan Crosby  LW  Salt Springs, NS
15  Dominic MacKenzie  D  Stellarton, NS*
19  Reece Peitzsche  LW  Beaver Bank, NS

21  Braeden MacPhee  C  Moncton, NB
23  Yannik Ponzetto  LW  Kloten, Switzerland*
26  Owen Phillips  D  Hammonds Plains, NS

35  Jack Milner  G  Antigonish, NS*
43  Jake Furlong  D  Upper Tantallon, NS

48  Liam Welsh  RW  Halifax, NS
60  Mathis Rousseau  G  Boisbriand, QC
63  Jake Todd  C  Beaver Bank, NS
67  Lou Levesque  C  Saint-Jerome, QC*
89  Antoine Fontaine  C  Granby, QC*
90  Cade Moser  C  Linacy, NS*

*indicates rookie

Final Four Reassignments Made

The Halifax Mooseheads announced their opening night roster for the team's 30th season today. A final four players were reassigned to their respective midget clubs and Halifax will go into the 2023-24 season with 23 young men. 

Players cut on Thursday
G Sam Madgett
D Eddy Doyle
D Jameson George
F Ben Wallace

The regular season roster includes fourteen forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. 16 veterans will be joined by 7 new players on the team with one of those rookies being Jack Milner after goalie Brady James decided to leave the club earlier this week. His departure means that the Herd have an overage position available so we could see a move in the coming months to fill that spot. 

Congrats to all the guys who made the team and for the new guys, welcome to Moose Country! Good luck to Ben, Sam, Eddy and Jameson this season. 

My next post will have the full roster. 

Halifax will next play a pre-season game on September 9 in Charlottetown while the 30th anniversary home opener is set to go on September 22 against the Islanders. 

Moose Make Big Round of Cuts

Our Halifax Mooseheads made their first official round of cuts on Saturday afternoon. I don't think I have ever seen the team take this long to announce reassignments during training camp. 

We are a week into camp and the Mooseheads have trimmed their roster by 17 players today. Four players left voluntarily earlier in the week after 48 hours, probably to keep their NCAA eligibility. It was announced on Tuesday that forwards Alec Nasreddine, James Chase, Tristan LeBlanc and Tucker Makinen made the decision to leave camp. 

As for today's cuts, it includes two goalies, seven defencemen and eight forwards. The roster now sits at 28 players with several returning veterans expected to arrive arrive for practice on Sunday according to the press release. 

Players leaving
G Olivier St-Onge
G George Foti
D Colin Brodeur
D Hugo Boucher
D Camden McKenzie
D Nik Mokriakov
D Andrew Thompson
D Ryan Fletcher 
D Ben Manos
F Aidan Bent
F Hudson Clarke
F Mathis Laplante
F Will Carroll
F Tyler Totten
F Tully Grant
F Keegan O'Neill
F Justin Breton

Halifax will continue to practice this week and will play their next pre-season on September 9th in Charlottetown. The Herd have not gotten off to a great start, going into the break with a 0-3 record. 

Good luck to all the players above with whatever teams they end up with this season. 

Green Takes Game 1

If you were at the RBC Centre on Sunday afternoon, you were treated to a bit of a one sided match up in the Green vs. White intrasquad game. The on-ice portion of training camp got underway this morning with the team divided into two separate groups for practice at 9 a.m. followed by the intrasquad game at 3 p.m. Team Green took the first contest by a score of 8-3 as three of their players scored two goals each. The team will have the same schedule tomorrow. 

The game appeared like it might go into the second period all tied but Mathis Laplante scored late in the opening frame to give Green a 3-2 lead as the boys headed to the locker rooms. Ben Wallace recorded the first goal of the match however, to give White a 1-0 lead. Goals by Alec Nasreddine, Reece Peitzsche and Aidan Bent made the score 6-2 Team Green after 40 minutes. Bent, Laplante and Nasreddine all scored twice during the game. The other Team White goals came from Cade Moser and Eddy Doyle. 

Most of the veterans did not play in this afternoon's game and I expect we won't see them tomorrow either. If things go like normal, we will probably see the first round of cuts on Monday evening or possibly Tuesday morning. Should I get the opportunity, I will let you know here. 

Training Camp Details

Photo - Herd website

Hockey will be starting very soon. 

The Halifax Mooseheads have announced that their 2023 training camp will begin on August 19 when players arrive to the city for physicals and registration at RBC Centre. A total of 49 players are set to attend camp this year including the 2022-23 leading scorer Jordan Dumais, Halifax's top draft selection in June's Q draft Liam Kilfoil and 2023 import pick Yannik Ponzetto. 

You can find the schedule for the first 2 weeks by looking here. Like previous years, practices and intrasquad games held at the RBC Centre will be open to the public for free. Tickets for the pre-season games are on sale now and can be bought on the new Mooseheads TicketMaster page. 

