Several alumni at NHL main camps

There are a number of young men on NHL teams main camp rosters that have suited up for the Halifax Mooseheads sometime in their career. Out of the two current Herd players that were invited to rookie camps last weekend, Kilfoil made the main camp. 

Justin Barron - Nashville Predators
Mathieu Cataford - Vegas Golden Knights
Elliot Desnoyers - Minnesota Wild
Jonathan Drouin - New York Islanders
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets
Nikolaj Ehlers - Carolina Hurricanes
Cavan Fitzgerald - Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Frk - Calgary Flames
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Toronto Maple Leafs
Nico Hischier - New Jersey Devils
Liam Kilfoil - Detroit Red Wings
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators
Raphael Lavoie - Vegas Golden Knights
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand - Florida Panthers
Timo Meier - New Jersey Devils
Xavier Parent - New Jersey Devils
Mackenzie Weegar - Calgary Flames

Check out each club's social media accounts for updates throughout the next few weeks. I will make a post of where alumni have landed this season late next month. Good luck to all the players at their respective training camps. 

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. 

Herd Word

Most of these I wanted to share but didn't really feel like they were enough to make full posts about so hence this Herd Word. You've probably seen a lot of this info however for those who haven't, here you go.  

GURSOY

Photo - Walleye website

Halifax Mooseheads alumni Kevin Gursoy has signed a contract with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. This will be Gursoy's first professional season after spending the last five years at the university level with the Ryerson Rams and TMU Bold. He really excelled during the 2023-24 season, scoring 15 goals and 30 points in 28 games played. The 26-year-old had 84 points over his collegiate career after suiting up for 30 games with the Herd in 2020. 

Good luck to Kevin in Toledo. 

MOOSE UNCHARTED
Halifax has been doing something different this summer, sharing some short behind the scenes videos and calling them Moose Tracks Uncharted. The latest one looked into the on and off-ice tests that the boys had to go through recently. 

Check out the rest of clips on the team's YouTube channel. 

FLO HOCKEY
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has decided to switch up their streaming services and go with the company Flo Hockey, which streams thousands of games from the OHL, AHL, ECHL and other junior leagues. Fans can subscribe monthly or annually on the company's website, it sounds like with a subscription you get access to not just the Q matches but all the games available in your region. Mooseheads season ticket holders will get a 20% discount as a benefit. 

SINGLE GAME TICKETS
Tickets for the regular season will go on sale tomorrow September 9 at 11 a.m. You can buy tickets to all 32 games on ticketmaster.ca or going to the Scotiabank Centre box office. See prices below;

                        Lower    Upper
Adult                 $26        $22
Senior                $24        $20
Student              $18        $14
Youth                 $14        $12

Senior is 60 and over, youth is 12 and under.
Taxes included. Service charge not included.

Photo - Herd Facebook

FULL PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE
I have already shared the normal annual events in a different post but since the team has officially announced their promotional schedule. I'll also have it on the 'Schedule' tab above. 

Home Opener            September 20     Charlottetown Islanders
Country Night            September 27    Saint John Sea Dogs
90's Night                   October 11        Moncton Wildcats
DND Appreciation     October 25         Cape Breton Eagles
Kid's Day                   November 9       Charlottetown Islanders
Weiner Dog Races     November 15    Moncton Wildcats
Toque Toss                December 6        Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Toy Drive                   December 7        Val-d'Or Foreurs
Girl Guides Day        January 25          Drummondville Voltigeurs
Moose Fight Cancer  February 13        Moncton Wildcats
Scouts Canada Day    March 1              Quebec Remparts
Fan Appreciation        March 6             Cape Breton Eagles

STUDENT NIGHTS
Thought I would do a separate entry for the student nights. Students can get tickets during Thursday night matches for just $10 and have a chance to win in-game prizes. Games include October 2 vs. Baie-Comeau, October 9 vs. Rimouski, December 11 vs. Charlottetown, December 18 vs. Saint John, January 15 vs. Chicoutimi, February 12 vs. Shawinigan and March 5 vs. Blainville-Boisbriand. 

NHL ROOKIE CAMPS
A couple of current Herd players and three alumni will be participating in rookie camps over the next few weeks.
Liam Kilfoil - Detroit Red Wings 
Carlos Handel - Montreal Canadiens 
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks
Dylan MacKinnon - Boston Bruins 
Mathieu Cataford - Vegas Golden Knights

Good luck to the four players at camp. If I've missed anyone, please let me know.

