Where are the Mooseheads drafting

Photo - Mooseheads website

In two weeks time, personnel from the 18 QMJHL teams will ascend in Halifax, NS for the annual entry draft. For the second straight year our Halifax Mooseheads will select 3rd overall. 

The Mooseheads have another draft pick in the first round along with 4 picks in the second round because of trades. More moves may be made during draft day but as of today, Halifax has fourteen picks currently. 

For the time being, here is where the Herd are picking on June 5
Round 1 - 3rd overall (Rimouski)
Round 1 - 7th overall
Round 2 - 20th overall (Rimouski)
Round 2 - 25th overall 
Round 2 - 33rd overall (Blainville)
Round 2 - 36th overall (Moncton)
Round 4 - 61st overall 
Round 4 - 72nd overall (Moncton)
Round 6 - 97th overall
Round 8 - 133rd overall
Round 9 - 151st overall
Round 10 - 169th overall
Round 11 - 187th overall
Round 12 - 205th overall

Check back in early June to see who Halifax selects. I plan on going to the first round so follow me on Twitter. 

Mooseheads to pick 3rd again

Photo - QMJHL website

The Halifax Mooseheads will select 3rd overall during the upcoming entry draft. 

Even though the Herd did not finish in the lower part of the standings, the club still had a chance to win the draft lottery as they hold the Rimouski Oceanic's first round pick after a previous trade. Halifax had 6 balls in the lottery, giving them the second best odds (at 28.6%) to win, however they slid to third. 

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who had the best odds, won the lottery that was held on Tuesday night and will select first overall. Rouyn-Noranda acquired the pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. 

Here's how the top five currently look like:

Here they are! The Top 5 picks of this year's #QDraft! pic.twitter.com/S3TTP1BacT

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 21, 2026

This is the second straight year that the Mooseheads will pick 3rd overall. In 2025, Halifax selected defenceman Malik L'Italien. 

Halifax will host the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft on June 5-6. The Moose also own the 7th overall pick, plus four more picks in the second round. 

In other news....

• There are four current players on the NHL Central Scouting final draft rankings; Oleg Kulebiakin #87, Eddy Doyle #108, Danny Walters #114 and Shawn Carrier #178. Good luck to them at the 2026 NHL Draft in late June. 
• The QMJHL semi-finals are set after the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada defeated the Newfoundland Regiment 4-2 in their series on Monday. Blainville take on the Moncton Wildcats while the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will battle each other in the other series.
• Halifax announced on Tuesday that they have signed free-agent forward Evan Nee. Nee, a native of Arlington, Massachusetts, will join the Mooseheads as he enters his 19-year-old season. 
• Former Herd bench boss Sylvain Favreau has won the Ron Lapointe Trophy after being named the Coach of the Year after leading the Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 40-18-3-3 record in the 2025-26 regular season. 
• Mathis Rousseau, an alumni goaltender of the Mooseheads, has committed to Cornell University after entering the NCAA's transfer portal. 

Herd Word

NHL DRAFT
I'm super late to share this but since we're getting close to the end of the National Hockey League regular season, I thought I would share where some of our Halifax Mooseheads players were among the mid-season rankings back in January. There are 3 current Herd ranked this time. We may see these guys below move up (or down) when the final rankings are released in the next few weeks. 

Eddy Doyle - #66
Oleg Kulebiakin - #68

Daniel Walters - #147

Forward Gavin McKenna of the Penn State Nittany Lions was stilled ranked #1 and I'm sure we will see him go in that spot in late June. Meanwhile, Xavier Villeneuve was the top QMJHL player on the Central Scouting listing at 15. 

Photo - Herd website

HERD SWEPT
Well, there was no great upset this season for Halifax as the team were swept by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2025 QMJHL playoffs the Eastern Conference 9th ranked Mooseheads defeated the Western Conference number 1 Drummondville Voltigeurs. Despite an improvement in wins and points, Halifax finished 7th in the East but had to take on the highest scoring team in the QMJHL; the Sags. Chicoutimi certainly showed their offensive talents outscoring the Herd 24-4 in the four game series. 

So the 2025-26 season is now over for our favourite team unfortunately. There is lots to look forward to though, including the different drafts and trade deadline. It will be interesting what moves Cam Russell and co. make this summer to bolster the roster for next year.

Thanks for another entertaining year Halifax Mooseheads. 

STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Veteran forward Liam Kilfoil was announced as the Mooseheads nominee for the Marcel-Robert Trophy earlier this month. The prestigious honour is awarded annually to the student-athlete of the year - the player who best combines on-ice performance with academic success. A total of 18 nominees were announced on April 2, one player from each of the QMJHL's teams, of which three will be named as finalists soon. 

Congrats to Liam and good luck to him. If I have kept track correctly, no Herd player has actually won the trophy though an alumni did (Mathieu Cataford, Rimouski - 2023-24). 

Photo - QMJHL website

DRAFT ODDS

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft will for the first time be held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, NS by your Halifax Mooseheads. Halifax currently has fourteen picks over the two days. 

