Next QMJHL Draft to be in Halifax

The QMJHL Commissioner held a press conference on Tuesday morning to launch the 2025-26 season and made a few announcements. 

Among the news shared was that our Halifax Mooseheads will officially host the 2026 Entry Draft on June 5 and 6 at the Scotiabank Centre. The first round is set to take place on Friday evening while round 2 to 12 will be held on Saturday. It is the first time in franchise history Halifax will welcome the 17 other teams for this annual event. 

Photo - Mooseheads website

Halifax currently own two picks in the first round in 2026 - their own and the first pick of the Rimouski Oceanic. 

"The QMJHL is very pleased and excited to hold its 2026 Draft presented by Fenplast in the beautiful city of Halifax, a very important market in our league," said the commissioner, Mario Cecchini. "The players, families and teams present at the Draft will be able to fully enjoy the beautiful attractions of the city."

"We are thrilled to be able to bring this event to Halifax, especially for our deserving fans who will no doubt make this the most exciting draft in QMJHL history," said Chairman/Owner Sam Simon and Peter Simon, President of Simon Sports. 

I'm sure more information on how fans can enjoy this free event will be made available next spring when it is closer to the draft. 

Herd Word

Photo - Trevor MacMillan via The Hockey News

It's opening week finally.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season begins this week when the defending league champion Moncton Wildcats visit the Newfoundland Regiment on Thursday night. It will be the first QMJHL game in St. John's since 2008. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads will play a home-and-home series against the Charlottetown Islanders this weekend to start the year, opening up on the road before hosting their home opener on September 20. 

Photo - Crushers Facebook

MHL SEASON UNDERWAY
The Maritime Junior A Hockey League regular season got underway this past Thursday and there are a number of Herd alumni playing in the league. Defenseman Dominic MacKenzie along with forwards Logan Crosby and Cade Moser will suit up with the Pictou County Crushers while the Truro Bearcats have forwards Liam Welsh, Jake Todd and Callum Aucoin on their roster. 

Halifax affiliate players Cole Bent (Valley), Tucker Makinen (Yarmouth), Ryan Fletcher (Valley), Jameson George (Chaleur), Aidan Bent (Valley) and Cole MacLeod (Yarmouth) have also been named to rosters. 

19-year-old Logan Crosby, who played 163 games with the Mooseheads before being traded to the Moncton Wildcats, will wear the C on his chest for the Crushers after being named captain on September 11. In his third season with the Bearcats, Liam Welsh, 20, was given the C while Jake Todd was named an assistant captain on the Truro club. 

KILFOIL SCORES
While participating in Detroit Red Wings camp, forward Liam Kilfoil scored a really nice goal in the Wings' 6-5 loss against the Dallas Stars prospects on Sunday. 

Detroit has not announced their main camp roster so I am not sure if Kilfoil has been invited but I haven't seen the team announce they have released him either. 

A beauty from Liam Kilfoil pic.twitter.com/A0CoJaKTAK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 15, 2025

SIMONS PUTTING UP MONEY
Back in June, it was announced that the Halifax Mooseheads were asking the Halifax regional council for a loan worth about 1.5 million dollars to build a 4,720-square-foot training facility extension to the RBC Centre in Dartmouth. The council said they would look into it but as of September, had not made a decision. 

Well now, the clubs owners, Simon Sports, are saying they will be willing to pay for the full price of the construction. There are still questions and the final plan needs to be given the green light by the council either way it sounds like. Even once it is, the facility wouldn't be complete for another additional year or so. For the full story, click here. 

QMJHL FIGHT
After not being offered an entry level contract by the Nashville Predators who drafted him in 2023, former Moose defenseman Dylan MacKinnon was invited to Boston Bruins rookie camp over the weekend. The Bruins participated in the two-game Prospects Challenge hosted by Buffalo. During the team's game against New Jersey, MacKinnon fought fellow Q alumnus Cam Squires. 

ARENA UPGRADES
Talking about the home opener, fans should expect to see some changes when they head to the Scotiabank Centre on Saturday evening. A new public address system has been added to the facility, along with new interior and exterior digital signage. There will be new concessions offerings though no more info is given. Work is also currently being completed on a new state-of-the-art player area for the Mooseheads players and coaching stuff which is slated to open later this fall according to the article released by the team. 

Scotiabank renewed its naming rights partnership with the arena back in the spring and it was long rumoured (or known) that upgrades would be made once again to the almost 50 year old building. 

"We're excited to start a new season with our incredible fans. There are many new additions to the fan experience that we are looking forward to sharing with them. We have a great young team and we can't wait for all of us to be together again on Saturday night in Moose Country," said President Brian Urquhart. 

