Stats Sunday: February

Games played: 10
Record: 6-4-0-0, 12pts
Goals for/against: 40/37
Powerplay*: 21.3%
Penalty kill*: 71.4%
Shutouts: None

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Evan Boucher 16, Elliot Desnoyers 14, Jordan Dumais 13, Markus Vidicek 12, Jake Furlong 9
Goals: Evan Boucher 11, Elliot Desnoyers 6, Jordan Dumais 3, Markus Vidicek 3, Zachary L'Heureux 3
Assists: Jordan Dumais 10, Markus Vidicek 9, Jake Furlong 9, Elliot Desnoyers 8, Evan Boucher 5
Penalty minutes: Zachary Beauregard 21, Dylan MacKinnon 20, Evan Boucher 12, Stephen Davis 11, Elliot Desnoyers 10
Plus/minus: Jake Furlong +10, Elliot Desnoyers +5, Markus Vidicek +4, Brady Schultz +3, Zachary L'Heureux +2
Rookie scoring: Mathieu Cataford 4pts, Alexandre Tessier 4pts, Brady Schultz 3pts, Attilio Biasca 2pts, Liam Welsh 1pt

Goaltender stats*
Mathis Rousseau     8-7-0-0     3.06 GAA     0.910 SAV%
Brady James     15-8-1-1     3.46 GAA     0.896 SAV%

*overall

Around the CHL ~ volume #2 season edition #12

It's another weird season because of the coronavirus and with all three leagues back in play once again, let's check out who leads in different categories around the CHL. The regular season has been extended, mainly in the QMJHL meaning teams have played anywheres from 30 to 46 games so far. Check back in a couple of months to see who finishes the season on top. GO Moose GO!

League leaders
Goals - Luke Evangelista 34 goals (OHL London Knights), Ben King 34 goals (WHL Red Deer Rebels), William Dufour 28 goals (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Assists - Wyatt Johnston 47 assists (OHL Windsor Spitfires), Arshdeep Bains 42 assists (WHL Red Deer Rebels), Xavier Simoneau 38 assists (QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders)
Points - Rory Kerins 73 points (OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Kyle Crnkovic 66 points (WHL Saskatoon Blades), William Dufour 58 points (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Defenceman points - Clay Hanus 44 points (WHL Portland Winterhawks), Brandt Clarke 43 points (OHL Barrie Colts), Jeremie Poirier 36 points (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Rookie points - Matthew Savoie 55 points (WHL Winnipeg Ice), Jakub Brabenec 35 points (QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders), Ty Nelson 33 points (OHL North Bay Battalion)
Goalie wins - Dyland Garand 24 wins (WHL Kamloops Blazers), Brett Brochu 23 wins (OHL London Knights), Ivan Zhigalov 15 wins (QMJHL Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Save percentage - Taylor Gauthier 0.934 SAV% (WHL Portland Winterhawks), Joe Ranger 0.929 SAV% (OHL Mississauga Steelheads), William Rousseau 0.916 SAV% (QMJHL Quebec Remparts)
Goals against average - Joe Ranger 1.92 GAA (OHL Mississauga Steelheads), Dylan Garand 2.00 GAA (WHL Kamloops Blazers), William Rousseau 2.10 GAA (QMJHL Quebec Remparts)

Division leaders
WHL - Everett Silvertips 70 points/33 wins (U.S. division), Edmonton Oil Kings 67 points/32 wins (Central division), Kamloops Blazers 63 points/31 wins (B.C. division), Winnipeg Ice 61 points/29 wins (East division)
OHL - Mississauga Steelheads 61 points/28 wins (Central division), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 53 points/24 wins (West division), Hamilton Bulldogs 52 points/24 wins (East division), London Knights 51 points/25 wins (Midwest division)
QMJHL - Charlottetown Islanders 52 points/25 wins (Maritimes division), Quebec Remparts 45 points/22 wins (East division), Sherbrooke Phoenix 45 points/21 wins (Central division), Gatineau Olympiques 41 points/18 wins (West division)

BMO CHL top ten ~ week 15
1. Winnipeg ICE {38-4-2-1} week 14 #1
2. Everett Silvertips {37-7-1-1} week 14 #3
3. Charlottetown Islanders {35-8-1-1} week 14 #4
4. Edmonton Oil Kings {34-10-2-1} week 14 #2
5. Portland Winterhawks {31-11-2-2} week 14 #5
6. Kamloops Blazers {32-11-2-3} week 14 #8
7. Hamilton Bulldogs {30-11-1-4} week 14 HM
8. Sherbrooke Phoenix {29-12-1-3} week 14 #10
9. London Knights {30-13-0-2} week 14 n/a
10. Quebec Remparts {31-12-1-3} week 14 #7
Honorable mentions: Kingston Frontenacs {30-14-2-3 #9}, Mississauga Steelheads {28-16-1-0 #6}, Moose Jaw Warriors {26-14-1-4 n/a}

QMJHL Names Scholastic POM

Every month, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announces a Scholastic Player of the Month which recognizes a player on each team with his performance on ice and in the classroom. The player is selected based on their school results, their implication, the school-hockey conciliation, their team spirit and their on-ice performances. 