A week ago, the league released the draft lottery date and the lottery odds. Despite finishing outside of the bottom 5, Moose Country will still have an interest in the lottery as Halifax has the Rimouski Oceanic's first round pick. Rimouski finished 17th overall and out of the playoffs. The lottery will take place on April 21st at 6:30 p.m. (presumedly Eastern time).and be broadcaste live on RDS 

Here are the odds:

18th position: Rouyn-Noranda (from BAC) - 9 balls or 42.9%

17th position: Halifax (from RIM) - 6 balls or 28.6%

16th position: Shawinigan (from GAT) - 3 balls or 14.3%

15th position: Victoriaville - 2 balls or 9.5%

14th position: Saint John - 1 ball or 4.8%

JERSEY CONTEST

The CHL Jersey Contest auction raised thousands of dollars with 100% of the proceeds being donated to PC's Children's Charity. 

Classic Support from Moose Country 👏👏

A total of $13,425 was raised through our Real Atlantic Superstore #CHLJerseyContest auction. 100% of the proceeds have been donated to @PC_Charity which feeds 1-million children each year.

Thank you for your generosity | #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/Ac5HC9DQjT

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 7, 2026

Photo - Q website

ROOKIE TEAM

Mooseheads defenceman Malik L'Italien was named to the QMJHL's All-Rookie Team last week, the league announced. 

L'Italien finished 25th in rookie scoring while playing in all 64 games during the regular season. The 16-year-old posted 4 goals and twenty assists for 24 points in his first year as a major junior player. You can find the full team below.

Goaltender: Jan Larys, Drummondville

Defenseman: Tommy Bleyl, Moncton

Defenseman: Malik L'Italien, Halifax

Forward: Egor Shilov, Victoriaville
Forward: Alexey Vlasov, Victoriaville 

Forward: Alexis Joseph, Saint John

I'm surprised that Oleg Kulebiakin wasn't named to the team but congrats to Malik on being awarded the honour. 

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. 

Mooseheads Select 11 in Draft

The 2025 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League entry draft was held on Friday night & Saturday and our Halifax Mooseheads added 11 new prospects over that time. 

With the recent NCAA rule, more American players were selected during the weekend which included three by Halifax. I think it also changed the way team brass discussed trades on the draft floor as there was only one trade that had a prospect/player move to another team, which I don't remember seeing before. 

Halifax made a trade on Saturday to move up to the third round from Chicoutimi in exchange for the 4th round pick and a 2026 second rounder. 

Below are the Herd's picks:
RD 1 #3 - D Malik L'Italien - Stanstead College
RD 2 #21 - D Cameron Minella - Brunswick School Bruins
RD 3 #48 - C Paulo Gualberto Jr - Mount St. Charles Academy 15U
RD 5 #77 - LW Jayden Napon - Laval-Montreal Rousseau Royal
RD 6 #95 - D Brody Berard - Mount St. Charles Academy 15U
RD 7 #113 - C Nathan Ruel - Chateauguay Grenadiers
RD 8 #131 - C Ylan Verpaelst - Magog Cantonniers
RD 8 #143 - D Nicolas Blanchette - Amos Forestiers
RD 10 #167 - LW Sam Ryan - Boston Hockey Academy 15U
RD 11 #185 - D Duncan Anderson - South Kent School
RD 12 #203 - G Jack Bell - Cape Breton West Islanders

Mooseheads forward Braeden MacPhee was in attendance but he was there to watch his brother Marc get drafted by their hometown Moncton Wildcats in the 2nd round.

Congratulations to all the young men who were drafted by the 18 teams and welcome to the new Mooseheads players. 

For the full list of draftees, click here. 

Photo - QMJHL & Mooseheads Facebook pages 

First Round Recap: L'Italien Selected 3rd by Moose

Photo - QMJHL Twitter

Defenseman Malik L'Italien is now a Halifax Moosehead. 

The Herd selected the 15-year-old third overall at the 2025 QMJHL draft in Quebec City, Quebec on Friday evening. L'Italien played the 2024-25 season with Canadian prep school Stanstead College Varsity. Hailing from Montreal, QC, he had 13 goals and 50 points in 72 games played. According to Pierre Cholette (CSR Director), Malik 'has an undeniable offensive flair, good quick hands, a very good shot and natural poise when in possession of the puck. Constantly facing the play, he is able to move around and make decisions quickly.' L'Italien checks in at 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds. 

The pick is in 🔥

We proudly select defenceman Malik L'Italien with the 3rd overall pick. Welcome to Halifax Malik!#GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/99XlCHieeP

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) June 6, 2025

First round recap

After previous top prospect James Scantlebury signed a tender with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, Lachenaie, QC native Alexis Joseph become even more of the guy everyone anticipated to be the first name called. The Saint John Sea Dogs used their #1 pick making that a reality, welcoming Joseph from College Esther-Blondin. 

For the first time in franchise history, the Newfoundland Regiment made a draft selection with the 5th overall pick. They chose St. John's, NL native Benjamin Veitch and followed that by drafting fellow Newfoundlander Quinn Norman at #6. Veitch became the first person to ever wear the Regiment jersey, even the junior GM didn't put his own on until after the player did which I thought was a good choice. It looks very nice, I like the colours. 

Photo - Regiment Twitter

There were only three trades during the opening round including a big one that saw the Quebec Remparts trade six picks to Chicoutimi for the 9th overall pick and a 4th rounder in 2025. Quebec than drafted Scantlebury at #9 so it will be interesting to see if the Remparts can get him to report. 