MOOSE & MILITARY
Our Halifax Mooseheads have had a long history of supporting the Royal Canadian Navy, mainly CFB Halifax here in Nova Scotia. Last month, this year's team visited HMCS Frederick Rolette and met with the personnel on the ship. The players explored many areas on the vessel. 

Herd Word

Photo - CHL website

CHL TOP 10
The Canadian Hockey League announced the pre-season top 10 rankings on Wednesday afternoon and our Halifax Mooseheads were among the teams ranked. 

1. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - QMJHL
2. London Knights - OHL
3. Portland Winterhawks - WHL
4. Saginaw Spirit - OHL
5. Moose Jaw Warriors - WHL
6. Halifax Mooseheads - QMJHL
7. Victoriaville Tigres - QMJHL
8. Sudbury Wolves - OHL
9. Saskatoon Blades - WHL 
10. Owen Sound Attack - OHL

MAIN 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).

Below is a list of players
Samuel Asselin - New York Islanders
Justin Barron - Montreal Canadiens 
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia Flyers
Alexandre Doucet - Detroit Red Wings
Jonathan Drouin - Colorado Avalanche
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets
Arnaud Durandeau - New York islanders
Nikolaj Ehlers - Winnipeg Jets
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks 
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Anaheim Ducks
Nico Hischier - New Jersey Devils
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators
Raphael Lavoie - Edmonton Oilers
Dylan MacKinnon - Nashville Predators
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand - Boston Bruins
Jared McIsaac - Detroit Red Wings
Timo Meier - New Jersey Devils
Xavier Parent - New Jersey Devils
Mathis Rousseau - Arizona Coyotes
Mackenzie Weegar - Calgary Flames
Filip Zadina - San Jose Sharks

Good luck to all the players in their respective training camps especially the ones looking to crack an NHL roster. 

Photo - Bruins website

ALUMNI AS CAPTAINS
Some news came out of Boston yesterday as the Bruins announced former Mooseheads forward Brad Marchand as the franchise's 27th captain ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Halifax, NS native will be playing in his fifteenth season and could pass 1000 games played sometime this year. Marchand is a Stanley Cup winner in 2011 with Boston after being drafted by the team 71st overall in the 2006 NHL draft. The 35-year-old played 26 games with his hometown team during his junior hockey career. Congrats to Brad on being named captain of this historic club. 

He joins a handful of Herd alumni who will wear the C on their jerseys this season. Switzerland native Nico Hischier will be going into his fourth year as the leader of the New Jersey Devils after being given the captaincy on February 20, 2021. Over in Europe, Cameron Critchlow (Manchester Storm), Petr Vrana (HC Ocelari Trinec), Tomas Knotek (HC Slavia Praha), and Jan Stransky (BK Mlada Boleslav) have been given the responsibility of leading their respective teams once again this season. 

HOME OPENER DETAILS
A few details have come out about Friday's home opener along with some changes to game experience. 

The Mooseheads announced the schedule for the pre-game show which is as follows
Doors open: 5:30pm
Warmup: 6:30pm
Pregame show starts: 6:45pm
Retirement ceremony: 7:05pm

Halifax also made changes following an off-season survey including opening doors at 5:30pm this year. Fans can also buy 50/50 tickets online now so you can get them from your seat or at home. In another hope of reducing congestion on the concourse, improvements at the concessions have been made like a new POS system and added "hawkers" in the stands handing out snacks. Read the full article of what changes were made here. Scott MacIntosh also tweeted out that the team have called up four players for the home opener with five at NHL camps. 

CAPTAIN
Once again, general manager Cam Russell and the coaching staff will need to name a new leadership group for the 2023-24 season. At the beginning of the month, I asked on Twitter who you think will be named captain and here are the results. 

Markus Vidicek - 22%
David Moravec - 12%
Jordan Dumais - 57%
Mathieu Cataford - 9%

With three 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. I suspect we will see Jordan Dumais wear the C. 

Mooseheads at Rookie Camps

It's September which means that rookie camps in the National Hockey League will be underway this week. There are a number of current and former Halifax Mooseheads players participating in camps, most of them in rookie or prospect tournaments. 

Below is the list
Mathis Rousseau - Arizona Coyotes (invite)
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia Flyers
Dylan MacKinnon - Nashville Predators
Attilio Biasca - St. Louis Blues (invite)
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets
Xavier Parent - New Jersey Devils 
Jake Furlong - San Jose Sharks
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators
Markus Vidicek - Carolina Hurricanes (invite)
Alexandre Doucet - Detroit Red Wings
Mathieu Cataford - Vegas Golden Knights 

Good luck to the young men at camp. Check back next week to see which of them make it to main camps. 

