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.
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.
There will be a few Halifax Mooseheads players and personnel on the international stage this summer.
First up was Canada's national U-17 development camp where three Herd prospects suited up in Oakville, Ontario last week. In total, 80 young men from across the country were invited to the camp then divided into four teams before playing exhibition matches against each other over three days. Jack Cameron and Emrik Menard teamed up on Canada Black while Maveric Thisdelle was put on Canada Gold. Thisdelle had the best showing, scoring twice and recording 3 points in three games meanwhile Menard scored a goal.
Mooseheads head coach Brad MacKenzie will be on the bench for Team Canada at the 2026 Ivan Hlinka Gretzky Cup it was announced earlier this month. The Charlottetown, PE native is set to wear the maple leaf as an assistant coach, helping North Bay Battalion's Ryan Oulahen.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, Ryan, Brad and Kyle to the staff for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup," said Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar. "Each brings a pedigree of coaching experience, particularly in short-term international competition, which will be a tremendous asset as we prepare for the tournament."
Photo - USA Hockey Twitter
Sophomore forward Malik L'Italien was among the 27 players unveiled to be on Hockey Canada's training camp roster. The camp is set for July 27-Aug. 1 in Edmonton, AB and will include practices and a game against Sweden on July 30. A list of the young men who will actually represent their country at the tournament is expected to be announced on this weekend.
USA Hockey has already released their roster for the Hlinka tournament and it showcases defenceman Cameron Minella. The 16-year-old played a full season for Halifax in 2025-26, recording nine points (3G & 6A) as a rookie. Congrats to Cam on being named to the team.
No one from the Mooseheads was named to the the World Juniors Summer Showcase rosters but that doesn't mean that one of our guys can't play their way on to representing their country after Christmas.
At the end of June, the Canadian Hockey League held their annual import draft and for the second year in a row, teams were allowed to pick up to three players on the day.
Our Halifax Mooseheads were able to make a big move twenty-four hours beforehand as they traded their 20th pick in the import draft to Baie-Comeau in return for the Drakkar's 2nd overall pick. The Quebec club also received two selections in the 2027 QMJHL Draft.
Photo - Herd Twitter
The move allowed Cam Russell and the Herd to select 17-year-old Paul Sintschnig of Klagenfurt, Austria. Sintschnig played at several levels in 2025-26 including 32 games with Villacher SV of the ICEHL - the premier professional hockey league in Austria, where he recorded 5 goals and 7 points. He boasts a high hockey IQ, makes intelligent plays across all three zones and isn't afraid to play physically, according to the team's release.
In the second round, Halifax drafted Sintschnig's fellow countryman and Villacher teammate Nico Uschan with the 81st pick. Uschan is a 19-year-old defenceman and will be looked upon to bring a steady, veteran presence to the team. The Villach-native scored a goal and had 4 points in 24 games played for the senior club.
Russell and the brass passed on their third round selection as sophomore Oleg Kulebiakin is set to return to the club in the upcoming season and teams are only allowed three import players.
Congrats to these two young men on being selected by the Mooseheads. We should see them suit up in the red and green when training camp opens up in mid-August.
Now that the NHL entry draft is over, teams are turning their attention to development camps and seeing which prospects they want to bring into training camp later in the summer. Only two current Mooseheads were drafted over the weekend but more were also named on rosters.
Photo - Elite Prospects
Check out the list below to see who will participate in development camps this week.
Shawn Carrier - Colorado (2026) - Colorado Avalanche development camp June 30-July 2 Mathieu Cataford - Vegas (2023) - Vegas Golden Knights development camp June 29-July 2 Carlos Handel - Montreal (2025) - Montreal Canadiens development camp June 30-July 2 Quinn Kennedy - undrafted - invited to Utah Mammoth development camp June 29-July 2 Oleg Kulebiakin - Tampa Bay (2026) - Tampa Bay Lightning development camp June 30-July 3 Dylan MacKinnon - Nashville (2023) - invited to Boston Bruins development camp June 29-July 2 Mateo Nobert - Vegas (2025) - Vegas Golden Knights development camp June 29-July 2 Daniel Walters - undrafted - invited to Los Angeles Kings development camp June 29-July 2
I've included Mateo Nobert on here even though he has not played a game for the Herd yet but the team traded for him earlier this month, so I can't see him not suiting up in the red and green. Tampa Bay released their camp roster before the draft and I have not seen an updated version with their new prospects but an article did mention Kulebiakin will be in attendance.
Hopefully we'll see some of these guys during rookie camps in September. Good luck to the young men this week.
Here are some notes from the NHL Entry Draft that was held this past weekend in Buffalo, NY...