Here is the full list of first round selections
1. JOSEPH, Aleix - Saint John Sea Dogs
2. ARSENAULT, Zack - Rimouski Oceanic
3. L'ITALIEN, Malik - Halifax Mooseheads
4. CHARBONNEAU, Thomas - Quebec Remparts
5. VEITCH, Benjamin - Newfoundland Regiment
6. NORMAN, Quinn - Newfoundland Regiment
7. PROVENCHER, Antoine - Charlottetown Islanders
8. MACLEAN, Phenwick - Newfoundland Regiment
9. SCANTLEBURY, James - Quebec Remparts
10. HEROUX, Nolann - Saint John Sea Dogs
11. LEMAIRE, Deryk - Victoriaville Tigres
12. HALLEY, Louis-Etienne - Gatineau Olympiques
13. LANDRY, Clement - Gatineau Olympiques

14. CHARRON, Olivier - Cape Breton Eagles
15. BERGERON, Frederic - Shawinigan Cataractes
16. NOLETTE-ROBIDOUX, Emrick - Sherbrooke Phoenix

17. MEYER, Carter - Quebec Remparts
18. POMINVILLE, Jayden - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The remaining rounds will go tomorrow starting at 11am.

QMJHL Draft Weekend Info

Here is some info to get you ready for the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft. 

When: Friday June 6 at 8pm AT & Saturday June 7 at 11am AT

Where: Videotron Centre in Quebec City, QC

Follow: Both Eastlink TV and TVA Sports will be broadcasting Round 1 this evening while the remaining rounds tomorrow can be seen live on the league's YouTube channel. Fans can also watch the whole thing on CHL TV with a subscription. The full list of selections is available on the QMJHL website as well. 

Mooseheads picks (currently): 

Round 1, 3rd overall
Round 2, 21st overall
Round 4, 59th overall
Round 5, 77th overall
Round 6, 95th overall
Round 7, 113th overal

Round 8, 131st overall
Round 8, 143rd overall

Round 10, 167th overall

Round 11, 185th overall

Round 12, 203rd overall

Halifax made a trade earlier this week sending their 29th pick, that was originally Blainville's, to Moncton in exchange for the Wildcats' 2026 second round pick. 

Good luck to all the players who are eligible to be drafted. Check back probably on Sunday for a recap on my blog. 

Where are the Moose drafting?

In less than a month, personnel from the 18 QMJHL teams will gather in Quebec City, QC for the annual entry draft. Our Halifax Mooseheads will be drafting 3rd overall after finishing in the last playoff position following the 2024-25 regular season. 

Like I said after the lottery results, this is the highest the Mooseheads have drafted since the 2016 draft. Because of trades, Halifax also has two picks in the second round and two selections in the 8th round. In total the Herd have 12 picks across the recently shortened twelve round draft. 

For the time being, here is where the Herd are picking on draft day
Round 1 - 3rd overall
Round 2 - 21st overall
Round 2 - 29th overall
Round 4 - 59th overall
Round 5 - 77th overall
Round 6 - 95th overall
Round 7 - 113th overal

Round 8 - 131st overall
Round 8 - 143rd overall

Round 10 - 167th overall

Round 11 - 185th overall

Round 12 - 203rd overall

The Mooseheads have not officially released what picks they have but above is according to the Q website. Check back in early June to see who the brass selects with a full recap. 

Draft Lottery Results

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League draft lottery was held on April 23 and our Halifax Mooseheads had a chance to win it after finishing 16th overall at the end of the regular season. 

Since 2017, the Q has been doing the lottery with 5 teams after years of just the bottom two non-playoff teams. For this season, Halifax had a 14% chance of winning the lottery. Check out the full odds below;

18th: Victoriaville - 9 balls (43%)
17th: Saint John - 6 balls (28%)
16th: Halifax - 3 balls (14%)
15th: Newfoundland - 2 balls (10%)*
14th: Quebec - 1 ball (5%)

In the end, the Saint John Sea Dogs won the lottery meaning they will make the first overall draft selection during the entry draft. This was the 7th time the Sea Dogs have been the lucky team to get their ball drawn. 

We’re picking third overall in June! #QDraft #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/FIeVwe9xqT

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) April 23, 2025

Our Halifax Mooseheads position in the draft did not change with the results and will pick 3rd overall. Assuming they do not trade it, this is the highest the Herd have picked in the draft since 2016. 

The 2025 QMJHL Draft will take place on June 6-7 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City. 

Top 5 results
1 - Saint John Sea Dogs
2 - Victoriaville Tigres 
3 - Halifax Mooseheads
4 - Quebec Remparts 
5 - Newfoundland Regiment (from Gatineau)

Herd Word

Since I haven't posted all summer, below you will find some news that you may have missed if you are not on social media. 

Photo - TSN

CATAFORD MVP, ALL-STAR TEAMS
A couple Halifax Mooseheads players were announced as finalists for QMJHL awards back in May to celebrate the 2023-24 season. Mathieu Rousseau had a chance to win the Patrick Roy Trophy as the league's top goaltender, however it was given to William Rousseau of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Meanwhile, Mathieu Cataford was nominated for two awards; the Marcel Robert Trophy (best scholastic player) and the Michel Briere Trophy. The 19-year-old won the latter, being named the QMJHL's regular season Most Valuable Player. He 'had an outstanding season with career highs in goals (40), assists (50) and points (90) to lead the team in scoring while finishing third in the QMJHL scoring race.'