CHL TOP 10 
While our Mooseheads did not make the pre-season top 10 rankings, I thought I would share them for anybody who is interested. 
1. Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 
2. Brantford Bulldogs 
3. Spokane Chiefs 
4. Chicoutimi Sagueneens 
5. Windsor Spitfires
6. Edmonton Oilers
7. Kitchener Rangers
8. Moncton Wildcats
9. Kelowna Rockets
10. Niagara IceDogs

Other things..

• This is a little late but I wanted to still share it anyways. Nova Scotia was well represented at Hockey Canada's Olympics orientation camp in late August & the four players attending got together for a picture.

  

  'Coupla bluenosers' Marchand, Turnbull, Crosby & MacKinnon
  Photo - Blayre Turnbull's Instagram

  
  
• FloHockey lists Halifax forward Liam Kilfoil as one of top future NHL prospects to watch in the QMJHL this year. Kilfoil went undrafted in 2025 but is eligible again for the 2026 entry draft. 
• Pictou County's Logan Crosby (3G & 1A) and Cade Moser (1G & 3A) have started the MHL season on a good note, with both recording 4 points each in 2 games. Jake Todd had two goals for Truro over the weekend. 
• On September 4, it was announced that the Guelph Storm and Kitchener Rangers were named the finalists to host the 2027 Memorial Cup. 

Moose Announce Leadership Group

Photo - Mooseheads Facebook
Kilfoil currently at NHL camp

The Halifax Mooseheads announced their leadership group for the 2025-26 QMJHL season on Saturday and 19-year-old forward Owen Phillips was presented with the C on his jersey. 

Phillips, a native of Halifax, NS, was originally drafted in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft seventh overall by the Mooseheads and is entering his fourth season with his hometown club. In his first 189 games played, he has scored 11 goals and picked up 51 points with an additional 9 points in 36 playoff games. 

Head coach Brad MacKenzie presented the leadership group, which also includes Liam Kilfoil (18), Mathieu Taillefer (19) and Quinn Kennedy (19) as alternates, with their updated sweaters during a team meeting. You can see the announcement below in a new episode of Moose Tracks Uncharted. 

Moose Tracks Uncharted - The Letters

Watch with us as our leadership group is announced for the 2025-26 season. #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/u44hMOilhS

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) September 13, 2025

A big congratulations to Owen and the three other guys on being given a letter for this year. 

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

Photo - QMJHL website

The QMJHL has been doing previews for each of their 18 clubs this month and on Monday, it was our Halifax Mooseheads' turn. 

From the website

• What can we expect from the returnees?

It’s a good thing players wear their names on the back of their sweaters because fans in Halifax had to learn a lot of new ones last year. By the end of the campaign, they were not only known but remembered as the first sixteenth seeded team to win a playoff round in QMJHL history. This year, 17 of those players return, including the top three scorers in Quinn Kennedy, Liam Kilfoil and Shawn Carrier. Daniel Walters appears ready to take the next step in his ‘Q” career after being drafted in the first round of the 2024 QMJHL Draft. German Carlos Handel took on some tough assignments as a rookie blueliner last year but turned enough heads to get selected by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Joining him on the blue line once again is Owen Phillips, who will be one of several Moose stepping into higher leverage roles this season. There is no doubt, this group that made history last year is ready to make a charge up the standings.

• How will a few strategic additions bolster this roster?

Though there wasn’t much room for newcomers to this squad, those who are new on the scene will likely impress right away. Connor MacPherson represents the lone 20-year-old on the club to start the season. Known for his heavy shot and a strong cycle game, the winger from Windsor, Ontario literally worked his way across the country by way of the BCHL Penticton Vees and the University of New Hampshire to arrive in Moose Country. Wingers Oleg Kulebyakin and Jasu Mensonen make their debuts following their selections at the 2025 CHL Import Draft. Third overall selection from last June’s QMJHL Draft, Malik L’Italien, is a puck-moving left shot defenseman with size while Paulo Gualberto Jr., another 2025 draftee, has been a scoring machine at the U-14 and U-15 levels in Massachusetts.

 

• How will the new goaltending tandem perform?

The most valuable piece of a very memorable season in Moose Country was netminder Jacob Steinman, acquired at the trade deadline in a deal that saw franchise favorite Mathis Rousseau head to Moncton. With last year’s Patrick-Roy Trophy winner off to the NCAA ranks, the reins are now passed off the Owen Bresson, acquired from the Shawinigan Cataractes last month. There’s still going to be a familiar face in the crease on a number of nights however, as Nicolas Gillham-Cirka returns after serving as an understudy to both Rousseau and Steinman on a rebuilding squad while also performing solidly in a pair of relief appearances during the postseason.