Here is the 2023 training camp roster (yy-mm-dd)
Name   Pos   Birthdate   From
Aidan Bent   LW   2006-07-08   Nova Scotia
Hugo Bucher   D   2006-01-09   Quebec
Justin Breton   C   2006-02-14   Quebec
Colin Brodeur   D   2007-05-26   Quebec
Will Carroll   C   2007-01-06   Newfoundland
Mathieu Cataford   C   2005-03-01   Quebec
James Chase   LW   2006-04-08   Vermont
Hudson Clarke   C   2006-01-29   Nova Scotia
Logan Crosby   LW   2005-12-14   Nova Scotia
Eddy Doyle   D   2007-11-08   Prince Edward Island
Jordan Dumais   RW   2004-04-15   Quebec
Ryan Fletcher   D   2006-01-20   Nova Scotia
Antoine Fontaine   C   2006-07-10   Quebec
George Foti   G   2006-09-22   Quebec
Brody Fournier   C   2003-05-26   Ontario
Jake Furlong   D   2004-03-04   Nova Scotia
Jameson George   D   2007-03-28   New Brunswick
Tully Grant   C   2005-05-17   Nova Scotia
Brady James   G   2003-02-19   Quebec
Liam Kilfoil   C   2007-03-21   New Brunswick
Mathis Laplante   RW   2006-12-17   Quebec
Tristan LeBlanc   LW   2006-02-16   Nova Scotia
Lou Levesque   C   2006-03-15   Quebec
Dominic MacKenzie   D   2006-06-28   Nova Scotia
Dylan MacKinnon   D   2005-01-12   New Brunswick
Braeden MacPhee   C   2004-05-30   New Brunswick
Sam Madgett   G   2007-07-31   Nova Scotia
Tucker Makinen   LW   2007-05-07   Nova Scotia
Ben Manos   D   2006-07-25   Nova Scotia
Jack Martin   D   2005-02-10   New Brunswick
Camden McKenzie   D   2004-09-09   Nova Scotia
Jack Milner   G   2005-02-05   Nova Scotia
Nik Mokriakov   D   2006-03-14   Nova Scotia
David Moravec   D   2003-09-18   Czechia
Cade Moser   C   2006-03-01   Nova Scotia
Alec Nasreddine   LW   2007-02-14   New Jersey
Keegan O'Neill   LW   2006-12-16   Nova Scotia
Reece Peitzsche   C   2006-12-08   Nova Scotia
Owen Phillips   D   2006-01-12   Nova Scotia
Yannik Ponzetto   LW   2006-06-08   Switzerland
Mathis Rousseau   G   2004-09-10   Quebec
Brady Schultz   D   2004-07-23   Connecticut 
Olivier St-Onge   G   2007-10-10   New Brunswick
Andrew Thompson   D   2006-06-10   Prince Edward Island
Jake Todd   C   2005-07-13   Nova Scotia
Tyler Totten   C   2005-11-18   Nova Scotia
Markus Vidicek   C   2004-03-21   Quebec
Ben Wallace   C   2005-03-04   Nova Scotia
Liam Welsh   C   2005-01-20   Nova Scotia

A few notes about the roster

• The roster consists of 27 forwards, 16 defencemen and six goalies while there are 17 returning players 
• You will notice that a few players who are still eligible are not listed; last season's captain Attilio Biasca has decided to return home to play professionally with EV Zug, Zach L'Heureux seems to be on his way to suit up for the Milwaukee Admirals and Cam Whynot was released (not sure why) 
• Unless Cam Russell and co. make moves before the season begins, it looks like the overagers will be Brody Fournier, Brady James and David Moravec while the Euro spots belong to Moravec and Yannik Ponzetto

First cuts are normally made before the first pre-season game with the final roster generally announced by the end of August, we'll have to wait and see if this holds true again this year.

Herd Word

Below you will find a round up of some more news that has happened this summer. 

NHL DRAFT 
Two Halifax Mooseheads players heard their name called in Nashville during day 2 of the NHL entry draft back on June 29. Forward Mathieu Cataford was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the third round, 77th overall. Not long after at 83rd overall, the Nashville Predators picked defenceman Dylan MacKinnon. Both players improved in their points amount during their sophomore year last season but had dropped in the CSS rankings by the year-end list. Predators amateur scout J-P Glaude said about MacKinnon, "He's a hard defender and is tough to play against. He's explosive and has a strong lower body; we view him as a type of guy who is hard to find in hockey these days." 

A few notes about the draft. To no one's surprise, Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats was made the first overall selection by the Chicago Blackhawks. Drummondville Voltigeurs' player Tyler Peddle waited inside the Bell Centre through both days to hear his name called last at 224th overall in the 7th round. Unfortunately, Herd forward Markus Vidicek didn't get selected for the second year in a row. 

Photo - Herd website

IMPORT DRAFT
Despite having the max two Euro players on the team already, general manager Cam Russell used the Mooseheads first round pick (44th overall) in the 2023 CHL Import Draft on Switzerland forward Yannik Ponzetto. The 17-year-old played at both the U17 and U20 level with Kloten Elit last season where he had 26 goals and 52 points in 34 games in the Swiss U17 league. 

