Regular season roster announced

YOUR 2026-27 HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

6  Brady Smith  D  (Englewood, CO, USA)

10  Oleg Kulebiakin  LW  (St. Petersburg, Russia)

11  Paul Sintschnig  LW  (Klagenfurt, Austria)*

12  William Bent  RW  (Dover, MA, USA)

16  Mateo Nobert  C  (Beaconsfield, QC)

17  Patrick McNab  C  (Beaconsfield, QC)

20  Daniel Walters  C  (Halifax, NS)

23  Cameron Minella  D  (Darien, CT, USA)

26  Owen Phillips  D  (Hammonds Plains, NS)

28  Cole MacLeod  C  (Porters Lake, NS)*

30  Jack Fichthorn  G  (Darien, CT, USA)

35  Carson Mertz  G  (Coventry, RI, USA)*

43  Evan Nee  LW  (Arlington, MA, USA)

51  Eddy Doyle  D  (Tignish, PE)

55  Shawn Carrier  LW  (Trois-Rivieres, QC)

71  Nathan Langlois  LW  (Levis, QC)

77  Malik L'Italien  D  (Montreal, QC)

79  Duncan Anderson  D  (Antigonish, NS)*

81  Nico Uschan  D  (Villach, Austria)*

86  Jackson Smail  C  (Milton, VT, USA)*

88  Quinn Kennedy  C  (Upper Tantallon, NS)

92  Jayden Napon  LW  (Montreal, QC)*

93  Paulo Gualberto Jr  C  (Bamstable, MA, USA)

*indicates rookie

CAMP: 3 more cuts set final roster

Photo - Herd website

The Halifax Mooseheads regular season roster seems to be set after the team made an additional round of cuts on Sunday morning. Three players were released today bringing the roster down to 23 young men, which is how many the club will go into the 2026-27 regular season with. 

I'm surprised who was reassigned to other teams and that it took so long for the brass to announce the roster but it sounds like it was a competitive camp. Halifax has played five pre-season games so far and has won their last four matches after losing the opening tilt against the Cape Breton Eagles. The Mooseheads defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-3 last night at TD Station. 

Players cut:
F Jamie Calla
D Brenden Espenell
F Emrik Menard

Defenceman Brenden Espenell was released after clearing waivers. 

Good luck to these players with their respective teams this season. 

The regular season roster includes 14 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. There are 11 returning players along with 12 new faces to the team. Congrats to the guys who made the team and welcome to Moose Country. My next post will be the roster. 

CAMP: More cuts made Monday

Photo - Herd website

The Halifax Mooseheads announced their fourth round of cuts on Monday morning during training camp. A total of three players were reassigned to their respective clubs with another released on Friday. The announcement comes about 36 hours after our Moose defeated the Charlottetown Islanders 3-2 in pre-season action on Saturday afternoon. It was Halifax's third straight win after losing their first exhibition match. 

Players cut:
D Jack Cameron
D Samuel Fishbone
F Keith Olympia
F Maveric Thisdelle

This leaves 26 players on the roster, including 16 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders. Nicolas Blanchette, Chase Cleary, Jake Donatelli and Logan Trewin were previously reassigned on Thursday while goaltender Chandler Bell was cut the day before. Free agent forward Will Highes was released on Friday after the team acquired 20-year-old forward Nathan Langlois last week. 

Halifax will announce its regular season roster in the coming days. 

CAMP: Herd make first cuts

Photo - Herd website

After splitting the home-and-home pre-season series against the Cape Breton Eagles, the Halifax Mooseheads announced that they have made a round of cuts on Sunday afternoon. A total of 13 players were reassigned to their respective clubs. The article did not mention if any players left voluntarily. 

Players cut:
G Jack Bell 
F Aaron Carrier
F Elie Champagne
F Thomas Cote 
D Mickael Fournier
F Keegan Kazan
G William Laplante
F Owen O'Donnell
F Nathan Ruel
F Sam Ryan
F Jordan Shaw
D Gavin Sudds
F Ylan Verpaelst

Owen O'Donnell will be sent back to Rouyn-Noranda as he was loaned to the Mooseheads by the Huskies on a try-out basis. This leaves 34 players remaining on the camp roster, including 18 forwards, 13 defencemen and three goaltenders. I suspect we will see the regular season roster named on Thursday following Halifax's next pre-season game on August 26 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex. 