 

_

2024-2025 Stats:

Team Record	19-35-8-2 (48 points)
Division Ranking	5th Maritimes
Overall Ranking	16th
Goals For	155 (17th)
Goals Against	231 (13th)
PP (Overall)	17.4% (15th)
PK (Overall)	76.9% (T-12th)
Leading Rookie (PTS)	Handel (3-23-26)
Leading Scorers (PTS)	Kennedy (24-23-47)
	Kilfoil (21-25-46)
	Carrier (18-26-44)
	Schultz (7-23-30)
	MacPhee (16-12-28)

Check out the highlights from the 2024-25 season below. 

Staffing changes made by Halifax

The Halifax Mooseheads has announced multiple changes to the team's staff this summer and the biggest one being that there will be a new head coach on the bench come September. 

Earlier this month, it was put out that Andrew Lord accepted an offer to become the Head Coach for the Ontario Reign (AHL). The team looked within this time and promoted associate coach Brad MacKenzie to the top position. 

"We want to thank Andrew Lord for his contributions to the Mooseheads and wish him noting but the best in the future. We equally believe Brad MacKenzie is the right person to lead our organization as we take the next step in this journey." said Sam and Peter Simon in the press release. 

"At the same time, it's tough to leave Halifax. I love the city and the fans, and I love what we started to build this past season as a team. I want to thank Sam and Peter Simon for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to coach this storied franchise. I also want to say thank you to Cam Russell and both the hockey operations and business staffs, it's been a pleasure working with you and I know the team is in great hands with Brad," said Lord.

Lord spent just one season with Halifax, coaching a young rebuilding club to a 19-35-8-2 record and the final playoff berth in the QMJHL. MacKenzie meanwhile is entering his fifth season on the Mooseheads bench and becomes the 15th Head Coach in franchise history. 

Good luck to Andrew with the Reign and congrats to Brad on the new position. 

A few days earlier, the team made the announcement that they have hired Josh Crouse as the club's Director of Performance and Colton Funk as the new Head Athletic Therapist. The release says that 'Crouse will handle all strength and conditioning for the players while overseeing injury prevention, recovery and nutrition' in the newly created position. 

Replacing MacKenzie as the Mooseheads associate coach is Josh Hepditch the team announced on July 21. Hepditch had the same title with the UNB Reds men's hockey team during the 2024-25 season after spending seven years as an Assistant Coach for the Moncton Wildcats. 

"Josh is a coach that I've had a lot of respect for, having coached against him for a number of years," said MacKenzie. "He has a track record of excellent work with defencemen and special teams units. I'm excited to have Josh join our coaching staff and to work alongside him."

Photos - Herd website

Our 20's Halifax Mooseheads

via QMJHL.ca 

Throughout the summer, the QMJHL will summarize the journey of its 20-year-old players. Today, the Halifax Mooseheads: Braeden MacPhee, Brady Schultz and Jacob Steinman.

Braeden MacPhee, centre

An eighth-round pick of the Mooseheads in 2020, MacPhee has spent his entire junior career in Halifax, recording 55 points (28-27) in 198 games. This season, he set career highs in points (28), goals (16) and assists (12), in addition to leading his team with 68 penalty minutes. In fact, MacPhee’s contribution is measured more in hard work, leadership and toughness than in points. We saw it when he helped the Mooseheads reach the final in 2023. A native of Moncton, he will play for the University of New Brunswick (UNB) next year.

Brady Schultz, defenceman

Like MacPhee, Schultz spent his entire junior career in Halifax and reached the final in 2023. That year, he impressed with 17 points in 21 playoff games. A 14th round pick (!) of the Mooseheads in 2020, Schultz leaves Halifax with the team’s all-time lead among defencemen in points with 153 and assists with 129. All this, in 258 games (3rd). In addition, he was the Mooseheads’ representative for the Marcel-Robert Trophy, awarded to the student-athlete of the year, in 2023-2024. The Monroe, Connecticut native will have the chance to play and study close to home next season at Quinnipiac University.

Jacob Steinman, goaltender

Used in 52 games (3rd in the QMJHL) this season, Steinman posted a 29-16-4-1 record with Moncton and Halifax, finishing second in the QMJHL in GAA (2.41) and save percentage (.923). Steinman, who recorded three shutouts (5th), didn’t let the trade to Halifax shake him, as evidenced by his .917 save percentage in 22 games with the Mooseheads, who are 16th overall. These impressive statistics earned him the Patrick-Roy Trophy as the league’s most outstanding goaltender. After a 147-game career in the QMJHL punctuated by 75 wins, a 2.90 GAA, a .908 save percentage and 8 shutouts, the Ontarian will continue to play with Bowling Green State University next year.