No surprise, Yukon-native and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the draft lottery last month.
Team personnel weren't even at the draft which I haven't seen before, so that led to a number of celebrities announcing the picks in the opening round on Friday night.
Multiple sons of former NHL players were selected, the most I think I've ever seen and to guys I watched as a teenager which is crazy. This included Caleb Malhotra who was chosen No. 3 by the Vancouver Canucks, a club that is coached by his father Manny Malhotra.
Halifax Mooseheads import forward Oleg Kulebiakin went in the second round, higher than he was ranked, to the Tampa Bay Lightning at 52nd overall.
After being passed over last year, forward Shawn Carrier was selected 195th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. The two other ranked players, Eddy Doyle and Daniel Walters were not drafted.
In total, 20 QMJHL players were drafted over the seven rounds in 2026
All three of the North American professional hockey leagues have been great for our Halifax Mooseheads alumni this past week as a former player has won a championship in each of the NHL, AHL and ECHL.
Photo - NHL Twitter
First, Nikolaj Ehlers (who played for Halifax between 2013-15) helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the franchise's second Stanley Cup championship on Sunday evening in Vegas. The 30-year-old scored an empty net goal during Game 6 of the final to clinch the trophy as the Canes won the match 3-0 to take the series 4-2. Ehlers finished the playoffs with eight goals and 10 assists in 18 games played, which was good enough for being tied-5th among the league leaders.
The Aalborg, Denmark native signed with Carolina almost a year ago as a free agent and was a big part of the club's great season as the Hurricanes won the Metropolitan division title before sweeping Ottawa and Philadelphia in the first two rounds. Raleigh's team were crowned the Eastern Conference champions after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in 5 games. Nikolaj had 71 points during the regular season to finish second in team scoring.
On Monday evening, defenseman Patrick Kyte became a Kelly Cup champion with the Florida Everblades as they defeated the Kansas City Mavericks in six games. The 2025-26 regular season was Kyte's first in a North American professional league and he played for three clubs over the year. Patrick, an alumnus from 2017-2020, recorded 2 goals and 12 points in 24 games while picking up 3 assists in 12 playoff matches. The Pembroke, ON native played just one game in the final series.
Florida won their fourth title in the last five seasons.
Photo - Everblades Twitter
26-year-old Benoit-Olivier Groulx also collected a trophy when the Toronto Marlies won Game 5 by a score of 4-3 on Friday evening on home ice to win the 2026 Calder Cup. Groulx scored the team's second goal of the match which was his 8th of the playoffs to go along with six assists. His 14 points in the post-season had him 10th among league leaders. After being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2018, and playing in their system for five seasons from 2020-2025, the Gatineau, QC native signed a two year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent.
Photo - NHL Twitter
Congratulations to Nikolaj, Benoit-Olivier and Patrick Kyte along with their respective teams on winning the league titles. Moose Country is proud of all of you.
Halifax will play 64 games, including 32 at the Scotiabank Centre once again. The Mooseheads will begin on the road with a visit to their provincial rivals Cape Breton Eagles on September 18 at 7:00pm. It will be one of eight games on opening night in the league, which is not normal and neither is the first match being on a Friday.
Other highlights from the schedule include:
The Herd's home opener is set for September 19 against the Moncton Wildcats, puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Halifax will make four trips to the province of Quebec with the first one being October 29-November 1 as the team visits Gatineau, Victoriaville and Sherbrooke.
A breakdown of the home schedule includes 11 Saturday games, eight Sundays, five Fridays, five Thursdays, two Wednesdays and one on Monday.
The longest home-stand of the season is six matches between October 8-24 while the Mooseheads are set to have two road trips of 4 games each.
Halifax's home finale on March 20 versus the Wildcats is also the club's last game of the regular season.
Events will be announced at a later date. The team's pre-season schedule was announced already. Fans can purchase ticket packages now for what some are anticipating should be an exciting contender season.
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.
— 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)
In two weeks time, personnel from the 18 QMJHL teams will ascend in Halifax, NS for the annual entry draft. For the second straight year our Halifax Mooseheads will select 3rd overall.
The Mooseheads have another draft pick in the first round along with 4 picks in the second round because of trades. More moves may be made during draft day but as of today, Halifax has fourteen picks currently.
For the time being, here is where the Herd are picking on June 5 Round 1 - 3rd overall (Rimouski) Round 1 - 7th overall Round 2 - 20th overall (Rimouski) Round 2 - 25th overall Round 2 - 33rd overall (Blainville) Round 2 - 36th overall (Moncton) Round 4 - 61st overall Round 4 - 72nd overall (Moncton) Round 6 - 97th overall Round 8 - 133rd overall Round 9 - 151st overall Round 10 - 169th overall Round 11 - 187th overall Round 12 - 205th overall
Check back in early June to see who Halifax selects. I plan on going to the first round so follow me on Twitter.