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. 

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

Moose at Development Camps

Now that the NHL entry draft is over, teams are now turning their attention to development camps and seeing which prospects they want to bring into training camp later in the summer. Only two current Mooseheads were drafted last week but a couple more received invitations. Check out the list below to see who will participate in development camps this week. 

Alexis Gravel - Chicago (2018) - invited to Seattle Kraken development camp July 11-13
Raphael Lavoie - Edmonton (2019) - Edmonton Oilers development camp July 11-15
Mathis Rousseau - undrafted - invited to Columbus Blue Jackets development camp July 11-13
Justin Barron - Colorado (2020) - invited to Montreal Canadiens development camp July 10-13
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia (2020) - Philadelphia Flyers development camp July 11-15
Bobby Orr - Carolina (2021) - Carolina Hurricanes development camp July 10-14
Xavier Parent - undrafted - invited to New Jersey Devils development camp July
Cameron Whynot - Calgary (2021) - Calgary Flames development camp July 12-14
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville (2021) - Nashville Predators development camp July 11-15
Jordan Dumais - Columbus (2022) - Columbus Blue Jackets development camp July 11-13
Evan Boucher - undrafted - invited to Calgary Flames development camp July 12-14

As of the writing of this post, San Jose has not released their camp roster or dates but I expect Jake Furlong will be in California this week. 

Good luck to all the players participating in camps this week. If any of our guys (current or former) make rookie or main camps in September, I'll let you know. 

Photo - NHL website

QMJHL Season Begins Tonight

The 2021-22 QMJHL regular season begins this evening with the defending champion Victoriaville Tigres hosting the Shawinigan Cataractes at 8 p.m. Atlantic time. 

Some news before we get into the previews. 

Last week, the Canadian Hockey League announced that the 2021 CIBC Canada Russia Series will not be played given the ongoing challenges presented by the global pandemic. Details regarding the 2022 event will be announced at a later. This kind of sucks as it would've been nice to see if a couple of Halifax Mooseheads players were invited. We'll have to wait now most likely until December to see if Zachary L'Heureux and Elliot Desnoyers or any other guys will participate in Team Canada's world junior camp.

Three of the four current Mooseheads players that were invited to NHL main camps have been reassigned back to the junior club earlier this week. Bobby Orr and Cameron Whynot were released from the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames respectively on Saturday meanwhile Zachary L'Heureux got sent down by the Nashville Predators on Monday. From the Herd's preview for the home opener, L'Heureux is currently day-to-day with an upper body injury suffered at Predators camp last week. He is also due to serve the remaining three games of a four-game suspension to start the year after receiving the sentence on April 13th of last season. 

James Swan and Attilio Biasca will be out to start the season after both players suffered hand injuries during training camp and remain on the sideline indefinitely with a mid-to-late October return timeframe. Halifax is hopeful that they will have forwards Jordan Dumais and Vincent Gauthier in the lineup when puck drops tomorrow night after they both received injuries as well. 

Welcome back Moose Country! The Halifax Mooseheads have been permitted by the Nova Scotian government to host games at full capacity once again. Proof of full vaccination will be required meanwhile masks will still be mandatory for the immediate future. Check out the video the team put out to hype up fans. 

Even though our Halifax Mooseheads failed to make the CHL Top 10 pre-season rankings, which were released today, I thought I would share the list anyways. There are four QMJHL teams who got ranked with two of them coming from the Maritimes division. Another Maritime club is in the honourable mentions (London Knights, Charlottetown Islanders, Brandon Wheat Kings). 

Now let's get to the previews from other media personnel.

• Sportsnet has one question for every team in the Quebec league. 
• Junior hockey is finally getting back to normal after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 post-season for all 3 leagues under the CHL and the Ontario Hockey League lost it's entire 2020-21 season. 
• CBC Sports' Rob Pizzo and CHL play-by-play man Victor Findlay try to preview the season below. 
  
  
  
  
• Saltwire's Willy Palov, who has been covering the Halifax Mooseheads for years, has shared his thoughts on how good the Herd will be this year. 
• Most analysts have Halifax finishing the regular season 4th in the Maritimes division including Stephane Leroux from RDS and Palov from Saltwire

Yes it's going to be another different season but I am really excited to get back to cheering for the boys and hopefully it will be much more normal year. With a number of the Mooseheads' leading scorers returning and being a year older, Halifax should have an offensive team and could make some waves in what will be a tough Maritime division. Go Moose Go! See you Saturday Moose Country. 