Herd Word

CHL AWARDS
After winning the Marcel Robert Trophy as the QMJHL's scholastic player of the year, former Moose forward Mathieu Cataford received a nomination for the CHL's equivalent. On June 13 during the ceremony at Delta Hotels Toronto, the 20-year-old won the award and was named the 2025 CHL Scholastic Player of the Year. Cataford has been studying in his second language (English) and maintaining an average above 95%. Now enrolled in Business Administration at Saint Mary's University, the Saint Constant, Quebec native 'has achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA each semester and plans to study kinesiology to eventually open his own training centre.' 

Photo - CHL Twitter

Congrats Mathieu on winning the award. Hear what Cataford had to say about his journey here. 

Overage goaltender Jacob Steinman was a nominee for the CHL Goaltender of the Year award after winning the QMJHL's Patrick Roy Trophy but was defeated by the Kitchener Rangers' Jackson Parsons. 

TRAINING FACILITY
According to the CBC, the Halifax Mooseheads have asked city regional council for up to $1.625 million to expand the training facility they lease at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth. The team proposed a 4,700-square-foot addition to upgrade the building. 'Russell told the committee a state-of-the-art facility would enhance the Mooseheads' ability to attract top talent, putting the team on the same level as NCAA teams, universities and colleges.' A 21-metre turf training track, high-performance gym, more spacious player lounge along with a sauna and steam room are included in the proposed plans. No word on when a decision will be made by the council was noted in the news article.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Ever wondered what happens during draft weekend? Well the Halifax Mooseheads posted a behind the scenes video of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.

PROSPECTS DRAFTED IN MHL
Three Mooseheads' prospects were drafted last weekend into the Maritime Hockey League. South Kent Selects' Duncan Anderson, who Halifax selected in the 11th round at this year's QMJHL draft, was taken 3rd overall by the Valley Wildcats. Forward Sam Ryan, picked 167th by the Herd in early June, heard his name called also by the Wildcats in the fifth round. Meanwhile, the Mooseheads' last 2025 selection; goaltender Jack Bell was picked at the #106 spot by the Amherst Ramblers. 

Full draft results can be found on the MHL website. 

Photo - AP News

MARCHAND WINS AGAIN
Herd alumni Brad Marchand is a champion once again after winning the Stanley Cup on June 17 with the Florida Panthers. The 37-year-old recorded 20 points (10G & 10A) in 23 games played during the playoffs to help the Panthers go back to back. Marchand was traded back in March from the Boston Bruins to Florida and played 10 regular season matches with his new team. He scored 2 big goals in Game 5 en route of the Panthers' 4-2 series victory in a rematch against the Edmonton Oilers. The Halifax-native previously won the ultimate trophy as part of the 2011 Bruins team. 

Congratulations to Brad and the Panthers on lifting the 2025 Stanley Cup. 

NHL DRAFT

Photo - Canadiens Twitter

The 2025 NHL Draft was held this weekend and only one Moosehead player heard his name. Defenceman Carlos Handel was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 6th round, 177th overall on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, CA. Handel, who was ranked #73 in the CSS final rankings, is coming off his rookie campaign in the QMJHL where he scored 3 goals and 26 points for Halifax. 

Central Scouting Services had ranked two other young men who suited up in Moose Country this past season but unfortunately Liam Kilfoil and Shawn Carrier did not get picked. Hopefully the two teammates will still be invited to development and/or rookie camps this summer. 

On Friday, the New York Islanders picked Matthew Schaefer of the OHL's Erie Otters first overall. The Moncton Wildcats' Caleb Desnoyers, who is former Herd Elliot Desnoyer's younger brother, got drafted by the Utah Mammoth at #4. Carlos and Caleb were two of a total 19 QMJHL players that were selected over the two day event.  

Steinman Goaltender of Year & Friday News

The QMJHL held their annual Golden Pucks awards gala on Thursday afternoon at a hotel in Quebec City. A couple of players who have ties to the Mooseheads were amongst the nominees. 

Photo - QMJHL website

Goaltender Jacob Steinman, who started the season with the Moncton Wildcats before being traded to Halifax at Christmas, won the Patrick Roy Trophy as Goaltender of the Year. He had a 29-16-4-1 record during the season in 52 games played, finishing second in the QMJHL in GAA (2.41) and save percentage (0.923). Steinman will continue his hockey career with Bowling Green State University in the NCAA. 

Meanwhile, past player Mathieu Cataford was the winner of the Marcel Robert Trophy as Student Athlete of the Year. According to the release; Cataford maintained an average of more than 95% while currently studying Business Administration at Saint Mary's University with a 4.0 GPA while suiting up for the Rimouski Oceanic in 2024-26. 

