Stats Sunday: September

Games played: 4
Record: 2-1-1-0, 5pts
Goals for/against: 14 / 19
Powerplay*: 15.8%
Penalty kill*: 73.3%
Shutouts: None

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Quinn Kennedy 8, Nathan Langlois 5, Malik L'Italien 4, Paul Sintschnig 3, Mateo Nobert 2
Goals: Quinn Kennedy 3, Nathan Langlois 3, Mateo Nobert 2, Paul Sintschnig 1, Eddy Doyle 1
Assists: Quinn Kennedy 5, Malik L'Italien 4, Nathan Langlois 2, Paul Sintschnig 2, Oleg Kulebiakin 1
Penalty minutes: Daniel Walters 18, Eddy Doyle 6, Paul Sintschnig 4, Cameron Minella 4, Quinn Kennedy 2
Plus/minus: Jayden Napon +3, Quinn Kennedy +2, Nathan Langlois +2, Ty Peddigrew +2, Malik L'Italien +1
Rookie scoring: Paul Sintschnig 3pts, Jayden Napon 1pt

Goaltender stats*
Carson Mertz     1-0-0-0     3.24 GAA     0.891 SAV%
Jack Fichthorn     1-1-1-0     5.69 GAA     0.740 SAV%

*overall

Game Day 3 & 4: at Newfoundland

PREVIEW - Our Halifax Mooseheads have back-to-back road games this weekend against the Newfoundland Regiment in St. John's. Because of time zones, this match will be the first one on Friday night as puck drop is scheduled for 6:30pm Atlantic. After splitting their two games last weekend, Halifax should have some reinforcements as the three players who attended NHL main camps have been returned at points this week. However, the Mooseheads have been hit by the injury bug with defenceman Brady Smith and returning forward Shawn Carrier joining Will Bent on the sidelines. Smith broke his finger during practice a few days ago and will be out for 4-6 weeks while Carrier is day-to-day after suffering a lower body injury at Colorado Avalanche training camp. Newfoundland should also have a stronger roster this weekend after Will Reynolds was sent down by Seattle. 

Newfoundland is coming off a 4-2 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday. 20-year-old free agent forward Matthew Frost scored twice for the Regiment in the home win. The Mooseheads were defeated 6-5 in overtime that night by the Moncton Wildcats. Veteran forward Quinn Kennedy had 4 points for Halifax in its home opener. 

The two clubs will meet again tomorrow night, with puck drop scheduled for 7pm local time.

Coverage
TV: FloHockey | Radio: Jack 92.9 | Live: @nlregiment

Overall records
Mooseheads: 1-0-1-0 = 3 points (3rd in Eastern conference, 6th overall)
Regiment: 1-1-0-0 = 2 points (6th in Eastern conference, 10th overall)

Leading scorers
NFD: Matthew Frost 3pts (3G), Dmitry Kubantsev 2pts (1G & 1A), Louis-Francois Belanger 2pts (2A)
HAL: Quinn Kennedy 8pts (3G & 5A), Nathan Langlois 5pts (3G & 2A), Paul Sintschnig 3pts (1G & 2A)

Head-to-head
This is the first match between these two teams this season. Halifax had a 2-6-0-0 record versus the Regiment in 2025-26 while Newfoundland went 6-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads. Their last match was the season finale on March 21 where Newfoundland won 6-4 on home ice over the Mooseheads. 