After the individual awards were handed out, the league announced the all-star teams for the 2023-24 season which included forward Mathieu Cataford on the first team while the second team included goaltender Mathis Rousseau and forward Markus Vidicek. Congrats to these three guys on being recognized for their efforts.

Photo - Herd website

NEW HOCKEY STAFF
There were a number of staffing changes once again for our Halifax Mooseheads during the off-season. The first move was head coach Jim Midgley being released of his duties after Halifax bowed out of the 2024 playoffs with a first-round exit. GM Cam Russell made the announcement on April 16, saying the team also dismissed assistant coach Liam Heelis. 

A little less than two months later, Andrew Lord was hired as the 14th head coach in team history while Brad MacKenzie was promoted to associate coach. According to the press release, 'Lord is the reigning ECHL Coach of the Year after leading the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to a 44-23-4-1 record and the team's first South Division Championship in more than a decade.'

"We are thrilled to have Andrew join our staff and excited to watch him take the reigns of our young, revamped roster," said Russell. 

Two additions to the hockey staff were announced in late July as Morgan MacDonald was named the full-time Video & Player Development Coach while Charles Grant is the new Goaltending Coach. The positions were made available after Joey Perricone and Jon Sim departed. 

Welcome to the team to the new staff members. 

HISCHIER WINS SILVER
Former Halifax Mooseheads forward Nico Hischier has a silver medal after Switzerland lost to Czechia in the 2024 IIHL World Championship game back in late May. The Swiss finished second in Group A with a 5-1-0-1 (w-otw-otl-l) record during the preliminary round to advance to the quarter-finals. They defeated Germany and Canada (in a shootout) to make it to the gold medal match. Hischier had 6 goals and 5 assists in 10 games played during the tournament and finished 7th in scoring. 

Alum Cam Critchlow also participated in the tournament for Team Great Britain, who unfortunately finished 15th overall.  

QMJHL ENTRY DRAFT
Our Halifax Mooseheads added 15 prospects to their roster and made a couple of trades during the 2024 QMJHL Draft weekend that was held June 7-8 in Moncton, NB. 

Before the draft began, Halifax moved forwards Markus Vidicek and Dylan MacKinnon along with two third rounders to the Moncton Wildcats in two separate trades for Shawn Carrier and three 2026 draft picks. The Mooseheads received a first round draft pick in 2024 plus 4 other picks in exchange for Mathieu Cataford from the Rimouski Oceanic. 

Photo - Herd website

With the first rounder, the Moose drafted Halifax native Daniel Walters 11th overall. Walters played the 2023-24 season with the Halifax McDonalds where he scored 27 points (9G & 18A) in 27 games. 

Full list of selections is below:
RD 1 #11 - C Daniel Walters - Halifax Macs U18
RD 2 #34 - LW Caylen Blake - Mount St. Charles Academy
RD 3 #48 - C Amelio Santini - Lac St. Louis Lions U18
RD 4 #71 - RD Logan Trewin - Halifax Macs U18
RD 5 #89 - LD Mickael Fournier - Quinte Red Devils U16AAA
RD 6 #107 - LD Gavin Sudds - Halifax Macs U18
RD 7 #125 - G Nicolas Gillham-Cirka - Taft School USHS
RD 8 #143 - RW Noah Olmedo-Matte - College Esther-Blondin
RD 9 #150 - C Nico Ciardiello - Mount St. Charles Academy
RD 9 #161 - LW Thomas Cote - Quebec Blizzard
RD 10 #179 - F Elie Champagne - South Kent School
RD 11 #197 - LD Cole Bent - Cole Harbour U18
RD 12 #215 - C Cole MacLeod - Cole Harbour U18
RD 13 #233 - G Thomas Laplante - Mille-Isles QM17AAA
RD 14 #251 - RW Will Bent - Mount St. Charles Academy 

CHL IMPORT DRAFT
The Canadian Hockey League Import Draft was held on July 3 and the Mooseheads used their first of two selections to pick defenceman Carlos Handel from Erlangen, Germany. According to the press release, Handel is 6-foot-1 and played both at the J18 and J20 levels this past season with the Malmo Redhawks program in Sweden. "We've been watching him for the last year-and-a-half. We saw him about 18 months ago in Germany and he just dazzled us as an underage player. He's a heck of a hockey player and he plays a complete game," said General Manager Cam Russell. 

Handel will join sophomore Jan Sprynar as the team's two import roster spots for the 2024-25 season. 

TEAM CANADA WINS HLINKA
The annual summer Hlinka Gretzky Cup saw Team Canada be on top of the podium once again. Forward Liam Kilfoil scored in the championship game to help the Canadians win Gold as they beat Czechia 2-1 in Edmonton, AB. Kilfoil added two assists during the tournament, playing five games. A total of 22 players with ties to the CHL won the ultimate trophy. 

Prospect Carlos Handel participated in the tournament as his German team finished 6th out of eight teams. 

Congrats to Liam and Team Canada on becoming champions. 