Photos - QMJHL, Mooseheads & CHL websites

4 Moose (Plus Alum) at NHL Main 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 began over the last 48 hours after teams had their rookies participate in tournaments on the weekend.

Below you'll find a list of all the current and former Moose players on NHL teams main camp rosters:
Samuel Asselin - Boston Bruins
Justin Barron - Colorado Avalanche
Elliot Desnoyers - Philadelphia Flyers
Jonathan Drouin - Montreal Canadiens
Arnaud Durandeau - New York Islanders
Nikolaj Ehlers - Winnipeg Jets
Cavan Fitzgerald - Carolina Hurricanes
Martin Frk - Los Angeles Kings
Zach Fucale - Washington Capitals
Alexis Gravel - Montreal Canadiens
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Anaheim Ducks
Nico Hischier - New Jersey Devils
Zachary L'Heureux - Nashville Predators
Raphael Lavoie - Edmonton Oilers
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand - Boston Bruins
Jared McIsaac - Detroit Red Wings
Timo Meier - San Jose Sharks
Antoine Morand - Tampa Bay Lightning
Robert Orr - Carolina Hurricanes
Ostap Safin- Edmonton Oilers
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay Lightning
Jakub Voracek - Columbus Blue Jackets
Mackenzie Weegar - Florida Panthers
Cameron Whynot - Calgary Flames
Filip Zadina - Detroit Red Wings

Good luck to all the players in camp, especially the four guys who are currently on the Mooseheads roster. I'll try to keep you updated as best I can. Will we see any alumni move up to the NHL this year and grow the number of former players Halifax has in the big leagues? I hope we can but we may be another year or two before it happens. 

NHL pre-season matches begin on September 25 and go until October 9. 

Herd Word

MESSAGE TO MOOSE COUNTRY
With the news on Tuesday afternoon that Nova Scotia will be delaying the start of Phase 5 of its reopening plan, questions were brought up about what restrictions will be in place for the Halifax Mooseheads home opener. According to Scotiabank Centre, the game will go on as planned but fans will be required to wear a mask at all times except for when eating or drinking and need to provide a proof of vaccination. The regulation around vaccination proof is not a surprise as it was announced that everyone attending would need it back a few weeks ago. 

See below the full message from the Herd.

INJURIES
The season hasn't even officially started and Cam Russell is already dealing with injuries. Elliot Desnoyers had surgery earlier in the summer and has been rehabilitating during the last while in Philadelphia but is expected to be in the lineup come opening night. Halifax was dealt another blow to their forward group over the weekend as two more players went down during training camp. Hand injuries will keep out sophomores James Swan and Attilio Biasca for a significant amount of time. 17-year-old Swan suffered a broken hand during practice last Thursday and is expected to be gone for 4-6 weeks. Biasca, 18, left Saturday's pre-season match early because of a thumb injury and was to undergo surgery this past Monday. How long he will be out is not clear at this time. 

PEETERS

Our Halifax Mooseheads have gotten one player back from NHL rookie camps as the Arizona Coyotes returned forward Senna Peeters to the club Wednesday. This means that the 19-year-old will not participate in the Coyotes prospect tournament like I thought he would. We may see a couple more players be sent back this weekend but hopefully one or two will make main camps later in the month. 

Here's a picture of Senna in the Coyotes uniform. The Duerne, Belgium native was a free agent invite.

MEMORIAL CUP
The announcement of who will host the 2022 Memorial Cup has been delayed again. It was originally planned to be made the week of Sept. 6 but was pushed to this week. Journalist Kevin Dube reported that the identity of the chosen team will be revealed next week now. Only two teams put their names forward for this year's tournament; the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Quebec Remparts. Saint John has never hosted the Memorial Cup while Quebec last hosted it in 2015 and in 2003 before that. 

It will be back-to-back years for the QMJHL to host the flagship tournament as the Halifax Mooseheads were the last team to host in 2019. The past two (2020 and 2021) have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament will be held later this year from June 2-12. 

TOMILSON

20-year-old Brendan Tomilson was not without a team for long as he was acquired by the Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League the other day. Tomilson was released by the Mooseheads at the end of August despite having a stronger season in 2020-21 where he scored 3 goals and picked up 9 points in 25 games played. The Cameron, ON native had 8 points in 55 games the year before. 

Good luck Brendan with your new team in Picketing. 