46 players to attend training camp

Photo - Herd website

Our Halifax Mooseheads' 2026 training camp begins tomorrow and the team finally released its roster of the forty-six players who will be attending. 

The roster includes 26 forwards, 15 defencemen and five goaltenders. Players will report for registration on Wednesday morning before hitting the ice for afternoon practices. General Manager Cam Russell has made multiple moves over the off-season and he continues to make them as another two players from 2025-26 were left off the camp roster; overage goaltender Owen Bresson and 18-year-old forward Caylen Blake. 

Players invited to camp

Duncan Anderson    D    (draft '25)

Chandler Bell    G    (free agent)

Jack Bell    G    (draft '25)

William Bent    F    (draft '24)

Nicolas Blanchette    D    (draft '25)

Jamie Calla    F    (draft '26)

Jack Cameron    D    (draft '26)

Aaron Carrier    F    (draft '26)

Shawn Carrier    F    (trade)

Elie Champagne    F    (draft '24)

Chase Cleary    F    (draft '26)

Thomas Cote    F    (draft '24)

Jake Donatelli    D    (draft '26)

Eddy Doyle    D    (draft '23)

Brenden Espenell    D    (free agent)

Jack Fichthorn    G    (draft '26)

Samuel Fishbone    D    (draft '26)

Mikael Fournier    D    (draft '24)

Paulo Gualberto Jr    F    (draft '25)

Keegan Kazan    F    (free agent invite)

Quinn Kennedy    F    (trade)

Oleg Kulebiakin    F    (import)

Malik L'Italien    D    (draft '25)

William Laplante    G    (draft '26)

Cole MacLeod    F    (draft '24)

Patrick McNab    F    (draft '23)

Emrik Menard    F    (draft '26)

Carson Mertz    G    (draft '26)

Cameron Minella    D    (draft '25)

Jayden Napon    F    (draft '25)

Evan Nee    F    (free agent)

Mateo Nobert    F    (trade)

Owen O'Donnell    F    (free agent invite)

Owen Phillips    D    (draft '22)

Nathan Ruel    F    (draft '25)

Sam Ryan    F    (draft '25)

Jordan Shaw    F    (free agent invite)

Paul Sintschnig    F    (import)

Jackson Smail    F    (draft '26)

Brady Smith    D    (free agent)

Gavin Sudds    D    (draft '24)

Maveric Thisdelle    F    (draft '26)

Logan Trewin    D    (draft '24)

Nico Uschan    D    (import)

Ylan Verpaelst    F    (draft '25)

Daniel Walters    F    (draft '24)

Seems like we may have a quick training camp as the practices and intra-squad games part is only over two days than the team is right into exhibition matches on Friday and Saturday. Will be very interesting to see how the cuts work out and what kind of final roster Russell makes. Halifax is projected to be a contender this season. 

Good luck to all the players this week. 

Mooseheads bolster camp roster

It has been said that the Halifax Mooseheads could be a contender during the upcoming 2026-27 season and the moves that the team has made in the off-season have strengthened that belief. 

On draft day, the Herd traded for Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mateo Nobert in the hopes of improving the team's offence as the 19-year-old record 30 goals and 78 points last season. That number was higher than Halifax's leading scorer Oleg Kulebiakin who had 73.

Photo - Herd website

As I posted last night, our Mooseheads made a move the day before the CHL Import Draft to select second overall instead of at #20 where they originally were scheduled to pick. On Wednesday, it was announced that both players, forward Paul Sintschnig and defenceman Nico Uschan, have signed QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreements. 

"We're very excited to officially welcome Paul and Nico to the Mooseheads organization," said General Manager Cam Russell. "Both players bring a strong combination of skill, competitiveness, and international experience, and we believe they'll be great additions to our lineup and our dressing room. We look forward to helping them continue their development in Halifax and are eager to see the impact they can make this season." 

The signing signals an end of Carlos Handel and Jasu Mensonen stints with the green and red. Mensonen played in Moose Country for one season on loan from Lukko U20, according to Elite Prospects. Handel, meanwhile put two years here in North America and has decided to go back home to suit up for Kolner Haie. 

Halifax received another commitment earlier this week, this time from centre Jackson Smail who also signed a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The 18-year-old was selected by the Herd in the third round, 44th overall at the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft after a strong season at Winchendon School. Smail, a native of Milton, VT, finished second on his team in scoring with 62 points in 34 games as a centre. 

Brady Smith
Photo - Elite Prospects

"We're excited to add a player of Jackson's calibre to our organization," said Russell. "He has shown strong offensive ability and we're looking forward to seeing him compete at training camp."