Other news that has come out this week:

• According to Mikael Lalancette the 2026 QMJHL draft will be held in Halifax

  Ce n’est pas encore officiel, mais tout indique que le repêchage de l’an prochain #LHJMQ aura lieu à Halifax.
  
  Il est encore tôt, mais l’un des beaux espoirs de la cuvée 2026 est Zaac Charbonneau, le neveu de Daniel Brière.

  — Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) June 5, 2025

    
• Two former Herd players are on the move in Europe; D'Artagnan Joly will be playing in the DEL2 with ESV Kaufbeuren next season while Zach Fucale signed a 2 year contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL 
• Champions are colliding as the Hockey East Tournament winning Maine Black Bears of the NCAA have received a commitment from Herd alumni Mathis Rousseau, who won the Gilles Courteau trophy in March with the Moncton Wildcats 
• Logan Crosby, who played for the Mooseheads from 2021-2024, will finish his junior career with the Pictou County Crushers during the 2025-26 season   

Photo - Crushers Twitter

• Moose alum Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers find themselves down 1-0 in a Stanley Cup finals rematch against the Edmonton Oilers. Game 2 is tonight in Edmonton

Herd Word

UNIVERSITY CUP
The 2025 University Cup was played back in March and once again there were a few Mooseheads alumni participating. This year the teams included were; #1 New Brunswick Reds (AUS champs - Peter Reynolds), #2 Saskatchewan Huskies (CW champs), #3 Concordia Stingers (OUA champs), #4 Toronto Metropolitan Bold (OUA finalist - Kevin Gursoy), #5 Mount Royal Cougars (CW finalist), #6 Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalist - Denis Toner), #7 Queen's Gaels (OUA bronze - Ethan Larmand) and #8 Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA semifinalist - David Lafrance). 

In a big upset, the host Gee-Gees defeated the top ranked Reds in their first round game 3-2 in overtime. That victory propelled the University of Ottawa to its first University Cup trophy on March 23. They met the Stingers in the gold medal game and won 3-2. 

Congrats to former Herd David Lafrance on winning gold at the tournament. 

Photo - Gee-Gees website

FROM THE OWNERS
Shortly after our Mooseheads were ousted from the playoffs, the owners of the club Peter and Sam Simon shared a letter to Moose Country about the season. 

A week ago our season came to an end, but as we reflect, we couldn't be prouder of our team, staff, and organization. This season was one of a new culture, character, and identity that will forever continue to be the "Mooseheads way". Our group worked hard each night and competed to the highest degree. The belief was strong as ever that even with our youth, there was no limity what we could achieve. Our foundation is solid, and this is the minimum standard moving forward. Now it is incumbent upon us, our staff, and the returning players to take the next step and be even stronger. We set our own expectations internally, and the standard will only elevate from here.

Peter Simon also met with Scott McIntosh for a year end interview to share his thoughts on the season, what's next for the team and more. You can watch it on the clubs YouTube channel. 

CSS RANKINGS
The ending of the NHL regular season allows fans and teams who didn't make the playoffs a chance to switch their focus to the next one. With that, the NHL and Central Scouting Services announced in mid-April their final rankings for the 2025 NHL draft. A few current Herd players were among the 225 players on the North American list. No surprise here but the top two players ranked come from the Ontario Hockey League with Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters first followed by the Saginaw Spirit's Michael Misa at #2. Misa led the who CHL in scoring during the 2024-25 regular season. Moncton Wildcats' Caleb Desnoyers is the highest ranked QMJHL player. 

Halifax players ranked
D Carlos Handel  - #73
C Liam Kilfoil  - #90
LW Shawn Carrier  - #148

Hopefully we will see these guys get drafted in late June. 

BRAVES CHAMPIONS

Photo - QJHL website

A late congrats to the Valleyfield Braves who won the 2025 QJHL playoffs on April 23 against the reigning champs Longueuil. Moose alum James Swan captained the Braves this season and was teammates with another former Herd player in Vincent Gauthier. Swan tied the league lead in regular season scoring with 89 points (58G & 31A) in 48 games played, while Gauthier had 26 points in the playoffs including a goal in Game 6 to help Valleyfield win the series 4-2. 

The Braves will now compete for the national championship in Calgary, AB for a chance to lift the Centennial Cup starting May 8.

NHL PLAYOFF UPDATE
We started with six Herd alumni in the NHL post-season but are now down to two. Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers have already booked their ticket to the second round after defeating Tampa Bay in 5 games. They will play the Toronto Maple Leafs now. Nikolaj Ehlers has been injured and missed the Winnipeg Jets' first five playoff games but was back in the lineup on Friday. The Jets had a great regular season winning the President Trophy as the best team in the NHL and will hope that they can advance tonight with a Game 7 victory. 