The Halifax Mooseheads will select 3rd overall during the upcoming entry draft.
Even though the Herd did not finish in the lower part of the standings, the club still had a chance to win the draft lottery as they hold the Rimouski Oceanic's first round pick after a previous trade. Halifax had 6 balls in the lottery, giving them the second best odds (at 28.6%) to win, however they slid to third.
The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who had the best odds, won the lottery that was held on Tuesday night and will select first overall. Rouyn-Noranda acquired the pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
This is the second straight year that the Mooseheads will pick 3rd overall. In 2025, Halifax selected defenceman Malik L'Italien.
Halifax will host the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft on June 5-6. The Moose also own the 7th overall pick, plus four more picks in the second round.
In other news....
There are four current players on the NHL Central Scouting final draft rankings; Oleg Kulebiakin #87, Eddy Doyle #108, Danny Walters #114 and Shawn Carrier #178. Good luck to them at the 2026 NHL Draft in late June.
The QMJHL semi-finals are set after the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada defeated the Newfoundland Regiment 4-2 in their series on Monday. Blainville take on the Moncton Wildcats while the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will battle each other in the other series.
Halifax announced on Tuesday that they have signed free-agent forward Evan Nee. Nee, a native of Arlington, Massachusetts, will join the Mooseheads as he enters his 19-year-old season.
Former Herd bench boss Sylvain Favreau has won the Ron Lapointe Trophy after being named the Coach of the Year after leading the Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 40-18-3-3 record in the 2025-26 regular season.
Mathis Rousseau, an alumni goaltender of the Mooseheads, has committed to Cornell University after entering the NCAA's transfer portal.
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 your Halifax Mooseheads, Connor MacPherson was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for March.
NHL DRAFT I'm super late to share this but since we're getting close to the end of the National Hockey League regular season, I thought I would share where some of our Halifax Mooseheads players were among the mid-season rankings back in January. There are 3 current Herd ranked this time. We may see these guys below move up (or down) when the final rankings are released in the next few weeks.
Eddy Doyle - #66 Oleg Kulebiakin - #68
Daniel Walters - #147
Forward Gavin McKenna of the Penn State Nittany Lions was stilled ranked #1 and I'm sure we will see him go in that spot in late June. Meanwhile, Xavier Villeneuve was the top QMJHL player on the Central Scouting listing at 15.
Photo - Herd website
HERD SWEPT Well, there was no great upset this season for Halifax as the team were swept by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2025 QMJHL playoffs the Eastern Conference 9th ranked Mooseheads defeated the Western Conference number 1 Drummondville Voltigeurs. Despite an improvement in wins and points, Halifax finished 7th in the East but had to take on the highest scoring team in the QMJHL; the Sags. Chicoutimi certainly showed their offensive talents outscoring the Herd 24-4 in the four game series.
So the 2025-26 season is now over for our favourite team unfortunately. There is lots to look forward to though, including the different drafts and trade deadline. It will be interesting what moves Cam Russell and co. make this summer to bolster the roster for next year.
Thanks for another entertaining year Halifax Mooseheads.
STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Veteran forward Liam Kilfoil was announced as the Mooseheads nominee for the Marcel-Robert Trophy earlier this month. The prestigious honour is awarded annually to the student-athlete of the year - the player who best combines on-ice performance with academic success. A total of 18 nominees were announced on April 2, one player from each of the QMJHL's teams, of which three will be named as finalists soon.
Congrats to Liam and good luck to him. If I have kept track correctly, no Herd player has actually won the trophy though an alumni did (Mathieu Cataford, Rimouski - 2023-24).
Photo - QMJHL website
DRAFT ODDS
The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft will for the first time be held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, NS by your Halifax Mooseheads. Halifax currently has fourteen picks over the two days.
A week ago, the league released the draft lottery date and the lottery odds. Despite finishing outside of the bottom 5, Moose Country will still have an interest in the lottery as Halifax has the Rimouski Oceanic's first round pick. Rimouski finished 17th overall and out of the playoffs. The lottery will take place on April 21st at 6:30 p.m. (presumedly Eastern time).and be broadcaste live on RDS
Here are the odds:
18th position: Rouyn-Noranda (from BAC) - 9 balls or 42.9%
17th position: Halifax (from RIM) - 6 balls or 28.6%
16th position: Shawinigan (from GAT) - 3 balls or 14.3%
15th position: Victoriaville - 2 balls or 9.5%
14th position: Saint John - 1 ball or 4.8%
JERSEY CONTEST
The CHL Jersey Contest auction raised thousands of dollars with 100% of the proceeds being donated to PC's Children's Charity.