This might be the highest amount of American-born players on the team's training camp roster as the brass signed another free agent from the States last week in defenceman Brady Smith. He will be entering his 19-year-old season in 2026-27 and played the past four years at Taft School where he served as an alternate captain. Originally from Columbine Valley, CO, Smith scored 41 points in 99 career games. Brady joins Arlington, MA-native forward Evan Nee as a free agent while the club also drafted eight Americans back in June. Whether they all come to camp is to be determined. 

Training camp is set to open on August 19th at the team practice facility. The full schedule and roster will be released in the next couple of weeks. 

Herd Word

Photo - Mooseheads website

FREE AGENT SIGNING
Our Halifax Mooseheads announced back on April 21 that they had signed free-agent forward Evan Nee. According to the Herd's press release; 'Nee, a native of Arlington, Massachusetts, will join the Mooseheads as he enters his 19-year-old season. The dynamic left-shooting forward stands 5'11" and weighs 185 pounds, bringing speed, skill, and a proven scoring touch to Halifax's lineup.' He played at St. Mark's School for the last 4 seasons and recorded 146 points during in 118 regular season games. Nee put up impressive numbers during 2025-26 while wearing the C on his jersey, scoring 25 goals and 32 assists over 30 games. 

THIS IS MOOSE COUNTRY
Check out the video below which is the second season finale episode of the This is Moose Country podcast. 

SILVER FOR SWITZERLAND
For the third year in a row, the Switzerland men's national hockey team secured a silver medal at the IIHF World Championships after losing 1-0 in overtime to Finland on May 31. In the 2026 version, the Halifax Mooseheads had three former players on the Swiss team in Attilio Biasca, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. 27-year-old Hischier has been apart of all three final games in 2024, 2025 and 2026. I'm sure this loss was a disappointing one as the 2026 World Championship was hosted in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. During a round robin game on May 21 against Austria, all three hooked up together for a goal that finished with Nico putting the puck in the net, see it below. 

An All-Mooseheads goal for 🇨🇭 Switzerland at the #MensWorlds.

🚨 Nico Hischier from Timo Meier & Attilio Biasca

Plus the play by play call from former Mooseheads announcer @DanRTSN ‼️#GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/tdwbOIafmx

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) May 21, 2026

DRAFT DAY TRADE
General Manager Cam Russell announced a big move on June 5 during the first round of the draft. The team traded the third overall selection in the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft to Blainville-Boisbriand, along with a 2027 second rounder plus forward Amelio Santini and goalie Nick Cirka in exchange for forward Mateo Nobert. Entering his 19-year-old season, Halifax is hoping that he will bring in more offence after recording 30 goals in 78 points in 62 games played for the Armada during 2025-26. Welcome to the team Mateo and good luck to Santini and Cirka with Blainville. 

14 PICKED IN HALIFAX
Talking about the draft, it was held in Halifax on June 5-6 and the Mooseheads pulled out the red carpet, literally. Prospects along with their families got to walk on the red carpet with fans cheering them on. The Herd selected 14 players over the twelve rounds, most of which are American (9). After trading their 3rd overall pick, Halifax was first up at seventh overall and before making their selection, a nice video was shown on the jumbotron to showcase the club. 

Photo - Mooseheads website

Find the selections below:
#7 - Emrik Menard RW (Woodbridge Wolfpack 16U)
#20 - Jack Cameron D (Pictou County Weeks)
#25 - Maveric Thisdelle RW (Woodbridge Wolfpack Premier 15's)
#33 - John Queally C (St. Sebastian's School Arrow)
#43 - Jack Fichthorn G (Sioux City Musketeers)
#44 - Jackson Small C (Winchendon School Wapitis)
#61 - Samuel Fishbone D (St. Sebastian's School Arrow)
#72 - Carson Mertz G (Blackfalds Bulldogs)
#97 - Chase Cleary C (Notre Dame College Albatros)
#133 - Jake Donatelli D (St. George's School Dragons)
#151 - William Laplante G (OHA Mavericks Prep U17)
#164 - Jamie Calla C (Governor's Academy Governors)
#187 - JP Montgomery D (St. Louis Blues AAA 16U)
#205 - Aaron Carrier LW (Ecole Sec. la Decouverte D2)

Congrats to all the young men who were drafted. Looking forward to seeing these guys in August. Hear what Cam Russell and Allie MacDonald had to say in the Mooseheads draft panel here.  

PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced the pre-season schedule last week and our Mooseheads will play six games against three different teams. All times in ADT.

August 21     6:00 pm    vs. Cape Breton Eagles (RBC Centre - Dartmouth, NS)       
August 22     7:00 pm    at Cape Breton Eagles (Membertou Sport & Wellness Centre
August 26     7:00 pm    vs. Charlottetown Islanders (Zatzman Sportsplex)
August 29     4:00 pm    at Charlottetown Islanders (Simmons Sports Centre - Charlottetown, PE)
September 4     7:00 pm    at Saint John Sea Dogs (TD Station)
September 11   7:00 pm    vs. Saint John Sea Dogs (RBC Centre - Dartmouth, NS)

Herd Word

NHL DEBUT 
Former Mooseheads forward Xavier Parent made his NHL debut last Thursday for the New Jersey Devils. The 24-year-old did not record any points in the game and was a minus-1 as the Devils lost 8-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Parent, a native of Laval, QC has stayed up with the big team playing four games so far. He led New Jersey's AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets with 12 points (6G & 6A) in 20 games prior to being called up. 

An @NHL debut is one of our favorite things. pic.twitter.com/CacCkjd12E

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 11, 2025

I didn't see this until today but Xavier was called up partly because Timo Meier, who also played for Halifax, asked for a personal leave of absence the same day and continues to be out of the lineup. Meier is dealing with a family matter, Moose Country sends their thoughts to Timo at this time. 

HANDEL TO WORLD JUNIORS
Defenceman Carlos Handel missed the last three games that Halifax has played as he has been invited to and participating in Team Germany's world juniors training camp. The 18-year-old played in the tournament last year so I suspect we will be cheering for him again this holiday season. Germany will have two exhibition games, against Finland on December 19 and December 21 versus USA. The 2026 World Juniors are being hosted by Minnesota, United States from December 26-January 5 with the Germans in Group A. Handel had 0 points in 5 games during the 2025 version so he'll hope to improve on that and help his country do better than the 9th place finish they had. 

Photo - Herd website

MOOSE ACQUIRE ROUSSEAU
Halifax announced on Monday that they have acquired veteran forward Samuel Rousseau from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in exchange for a 2026 5th round draft pick. The move was allowed to be made since Rousseau is a 20-year-old. A native of St. Eustache, QC, Samuel had been playing for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL this season as the Huskies didn't have any room for him on their roster back in September. He had 30 points in 24 games with the Grizzlies after spending the previous three seasons with Rouyn-Noranda. 

"We are proud to welcome Samuel to the team. His proven leadership and depth of experience will strengthen our work and elevate what we can achieve together," Cam Russell said. 

Welcome to Moose Country Samuel! 

NEW DRESSING ROOM
The team made a pretty big renovation to the Scotiabank Centre, which most fans will likely never see more than the pictures Halifax shared, and released video of it on social media earlier this week. Halifax introduced their new multi-million dollar, state of the art dressing room facility, allowing the Mooseheads to cement their position at the very top of the CHL as said in the press release. On top of updating the area the players get changed in, the team also added or upgraded a kitchen & lounge area, cold tubs & steam room, and coaches room plus giving the hype tunnel new LED signage. 

See the full video below. 

PWHL IN HALIFAX

Halifax, the city, hosted the first game of the 2025-26 Professional Women's Hockey League's Takeover Tour on Wednesday night. It featured the Toronto Sceptres taking on the Montreal Victoire at the Scotiabank Centre. The over 10,000 fans got their money's worth as the match went to a shootout with Montreal taking the 2-1 victory. Unfortunately, the team (Sceptres) with the Nova Scotians did not win but it was still a good game. It was so nice to see a women's professional hockey match in my hometown. I mention it since former Herd head coach Jim Midgley is currently an assistant coach for Toronto. 

The PWHL will be back in Halifax on January 11 as the Ottawa Charge take on the Boston Fleet. 

Photo - Lukko Facebook

LIIGA MILESTONE

I haven't really given any props to alumni achieving milestones in leagues that aren't the NHL, mainly because I haven't seen many posts about it but here is one. Antoine Morand, who suited up in the green and red during the 2018-19 season, played in his 200th Liiga regular season game on Friday. The 26-year-old moved over to Europe in 2022, originally signing with SaiPa before being traded to Lukko on January 22, 2024. Morand has 3 goals and 9 assists in 24 games so far this year. As a member of the Mooseheads, the Chateauguay, QC native had 22 goals and 70 points and served as captain. 