Out of town
Islanders vs. Eagles - 7:00 p.m.
Sea Dogs vs. Wildcats - 7:00 p.m.
Olympiques vs. Armada - 8:00 p.m.
Tigres vs. Phoenix - 8:00 p.m.
Huskies vs. Voltigeurs - 8:00 p.m.
Remparts vs. Cataractes - 8:00 p.m.
Drakkar vs. Sagueneens - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer 

Halifax will continue their road trip with a visit to Moncton on October 2 against the Wildcats. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Top Line Has A Game in Loss

Photo - AMH Photography

Despite outshooting their opponent 38-17, the Halifax Mooseheads found themselves on the losing end in their home opener on Saturday night. The visiting Moncton Wildcats kept it close all game and skated away with a 6-5 overtime victory over the Herd. Overager Niko Tournas got Moncton on the board first, scoring 3:03 into the game short handed. Forward Nathan Langlois picked up his second of the season at the 12:35 mark to tie the game before Austrian rookie Paul Sintschnig put Halifax up 2-1. It was Sintschnig's first career QMJHL goal. The teams would go into the dressing room tied at 2-2 after 20 minutes. Veteran Quinn Kennedy made it a hot start to the season, recording another four points tonight including a goal in the second period to give the Mooseheads a 4-3 lead at the 15:20 mark. The Wildcats made it a tied game again after 40 minutes. It was a boring final frame with only one shot recorded in the first eight minutes of the third period and the scoring came in the last five minutes. After Kennedy scored his 2nd of the game at 16:03, Tournas tied it again with his third with 112 seconds remaining forcing overtime. Moncton had all 5 shots in the extra frame and won on an unfortunate play. The top line of Kennedy, Sintschnig and Langlois recorded 10 points amongst them. Former Herd forward Liam Kilfoil had 3 assists to help his new team in his first return to Nova Scotia's capital. 

FINAL: Wildcats 6 at Mooseheads 5 OT
Stars: 3. Nathan Langlois HAL | 2. Niko Tournas MON | 1. Quinn Kennedy HAL
Attendance: 8,122

MC's Top Herd: Quinn Kennedy

GAME LOG
First period

3:03 MON Niko Tournas (1), SH | A: Kilfoil & Baird-Gadjos

12:35 HAL Nathan Langlois (2) | A: Peddigrew

17:23 HAL Paul Sintschnig (1) | A: Kennedy & L'Italien

18:41 MON Rian Chudzinski (1) | A: Kilfoil

Second period
7:10 MON Niko Tournas (2), PP | A: Brosnan & Gould

7:48 HAL Nathan Langlois (3), PP | A: Sintschnig & Kennedy
15:20 HAL Quinn Kennedy (2), PP | A: L'Italien & Phillips

18:15 MON Charlie Benigno (1) | A: Fortier-Gendron & Weiner

Third period 
16:03 HAL Quinn Kennedy (3) | A: Sintschnig & Langlois

18:08 MON Niko Tournas (3) | A: Bursaw

Overtime
2:16 MON Rian Chudzinski (2), PP | A: Kilfoil

Highlights

Power play: MON - 2-for-2; HAL - 2-for-5

Shots: 38-17 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Oleg Kulebiakin (NHL camp), Will Bent (injured), Mateo Nobert (NHL camp) & Shawn Carrier (NHL camp)

Next game

The Halifax Mooseheads travel to Newfoundland to take on the Regiment for two games next weekend. Game times are 6:30 p.m. 

Game Day 2: vs. Moncton

PREVIEW - The Halifax Mooseheads will host in their home opener tonight when they welcome the Moncton Wildcats to the Scotiabank Centre. Both teams are coming off wins last night to start the season but the Mooseheads do need to once again figure out how to play a full 60 minute game. Moose Country fans will be able to officially welcome the twelve new faces that are on the roster this evening as there is set to be a pre-game ceremony introducing the 2026-27 team. The overage players stepped up on Friday night and Halifax hopes that they will again against the Wildcats. Moncton, meanwhile, was led by former Herd forward Liam Kilfoil who scored twice in a comeback win. He’ll be looking to improve on the 39 points he had last season and hoping to help the Cats to another very strong year as the club comes into this season as the past two Eastern Conference champions. Even though the away team is predicted to be more in the lower half of the standings and the home team should be in the upper half, games between these two teams are normally close and hard to know who will come out on top. So I expect we’re in for another good game. 