Classic Support from Moose Country 👏👏
A total of $13,425 was raised through our Real Atlantic Superstore #CHLJerseyContest auction. 100% of the proceeds have been donated to @PC_Charity which feeds 1-million children each year.
Mooseheads defenceman Malik L'Italien was named to the QMJHL's All-Rookie Team last week, the league announced.
L'Italien finished 25th in rookie scoring while playing in all 64 games during the regular season. The 16-year-old posted 4 goals and twenty assists for 24 points in his first year as a major junior player. You can find the full team below.
Below you will find the records of your Halifax Mooseheads versus each of the other seventeen teams in the Q plus the monthly records for the team this season. (note: Halifax's score is listed first)
West division Blainville-Boisbriand2 games 1-1-0-0 {7-5, 3-6} Gatineau2 games 1-0-0-1 {4-3OT, 5-6SO} Rouyn-Noranda2 games0-1-1-0 {4-5OT, 2-4} Val-d'Or2 games 0-2-0-0 {4-6, 2-5}
Central division Drummondville2 games0-1-1-0 {2-3OT, 4-7} Shawinigan2 games 1-1-0-0 {1-3, 2-1SO} Sherbrooke2 games 2-0-0-0 {6-3, 4-2} Victoriaville2 games 1-1-0-0 {4-2, 2-3}
East division Baie-Comeau2 games2-0-0-0 {4-1, 5-4} Chicoutimi2 games 0-1-1-0 {3-9, 4-5OT} Quebec2 games 2-0-0-0 {3-2SO, 5-4OT} Rimouski2 games 2-0-0-0 {5-4, 7-1}
Maritimes division Cape Breton8 games 5-3-0-0 {5-3, 1-5, 5-2, 1-5, 5-2, 2-5, 3-2SO, 3-2OT} Charlottetown8 games 3-5-0-0 {1-4, 5-4SO, 4-2, 1-2, 5-2, 1-5, 3-5, 3-6} Moncton8 games 2-4-0-2 {2-1OT, 4-5, 5-2, 3-4SO, 1-5, 2-3SO, 1-11, 5-7} Newfoundland8 games 2-6-0-0 {3-0, 2-4, 8-5, 0-7, 2-5, 4-7, 1-6, 4-6} Saint John8 games 5-3-0-0 {4-3, 2-5, 4-3, 4-3OT, 2-5, 2-5, 5-4, 4-2}
Monthly records September 4 games ~ 2-2-0-0 record overall, 2-1-0-0 home, 0-1-0-0 away October 11 games ~ 8-2-1-0 record overall, 5-2-0-0 home, 3-0-1-0 away November 9 games ~ 4-4-0-1 record overall, 0-1-0-1 home, 4-3-0-0 away December 10 games ~ 4-6-0-0 record overall, 2-4-0-0 home, 2-2-0-0 away January 11 games ~ 2-6-2-1 record overall, 2-1-2-1 home, 0-4-0-0 away February 11 games ~ 4-6-0-1 record overall, 1-4-0-0 home, 3-2-0-1 away March 8 games ~ 5-3-0-0 record overall, 2-1-0-0 home, 3-2-0-0 away
Overtime/shootout records OT ~ five overtime win, three overtime loss SO ~ four shootout win, three shootout loss
The playoffs are set to begin next week and on the last day of the regular season, our Halifax Mooseheads finally know who they will play in Round 1. Being the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Herd will battle against the 2nd seed Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
Halifax lost their last two games this weekend against Newfoundland on the road to finish with a 29-29-3-3 record. The Mooseheads went 0-1-1-0 against the Sagueneens in during the regular season but as we know anything can happen in the playoffs. Chicoutimi battled it out with Moncton for the last couple of months for the top spot in the QMJHL but they didn't get any help and finished with a 49-10-3-2 record, good enough for 103 points, just behind the Wildcats. The Sags have the top scorer in both points and goals in Maxim Masse who recorded 51 goals and 102 points.
Full schedule below. With the distance between teams, this series will be 2-3-2 instead of the normal 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Game 1 Friday March 27 @ 8:00pm at Centre Georges-Vezina Game 2 Saturday March 28 @ 8:00pm at Centre Georges-Vezina Game 3 Tuesday March 31 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre Game 4 Wednesday April 1 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre *Game 5 Friday April 3 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre *Game 6 Monday April 6 @ 8:00pm at Centre Georges-Vezina *Game 7 Tuesday April 7 @ 8:00pm at Centre Georges-Vezina
*if necessary
Single game tickets for Games 3 and 4 are on sale now, you can purchase them at ticketmaster.ca or by phone 902-451-1221.