Congratulations to Antoine, keep it up over there. 

TRADE PERIOD 
A break in the schedule means that the QMJHL trade period has opened, as of Friday teams can move any player on their roster and the deadline is January 6. Number of moves were made already mainly by Chicoutimi, Blainville, Victoriaville and Cape Breton on the first day. According to Willy Palov, this year will be about patience and perspective for the Halifax Mooseheads. Considering this is the second year of a rebuild, the Herd seem to be doing better at this point of the season than they were projected to so could we see Cam Russell make some moves that bolster the roster? "No big plans right now but obviously there are a few things we're looking at, like every year," Russell said. "We're happy with the core of players that we have and how they're growing. It's a really good group of kids that we're building around, but we're always looking for ways to make our team better."

Herd Word

BEST GOALIE
Goaltender Owen Bresson of our Halifax Mooseheads was named to the Team of the Week on Monday after going 2-0-0-0 during the previous weekend with wins over Baie-Comeau and Moncton. It's the first time this season that a Herd player has been named to the team. Bresson also had a 0.97 GAA between the two matches. Congrats Owen!

Photo - QMJHL website

MACKINNON TRADED
Former Herd defenseman Dylan MacKinnon has been traded from the Moncton Wildcats to the Charlottetown Islanders. The announcement was made on Tuesday, and could be done because MacKinnon is a 20 year old. Moncton receives 3 draft picks in return. Dylan was a healthy scratch in the Wildcats match against the Mooseheads on Saturday so this would explain why. 

The Moncton, NB native has no points so far this season but has only played two games. 'For the Islanders, who currently sit 1st place in the QMJHL, this acquisition sends a clear message: the team is all-in on a championship push. MacKinnon's arrival adds experience, toughness, and a winning mentality to a defensive group that already ranks among the league's best,' says Charlottetown's press release. 

QMJHL PROSPECTS GAME
The QMJHL announced on Thursday the names of the 40 players who will participate in the first-ever QMJHL Prospects Game on October 21 at the Palais Leopold-Drolet in Sherbrooke. A few of the young men named are currently playing for Halifax this season; forwards Daniel Walters, Oleg Kulebyakin and William Bent will take part. 

Congratulations to our three players on being named and good luck. The rosters of the two teams participating in the game, which will be called Team Lafleur and Team Crosby, will be announced in the coming days. Full release here. 

THIS IS MOOSE COUNTRY
The second season of the team's podcast; This is Moose Country, is underway and episode 2 was released earlier this week. Episode 1 talked about the home opener and the 2025-26 roster plus Scott MacIntosh and Brad Cuzner were joined by new coaches Brad MacKenzie and Josh Hepditch. Below is the video for the most recent episode where Herd alumni Zach Fucale joined the hosts to talk about his time with Halifax, getting traded to Quebec plus more. 

 

Photo - Avalanche Twitter

FRANCHISE LEADER
The Colorado Avalanche have a new all-time leader in points since the franchise relocated and I am sure it is no surprise that it is former Moose player Nathan MacKinnon. The 30-year-old recorded an assist in the Avs opening game on Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Kings. It was his 1,016th point (367 goals, 649 points) in 871 games to break a tie with Joe Sakic (1,015 points in 870 games). 

"He means a ton," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said of MacKinnon. "He drives our team on a nightly basis, offensively. ... Just so many things he does so well, and I'm not surprised that he's, yet again, breaking another franchise record. You know, it's just kind of what he does, so exciting to see."

Keep it going Nate, congrats on becoming the points leader! 

Herd Official Roster

YOUR 2025-26 HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

7  Carlos Handel  D  Erlangen, Germany

9  Liam Kilfoil  C  Quispamsis, NB
10  Oleg Kulebaikin  LW  St. Petersburg, Russia*
12  William Bent  RW  Dover, MA, USA
14  Connor MacPherson  RW  Windsor, ON