For you Halifax Mooseheads, Brady James was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for January 2022.  

Team	Player	Program	Institution
BAT	Joseph Henneberry	Grade 12	Bathurst High School
BAC	Émile Chouinard	Grade 12	Northern Pre University
BLB	Alexis Gendron	Grade 12	Northern Pre University
CAP	Rémi Delafontaine	Social Sciences	Cégep à distance
CHA	Francesco Lapenna	Social Sciences	Cégep à distance
CHI	Matteo Mann	Grade 12	Tantramar Regional High School
DRU	Alexis Morin	Natural Sciences	Cégep de Drummondville
GAT	Manix Landry	Architecture	Athabasca University
HAL	Brady James	Commerce	Saint Mary’s University
MON	Francesco Iasenza	Grade 12 / Business	Bernice MacNaughton HS / UNB
QUE	Evan Nause	Bachelor of Commerce	Concordia University
RIM	Luke Coughlin	Grade 11	Harrison Trimble High School
ROU	Mathis Perron	Social Sciences	Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
SNB	William Villeneuve	Management	Université de Moncton
SHA	Olivier Nadeau	Social Sciences	Cégep de Shawinigan
SHE	Christophe Rondeau	Social Sciences	Cégep de Sherbrooke
VDO	Philippe Cloutier	Social Sciences	Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
VIC	Alexandre Nadeau	Social Sciences	Cégep de Victoriaville

Game Day 31: at Chicoutimi

PREVIEW - It's game day once again finally. The QMJHL restarted their regular season yesterday evening after being off since Dec. 18 and because of current restrictions, our Halifax Mooseheads will be out on the road for a little bit. Halifax's road trip starts tonight with a visit to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens with puck dropping at 5 p.m. Atlantic time. This will be the first game for newcomer Evan Boucher who the Mooseheads picked up as a free agent last month. The Herd have a healthy lineup for I believe the first time this season but will be missing forward Zachary L'Heureux as he begins his six-game suspension from the team's last game. Chicoutimi, meanwhile, did have the league leading scorer on their team before Christmas in Felix Lafrance but traded him to Bathurst along with their second leading scorer so they have lost quite a bit of their offence. The Sagueneens shouldn't be counted out though even if they are 12th in the league at the restart. Buckle up Moose Country, it may not be the march to the playoffs yet but it's probably going to feel like it starting now.

Game coverage
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads | Post-game: Halifax Mooseheads

Overall records
Mooseheads: 17-11-1-1 = 36 points (2nd in Maritimes division, 6th overall)
Sagueneens: 14-12-0-4 = 32 points (3rd in East division, 12th overall)

Leading scorers
CHI: Matej Kaslik 27pts (15G & 12A), William Rouleau 26pts (5G & 21A), Julien Hebert 20pts (9G & 11A)
HAL: Jordan Dumais 47pts (16G & 31A), Zachary L'Heureux 38pts (16G & 22A), Elliot Desnoyers 36pts (16G & 20A)

Head-to-head
This is the first meeting between these two teams this season. The two clubs last met on January 10, 2020 where Chicoutimi picked up a 8-3 road win in Halifax. Denis Toner scored twice for the Mooseheads while Alex Gravel stopped 36 of the Sagueneens' 44 shots. 

Last games
Halifax is coming off a big 6-2 victory over Moncton before Christmas. Jordan Dumais led the Mooseheads with a goal and 3 assists and Brady James made 21 saves against the Wildcats on Dec. 18. 

Chicoutimi is coming off a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Tigres on the last day before the break. Three rookies scored for the Sagueneens and Sergei Litvinov got the start in Victoriaville. 

Not playing - Zachary L'Heureux (suspended)

Out of town
Titan vs. Armada - 4:00 p.m.
Drakkar vs. Islanders - 4:00 p.m.
Foreurs vs. Cataractes - 5:00 p.m.
Wildcats vs. Oceanic - 7:00 p.m.
Huskies vs. Phoenix - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will continue their road trip with a visit to Baie-Comeau tomorrow to take on the Drakkar. Puck drops at 5 p.m.

Abeltshauser Headed To Olympics

Well despite 4 former Halifax Mooseheads being named to Olympic rosters, only one will actually be playing in the Games next week.

After the NHL decided to pull their players out, countries had to change who will represent them in the men's hockey tournament. Herd alumni Konrad Abeltshauser is one of the lucky benefactors of the change and will represent his country Germany. 

The 29-year-old played 4 years for Halifax between 2009 and 2013, eventually winning the 2013 Memorial Cup with the organization. He holds the franchise record for points by a defenseman with 150. He now plays for the EHC Munchen of DEL, a team Abeltshauser has been with since 2015. Originally from Bad Tolz, Germany Konrad has represented the country many times. 

