With the regular season beginning this week, there is lots of news popping up so I thought I would do another Herd Word.
CHL TOP 10
The Canadian Hockey League announced the pre-season edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings on Tuesday and our Halifax Mooseheads were among the honourable mention teams on the list.
According to the website; The climb up the ranks begins this season for the Halifax Mooseheads as the club returns a well-rounded offensive core headlined by newly minted Columbus Blue Jackets draftee Jordan Dumais who was one of only seven QMJHL skaters to reach triple-digit production last season.
Other honourable mention teams include the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and the WHL's Portland Winterhawks.
It's been a good summer for alumni Nathan MacKinnon who after leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup title back on June 26, signed an 8-year contract extension earlier this week. The contract will start in the 2023-24 season and is worth $100.8 million dollars. At an average annual salary of $12.6 million, this will make MacKinnon the highest paid player in the National Hockey League.
"Nathan is obviously one of the premier players in the NHL so a long-term extension was something we wanted to get done before the season started," said Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland. "He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high compete level that makes him a generational player. We are thrilled he will continue to be a member of this team and this community for many years to come."
"Denver's the only place I want to be, for sure," MacKinnon recently said in Henderson, Nevada, during a pre-season player media tour.
MacKinnon has recorded 242 goals and 648 points in 638 career regular season games. The 27-year-old is going into his 10th NHL season and his point total ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time scoring list.
PREDICTIONS/PREVIEWS
Many believe that the Mooseheads will contend for the Maritimes division title this season and could contend in the playoffs in the spring.
Chronicle Herald's Willy Palov shared his predictions of how the QMJHL will end come March;
3. Halifax Mooseheads: There's some debate about whether this is Halifax's 'go for it' year or if it's 2023-24. With the depth and balance the Mooseheads have in their lineup, it might end up being both. Zachary L'Heureux, Cam Whynot, Jordan Dumais and Mathieu Cataford are just some of the blue-chip pieces in place for a turn at the top of the cycle that should last a minimum of two years.
The QMJHL shared their division previews for the 2022-23 season and on Wednesday, it was the Maritimes division's turn. Check out the video below.
Below you'll also find a video from the Canadian Hockey League previewing the QMJHL.
HERD ON TV
Our Halifax Mooseheads will be in two games that will be apart of the CHL on TSN broadcast this season. The Herd's game against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on November 3 and their match at the Moncton Wildcats on November 27 are among the fifteen-ish games set to be shown on TSN in the first half of the season. For a full list of matches, click here.
The CHL also announced their TV Game of the Week broadcast schedule and it includes Halifax's match on October 8 versus the Islanders in Charlottetown. Fans can watch the game via the CHL mobile app and online at watch.chl.ca for free. Full schedule here.
- The date and location for the NHL/CHL Top Prospects game was announced by Regina Pats star and 2023 draft-eligible prospect Connor Bedard the other day. It will be played in Bedard's hometown of Vancouver, BC on January 25, 2023.
- The QMJHL's holiday trading period will be Sunday, December 18 to Friday, January 6.
- Dates for the 2023 Memorial Cup were also announced and the tournament will be played from May 26 to June 5 in Kelowna.