The Colorado Avalanche lost last night in Dallas which means that they are out of the playoffs now. Halifax native Nathan MacKinnon scored in the game but it wasn't enough as the Stars won the match 4-2 picking up a 4-3 series win. MacKinnon had 7 goals and 11 points to lead the Avs while Jonathan Drouin recorded 3 assists. The New Jersey Devils were the only other team in the playoffs with former Mooseheads participating with two Swiss forwards. Both Nico Hischier (4A) and Timo Meier (2G & 2A) had 4 points in five games as the Devils lost their series 4-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

WEEGAR 

Photo - Hockey Canada Twitter

The first 15 players who will wear the maple leaf at the 2025 IIHF World Championship were announced by Hockey Canada on Thursday and Moose alum defenseman MacKenzie Weegar was on the roster. Weegar previously suited up for Canada in 2023 and will look to help them back to a medal after the red and white finished 4th in last year's tournament. 

I have not seen many other countries naming players who will participate in the tournament which is taking place May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark. With MacKinnon out of the playoffs now we may see him on Team Canada and hopefully Meier and Hischier will suit of for Switzerland. 

Congrats and good luck to MacKenzie in the championships. 

INTERVIEW WITH COACH
The latest This Is Moose Country podcast hosted by Scott MacIntosh and Brad Cuzner has an interview with head coach Andrew Lord. Skip to 26:48 of the video if you just want to hear what Lord has to say. 

A few other notes

• Shawn Carrier was the latest player to be featured in the Q's Meet the Future series. 
• Goaltender Zach Fucale, forward Ostap Safin and the Traktor Chelyabinsk finished on top of the KHL regular season standings and are currently leading their semi-final series 3 games to 0. 
• Check out the video that the Herd posted as the team came together following their second round playoff loss.
• Scott MacIntosh did an article about how the rest of the 2024 Mooseheads draft class performed during the 2024-25 season. A couple of prospects (Logan Trewin & Gavin Sudds) won the NSU18MHL championship with the Halifax Macs.
• The Rimouski Oceanic will look to advance to the QMJHL finals with a win this evening in Game 6 of their series against the Shawinigan Cataractes. Puck drops at 5 p.m. AT in Shawinigan. Rimouski has 3 alumni on their team. 

Roster Moves Change Landscape of Moose

Photo - Herd website

It has been a busy last month and a half for Cam Russell and co. as the team has made a number of roster moves trying to figure out the best players to finish the regular season in this rebuild year. I don't normally do this but with so much change, I thought I would share an updated roster. 

With the NCAA eligibility rule change, a few drafted players have decided to join the team and the Herd also made a couple of significant trades during the winter trade period. Since November 28, the following roster adjustments have been made:

IN                                                            OUT
D Mathieu Taillefer (NCAA commit)         F Lou Levesque (Trade RIM)
F Quinn Kennedy (Trade RIM)                D Jack Martin (Trade RIM)
G Nicolas Cirka (NCAA commit)              D Dominic MacKenzie (Reassigned)
D Justin Chiras (NCAA commit)              G Mathis Rousseau (Trade MON)
G Jacob Steinman (Trade MON)             F Logan Crosby (Trade MON)
F Callum Aucoin (Trade CAP)                 F Jan Sprynar (Signed w HC Litvinov)
F Will Bent (NCAA commit)                     G Jack Milner (Reassigned)
                                                                F Jake Todd (Reassigned)

To the new guys, welcome to Moose Country - excited to see your careers here. To the players who left, thank you for your time in Halifax - good luck with your new team. 

Halifax now has 12 rookies on the roster and with the moves made, there are no players born in 2005. 

Explore the second half roster below

1  Jacob Steinman  G  Toronto, ON
5  Brady Schultz  D  Monroe, CT, USA

7  Carlos Handel  D  Erlangen, Germany*
8  Callum Aucoin  LW  Hammonds Plains, NS

9  Liam Kilfoil  C  Quispamsis, NB
12  Will Bent  RW  Dover, MA*

17  Patrick McNab  LW  Beaconsfield, QC*
19  Caylen Blake  LW  Corner Brook, NL*

20  Daniel Walters  C  Halifax, NS*

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

32  Alec Nasreddine  LW  Mountainside, NJ, USA*

37  Amelio Santini  LW  Cote-Saint-Luc, QC*
39  Nicolas Gillham-Cirka  G  Westmount, QC*

41  Justin Breton  C  Saint-Leon-de-Stanton, QC*

51  Eddy Doyle  D  Tignish, PE*

55  Shawn Carrier  LW  Trois-Rivieres, QC

56  Lincoln Waugh  D  Summerside, PE

72  Mathieu Taillefer  D  Richelieu, QC*
73  Justin Chiras  D  Bedford, NH, USA*
88  Quinn Kennedy  C  Upper Tantallon, NS
89  Antoine Fontaine  RW  Granby, QC
90  Cade Moser  C  Linacy, NS 