Coverage
TV: FloHockey | Radio: Jack 92.9 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry

Overall records
Wildcats: 1-0-0-0 = 2 points (3rd in Eastern conference, 6th overall)
Mooseheads: 1-0-0-0 = 2 points (4th in Eastern conference, 8th overall)

Leading scorers
HAL: Quinn Kennedy 4pts (1G & 3A), Nathan Langlois 2pts (1G & 1A), Eddy Doyle 1pt (1G)
MON: Liam Kilfoil 2pts (2G), Wyatt Blace 2pts (1G & 1A), Rian Chudzinski 2pts (2A)

Head-to-head
This is the first match between these two teams this season. Halifax had a 2-4-0-2 record versus the Wildcats in 2025-26 while Moncton went 6-1-1-0 against the Mooseheads. Their last match was February 16 where Moncton skated to a 7-5 victory over Halifax in the New Brunswick city.

Out of town
Drakkar vs. Oceanic - 5:00 p.m.
Armada vs. Foreurs - 5:00 p.m.
Olympiques vs. Huskies - 5:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Voltigeurs - 5:00 p.m.
Regiment vs. Sea Dogs - 6:30 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will go on a four game road trip starting with a visit the Newfoundland Regiment on Friday night. Puck drops at 6:30 p.m. 

Fichthorn Gets First Q Win

Photo - Jeremy Fraser (CB Post)

The Halifax Mooseheads got off to a hot start on Friday night and it propelled them to a 5-4 shootout win over the host Cape Breton Eagles. 20-year-old Quinn Kennedy went coast to coast to score the first goal of the season for Halifax, giving the away team a 1-0 lead at the 6:09 mark of the opening period. Veteran Eliot Litalien tied the game up for Cape Breton about seven minutes later but it didn’t take long for the Mooseheads to retake the lead. Rookie Nico Uschan recorded his first QMJHL career goal to help his team to a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes. In the middle frame, the teams traded goals last in the period as former Herd Reece Peitzsche got on the board but the home team still was down 4-2 after the second period. The Eagles pushed back in the third scoring twice to tie the game and force overtime. American goaltender Jack Fichthorn played a strong game for Halifax, making some highlight saves specifically one late in the third to keep the score 4-4. The 19-year-old stopped both shots in the extra frame before going 2-of-3 in the shootout to pick up his first career QMJHL victory. Kennedy was named second star of the game after collecting three assists on top of his goal. 

FINAL: Mooseheads 5 at Eagles 4 SO

Stars: 3. Adam Klaus CAP | 2. Quinn Kennedy HAL | 1. Eliot Litalien CAP

Attendance: 4,026

GAME LOG

First period

6:09 HAL Quinn Kennedy (1) | A: None

13:07 CAP Eliot Litalien (1) | A: Klaus & McCullough

13:41 HAL Nico Uschan (1) | A: Kennedy & Langlois

18:23 HAL Nathan Langlois (1), PP | A: Kennedy & L’Italien

Second period

14:44 CAP Reece Peitzsche (1) | A: De Ladurantaye & Litalien

16:28 HAL Eddy Doyle (1) | A: Kennedy

Third period

0:34 CAP Jacob Hartlin (1), PP | A: Chandler & Reynolds

12:35 CAP Adam Klaus (1), PP | A: Litalien & Broderick

Overtime

None

Shootout 

Peitzsche    GOAL        Kennedy    GOAL

Chandler    MISS        Langlois    GOAL

Litalien    GOAL

Highlights

Power play: HAL - 1-for-5; CAP - 2-for-5

Shots: 33-28 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Oleg Kulebiakin (NHL camp), Will Bent (injured), Mateo Nobert (NHL camp) & Shawn Carrier (NHL camp)

Next game

Our Halifax Mooseheads will play their home opener as they host the Moncton Wildcats. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Game Day 1: at Cape Breton