"We were happy to be able to get Yannik at that spot. He's a big, skilled winger who will be able to immediately step in and play," Russell said. 

The team announced that Ponzetto has committed to coming to Halifax and that former captain Attilio Biasca will return to his hometown to play hockey during the upcoming season. 

GRETZKY CUP
The 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was earlier this month and Canada were able to repeat as champions after defeating the Czech Republic in the gold medal game by a score of 3-2 in overtime on August 5. Former Herd coach Sylvain Farveau was apart of the championship team as an assistant coach meanwhile general manager Cam Russell also received a medal as a member of the Program of Excellence management group. Halifax's 2023 import draft selection Yannik Ponzetto participated in the tournament for Switzerland who finished 6th overall. Ponzetto picked up a goal and two assists in four games played. 

Photo - Herd website

CANADA SUMMER MEETINGS
We may see some Mooseheads representing the maple leaf later in 2023 as there were five players named to Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence summer meetings rosters. Prospect Liam Kilfoil, who Halifax drafted 31st overall in the 2023 Q draft, is among the sixty-six under-17 players that were selected. The 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will take place November 2-11 in Charlottetown and Summerside, PEI. 

Meanwhile, veterans Jordan Dumais, Jake Furlong, Markus Vidicek and Mathis Rousseau were selected to participate in the under-20 meetings along with 41 other players. The 2024 World Junior Championships will take place from December 26 to January 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden. According to the release; 'players took part in virtual meetings that covered a variety of topics, including education on the Program of Excellence, sport safety presentations, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with the Hockey Canada management group. Players will continue to be evaluated through the early portion of the 2023-24 season before the Canadian rosters are named.' 

Congratulations to these five young men and good luck. I hope we can cheer them on with Team Canada this winter. 

Photo - QMJHL website

WILDCATS TO HOST DRAFT
It was announced last month that the city of Moncton along with the Moncton Wildcats will host the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. The draft is schedule for June 8 at the Avenir Centre. This will be the second time the Wildcats have hosted the draft, having held the event in 2009 as well but it was in the Moncton Coliseum, the club's previous arena. 

Moncton will also host the the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in January. 

FIGHTING BANNED
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced its safety regulations for the 2023-24 season on August 10 and as expected, there have been changes made to the fighting rules. According to the document, 'as soon as a fight occurs, those engaged must be systematically ejected from the game.' Read the full update below and you can see the league's safety regulations here. 

Photo - Adam Kimelman on Twitter

MANN-DIXON
Former Mooseheads goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon has been named the Goaltender Coach and Video Coach for the Cape Breton Eagles the team announced recently after the Eagles promoted staff member Scott Gouthro. "I'm extremely excited to be a part of the Eagles organization and join the community of Sydney," says Mann-Dixon. "It's a surreal experience coming back to coach in the league after playing for four years. I am grateful for the opportunity and very thankful to have someone around with as much experience as Scott." The Antigonish, NS native is a graduate of his hometown St. F.X. University after playing for Moncton, Charlottetown, Saint John and Halifax while in the QMJHL. 

Staffing Additions Made Prior to Season

It has been a busy summer for the brass of our Halifax Mooseheads. In late June, head coach Sylvain Farveau resigned from his position with the team after spending six seasons with Halifax. The Orleans, ON native is leaving for personal reasons and said that he is "grateful for the support, collaboration and camaraderie I have experienced throughout my tenure with the Mooseheads." Though Farveau was with the club since 2017, he was only the head coach for the last two where he had a 88-48 record in 136 games. 

Photo - Saltwire

Under a month later on July 24, the team announced the hiring of Jim Midgley as the new head coach for the 2023-24 season. Moose Country will recognize Midgley's name as he had previously been with the Mooseheads organization from 2011 to 2018. "He brings a wealth of experience and hockey knowledge to our organization. I'm pleased to be able to welcome him back to the team and we know it will be an easy transition," said GM Cam Russell. 

The 45-year-old has had a few different positions since he moved on from the Herd back in 2018, most recently being an assistant coach with the New York Rangers. The team also announced that Brad MacKenzie and Liam Heelis will return as assistant coaches. 

Welcome back to Moose Country, Jim! 

A few other additions have been announced in the last few weeks with the team hiring Jon Sim as Player Development Consultant on July 27 as well as Darren Sutherland, William Bujold and Jeff Fox as team scouts. 

Per the release; 'in the newly created role, Sim will be responsible for working with Mooseheads players individually as well as assisting the coaching staff in crafting development plans.' Despite being from Nova Scotia, Jon played for the Sarnia Sting of the OHL during his junior days than he went on to appearing in 469 career games in the National Hockey League, capturing the 1999 Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars. 

Photo - Herd website

Sutherland will scout the Maritimes region for the Mooseheads while Fox joins the team as the Ontario region scout. Bujold will focus on pre-scouting the other 17 QMJHL teams. "I'm thrilled to have these three excellent scouts join our staff and I'm exited to see the impact they will make on our organization," said Russell.