Thursday notes

We are two days into training camp and there have been some news this week that has come out. So I thought I would catch you up. 

Photo - CHL website

Forward Caylen Blake was one of a few players who were on the Halifax Mooseheads last season that did not get an invitation to training camp. GM Cam Russell mentioned that the team wanted to free up some space in a crowded forward group and was looking for a spot on a different team for Blake. On Wednesday, the Herd announced that they have traded the 18-year-old to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for a ninth round pick in the 2029 QMJHL Draft. 

Blake played two seasons in Halifax, appearing in 120 regular season games and scoring 46 career points. The Corner Brook, NL was originally selected in the second round, 34th overall in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. Good luck to Caylen in Chicoutimi. 

Other news...

• Moose Country will still be able to listen to regular season games on the radio as it was announced earlier this week that Jack 92.9 is set to broadcast matches for the 2026-27 season with play-by-play voice Garreth MacDonald back on the mic. 
• Halifax added 20-year-old forward Will Hughes to the camp roster as another free agent invitation. Hughes captained the Collingwood Blues (OJHL) in 2025-26 and had 78 points in 50 games. 
• Interview with American goaltenders Jack Fichthorn and Carson Mertz

• Team White had the upper hand in the two intrasquad games on Thursday as the two teams tied game 1 (3-3) while White won game 2 (5-3). Jamie Calla, Shawn Carrier and Elie Champagne each had two goals over the two matches for White, meanwhile Emrik Menard scored twice for Team Green. 
• Cam Russell mentioned before camp, in his 'interview' with Scott MacIntosh, that Will Bent is not scheduled to be back in the lineup until mid-October but was listed on the training camp roster.
• Interview with Jackson Smail and Brady Smith

• No word when first cuts will be made but I expect we will see them tomorrow or Saturday morning, however the NCAA rules have changed how camps go and this does seem like a short camp. 

The Mooseheads get underway in pre-season action tomorrow night as they host the Cape Breton Eagles at 7pm. 

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. 

Training camp week 1 schedule

Photo - Herd website

It's August which means the Halifax Mooseheads will be back on the ice next week! 

The Herd released their first week schedule of the 2026 training camp that will begin on August 19 at RBC Centre. Players will most likely register Wednesday morning then will participate in a couple of practices. Halifax also announced that the venue for their pre-season game against the Cape Breton next Friday has changed from the team facility to Dalhousie's Oulton-Stanish Centre.  

Check out the schedule below
August 19     
3:00-4:00pm    Team White practice
4:30-5:30pm    Team Green practice

August 20
10:00am-12:00pm    Green vs White Intrasquad Game #1
3:00-5:00pm             Green vs White Intrasquad Game #2

August 21
7:00pm        Pre-season game vs. Cape Breton

August 22
7:00pm        Pre-season game at Cape Breton

Tickets to the three exhibition matches are on sale now, available for $17.50 per adult. Fans can buy them on TicketMaster online here. 

In other news...

• Halifax signed free agent goaltender Jack Fichthorn on July 30 to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Fichthorn is 19-years-old from Darien, Connecticut and was selected by the Mooseheads 43rd overall at the 2026 Entry Draft. 
• GM Cam Russell confirmed a rumour earlier this month and secured some future chips when he traded forward Liam Kilfoil to the Moncton Wildcats. Kilfoil played in 180 career regular season games after joining the Herd in 2023 and scored 105 points. 
• Fans can now buy half season packages for 2026-27. There are multiple member benefits including savings over individual prices, parking & merchandise discounts, invites to team events plus more. Find more here.  
• NHL Street Harbour Fest is coming to Halifax next month, September 12-13 at the Emera Oval. It is a 3-on-3 street hockey festival. 

L'Italien, MacKenzie win gold at Hlinka

Photo - Hockey Canada Twitter

Defenceman Malik L'Italien and head coach Brad MacKenzie are 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup champions. 

Team Canada won gold on Saturday evening in Edmonton, AB at the under-18 tournament, after defeating the United States 8-1 in the championship game. This was Canada's fourth trophy in the last five years. 

L'Italien had a point in the victory and finishes the tournament with a goal and two assists in five games. Meanwhile, MacKenzie was behind the bench as an assistant coach. Canada finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. 

GAME OVER! IT'S GOLD IN EDMONTON! 🇨🇦🇺🇸

MATCH FINI! MÉDAILLÉS D’OR À EDMONTON! 🇨🇦🇺🇸

📊 https://t.co/hU5AoHBg95
📊 https://t.co/EdF5Cx7RiP #HlinkaGretzkyCup | #CoupeHlinkaGretzky | @UpperDeckSports pic.twitter.com/iGvecpEZDn

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 9, 2026

The other Mooseheads player in the tournament was USA's defenceman Cameron Minella who assisted on the Americans lone goal in the final match. He finished with three helpers over 5 games. 

In the bronze medal game, Finland won 3-2 in regulation against Slovakia. 

Congrats to Malik and Brad on becoming gold medalists along with Cameron taking home a silver medal. 

Events

The regular season schedule was released back in mid-June and now our Halifax Mooseheads have announced their promotional schedule for 2026-27. There are more events than what is shown below but these continue to be the team continually has and are special games. 

Annual events
HOME OPENER - September 19 vs. Moncton Wildcats
90's Night - October 24 vs. Charlottetown Islanders
DND Appreciation Night - November 14 vs. Quebec Remparts
Toque Toss - December 13 vs. Saint John Sea Dogs
Moose Fight Cancer - February 6 vs. Charlottetown Islanders
Fan Appreciation - March 20 vs. Moncton Wildcats

See the full promotional schedule in the 'Schedule' tab above. 

Our 20's - Halifax Mooseheads

via QMJHL.ca

Throughout the summer, we'll be looking back at the QMJHL careers of our 20-year-old players, who will be moving on to new opportunities next season. Today, we feature the graduating players of the Halifax Mooseheads. 

Connor MacPherson
An Ontario native, MacPherson took a winding path before arriving in Halifax for the 2025-26 season. He spent two seasons with Leamington in the GOJHL, one with Penticton in the BCHL, and another at the University of New Hampshire in the NCAA before earning an invitation to the Mooseheads' training camp. He made the team and wrapped up his 20-year-old season with 26 points (12G, 14A) in 64 games. 

Photo - Saltwire

Samuel Rousseau
Selected by the Huskies in the 12th round of the 2021 QMJHL Draft, 208th overall, Rousseau has every reason to be proud of his junior career, which comes to an end after 193 QMJHL games (80 points). Rousseau appeared in two games with the Huskies as a 16-year-old but truly made his mark with the St-Eustache Vikings in the QMAAA, where he dominated with 58 points in 39 games. He earned a full-time roster spot in Rouyn-Noranda in 2022-23 and remained there for three full seasons, helping the Huskies reach the playoff semifinals in 2025. The 6-foot, 198-pound winger was then traded to the rebuilding Mooseheads, where his leadership, work ethic, and production--28 points (12G, 16A) in just 34 games--made him a valuable addition. He will continue his career next season at Long Island University. 

Photo - Mooseheads website

*Unlike the other 17 QMJHL teams, the Mooseheads finished the 2025-26 season with only two 20-year-old players on their roster. 

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.