PREVIEW - Your Halifax Mooseheads will be kicking off the 2026-27 regular season this evening when they head to Nova Scotia's island to visit the Cape Breton Eagles in their home opener. Many suspect that Cape Breton will be near the very top of the league after 64 games but that is to be seen, however they were ranked as the 2nd best team in the CHL on Wednesday. The Eagles are celebrating their 30th season and I'm sure they are hoping that it will end better than how the Mooseheads' anniversary year finished. On the other side, Halifax is also predicted to be a competitive team over the next 6 months so this should be a very interesting match in Sydney tonight. The Herd will be without a few players this weekend as three guys are at NHL camps (Nobert, Carrier & Kulebiakin) and Will Bent is on the injured list recovering from shoulder surgery. I believe the Eagles are also without some players who are participating in NHL camps. Get excited Moose Country, the pre-season is over and the drive for the playoffs begins now. 

Coverage

TV: Eastlink | Radio: Jack 92.9 | Live: @HFXMooseheads

Overall records

Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (8th in Eastern conference, 16th overall)

Eagles: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (9th in Eastern conference, 17th overall)

Leading scorers

CAP: n/a

HAL: n/a

Head-to-head
This is the first game of the season between these two teams. Halifax had a 5-3-0-0 record versus the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 3-3-1-1 against the Mooseheads. Their last match was on March 8 where Halifax won 3-2 in overtime in Cape Breton.

Out of town
Regiment vs. Sea Dogs - 6:30 p.m.
Islanders vs. Wildcats - 7:00 p.m.
Drakkar vs. Oceanic - 8:00 p.m.
Armada vs. Huskies - 8:00 p.m. 
Sagueneens vs. Cataractes - 8:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Remparts - 8:00 p.m.
Tigres vs. Foreurs - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will play their home opener on Saturday evening hosting the Moncton Wildcats. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Herd Word: Opening week

Photo - The Signal

The regular season starts in two days.

We are in the middle of September which means the games that matter are right around the corner. Sixteen of the QMJHL’s 18 teams will be in action on Friday night including the Gilles Courtueau Trophy winning Chicoutimi Sagueneens hosting the Shawinigan Cataractes and raising their championship banner. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads kick off the season with a visit to the Cape Breton Eagles on opening night before hosting the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday evening at the Scotiabank Centre. They will then go on a four game road trip. 

Photo - Herd Facebook

NHL DRAFT RANKINGS
Seventeen year old defenseman Malik L'Italien looks to be the only Moosehead on pre-season rankings for the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. He is ranked 17th on TSN's Top 20, The Athletic's Scott Wheeler has him among his tier 5 players (#20), while Elite Prospect's ranked the Montreal, QC native 37th. 

Good to see at least one player on scout's minds this early in the year, hopefully we will see L'Italien move up and possibly more current Herd players get listed as the season goes on. Malik had a goal and three points in a strong showing at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky tournament during the summer. 

POLL
I haven’t done a poll in about a year, and I thought I would do it a little differently this time. According to predictors, the Maritimes division is supposed to be very competitive and could be ‘won’ by possibly any of the six teams. For this poll I am asking you, What position do you think the Mooseheads will end after the final game of the regular season? Divisions are technically not in play anymore so that isn’t an option.

1. League champions (reg. Season)
2. Eastern conference champions
3. 3rd-8th overall
4. 9th-16th overall
5. Out of playoffs

Go over to my Twitter account (MC_MooseCountry) to cast your vote. I’ll leave it pinned and set it for 4 days. 

PRE-SEASON TOP 10
The Canadian Hockey League released its pre-season top-10 rankings on Wednesday.

Let's hear those opinions 🗣️

The preseason #CHLTop10 rankings for the 2026-27 season are here! ⬇️

📰 https://t.co/uLdRM8guBt pic.twitter.com/WgLta8kKpF

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) September 16, 2026

Seems honourable mentions are no longer as none were mentioned in the article or on the picture. 