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

20  Daniel Walters  C  Halifax, NS
23  Cameron Minella  D  Darien, CT, USA*

26  Owen Phillips  D  Hammonds Plains, NS
29  Owen Bresson  G  Dominion, NS

32  Alec Nasreddine  LW  Mountainside, NJ, USA

37  Amelio Santini  RW  Cote-Saint-Luc, QC
39  Nicolas Cirka  G  Westmount, QC
51  Eddy Doyle  D  Tignish, PE

55  Shawn Carrier  LW  Trois-Rivieres, QC
56  Lincoln Waugh  D  Summerside, PE

70  Jasu Mensonen  LW  Imatra, Finland*
72  Mathieu Taillefer  D  Richelieu, QC
73  Justin Chiras  D  Bedford, NH, USA

77  Malik L'Italien  D  Montreal, QC*
88  Quinn Kennedy  C  Upper Tantallon, NS

89  Antoine Fontaine  RW  Granby, QC
93  Junior Gualberto  C  Barnstable, MA, USA*

*indicates rookie

Seven players reassigned, roster set

Photo - Mooseheads Facebook

Our Halifax Mooseheads announced its regular season roster on Sunday evening after reassigning another seven players earlier in the day. Surprisingly, there were only two rounds of cuts but the NCAA rule change made it a different training camp. It was a very competitive camp as well so that made it hard for the brass to make decisions. With the roster moves today, Halifax will go into the 2025-26 season with 24 players. 

Players cut
F Callum Aucoin (returnee)
G Jack Bell (2025 pick)
D Ryan Fletcher (free agent)
F Cole MacLeod (2024 pick)
F Cade Moser (returnee)
G Olivier St-Onge (2023 pick)
D Logan Trewin (2024 pick)

The regular season roster includes 14 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders. 17 veterans will be joined by seven new players on the team. One of the new players is 20-year-old free agent signee Connor MacPherson who will start the year as the lone overager on the Mooseheads. 

Congrats to all the guys who made the team and for the new guys, welcome to Moose Country. Good luck to the guys who got cut with their respective teams this season. 

My next post will have the full roster. 

Halifax will play one more pre-season game on September 5 while the home opener is set for September 20 against the Charlottetown Islanders. 

Moose make first roster cuts

Our Halifax Mooseheads made their first round of cuts on Thursday afternoon and it was big one with 18 players being reassigned. Not surprising there was such a large amount who were sent down to their respective teams but I am a bit surprised by a couple of the guys who did get released today. The article put out by the team did not mention if any of the players left voluntarily. 

Players cut:
D Duncan Anderson
D Cole Bent
D Nicolas Blanchette
F Elie Champagne
F Nico Ciardiello 
F Thomas Cote
D Mickael Fournier
D Jameson George
G Thomas Laplante
G Sam Madgett
F Tucker Makinen
F Jayden Napon
F Noah Olmedo
F Nathan Ruel
F Sam Ryan
F Jordan Shaw
D Gavin Sudds
F Ylan Verpaelst

The training camp roster now stands at 17 forwards, 10 defencemen and four goalies. Previous years we would have seen another round of cuts before Saturday's pre-season game but its possible Cam Russell and staff will wait until after the match. We could even see the regular season roster be named after the game in Truro.  

49 players on camp roster

Photo - Herd website

A total of 49 players have been invited to the Halifax Mooseheads 2025 training camp that will start in a few days. The roster includes 27 forwards, 16 defencemen and six goaltenders. It consists of 19 returning players from the 2024-25 season so that will make for a very competitive camp over the next number of weeks. 

The lone 20-year-old on the camp roster is the recently acquired forward Connor MacPherson who was signed by Cam Russell as a free agent, the team announced on Friday. Defenceman Malik L'Italien - the third overall pick in June's QMJHL Entry Draft - headlines the new crop of 16-year-olds arriving in Moose Country along with Americans Cameron Minella and Paulo Gualberto. 2025 CHL import picks Oleg Kulebyakin (Russia) and Jasu Mensonen (Finland) will join Carlos Handel as the Herd's European players this year, however Mensonen won't arrive to Halifax until later in camp after concluding his mandatory military service. 

Roster below
Duncan Anderson   D   Antigonish, NS   (draft '25)
Callum Aucoin   F   Hammonds Plains, NS   (trade)
Jack Bell   G   Antigonish, NS   (draft '25)

Cole Bent   D   Halifax, NS   (draft '24)

William Bent   F   Dover, MA   (draft '24)

Caylen Blake   F   Corner Brook, NL   (draft '24)

Nicolas Blanchette   D   St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC   (draft '25)
Owen Bresson   G   Dominion, NS   (trade)
Shawn Carrier   F   Trois-Rivieres, QC   (trade)

Elle Champagne   F   St-Georges-de-Beauce, QC   (draft '24)

Justin Chiras   D   Bedford, NH   (free agent)