Photos - Herd Twitter & Panthers Twitter

Moose at NHL Rookie Camps

Somehow we are in September already which means the National Hockey League season will start soon but first teams must go through rookie camps. There will be six current Halifax Mooseheads players looking to show their chops to the professional clubs next week along with a few alumnus. 

Veteran Zachary L'Heureux, who was selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL draft, will be joined by goaltender Brady James at the Nashville Predators camp. James received a free agent invitation earlier in the summer by the Preds. Both players will leave on Tuesday. Second year forward Robert Orr will leave Halifax to head to Carolina Hurricanes camp on Sunday after being drafted by the team back in July. All three players will most likely be participating in the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase from Sept. 18-21 which is hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The hosts have invited Herd alum Antoine Morand to their rookie camp. 

Below is the schedule for the 4 team tournament. 
Sept. 18   Carolina vs. Florida   10 a.m.
                Tampa Bay vs. Nashville   1 p.m.
Sept. 19   Nashville vs. Florida   10 a.m.
                Carolina vs. Tampa Bay   1 p.m.
Sept. 21   Nashville vs. Carolina   10 a.m.
                Florida vs. Tampa Bay   1 p.m.

Photo - NHL website

As mentioned in a previous post, 19-year-old Senna Peeters received an invite to Arizona Coyotes rookie camp. The Coyotes will host the Arizona Rookie Faceoff tournament from Sept. 16-20 which features six teams in total. The tournament is set to feature two former Mooseheads players as well as Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Justin Barron will suit up for the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche respectively. 

Sept. 17   3 p.m. - Los Angeles at Colorado
                5 p.m. - San Jose at Anaheim
                7:30 p.m. - Vegas at Arizona
Sept. 19   2 p.m. - Vegas at San Jose
                4 p.m. - Colorado at Anaheim
                6:30 p.m. - Los Angeles at Arizona
Sept. 20   9 a.m. - San Jose at Colorado 
                11 a.m. - Los Angles at Vegas
                12 p.m. - Anaheim at Arizona 

Other current and Mooseheads alumni attending rookie camps include
Cameron Whynot (CAL 2021) - Calgary Flames
Elliot Desnoyers (PHI 2021) - Philadelphia Flyers
Raphael Lavoie (EDM 2018) - Edmonton Oilers
Jared McIsaac (DET 2020) - Detroit Red Wings
Ostap Safin (EDM 2017) - Edmonton Oilers

More former players could be invited to camps but not every team has announced their rosters yet so keep looking back to my social media for updates. 

Two Herd Invited to NHL Camps

Our Halifax Mooseheads have announced on social media that a couple of players will be attending NHL camps over the next number of weeks. 

Brady James and Senna Peeters did not get drafted by any teams last weekend during the draft but according to the Herd, James received an invite to the Nashville Predators development camp. Halifax also tweeted that Peeters will attend Arizona Coyotes rookie camp. Dates for camps have not been released. 

James, a goaltender, was a rookie this past season with the Mooseheads and joined the team after Alexis Gravel decided to come back to the team. The 18 year old was 6-11-0 with a 3.88 GAA and 0.887 save percentage in 2020-21. 

Peeters, a right winger, registered 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points in his second season with Halifax playing 16 games. 

I'm sure we will see Zachary L'Heureux join Brady in Nashville for development camp after getting drafted by the club in the first round 8 days ago. It's been a very busy week actually for L'Heureux who signed an entry level contract with the Predators and is currently in Calgary participating in Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase camp after being named to the roster on July 21.

Several other Mooseheads should be attending development, rookie or training camps this summer. 
Elliot Desnoyers (2020 PHI), Justin Barron (2020 COL), Robert Orr (2021 CAR) and Cameron Whynot (2021 CGY) have all been drafted in the NHL.

Photo - Herd Twitter

NHL Rookie Tournaments

Rookie camps for National Hockey League teams will get underway this week with many former and current Halifax Mooseheads players on the rosters.

Photo - Blues website

A few teams host prospect tournaments. One such event is in Traverse City, Michigan which is hosted by the Detroit Red Wings. After being drafted by the Wings in 2017, Jared McIsaac will attend their camp but will be there just to learn and get stronger as he had surgery on his shoulder a few months ago and is still recovering. The Traverse City Prospects Tournament will also see former players Keith Getson (New York Rangers), Maxime Fortier (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Jake Ryczek (Chicago Blackhawks) as well as current players Alexis Gravel (Chicago Blackhawks) and Walter Flower (St. Louis Blues). It will take place September 6-10 with the 8 teams split into two groups.