HOME OPENER DETAILS
Halifax announced that the first 3,000 fans at Saturday’s home opener will receive a fridge magnet schedule. The team also released a limited edition t-shirt that is available in-game only. Seems that Halifax's hashtag for 2026-27 will be #ForTheCity. The lower bowl should be pretty full as there are less than 50 seats remaining, however the upper bowl has lots of tickets available. Grab your tickets and lets kick off this year with a party. 

Photo - Lightning Twitter

3 MAKE MAIN CAMPS
The Mooseheads had six current players that participated in rookie camps, and now three of them have moved on to main camps for their respective NHL teams. A number of alumni will also take part in hopes of making the regular season rosters. Check out the list below.

Boston Bruins (Sep. 16-29) - Attilio Biasca
Carolina Hurricanes (Sep. 17-28) - Nikolaj Ehlers
Chicago Blackhawks (Sep. 17-28) - Cavan Fitzgerald & Jake Furlong
Colorado Avalanche (Sep. 17-20) - Shawn Carrier, Zach L'Heureux & Nathan MacKinnon
Columbus Blue Jackets (Sep. 16-28) - Jordan Dumais 
Florida Panthers (Sep. 17-24) - Brad Marchand
Nashville Predators (Sep. 16-26) - Justin Barron
New Jersey Devils (Sep. 17-?) - Nico Hischier, Timo Meier & Xavier Parent
Tampa Bay Lightning (Sep. 17-28) - Elliot Desnoyers & Oleg Kulebiakin
Toronto Maple Leafs - Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Utah Mammoth (Sep. 17-25) - MacKenzie Weegar
Vegas Golden Knights (Sep. 17-26) - Mathieu Cataford, Raphael Lavoie & Mateo Nobert

Moose on Eastlink TV 14 times

Photo - Eastlink website

Our Halifax Mooseheads will be apart of Eastlink’s Friday Night Hockey during the upcoming season 14 times. The television provider announced its broadcast schedule on Tuesday and will kick it off on September 18 when the Herd visit the Cape Breton Eagles. 

Eastlink shows games from Halifax, Cape Breton, Charlottetown and now apparently Moncton. 

Friday Night Hockey schedule below (all games at 7pm and on Friday unless stated)

September 18 at Cape Breton Eagles
October 2 at Moncton Wildcats
October 16 vs Val-d’Or Foreurs
October 23 vs Cape Breton Eagles
November 6 vs Cape Breton Eagles
November 27 vs Moncton Wildcats
December 10 at Cape Breton Eagles (Thursday)
December 17 at Moncton Wildcats (Thursday)
January 8 at Charlottetown Islanders
January 22 at Charlottetown Islanders
January 29 at Cape Breton Eagles
February 6 vs Charlottetown Islanders (Saturday 4pm)
February 12 at Moncton Wildcats
March 20 vs Moncton Wildcats

You can find the full schedule here. 

Around the CHL ~ volume #1 preview edition #12

We are just days away from the Canadian Hockey League beginning the 2026-27 regular season with puck dropping on September 17 in the OHL. So I figured it would be nice to recap how last year ended and point out some important events below. Check back all year long for more stories on the CHL and our Mooseheads. 

here are last year's leaders:
Division champions 2025-26
WHL - Everett Silvertips (U.S.) 68 games played, 57-8-2-1 record, 117 points, 304 goals for/173 goals against; Prince Albert Raiders (East) 68 games played, 52-10-5-1 record, 110 points, 310 goals for/165 goals against; Medicine Hat Tigers (Central) 68 games played, 50-10-5-3 record, 108 points, 348 goals for/208 goals against; Penticton Vees (B.C.) 68 games played, 44-14-6-4 record, 98 points, 268 goals for/188 goals against; 

OHL - Brantford Bulldogs (East) 68 games played, 48-10-8-2 record, 106 points, 296 goals for/190 goals against; Kitchener Rangers (Midwest) 68 games played, 47-14-5-2 record, 101 points, 261 goals for/179 goals against; Barrie Colts (Central) 68 games played, 45-14-5-4 record, 99 points, 246 goals for/194 goals against; Windsor Spitfires (West) 68 games played, 44-15-6-3 record, 97 points, 264 goals for/173 goals against