Nico Ciardiello   F   Guilford, CT   (draft '24)

Thomas Cote   F   Quebec, QC   (draft '24)

Eddy Doyle   D   Tignish, PE   (draft '23)

Ryan Fletcher   D   Brookfield, NS   (free agent)

Antoine Fontaine   F   Granby, QC   (draft '22)

Mickael Fournier   D   Laval, QC   (draft '24)

Jameson George   D   Rothesay, NB   (draft '23)

Nicolas Gilham-Cirka   G   Westmount, QC   (draft '24)

Paulo Gualberto   F   Bamstable, MA   (draft '25)

Carlos Handel   D   Erlangen, Germany   (import)

Quinn Kennedy   F   Upper Tantallon, NS   (trade)

Liam Kilfoil   F   Quispamsis, NB   (draft '23)

Oleg Kulebyakin   F   St. Petersburg, Russia   (import)

Malik L'Italien   D   Montreal, QC   (draft '25)

Thomas Laplante   G   Rosemare, QC   (draft '24)

Cole MacLeod   F   Porters Lake, NS   (draft '24)

Connor MacPherson   F   Windsor, ON   (free agent)

Sam Madgett   G   Stillwater Lake, NS   (draft '23)

Tucker Makinen   F   Bedford, NS   (draft '23)

Patrick McNab   F   Beaconsfield, QC   (draft '23)

Jasu Mensonen   F   Imatra, Finland   (import)

Cameron Minella   D   Darien, CT   (draft '25)

Cade Moser   F   Linacy, NS   (draft '22)

Jayden Napon   F   Montreal, QC   (draft '25)

Alec Nasreddine   F   Mountainside, NJ   (draft '23)

Noah Olmedo-Matte   F   Repentigny, QC   (draft '24)

Owen Phillips   D   Hammonds Plains, NS   (draft '22)

Nathan Ruel   F   Riviere-du-Loup, QC   (draft '25)

Sam Ryan   F   Dartmouth, NS   (draft '25)

Amelio Santini   F   Cote-Saint-Luc, QC   (draft '24)

Jordan Shaw   F   Coleman, PE   (free agent)

Olivier St-Onge   G   Edmundston, NB   (draft '23)

Gavin Sudds   D   Sydney, NS   (draft '24)

Mathieu Taillefer   D   Richelieu, QC   (draft '22)

Logan Trewin   D   Halifax, NS   (draft '24)

Ylan Verpaelst   F   Magog, QC   (draft '25)

Daniel Walters   F   Halifax, NS   (draft '24)

Lincoln Waugh   D   Summerside, PE   (trade)

I suspect we will see first cuts before Tuesday's pre-season game, and the release of the official regular season roster I'm sure will be announced before the end of August. Follow along on this blog and on social media for camp news and updates. 

August, we welcome you!

We have turned the calendar in to August which means the off-season is two weeks away from being over for us fans and Halifax Mooseheads will soon start up again. The team kicked off the new month with a roster move as the QMJHL's pre-season trade period opened on Friday. 

Halifax announced that they have acquired 18-year-old goaltender Owen Bresson from the Shawinigan Cataractes in exchange for a 2026 3rd round draft pick. Bresson, a Dominion, NS native, made his Q debut in November following the NCAA rule change. He picked up eight wins in 17 games played for the Cataractes while posting a 2.98 goals against average and a 0.905 save percentage.

Photo - Herd website

According to the press release, Owen will join Nick Cirka to form the duo who will mind the Mooseheads net this season. Welcome to the team Owen! 

Other news and notes...

• Like I mentioned above, the summer trade period began yesterday August 1 and it will go until August 24. 
• Herd training camp will start Aug. 16 the team announced a few days ago with two White-Green intrasquad games on the following day. I will share the full schedule when camp is closer but you can click here for what the team shared. 
• Tickets for Halifax's 'home' exhibition games will go on sale on Tuesday. A live stream will be provided for both on the team's YouTube channel. 
• Former forward Barrett Dachyshyn has signed with the Antigonish Senior Bulldogs of the NSJHL. The 26-year-old did not play last season after finishing four years at the University of Windsor. 
• 92 players were invited to Hockey Canada's national teams orientation camp in preparation for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Among the forty-two that will look for a spot on the men's team are alumni defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and forward Brad Marchand plus the previously named Nathan MacKinnon. 
• A new recruiting window opened on Aug. 1 for NCAA college hockey teams so be ready for more commitments from junior players. The Grand Forks Herald has a list of 20 Canadians to watch and the Mooseheads 2026 3rd overall selection Malik L'Italien is #16 on the list. 