Other players invited to rookie camps:
Antoine Morand - Anaheim Ducks
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Anaheim Ducks
Cody Donaghey - Tampa Bay Lightning
Maxim Trepanier - Ottawa Senators
Ostap Safin - Edmonton Oilers
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay Lightning
Raphael Lavoie - Edmonton Oilers
Samuel Asselin - Boston Bruins


Good luck to all the players! Check back next week to see who has been asked to stay for main training camps.

Zadina, Other Herd in Prospects Tournaments

Believe it or not, it's the beginning of September which means the professional hockey season is around the corner. Training camps for NHL teams start this week with rookies reporting. There are quite a few Halifax Mooseheads players who are attending rookie camps this weekend. None will surprisingly be heading to camps for Canadian teams.

Photo - Detroit Red Wings website

The Chicago Blackhawks have three players on their prospect tournament roster that wore a Mooseheads jersey last season. Alexis Gravel, Jake Ryczek and Connor Moynihan are among the 25 players listed for the Traverse City tournament. Gravel and Ryczek were drafted by the Hawks in 2018 and 2016 respectively while Moynihan was recently signed by the Rockford IceDogs (Chicago's AHL affiliate). Chicago will go against prospects from Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, New York Rangers and St. Louis.

Speaking of Columbus and Detroit, these two teams will have a few Herd players on their rosters as well. Filip Zadina and Jared McIsaac will be part of the 21 player Red Wings team that is hosting this tournament which will be held from September 7-11. The big story will most surely be Zadina who had a great rookie season for Halifax scoring 44 goals and will be looking to make the big club this year. Alumni Maxime Fortier will play for the Blue Jackets. Fortier signed a contract with Columbus' AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters earlier this summer and is expected to play for them this season.

In another tournament; the Las Vegas Rookie Faceoff will have a few players participating. Antoine Morand and Benoit-Olivier Groulx will suit up for the Anaheim Ducks who will be joined by host Vegas, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles and San Jose. Both Groulx and Morand are expected to be offensive forces for Halifax this year. Antoine was drafted by the Ducks in 2017 during the second round while Benoit was picked 54th overall back in June. The Sharks announced their roster and it includes alumni Cavan Fitzgerald and Cody Donaghey. 22 year old Fitzgerald will try to impress the San Jose brass for a spot with the big club as he has spent the last two seasons with their AHL affiliate. The 6 teams will go head to head from September 8 to the 11th.

Other Mooseheads players who are attending rookie camps this week:
Jocktan Chainey - New Jersey Devils
Walter Flower - Tampa Bay Lightning
Arnaud Durandeau - New York Islanders
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay Lightning

Good luck to all the current and former Mooseheads participating in rookie camps. Hopefully we'll see some of them in main camps as well.

Development Camp Invites

Alex Gravel - 6th round pick
Photo - Getty Images

Now that the NHL draft is over, teams start having their development camps which are used to help determine who to invite to the rookie camps in September and main camps after that. The Halifax Mooseheads saw 4 players get drafted this past weekend and they are joined by other current and former Herd on camp rosters.

The 6th overall pick by Detroit, Filip Zadina leads a crop of players that will or have been participating in camps trying to prove they have what it takes to make the NHL next season.

Below you'll find a list of Mooseheads who are attending development camps this summer:
Alexis Gravel - Chicago (2018) - Chicago Blackhawks development camp July 16-24
Filip Zadina - Detroit (2018) - Detroit Red Wings development camp June 26-30
Maxime Fortier - undrafted - invited to Columbus Blue Jackets development camp June 25-28
Jocktan Chainey - New Jersey (2017) - New Jersey Devils development camp July 10-14
Arnaud Durandeau - New York (2017) - New York Islanders development camp June 25-30
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay (2016) - Tampa Bay Lightning development camp June 26-30
Cavan Fitzgerald - undrafted - invited to San Jose Sharks development camp July 3-6
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Anaheim (2018) - Anaheim Ducks development camp June 28-July 1
Jared McIsaac - Detroit (2018) - Detroit Red Wings development camp June 26-30
Connor Moynihan - undrafted - invited to Chicago Blackhawks development camp July 16-24
Antoine Morand - Anaheim (2017) - Anaheim Ducks development camp June 28-July 1
Jake Ryczek - Chicago (2016) - Chicago Blackhawks development camp July 16-24

Plenty of Moose in NHL Main 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.

A lot of camps began on Tuesday or Wednesday after teams had their rookies participate in tournaments over the weekend.

