The 2024-25 Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) season is ready to start and which means a contemporary begin for the Halifax Mooseheads, who’re coming off of a disappointing season. The Herd anticipated to compete for the league championship and a berth into the Memorial Cup match, nonetheless, they fell far wanting that objective.
Associated: Halifax Mooseheads Loading Up for Memorial Cup Run
A brand new-look staff will probably be dressing for the Herd, who’re additionally seeking to bounce again and supply followers a aggressive staff regardless of the sweeping adjustments being made. With the roster now set, the teaching employees could have time for some ultimate touches previous to the season’s begin. Time to get gamers to settle into the staff’s methods, gel with teammates and put together themselves for the challenges of the upcoming season, the place there will probably be stress to compete instantly. The Mooseheads will host Cape Breton within the ultimate preseason house sport at RBC Centre on Friday, Sept. 13.
Halifax Re-evaluate
Again in April, Peter Simon, the brand new proprietor of the Halifax Mooseheads sat down for an interview with native media the place he shared his disappointment relating to the Mooseheads being swept within the first spherical by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, in a season the place they have been anticipated to compete for the QMJHL title.
“It was unacceptable how we went out of the playoffs. It was the worst consequence we might’ve imagined and actually an eyeopener for my dad and I in our first yr of possession … no matter who we’ve on the ice, we’ve bought to compete and placed on a present for our followers.”
– Peter Simon
Because the proprietor, he can set the objective to retool, and common supervisor Cam Russell adopted by way of together with his plans to retool on the fly within the offseason with a number of draft picks and a key import.
“We need to be sure that if we’re going to undergo a interval the place we’ve a youthful staff … that the product continues to be going to be good on the ice even when we’re not profitable as many video games as we’ve been profitable in the previous couple of years.”
– Peter Simon
I name it a retool as a result of they are going to have 14 returning gamers together with sophomore Liam Kilfoil, who’s coming off of a gold medal win on the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Star goaltender Mathis Rousseau leads the checklist of returning gamers as he enters his ultimate season of junior hockey. The 2 different 20-year-old roster spots are held by ahead Braeden MacPhee, who brings veteran management and grit, and defenseman Brady Schultz, who gives offence from the blue line.
Halifax Add Recent Faces
There will probably be 10 new faces on the squad this season. Recent faces abound with 16-year-old 2024 draftees Caylen Blake and Amelio Santini. The headliner nonetheless is homegrown expertise, eleventh general draft decide Danny Walters. The large (6-foot, 183 kilos) middle might turn into the point of interest of the retool as he brings a slick skating, offensively expert playmaker to the Mooseheads.
The contemporary faces aren’t simply on the roster, but in addition behind the bench as the staff fired head coach Jim Midgley after a disappointing season that noticed the staff end fourth within the common season standings after which get swept within the opening spherical of the playoffs. This led to a daring transfer by Russell who introduced in Andrew Lord to function head coach in his first season with Halifax after the reigning ECHL Coach of the Yr joined the staff within the offseason from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
Russell and the Mooseheads are well-known for his or her capacity so as to add top-end talent within the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft, and this season they added 6-foot-1 defenseman Carlos Handel. The German import is coming off of a powerful season within the Malmo Redhawks system scoring six targets and 23 factors in 28 video games of their underneath 18 program. He additionally was some extent per sport for the German Beneath 18 World Junior Championship Division 1A (WJC Div 1A) staff.
This contemporary face will probably be a key addition as his robust defensive acumen solidifies a strong prime 4. However his cellular, puck-moving fashion will assist to launch the fast-paced offensive sport that Lord and the teaching employees are implementing. It will likely be knowledgeable fashion sport because the Mooseheads will probably be taking part in at a excessive tempo, meaning to drive their opponents to make errors and capitalize on these errors. The house opener for the 2024-25 season is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4 at Scotiabank Centre versus the Quebec Remparts.
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