Herd Word

WORLD U17
Halifax Mooseheads associate coach Brad MacKenzie assisted Canada White to a gold medal at the 2024 World U17 Hockey Challenge earlier this month in Sarnia. In the six team tournament, Canada White defeated Czechia and lost to Sweden in overtime during the preliminary round. It was an all Canada championship match. Congrats to Brad and the rest of Canada White on becoming the U17 champions. 

Photo - Hockey Canada website

NCAA RULE CHANGE
In a big move, the NCAA voted a couple weeks ago that players who have skated for any of the CHL teams will be allowed to play collegiate hockey in the USA effective August 1, 2025. Previously, CHL players had been considered professionals and barred because of the NCAA's amateurism rules, in part because some CHL have signed NHL entry-level contracts according to the NHL website. While it'll probably increase the pool of talented American players (or Canadians wanting to play college hockey in the States) for the QMJHL, OHL and WHL, it sounds like it could be detrimental to other junior leagues in the country. Universities in Canada will likely feel the affect of this rule change as well. One example of this already is star goaltender for the Moncton Wildcats, Jacob Steinman announced his commitment to play for the Bowling Green Falcons in 2024-25. 

Photo - Predators X

L'HEUREUX IN NHL
Former Herd forward Zachary L'Heureux made his NHL debut on October 22 and has been able to stay up in top league ever since with the Nashville Predators. The 21-year-old scored his first NHL goal on Monday. L'Heureux, a native of Montreal, QC, has an additional three assists for a total of 4 points in 15 games played. Congrats to Zach. 

ATTENDANCE
Despite being in a rebuild year, fans in Moose Country are still showing up - at least according to official numbers. The average attendance so far this season of 7,815 is fourth most in team history through the first 10 games. The top three seasons are 2012-13 (8,270) when the team was projected to win the President's Cup, 2018-19 (8,131) and 1999-00 (8,078). Both of the latter seasons were years that the Mooseheads were Memorial Cup hosts. In the summer, the club announced that season ticket holder seats were sold out so that is great considering the Mooseheads didn't have the hype that those other teams did. Whether it's the new arena features and added in-game experiences or the fact that the lineup on the ice has been competitive most games or the fact that half of the matches have been against Quebec teams, nice to see the fans continuing to support the team. 

MOOSE TRACKS
Episode 3 of Moose Tracks is up on YouTube now but you can watch below. I guess I never shared the first two but you can watch Episode 1 and Episode 2 on the team's channel as well. I believe they only did four episodes last season, so hopefully since this is the third one already they will be doing more this season. 

TREY LEWIS
Not sure if this was talked about in the above mentioned podcast but Willy Palov posted last week that a new biography about former captain Trey Lewis has hit bookstore shelves. The book is written in french and has been a project for New Brunswick native Bruno Richard since 2020. Richard said he conducted more than 50 interviews of Lewis's friends, former teammates and others who know him best according to the article. 

If you know french and enjoy hockey biographies, keep a look out for the book titled Mon idole, Trey Lewis at a store near you. 

Photo - Herd website

NEW TEAM THINGS
The club has announced a few new adventures this month and it began with the unveiling of a new bus. It features individual leather captain's chairs along with a new window layout and redesigned interior lighting which will provide a better passenger experience on their long road trips. Halifax also opened up a new physical team store that is at Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth. Fans can get everything that has been sold on the online shop the last few years but I think the store has a few small additional items. I checked it out today and they have some nice displays so check it out if you need to do some Christmas shopping. The store will be open during mall hours Monday-Friday. 

Scott MacIntosh and former Herd player Brad Cuzner launched the new Mooseheads podcast on Wednesday as well. I'm not sure how often they will put out a new episode but the first one is up on the team's YouTube channel now. Mooseheads ultimate tough guy Trey Lewis was a guest for this week, discussing his career with Halifax and what he has been up to since he graduated junior hockey. Check it out here. 

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

The QMJHL once again did the #Our18 feature earlier this month before the start of the regular season. They asked three questions on our Halifax Mooseheads this year. Check it out below. 

From the QMJHL website

• What do the first steps towards contending again look like?