PREVIEW - After 6 months of playing tough hockey and battling it out, we have come to the final regular season game of 2025-26 and our Halifax Mooseheads are visiting the Newfoundland Regiment. The two teams met last night with the home Regiment winning quite handedly 6-1. Quinn Kennedy picked up his 31st goal of the season in the loss, which also locked up 7th place in the standings for the Mooseheads. Halifax's playoff opponent is still to be determined but it would be nice for the boys to go in to it with a victory. They're in a tough spot though as number 1 goaltender Owen Bresson is serving the 3rd of his 5 game suspension this afternoon, meaning that Nicolas Cirka will be in net. Newfoundland is led by overage forward Justin Larose who has 88 points this season which is good enough for 4th in the league. Meanwhile, rookie Oleg Kulebiakin still has the most points for the Herd with 73.
Head-to-head Halifax is 2-5-0-0 against the Regiment this season while Newfoundland has a 5-2-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. For their previous meeting, see above.
Out of town Eagles vs. Sea Dogs - 3:00 p.m. Wildcats vs. Islanders - 4:00 p.m. Sagueneens vs. Remparts - 5:00 p.m. Drakkar vs. Oceanic - 5:00 p.m. Olympiques vs. Voltigeurs - 5:00 p.m. Cataractes vs. Tigres - 5:00 p.m. Foreurs vs. Huskies - 5:00 p.m. Phoenix vs. Armada - 5:00 p.m.
After the buzzer Halifax will continue on the road with the first two games of the post-season but opponent and time to be determined.
The regular season is nearing its completion with the final two games for all eighteen teams this weekend. The 16 playoff spots have been clinched but our Halifax Mooseheads don't know yet who their first round opponent will be.
Halifax could still technically move up to 6th place in the Eastern Conference, however the club needs to win both their games and have the Cape Breton Eagles lose theirs. So assuming the Mooseheads finish the season in the No. 7 seed, they will take on the second place team which could either be the Chicoutimi Sagueneens or Moncton Wildcats.
The Wildcats will play the Charlottetown Islanders in a home-and-home series, while the Sagueneens take on the Quebec Remparts.
Over in the Western Conference; Drummondville, Rouyn-Noranda and Blainville-Boisbriand are in the mix to win the #1 spot. Meanwhile, at the other end positions 6-8 are locked up. The Shawinigan Cataractes and Sherbrooke Phoenix are the lone playoff series officially determined, however the team with home advantage is still up in the air as the two teams are separated by one point and are the 4th and 5th seeds respectively.
A few other notes...
Every team in the league will be on the ice on both Friday and Saturday. Once again, Saturday matches will be afternoon starts.
Our Mooseheads, who have won four straight for the first time this season, are set to visit the Newfoundland Regiment this weekend for two road games.
At the bottom of the standings are the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (34 points) and Rimouski Oceanic (37 points) who will play each other twice to end the regular season. Both will miss the playoffs.
For the draft, scheduled to take place in Halifax, the Mooseheads will have a chance to win the lottery despite being 12th in the league right now. This is because Cam Russell and co. hold Rimouski's first round pick.
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 your Halifax Mooseheads, Owen Phillips was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for February.
The QMJHL changed how they share the players in the article they post, so here's the picture of them. This is also the latest I believe the league have announced the student-athletes.
Friday's road match against the Saint John Sea Dogs was an interesting game as the fans at TD Station got to see a goaltending fight midway through. Halifax Mooseheads netminder Owen Bresson took on Montreal Canadiens' prospect Arseni Radkov at the 12:07 mark of the second period after the latter challenged the former. The fight was a result of Bresson punching Sea Dogs forward Alexis Gauthier with his blocker after Gauthier gave an extra slap at the puck.
Both Bresson and Radkov were given 5 minute major penalties for fighting along with two game misconducts each, meaning that they did not suit up for the rematch on Saturday afternoon between the two teams. Sophomore Nicolas Gilham-Cirka took over the crease on Friday after the fight and allowed one goal on 11 shots in relief, picking up the 5-4 victory.
The QMJHL announced this morning that the goaltenders have been suspended five games as a result, which means that Owen, 19, will miss the rest of the regular season and the first two playoff games.
Halifax will end the regular season with a couple of games in St. John's against the Newfoundland Regiment on March 21 & 22.
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