Photo - Hockey Canada website

OTHER THINGS

• Goaltender Alexis Gravel agreed to teams on an ECHL standard player contract with the Orlando Solar Bears
• Former Mooseheads head coach Jon Greenwood was announced the new bench boss for the Truro Bearcats junior A team and will be joined by alum Ryan Falkenham who played for Halifax from 2011 to 2015 
• The WHL will host the 2026 Memorial Cup and five teams have announced they intend to bid on hosting: Brandon, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Spokane and Kelowna   
• Current Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers helped Team Denmark book their ticket to the 2026 Olympics at the beginning of this month as the Danes won all three games in the final qualification tournament
• Jim Midgley wasn't out of a coaching job for long as PWHL Toronto announced he would be an assistant coach for the upcoming season 

Herd Word

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

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

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

Photo - Herd website

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

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

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

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

Photo - Herd website

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

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

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

Photo - QMJHL website

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

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

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

Photo - Adam Kimelman on Twitter

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

QMJHL Draft

The Halifax Mooseheads added a number of prospects on Saturday as the 2023 QMJHL draft was held in Sherbrooke, QC. A total of twelve players were added to the team's system.

Halifax originally wasn't going to make a selection until late in the third round but Cam Russell and co. made a trade to move up to the 31st pick. The Mooseheads exchanged the 57th and 91st overall picks from 2023 as well as their 2024 2nd round selection to the Rimouski Oceanic for the higher position. With the selection, the team drafted centre Liam Kilfoil from the Salisbury School Knights in New Brunswick. 

Here is who Halifax selected today:
RD 2 #31 - C Liam Kilfoil - Salisbury School Knights
RD 4 #67 - LW Alec Nasreddine - Notre Dame Hounds U16 Prep
RD 4 #75 - D Eddy Doyle - Kensington Wild U18 AAA
RD 7 #129 - LW Michael Munroe - Avon School Winged Beavers
RD 8 #134 - G Olivier St-Onge - Champions Hockey Academy U16
RD 8 #147 - D Jameson George - Saint John Vito's
RD 9 #165 - C Will Carroll - Champions Hockey Academy U16
RD 10 #183 - G Sam Madgett - Cole Harbour Wolf Pack
RD 11 #201 - C Patrick McNab - Lac St. Louis Lions Black U17
RD 12 #219 - D Carter Amico - Mt. St. Charles Academy/Saints 15's
RD 13 #237 - D Colin Brodeur - Harfangs du Triolet U17
RD 14 #255 - LW Tucker Makinen - Steele Subaru Major Midget MAAA

The first overall pick went to the Moncton Wildcats and they selected Caleb Desnoyers, who is the younger brother of former Herd captain Elliott Desnoyers. Caleb was projected to be the top pick so it was no surprise when his name was called. 

Congratulations to all the young men who were drafted today by the 18 teams and welcome to the new Mooseheads players. 

For a full list of the draftees, click here. 

Photos - Mooseheads Facebook page

Where are the Mooseheads drafting?

Photo - QMJHL website

In just over two weeks, team personnel across the QMJHL will descend on Sherbrooke, QC for the annual draft. This will be the first in person draft since 2019 thanks to the COVID pandemic and it will take place on June 10, 2023. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads will have to wait until the third round to make their first selection. Unless more trades happen, this is where the team will be drafting. 

Halifax's draft selections as of today:
Round 3 - 57th overall 
Round 4 - 67th overall (Blainville)
Round 4 - 75th overall
Round 5 - 91st overall (Gatineau)
Round 7 - 129th overall 
Round 8 - 134th overall (Saint John)
Round 8 - 147th overall
Round 9 - 165th overall
Round 10 - 183rd overall
Round 11 - 201st overall
Round 12 - 219th overall
Round 13 - 237th overall
Round 14 - 255th overall

Follow the @HFXMooseheads on Twitter during the draft for live coverage. 

Halifax Select 15 Players in '22 Draft

The 2022 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft was held on Monday and Tuesday this week and our Halifax Mooseheads added 15 new prospects over the two days. Just like the last couple of years, the draft was held virtually once again. 

Owen Phillips
Photo - Herd website

Halifax went locally with a number of their selections this year, including Upper Tantallon native Owen Phillips who the Herd drafted with the 7th overall pick. The 16-year-old d-man played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program where he totalled 48 points in 84 games. "This is an exciting day for us. He was the player we were targeting and we're ecstatic that he will be suiting up for the Mooseheads. He's the real deal," Russell said. 

Below are the Herd's selections:

RD 1 #7 - RD Owen Phillips - Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15's

RD 2 #29 - C Reece Peitzsche - Cole Harbour Wolfpack

RD 3 #47 - C Antoine Fontaine - Magog Cantonniers

RD 4 #65 - RD Mathieu Taillefer - St-Hyacinthe Gaulois

RD 5 #83 - C Lou Levesque - St-Eustache Vikings
RD 6 #101 - LD Hugo Boucher - Gatineau Intrepide 
RD 7 #119 - RD Dominic MacKenzie - Weeks Midgets

RD 8 #137 - G George Foti - Notre-Dame College U18

RD 8 #141 - C Hudson Clarke - Sydney Mitsubishi Rush

RD 9 $155 - C Justin Breton - Levis Chevaliers

RD 10 #173 - RW Mathis Laplante -  College Charles-Lemoyne Dynamiques U17

RD 11 #191 - LD Ben Robertson - Cole Harbour Wolfpack

RD 12 #209 - LW James Chase - Bishop Kearney Selects 15's

RD 13 #227 - C Cade Moser - Weeks Midgets

RD 14 #245 - C Kyle Greene - Bishop Kearney Selects 15's

Cam Russell and the brass made a trade on Tuesday afternoon as well, moving forward Vincent Gauthier to the Shawinigan Cataractes for their eighth rounder and Cape Breton's third round selection in 2023. Good luck Vincent in Shawinigan. 