At the 2024 QMJHL Draft, the Mooseheads hockey operations team made it very clear not only what direction the franchise would be headed in, but how quickly that change of course would occur. By the end of that weekend, three key players were off to new teams and the Moose were substantially richer in both picks and prospects. The key player acquired at that time was Shawn Carrier, who arrives from the Moncton Wildcats in a trade involving Markus Vidicek. The sophomore forward will have ample time to shine after showing flashes in a limited role last year. Another pair of second-year players who have already played a pivotal role with the club are skilled center Liam Kilfoil and speedy winger Lou Levesque. Combined with a trio of 16-year-old talents that includes first-round selection Daniel Walters and the pieces of the next great Mooseheads clubs may already be starting to form.

• How much of the load will the overagers carry?

No two groups of overagers are alike. In Halifax, that trio of veterans brings very distinct attributes to both the ice and the dressing room. Up front, hard-working Braeden MacPhee can best be described as a heart and soul player and rallying point for his teammates. On the blue line, Brady Shultz returns with the expectation that he will be a pivotal player at virtually all times following a career-best 57-point campaign in 2023-24. Then there is Mathis Rousseau, who has done it all between the pipes in Halifax since his arrival back in 2021, including sending the Mooseheads to the 2023 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final. To say the club’s success hinges to a great extent on the play of its 20-year-olds would be an understatement.

• What sort of boost could this year’s import players provide?

Czech winger Jan Sprynar arrived in Halifax during last year’s trade period and put together a strong second half, posting 20 points in 28 regular season games. He will be asked to build off that season while playing a pivotal role in various offensive situations under rookie Head Coach Andrew Lord. The latest import to don the Mooseheads crest will be German defenseman Carlos Handel. The 17-year-old right shot rearguard has been an impact player with offensive flair for Malmo in the Swedish junior ranks while also representing his home nation at various events, including the recent 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

2023-2024 Stats:

Team Record	42-18-7-1 — 92 Pts
Division Ranking	1st Maritimes
Overall Ranking	4th
Goals For	227 (T-8th)
Goals Against	184 (3rd)
PP (Overall)	24.6% (T-7th)
PK (Overall)	81.1% (5th)
Leading Rookie (PTS)	Levesque (12-21-33)
Leading Scorers (PTS)	Cataford (40-50-90)
	Vidicek (45-43-88)
	Reynolds (28-35-63)
	Denis (28-34-62)
	Schultz (9-48-57)

Defenceman Schultz Named Captain

Photo - Herd Facebook

Our Halifax Mooseheads have named their leadership group for the 2024-25 QMJHL season and veteran defenceman Brady Schultz was given the C on Wednesday. 

The 20-year-old was originally a 14th round pick by the club in the 2020 Entry Draft and is entering his fourth season on the blueline. He is the 36th captain in team history and first American born player to earn the honour according to the press release. 

Schultz was presented a new jersey with the letter on it during a team meeting. Joining the Monroe, CT native as full-time alternates will be forward Braeden MacPhee (20) and defenceman Owen Phillips (18). While 19-year-old Jack Martin and 17-year-old Liam Kilfoil are going to split leadership duties at home and away games. 

Congratulations to all five players, especially Brady on being named Captain. 

TBT: MacKinnon Jersey Retirement

The Halifax Mooseheads are celebrating their 30th anniversary this season and the club kicked it off in style with the retirement of Nathan MacKinnon's #22 jersey in a pre-game ceremony during the home opener on September 22. Since it is Throwback Thursday, I thought I would share some media from the ceremony. 

"I've never experienced anything like this before... being from here, I spent my summers back home in Halifax. Definitely a close connection to the city, a lot of family and friends here tonight," MacKinnon said to press before the event. "It's cool to share it with people, not just myself. I think the best part is having everyone around me." 

Among the 10,198 fans in attendance were Nathan's parents, sister and girlfriend plus the new Mooseheads owners; Sam and Peter Simon who all joined him on the ice for the ceremony. Before MacKinnon stepped up to the podium, a video was played that showed prominent members of the hockey and Halifax community saying congratulations to the 28-year-old. 

Here are a couple of photos from the night as well. 

Photo - AMH Photography

Photo - Global News

It was a very nice speech that Nate shared. I hope I wasn't the only one but the clips and speech made me emotional. The Halifax, NS native of course spent only two seasons with the Herd, collecting 153 points in 102 games played. He then went on to be drafted 1st overall by the Colorado Avalanche at the 2013 NHL draft. Check out the full ceremony below. 

What a great way to start this anniversary season, unfortunately the current team went on to lose the home opener game 3-1 against the Charlottetown Islanders. 

Nathan MacKinnon is having a pretty good 2023, helping the Avalanche win a Stanley Cup back in June and just picked up his 800th career NHL point on Wednesday evening. He is 3rd in league scoring this season with 41 points.