Roster Moves Change Landscape of Moose

Photo - Herd website

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

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

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

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

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

Explore the second half roster below

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

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

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

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

20  Daniel Walters  C  Halifax, NS*

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

32  Alec Nasreddine  LW  Mountainside, NJ, USA*

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

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

51  Eddy Doyle  D  Tignish, PE*

55  Shawn Carrier  LW  Trois-Rivieres, QC

56  Lincoln Waugh  D  Summerside, PE

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

Herd Move Rousseau, Crosby at Deadline

The Halifax Mooseheads made a couple of moves in the 11th hour of the winter trade period. Not surprisingly, Halifax traded goaltender Mathis Rousseau to the Moncton Wildcats along with forward Logan Crosby late Monday morning in exchange for overage netminder Jacob Steinman plus three draft picks (Rd 2 2025, Rd 2 2026, Rd 4 2026). 

Photo - AMH Photography

Rousseau was drafted by the Mooseheads in 2020 61st overall and made his debut during the 2021-22 season. He will be remembered as one of the best goalies to play for Halifax, securing 93 career wins during his time with the club and scoring the only goalie goal in franchise history on October 20, 2023. The 20-year-old finishes his time in Moose Country with 155 games played, a 2.74 goals against average and 0.912 save percentage over 3 and a half seasons. 

Photo - Saltwire

Crosby, a native of Salt Springs, NS, picked up 22 goals and 58 points in 163 games played for Halifax after being drafted by the team 20th overall at the 2021 QMJHL draft. The two players will join former teammates Dylan MacKinnon and Markus Vidicek on the Wildcats team who are looking to win the ultimate championship this season. Moncton currently sits on top of the league standings with 60 points and are on a 8 game win streak. 

"Mathis has done everything and more that we could have ever expected him to in a Mooseheads jersey. These decisions are never easy, but we wanted to give him a chance at winning a championship while helping our team get better for the future. We wish him and Logan the best of luck in Moncton," Russell said. 

A Toronto, ON native, Steinman leads the QMJHL with 22 wins so far this season and has been a solid goaltender in each of his 3 years after signing as a free agent with the Wildcats in 2022. He is near the top in all goalie statistical categories. 

Photo - Puck Preps

In a separate trade, the Herd acquired Callum Aucoin from the Cape Breton Eagles for a 2025 9th round draft pick. Aucoin, a native of Hammonds Plains, NS, has 16 points in 79 games played for the Eagles. The 18-year-old was drafted by the other Nova Scotian team in the 4th round in 2022. 

Good luck to Mathis and Logan with their new team and thank you for your time with Halifax. Welcome to Moose Country Jacob and Callum, I suspect we will see both in the lineup on Thursday. 

Mooseheads Make Trade with Rimouski

Photo - Journal Le Soir

The Halifax Mooseheads moved two players on the opening day of the winter trade period. Forward Lou Levesque and defenceman Jack Martin were traded to the Rimouski Oceanic yesterday and in return the Herd received right winger Quinn Kennedy plus a 2026 second round pick. 

Although it might not have been the most expected trade by the fans, it is a good move for the players as Levesque and Kennedy will be closer to home. Kennedy is a native of Upper Tantallon, NS and was selected by Rimouski 9th overall in the 2022 QMJHL draft. The 18-year-old scored 21 goals and recorded 45 points last season and has 16 points already in 2024-25. He is known for his offensive abilities. 

Photo - CHL website

Levesque meanwhile, requested to be closer to his family and Cam Russell was able to accommodate that request. The 18-year-old had 12 goals and 33 points in 2023-24 during his rookie season. He become a fan favourite in Moose Country over the last year and a half. Martin was drafted by Halifax 55th overall in 2021 and played 152 games for the Herd. The Upper Covedale, NB native had a career-high 13 points in the 2022-23 season and was on his way to pass that total as he recorded 12 points in 30 games this year. 

"We're excited to get a player of Quinn's calibre. He was a high draft pick who has an excellent skill set. Quinn's abilities will be a nice addition on our power play unit. I know he's also very excited to play for his hometown team," said GM Russell.

Good luck to Lou and Jack with the Oceanic as they battle for the Memorial Cup and thank you boys for playing your hearts out while in Halifax. Welcome to Moose Country Quinn, we look forward to watching you continue your career here.