Also on Tuesday was the US draft where Halifax used its two selections on centres James Marshall and Will Doherty. The team has had luck the last decade in getting their American born players to report to camp and do well once they make the team. 

Congrats to all the players who were drafted over the last few days and welcome to Moose Country to the guys selected by Halifax. Full list of QMJHL draftees can be found here. 

Mooseheads 2022 Draft Selections

Photo - Mooseheads website

Normally the playoffs would be complete and we would have a Memorial Cup champion but of course everything has been pushed so that means the yearly drafts have as well. We're still quite a way from them happening as they will all take place in the first week of July. 

According to the Mooseheads press release; 'First up on the schedule for General Manager Cam Russell and staff is the CHL Import Draft on Canada Day. The Mooseheads hold the 33rd overall selection in the first round and will be looking to add an impact player to go along with fellow import forward Attilio Biasca. 

The busy July 1st weekend will continue for Russell in the hours following the Import Draft with the trading period set to open up in the QMJHL on Saturday, July 2nd from 9am-Noon ET. The opening of the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft will be held on Monday, July 4th while rounds 2-14 plus the US Draft will take place the following day.'

Here is where the Herd will be drafting as of today: 
Round 1 - 7th overall (Moncton)
Round 2 - 29th overall
Round 3 - 47th overall
Round 4 - 65th overall
Round 5 - 83rd overall
Round 6 - 101st overall
Round 7 - 119th overall
Round 8 - 137th overall
Round 9 - 155th overall
Round 10 - 173rd overall
Round 11 - 191st overall
Round 12 - 209th overall
Round 13 - 227th overall
Round 14 - 245th overall

In the US draft, Halifax has the 11th and 29th overall picks over the two rounds. 

Check back during that weekend for a full recap of the Herd's draft. Follow the team on Twitter to see live coverage. 

Q Draft: Herd Make 12 Picks

Photo - Mooseheads website

For the second year in a row, the QMJHL draft was held virtually and our Halifax Mooseheads picked up 12 new players by the end of the weekend. 

The 1st round was held this past Friday evening where Cam Russell and the crew had the 5th and 6th selections. Later in the evening, Russell made a trade with Saint John sending the 27th and 42nd picks to the Sea Dogs while receiving the 20th overall pick in return. It was the only trade during the weekend that the Herd made and really there weren't many trades period. The remaining rounds were held on Saturday followed by the American draft. 

As I previously mentioned, the Sherbrooke Phoenix won the draft lottery and picked Ethan Gauthier first overall. Drummondville selected Tyler Peddle at #2 followed by Vincent Collard who was picked by Baie-Comeau. 

Below are the Mooseheads selections:
RD 1 #5 - RD Dylan MacKinnon - Moncton Flyers
RD 1 #6 - C Mathieu Cataford - College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains
RD 1 #20 - RW Logan Crosby - Weeks Midgets 
RD 2 #37 - RW Vincent Gauthier - Chateauguay Grenadiers
RD 3 #55 - LD Jack Martin - Moncton Flyers
RD 7 #117 - G Daniel Heroux - Laval-Montreal Rousseau Royal
RD 9 #153 - G Jack Milner - Cape Breton West Islanders
RD 10 #171 - LD Jack Power - Halifax McDonald's 
RD 11 #189 - LW Liam Welsh - Halifax McDonald's
RD 12 #207 - LD Noah Razon - Lac-St-Louis U17 Tigres
RD 13 #225 - RW Elijah Thompson - Laval-Montreal Rousseau Royal
RD 14 #243 - LW Ben Wallace - Weeks Midgets

Click here for the full list of draftees. 

Halifax selected Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres' left winger Chris Battaini 6th overall in the American draft as well as defenceman Jake Freelove of Winchendon School Wapitis at #24. 

The CHL Import Draft is being held on June 30th at 11am ET. 

Where are the Moose drafting?

In just a few days, team personnel will gather in arena offices and make selections that they hope will improve their clubs for the upcoming season. The 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft is being held virtually once again this year and is set to take place June 25-26.

Photo - Mooseheads website

Here is where Halifax will be drafting as of today:
Round 1 - 5th overall (Moncton)
Round 1 - 6th overall
Round 2 - 27th overall
Round 2 - 37th overall
Round 3 - 42nd overall (Sherbrooke)
Round 3 - 55th overall (Chicoutimi)
Round 7 - 117th overall
Round 9 - 153rd overall
Round 10 - 171st overall
Round 11 - 189th overall
Round 12 - 207th overall
Round 13 - 225th overall
Round 14 - 243rd overall

You can watch the draft live on the QMJHL's YouTube page and follow @HFXMooseheads on Twitter for their selections. Check back on June 26 for a full recap of the Herd's draft. 