Germany, who are the reigning Olympic bronze medalists, will begin their quest for a medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing when they face Canada in their opening game on February 10th. Below is the preliminary schedule for Germany (Beijing time):

Feb 10  Canada vs. Germany  9:10pm
Feb 12  Germany vs. China  4:40pm
Feb 13  United States vs. Germany  9:10pm

Congratulations to Konrad on making the Olympic team and good luck to Germany. 

Q Plan To Return Feb. 3

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today that they plan to return to play on February 3. 

According to the press release, the league's objective remains to play a full 68 game regular season schedule. The revised schedule will be released on Monday with remaining games being played between Feb. 3 and May 1. Capacity restrictions for every rink will be determined by each province's Public Health guidelines. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads tweeted that they will restart the schedule on a road trip due to the current restrictions in place in Nova Scotia until February 14. Fans will be notified of further information regarding home games as it becomes available. 

The 2022 President Cup playoffs format will be announced at a later date but they will begin on May 5 and conclude no later than June 15. With a later playoffs, a new schedule for the 2022 Memorial Cup will also be released in the upcoming weeks. 

Herd Word

Some news from the past week or so as we are in the middle of January and things keep changing. 

MIRON WAIVED

I missed this in amidst all the other news last week but forward Landon Miron was put on waivers by the Halifax Mooseheads and quickly got claimed by the Val-d'Or Foreurs on January 7. The 19-year-old from Dartmouth, NS had one goal and two assists in 18 games this season in Halifax. Since joining the Mooseheads as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Miron has produced 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points in 75 career QMJHL games. 

Good luck Landon in Val-d'Or, we'll miss you in Moose Country. 

HERD ADD FREE AGENT
This was rumoured shortly after the trade deadline passed last Thursday and it was confirmed by the club on Monday. The Herd have added 19-year-old free agent Evan Boucher who comes from Timmons, ON. He was second in the CCHL's scoring race with 22 goals and 40 points in 27 games with the Brockville Braves prior to signing with Halifax. According to the release, Boucher played 92 career CCHL games between Rockland, Nepean and Brockville, putting up a total of 78 points. "He is a big forward who plays physically and has a good scoring touch. We think he will be a nice compliment to our roster", said General Manager Cam Russell. 

Welcome to the team Evan. He will wear number 71 according to the club's Twitter account.

OLYMPICS CANCELLED
Kind of old news as it was announced before Christmas but I was still hoping some way we'd get to see NHL players in the 2022 Winter Olympics next month. The National Hockey League along with the Players Association decided that its players would not participate in the Olympics in Beijing. Many different reasons were the cause of the league making this decision like the uncertainty about how long players would have to quarantine in China should they test positive, safety concerns as well as the fact that the NHL has had to postpone multiple games this season because of government restrictions and league protocols. 

This means that we won't see Jakub Voracek, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Nikolaj Ehlers heading over seas to represent their countries which is really unfortunate especially as Ehlers helped Denmark qualify for the tournament. We could still see a few alumni suit up but we'll have to wait and see as it seems only the USA and Czech Republic have released their new rosters. Minor professional league players can be named and it sounds like NCAA guys can too. 

ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
One event is still going on next month for NHL players at least for now. The league announced the rosters for the 2022 All-Star game. Former Herd Nathan MacKinnon was named captain of the Central Division team via a fan vote. This is the 4th time MacKinnon has been made an all-star in his career. The 26-year-old has 6 goals and 35 points so far this season with the Colorado Avalanche. Another Moose alum Timo Meier will play for the Pacific Division in his first all-star appearance. Meier is 10th in league scoring with 39 points (15 goals+24 assists) for the San Jose Sharks. 

The 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game will take place on February 5 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena and will feature a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format. 

Congratulations to Nathan and Timo on their all-star game nod. Good luck boys, Moose Country will be cheering you on.

DRAFT RANKINGS
3 members of our Halifax Mooseheads were listed in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Season Rankings released on Wednesday. Defenceman Jake Furlong was ranked #53 on the most recent list which predicts he'll be a second round draft pick. Surprisingly, forward Jordan Dumais is ranked only as high as #72 which would put him in the third round. If he keeps having the season that he has been, I suspect we'll see him being higher up the list by the time the draft rolls around. Forward Markus Vidicek is the last player from the Herd on the rankings at #98. 

In total, 36 QMJHL players were among the names that ranked by the scouting services with Gatineau Olympiques defenceman Tristan Luneau the highest ranked Q player. Other projected first-round selections from the league include Maveric Lamoureux (Drummondville) and Nathan Gaucher (Quebec). Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs continues to be the projected 1st overall pick. For the full list of prospects, click here. 

Talking about prospects, the Canadian Hockey League announced on Friday that the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects game originally scheduled for February 2 has been postponed due to ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic. A new date will be released at a later date. 

Q SEASON POSTPONED 
From the QMJHL
With no clear timeline of COVID-19 restrictions being eased, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced the postponement of its return to play plans. 

Initially scheduled for a return in the week of January 17, the regular season will resume on February 1. The league is still working on rescheduling all postponed games, with the primary objective of having all franchises play their full 68-game schedule.  

Photos - Saltwire, Herd website, Avalanche & Sharks Twitter accounts