QMJHL - Moncton Wildcats (Maritimes) 64 games played, 50-10-2-2 record, 104 points, 302 goals for/164 goals against; Chicoutimi Sagueneens (East) 64 games played, 49-10-3-2 record, 103 points, 321 goals for/150 goals against; Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (West) 64 games played, 40-17-5-2 record, 86 points, 221 goals for/178 goals against; Drummondville Voltiguers (Central) 64 games, 40-18-3-3 record, 86 points, 240 goals for/195 goals against

League championships 2026
President's Cup - Moncton Wildcats vs. Chicoutimi Sagueneens (Sagueneens won series 4 games to 2 games)
J. Ross Robertson Cup - Kitchener Rangers vs. Barrie Colts (Rangers won series 4 games to 0 games)
Ed Chynoweth Cup - Everett Silvertips vs. Prince Albert Raiders (Silvertips won series 4 games to 1 game)

Memorial Cup 2026
Teams - Chicoutimi (QMJHL champion), Everett (WHL champion), Kelowna (Hosts) and Kitchener (OHL champion)

Final May 31, 2026 Everett vs. Kitchener 2-6

KITCHENER RANGERS WIN 2026 MEMORIAL CUP!!!


Kitchener will look to repeat as Memorial Cup champions. This year the Memorial Cup will be held in Guelph, home of the Guelph Storm who will be in the tournament no matter what. The 2025 CHL USA Top Prospects two game series will be hosted by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and the Quebec Remparts on December 1 and 2, respectively. Multiple rules changes were announced by the Western Hockey League for this season. 

MHL season underway

There are a number of players suiting up for teams in the Maritime Hockey League this season that have connections to our Halifax Mooseheads. The MHL regular season began on Thursday evening so let’s explore who those young men are. 

Here’s the list. Players with an * are draft picks/prospects.

Campbellton - Tucker Makinen*

Chaleur - Jameson George*

Photo - Bearcats Facebook

Pictou County - Jack Cameron*, Dominic MacKenzie

Summerside - Cade Moser, Jordan Shaw*, Lincoln Waugh

Truro - Callum Aucoin, Caylen Blake, Antoine Fontaine, Logan Trewin*

Valley - Jack Bell*, Aidan Bent*, Ryan Fletcher*

Yarmouth - Chandler Bell*

Former Herd captain Ryan Falkenham was promoted by the Truro Bearcats to head coach after being the team’s assistant coach the last two seasons. 

There are two alum who were named captain of their respective clubs in Dominic MacKenzie and Antoine Fontaine. Congrats to the pair of 20-year-olds along with Callum Aucoin who received an A from the Bearcats. 

Stats Sunday: Pre-season

Game played: 5
Scores*: 1-5, 9-4, 5-1, 3-2, 7-3
Record: 4-1-0-0, 8pts
Goals for/against: 25 / 15
Powerplay: 13.0%
Penalty kill: 73.7%

Team leaders
Points: Mateo Nobert (5pts), Jamie Calla (5pts), Nathan Langlois (5pts)
Goals: Mateo Nobert (3G), Jamie Calla (3G), Nathan Langlois (2G)
Assists: Jack Cameron (4A), Nathan Langlois (3A), Shawn Carrier (3A)
Penalty minutes: Emrik Ménard (8 mins), Ylan Verpaelst (6 mins), Daniel Walters (6 mins)
Plus/minus: Cole MacLeod (+5), Nathan Langlois (+5), Duncan Anderson (+4)

Goaltending stats
Jack Fichthorn:  2-0-0-0   1.93 GAA   0.949 SAV%
Carson Mertz:  1-0-0-0   2.06 GAA   0.944 SAV%
Chandler Bell:  0-0-0-0   3.99 GAA   0.900 SAV %
Jack Bell: 1-0-0-0   4.01 GAA   0.867 SAV%
William Laplante: 0-1-0-0   7.95 GAA   0.714 SAV%

*Halifax's score is first

NHL rookie camp rosters out

It's mid-September which means that hockey seasons are underway and the National Hockey League is about to begin this week with rookie training camps. 