Moose To Select 5th

Photo - QMJHL website

The QMJHL Draft Lottery was held on May 11 and the Mooseheads had one ball in the pot this year for a chance to move up. Halifax's ball didn't get pulled meaning that the team will stay at pick #5. It comes from Moncton via trades that sent Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Jared McIsaac to the Wildcats back in January 2020. 

The Sherbooke Phoenix won the lottery and will make the first overall selection in the draft. They moved up from #3. Cape Breton, Baie-Comeau and Quebec round out the top 5 picks. 

Halifax also holds their own 6th overall selection in the first round. The 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft will be held virtually on June 25-26. Fans can watch the event live on the Q's official YouTube page. 

Herd Word

Just like last year, I took a break over the summer to decide what I want to do with this blog. I have decided to keep it going but I might not post as often this season. Below you will find some of the story lines concerning the Mooseheads and former players from the last few months since the COVID-19 shutdown.

LEAGUE AWARDS
Considering that our Halifax Mooseheads did not have a very good season unfortunately, there was no surprise that no players were nominated for any league awards. However, it wasn't a total loss. The Mooseheads own Allie MacDonald won the Denis-Arsenault Trophy as the academic advisor of the year. Congratulations to Allie. See the announcement here with a special guest.

Former Herd Benoit-Olivier Groulx was awarded the Guy Carboneau trophy as the top defensive forward for the 2019-20 season.

Zachary L'Heureux
Photo - Neutral Zone

TRADES
Halifax made a few roster moves days before the draft in June to help bolster it's young roster. The first trade Cam Russell and company made was to acquire forward Robert Orr from the Saint John Sea Dogs in exchange for 2nd and 4th round picks in the draft.

Later in the day, the Mooseheads announced that they picked up two more forwards, Zachary L'Heureux and Elliot Desnoyers from the Moncton Wildcats. The deal completed earlier trades involving Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Jared McIsaac. They sent the 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2020 back to the Cats along with a 5th in 2021 and 2nd and 3rd round selections in 2022.

1st round pick Markus Vidicik signing a commitment letter to
join the Mooseheads
Photo - Herd Twitter

QMJHL DRAFT
The QMJHL draft was held virtually for the first time in history with the first round done on June 5 while round 2-14 were completed the next day. The Mooseheads brass had multiple picks this year, unlike in 2019.

Multiple moves were made over the two days with most involving the exchange of picks. Russell moved the team's 27th and 60th overall picks plus a 2021 third round pick to Charlottetown for the 22nd overall pick. Halifax used the selection to get defenceman Jake Furlong. The two clubs came together for another trade as the Islanders sent veteran Liam Peyton to the Moose in exchange for a 2020 ninth round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.

Below is 12 guys that Halifax selected.
RD 1 #14 - C Markus Vidicek - Lac-St-Louis Lions
RD 1 #18 - RW Jordan Dumais - South Kent Selets Academy 15's
RD 2 #22 - LD Jake Fulong - Mt. St. Charles Academy
RD 2 #28 - C James Swan - Lac-St-Louis Lions
RD 4 #61 - G Mathis Rousseau - St-Eustache Vikings
RD 4 #66 - RD Alex Carr - Cole Harbour Wolfpack
RD 5 #78 - LD Alexandre Tessier - St-Eustache Vikings
RD 8 #132 - C Braeden MacPhee - Moncton Flyers
RD 11 #186 - LD Jackson Dorrington - Cushing Academy Penguins
RD 12 #204 - D Travis Badcock - East Coast Blizzard MAAA
RD 13 #222 - LD Sid McNeill - Oakland Jr Grizzlies 15's
RD 14 #240 - LD Brady Schultz - Elite Hockey Program 16U

Click here for a list of all draftees. 

In the import draft held at the end of June, Halifax selected Attilio Biasca with the 5th overall pick. This means that the team has moved on from Marcel Barinka.

Photo - Avalanche Twitter

MACKINNON
Kid Mack had another really good season for the Colorado Avalanche and he is being recognized for it. Nathan MacKinnon, who played for the Herd from 2011 to 2013, was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, the Lady Bing Trophy and the Hart Trophy. The latter is for the league's most valuable player while Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) and Artemi Panarin (New York) were also nominated. MacKinnon led the Avalanche in scoring with 93 points in 69 games which was also good enough for being top 10 in the league during the regular season.

Congrats to Nathan for being nominated. The award winners will be announced during the conference finals.

NHL PLAYOFFS
It's August and there is playoffs being competed right now, just another sign of how weird this year as been. A number of alumni participated in the qualifying round and there are still four left as of the writing of this post.

Nikolaj Ehlers and the Winnipeg Jets were ousted by the Calgary Flames 3 games to 1 in the qualifying round while MacKenzie Weegar and the Florida Panthers also didn't make it past that round after losing 3-1 to the New York Islanders. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia), Jonathan Drouin (Montreal) and Brad Marchand (Boston) are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

Good luck to all the players participating in the playoffs, especially our former players. 

Herd Word

Since I've been on hiatus the last few months, I thought I would update you on some news that has happened.

Cole Foston with GM Cam Russell
Photo - Mooseheads Twitter

QMJHL DRAFT
The Q draft was on June in Quebec City, QC and Halifax didn't make a selection until the fourth round where they took Cole Foston with the 70th overall pick.