Below you'll find a list of all the current and former Moose players on NHL teams main camp rosters:
Andrew Bodnarchuk - Dallas Stars
Jocktan Chainey - New Jersey Devils
Cody Donaghey - Ottawa Senators
Jonathan Drouin - Montreal Canadiens
Cavan Fitzgerald - San Jose Sharks
Maxime Fortier - Montreal Canadiens
Martin Frk - Detroit Red Wings
Zach Fucale - Montreal Canadiens
Alexandre Grenier - Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier - New Jersey Devils
Stephen MacAulay - Vegas Golden Knights
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand - Boston Bruins
Timo Meier - San Jose Sharks
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay Lightning
Jakub Voracek - Philadelphia Flyers
Mackenzie Weegar - Florida Panthers

Though Boston and Philadelphia have not released their training camp rosters I am assuming that both Marchand and Voracek are participating in them. The Vancouver Canucks announced their main camp participants however names were not released of the players who made it through the rookie tournament so I don't know if Danny Moynihan is still with the big club or has been sent down to Utica.

Max Fortier has since been sent down to the Habs new minor league affiliate Laval Rocket and will be looking for an AHL contract.

Fortier, Donaghey Participate in Rookie Tournament

Some current Mooseheads are headed out of Nova Scotia today to attend rookie camps. Otto Somppi, Maxime Fortier, Jocktan Chainey and Arnaud Durandeau were all invited to participate in camps.

Photo - Leafs site

Maxime Fortier will join 22 other players at the Montreal Canadiens camp. The Habs will start their camp in Toronto, ON as they are participating in the 2017 Rookie Tournament hosted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, which will be held September 8-10. Fortier goes into camp as a try-out player after not getting selected in either of the last two NHL drafts. The 19 year old I am sure is looking forward to suiting up for his hometown team and after the season he had this past year will be looking to crack the main camp roster and possibly get signed by the Canadiens. Toronto and Montreal are joined this weekend by the Ottawa Senators who have a former Mooseheads listed on their roster. Cody Donaghey, who played for Halifax during the 2015-16 season, will be among 23 prospects suiting up for Ottawa. Donaghey, 21 years old, had his NHL rights traded to the nation's capital in early 2016 by the Leafs. As 2016-17 was the last season he was eligible to play junior hockey, the St. John's, NL native will most likely play for the Sens American Hockey League team the Belleville Senators this year. The two players will see each other on Saturday when their teams go head-to-head.

Below is the schedule for the Leafs tourney held at Ricoh Coliseum:
Friday Sept 8   7pm   Montreal vs. Toronto
Saturday Sept 9    7pm   Ottawa vs. Montreal
Sunday Sept 10    4pm   Toronto vs. Ottawa

Another team hosting a tournament this weekend are the Buffalo Sabres who will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins September 8-11. The Devils have two Mooseheads on their roster in defenseman Jocktan Chainey, who no doubt will lead a still some what young back end in Halifax this season, and #1 overall draft pick Nico Hischier, who many believe will make the NHL in 2017-18. New Jersey will play a game against each team and you can find more info here for the Prospect Tournament.

Photo - Canucks site

Former Moose forward Danny Moynihan has been invited to the Vancouver Canucks rookie camp and is among the players listed for the Young Stars Classic which is held in Penticton, BC from September 8-11. The tournament includes prospects from the Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. After spending last season in Alaska with Vancouver's ECHL team this is a chance for Moynihan to prove he has improved and deserves to be in a higher league.

The tournament schedule is below:
Friday Sept 8     4pm    Edmonton vs. Calgary
7:30pm    Vancouver vs. Winnipeg
Saturday Sept 9    7:30pm    Winnipeg vs. Edmonton
Sunday Sept 10    2pm   Calgary vs. Vancouver
Monday Sept 11    10:30am    Winnipeg vs. Calgary
2pm    Vancouver vs. Edmonton

18 year old Arnaud Durandeau will participate in New York Islanders rookie camp from September 8-13 which includes a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Full roster can be found here. Otto Somppi, who was drafted in 2016 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, was supposed to participate in the Florida Panthers Rookie Tournament this weekend but with Hurricane Irma projected to hit the state of Florida, the Panthers decided to cancel it. I'm sure Somppi and the other prospects will still have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves next week.



Good luck to all 7 young men at their respective camps. Moose Country will be cheering you on loud and proud.