Our Halifax Mooseheads have multiple players, from their current roster and alumni, who will be participating across the league. About half of the young guns listed below will battle it out at the 2026 Rookie Faceoff which is hosted by San Jose from Sept. 12-15 and will include Utah, Vegas and Colorado along with Anaheim and Los Angeles.

Photo - Ducks website

Players headed to rookie training camps:
Jake Furlong - Chicago Blackhawks
Quinn Kennedy - Utah Mammoth (invite) 
Attilio Biasca - Boston Bruins
Danny Walters - Ottawa Senators (invite)  
Mathieu Cataford - Vegas Golden Knights
Jordan Dumais - Columbus Blue Jackets
Oleg Kulebiakin - Tampa Bay Lightning
Eddy Doyle - Buffalo Sabres (invite)
Nick Cirka - Utah Mammoth (invite) 
Shawn Carrier - Colorado Avalanche
Dylan MacKinnon - Boston Bruins
Mateo Nobert - Vegas Golden Knights

Good luck to all the players at camp, hopefully we’ll see a few of these guys at main camps. 

With six current players away, the Mooseheads have adjusted plans that were originally scheduled for this weekend such as cancelling their last pre-season game that was set for tonight in Dartmouth against Saint John as well as postponing tomorrow’s meet the team event. 

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

Photo - QMJHL website

from theqmjhl.ca

At times last year, the Mooseheads looked like a team poised to build off a stunning 2025 postseason run. At other times, they fell well below that level. The club has made a number of moves to ensure a more consistent – and more competitive – season awaits the fans in Halifax.

First, the returnees; the top three scorers from the forward ranks last year - Oleg Kulebiakin, Shawn Carrier and Quinn Kennedy - are back for another season. Daniel Walters brings his heavy, combative style to the ice for a third 'Q' campaign. A pair of off-season transactions has added to this already impressive crew. On the draft floor in Halifax, a trade was finalized that saw slick puck mover Mateo Nobert come over from Blainville-Boisbriand. During training camp, the Moose acquired winger Nathan Langlois, a breakout player with Rouyn-Noranda last year, from the Huskies. Preparing to make his 'Q' debut is Paul Sintschnig, the second overall selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, who comes to North America after a full season in the Austrian pro ranks where he became the youngest player to score a goal in that league. 

The backend is led by captain Owen Phillips, back for his fifth season in Halifax and the lone player remaining from the team's most recent appearance in the league Final in 2023. Malik L'Italien is back as one of the best 17-year-old blueliners in the circuit. Eddy Doyle aims to build upon an impressive breakout campaign in 2025-26. Sintschnig's teammate in Austria last season, Nico Uschan, is ready to bring his defense first style of play to North America. It will also be a complete overhaul in the crease as a pair of American standouts, Jack Fichthorn and Carson Mertz, prepare to make their QMJHL debuts. 

It's been a methodical build back to contender status in the Nova Scotia capital and one that is not yet complete. However, based on the direction taken off the since the conclusion of the last season, there's a lot to look forward to in Moose Country this year. 

2025-2026 Stats:

Record	29-29-3-3 (64 points)
Conference Ranking	7th East
Overall Ranking	12th
Goals For	214 (11th)
Goals Against	258 (14th)
PP (Overall)	22.4% (9th)
PK (Overall)	77.0% (12th)
Leading Rookie (PTS)	Kulebiakin (29-44-73)
Leading Scorers (PTS)	Kulebiakin (29-44-73)
	Carrier (37-28-65)
	Kennedy (31-25-56)
	Phillips (6-35-41)
	Kilfoil (14-25-39)

Here are highlights from 2025-26 below

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. 

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.