Only two trades were made in the first round while there were many draft picks switched between teams however the Mooseheads didn't make any moves during the day. Joshua Roy was selected 1st overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Below is the 11 players selected by our Herd:
RD 4, #70 - F Cole Foston - Cole Harbour Wolfpack
RD 5, #88 - D Keegan Hunt - Moncton Flyers
RD 6, #106 - G Brady James - Lac-St-Louis Tigres
RD 7, #124 - C William Robitaille - Levis Chevaliers
RD 8, #142 - D Lucas Robinson - Western Nfld Kings
RD 9, #160 - RW Vincent Paquette - College St. Hilaire U18
RD 10, #178 - RW Olivier Tourchot - St. Eustache Vikings
RD 11, #196 - D Michael Sack - Cole Harbour Wolfpack
RD 12, #214 - D Justin Fernet - Trolet Harfangs
RD 13, #232 - F Merle Putman - Weeks Midgets

Click here for a list of all draftees.

NEW COACHES
Halifax announced a few changes on the bench for the upcoming season. The first being a fifth head coach in the last 5 years. Jean-Jacques Daigneault was named the bench boss for the 2019-20 season after Eric Veilleux was given a promotion to coach the AHL's Syracuse Crunch. This is the first head coaching position that Daigneault has had. The Montreal, QC native has been an assistant coach for the Phoenix RoadRunners (ECHL - 2005-06), Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL - 2007-12), Montreal Canadiens (NHL - 2012-18) and San Antonio Rampage (AHL - 2018-19). Halifax also got a new goaltending coach with the arrival of Joey Perricone. While not a coach, the Mooseheads announced that Chris MacDonald has moved on as well and have named Alex Ryan as their equipment manager.

IMPORT DRAFT
The Canadian Hockey League import draft was held at the end of June and our Mooseheads selected just one player since Marcel Barinka is returning to the lineup, there is only one Euro spot open. Halifax drafted Deurne, Belgium native Senna Peeters 48th in round 1 (47th overall). The 17-year-old played the 2018-19 season with the South Kent Selects Academy 16U team, collecting 66 points in 59 games.

Timo Meier
Photo - The Hockey News

SIGNINGS
A number of former Herd players have signed contracts over the summer. Defenceman Mackenzie Weegar put his name on the dotted line of a new agreement with the Florida Panthers of the NHL. The 25-year-old signed a 1 year 1 way contract. Press release. Forward Timo Meier's entry level deal ended after the 2018-19 season and the San Jose Sharks determined that he was worth 4 more years. Meier has 108 points in 193 NHL games played. Press release.

After being drafted in 2017, Arnaud Durandeau signed an entry level contract shortly after the Memorial Cup tournament ended and will play pro during the upcoming season. The 20-year-old was signed by the New York Islanders and since he would be an overager in 2019-20, the Isles can send him down to one of their affiliates instead of the QMJHL. Press release. With a fantastic season on the Memorial Cup hosting team, Samuel Asselin secured himself a contract with the Boston Bruins and will play this year in Providence for the AHL Bruins.

American Danny Moynihan received an all clear from his doctor that he is healthy enough to play hockey again. The 23-year-old was signed by the ECHL Tulsa Oilers earlier this month and will be joined his brother Connor. The two brothers played for the Mooseheads for 2 and a half seasons from 2013-2016. Press release.

Cameron Critchlow has signed a professional contract overseas. The Manchester Storm of the EIHL announced that Critchlow will join their team for the 2019-20 season. Press release.

NHL DRAFT
Despite multiple Halifax Mooseheads being ranked by Central Scouting Services for the 2019 NHL draft, only one was actually selected in Vancouver. Raphael Lavoie was had to wait until the second day to hear his name but he finally did when the Edmonton Oilers picked him 38th overall.

The 18-year-old had a pretty good season, scoring 32 goals and 73 points during 62 regular season games. In the playoffs, he stepped up his game and his 20 goals led the QMJHL during the post-season.

Congratulations to Raphael on getting drafted. He participated in the Oilers development camp at the end of June and will undoubtedly

TRAINING CAMP
This year's training camp for the Herd started with a bit of a bang, as the team announced they had traded forward Xavier Parent a day before camp opened. The 2001-born player was moved to the Sherbrooke Phoenix in return for Cam Whynot and a 3rd round pick in 2021. Parent played two seasons for Halifax, collecting 64 points. Xavier was selected 4th in the 2017 QMJHL draft by the Mooseheads. Whynot, a defenceman, was recently picked in the 2019 Q draft and is a Kentville native. The 16-year-old has been projected by scouts to be a standout D. The trade shocked some people but the team is without their top back end player; Jared McIsaac until the end of November and Jocktan Chainey announced that he is stepping away from hockey to concentrate on schooling.

So Halifax announced that camp would open with 51 players attending. The club made their first round of cuts the morning after the first pre-season game, releasing 8 players on August 19. They than announced another trade, acquiring D Jason Horvath from the Shawinigan Cataractes for a 2020 6th round pick. Another round of cuts were made on August 22 when 6 hopefuls were released. The biggest round of cuts were made on August 24 with the 11 young guys cut leaving 27 at camp. It was announced that Kyle Petten decided to return to the MHL Campbellton Tigers.

An updated roster can be seen below.

Photo - Mooseheads website