Herd Word

Photo - Moose website

EURO DRAFT
The Canadian Hockey League Import Draft was at the end of June and your Halifax Mooseheads used one of their two picks during the day. With the 10th overall selection (11th originally but Sherbrooke passed), Cam Russell and company drafted 17 year old Filip Zadina of the Czech Republic. All of the scouts call him a dynamic offensive player. With a late '99 birthday this is Zadina's draft season. In international junior play he has 73 points in 65 games. For more on his stats click here.

FAVREAU
With the promotion of Jim Midgley to the Herd's head coach, Halifax was without a second assistant coach until June 29 when the team announced that they have welcomed Sylvain Favreau to the bench staff. Favreau was Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations with the Cumberland Grads of the CCHL in Ontario during the 2016-17 season. On joining the team, Sylvian said: “I am very proud and excited to join such a storied franchise and to pursue my coaching career with the Mooseheads. I look forward to working with Jim Midgley and Jon Greenwood. The Mooseheads’ talented group of players and the organization’s focus on developing players to their full potential presents a great and welcome challenge."

TIDE FEST
This weekend, Brett Crossley of your Mooseheads along with 2017 Q draft pick Justin Barron were in attendance to help kids attending Tide Fest shoot on a gigantic blown up Zach Fucale. Each child got the chance to be able to score on the former fan favourite.

HISCHIER
The New Jersey Devils announced today the signing of Nico Hischier to a 3 year entry level contract. In his first season with the Halifax Mooseheads, he led the QMJHL rookie scoring with 86 points during the regular season while also being second in team scoring. Hischier was named the CHL & QMJHL rookie of the year, Q offensive rookie of the year as well as top professional prospect. The Swiss star has a good shot at making the devils come October. Nico was impressive during the Devils' scrimmages this week while showing off his stickhandling skills and skating along teammate Jocktan Chainey.

Good luck in New Jersey Nico and congratulations on signing your first pro contract! Moose Country is cheering for you loud and proud.

GRENIER
Herd alumni Alexandre Grenier has signed a one year two way deal with the Florida Panthers on July 3rd. Grenier was on the Utica Comets this past season and spent 3 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks organization after the team drafted him in 2011. Will be interesting to see if this gives Alex another chance at making the NHL or if he spends most of 2017-18 in the American Hockey League. Read more here.

Photo - Canadiens' twitter

DROUIN
Since being traded to the Montreal Canadians, it was presumed that Jonathan Drouin would change his jersey number since the team already had a #27 on player Alex Galchenyuk. The Sainte-Agathe, Quebec native announced earlier this month that he will be wearing number 92 for the upcoming season. It was thought that Drouin would go with 72 so it was a surprise to all that he went with 92.

ROOKIE TOURNIMENT 
With training camp just around the corner, there has a change in the name of the mini tournament the Halifax Mooseheads will participate in. Last year, the Moncton Wildcats welcomed the 5 other Maritime teams' rookies to the Hub City Showcase. This year the tourney is called the Rookie Challenge. Tickets for this are on sale now, you can call to secure your tickets to see the defending champs; your Mooseheads. The tournament runs from August 18-20 at Superior Propane Centre in Moncton.
We are about a month away from the rookies reporting to camp and making it that much closer to the regular season.

Hischier Leads NHL Dev Camp Invites

The NHL draft has been over for a couple of weeks now and while only 3 players got selected during that weekend in Chicago, there are a number of former and current Halifax Mooseheads on team development camp rosters.

Nico Hischier, who was second in Herd team scoring in 2016-17, is the biggest name of players who have played for Halifax and will or have participated in camps this summer. Hischier made history last month by becoming the first Swiss born player to be drafted 1st overall.

Below you'll find a list of Mooseheads who are attending development camps:
Otto Somppi - Tampa Bay (2016) - Tampa Bay Lightning development camp June 27-July 1
Maxime Fortier - undrafted - invited to Montreal Canadiens camp July 2-5
Timo Meier - San Jose (2015) - San Jose Sharks development camp July 3-7
Jocktan Chainey - New Jersey (2017) - New Jersey Devils development camp July 11-15
Mathieu Charlebois - undrafted - invited to Anaheim Ducks camp June 29-July 2
Nico Hischier - New Jersey (2017) - New Jersey Devils development camp July 11-15
Cavan Fitzgerald - undrafted - invited to San Jose Sharks camp July 3-7
Arnaud Durandeau - New York (2017) - New York Islanders development camp June 26-July 1
Cody Donaghey - undrafted - invited to Ottawa Senators camp June 27-July 3

Halifax 2016 draft pick Jack Rathbone participated in the Vancouver Canucks camp after being drafted by the them last month.