The 2024-25 Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) season is set to begin and that means a fresh start for the Halifax Mooseheads, who are coming off of a disappointing season. The Herd expected to compete for the league championship and a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, however, they fell far short of that goal.
A new-look team will be dressing for the Herd, who are also looking to bounce back and provide fans a competitive team despite the sweeping changes being made. With the roster now set, the coaching staff will have time for some final touches prior to the season’s start. Time to get players to settle into the team’s systems, gel with teammates and prepare themselves for the challenges of the upcoming season, where there will be pressure to compete immediately. The Mooseheads will host Cape Breton in the final preseason home game at RBC Centre on Friday, Sept. 13.
Halifax Re-evaluate
Back in April, Peter Simon, the new owner of the Halifax Mooseheads sat down for an interview with local media where he shared his disappointment regarding the Mooseheads being swept in the first round by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, in a season where they were expected to compete for the QMJHL title.
“It was unacceptable how we went out of the playoffs. It was the worst outcome we could’ve imagined and really an eyeopener for my dad and I in our first year of ownership … regardless of who we have on the ice, we’ve got to compete and put on a show for our fans.”
– Peter Simon
As the owner, he can set the goal to retool, and general manager Cam Russell followed through with his plans to retool on the fly in the offseason with several draft picks and a key import.
“We want to make sure that if we are going to go through a period where we have a younger team … that the product is still going to be good on the ice even if we’re not winning as many games as we’ve been winning in the last few years.”
– Peter Simon
I call it a retool because they will have 14 returning players including sophomore Liam Kilfoil, who is coming off of a gold medal win at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Star goaltender Mathis Rousseau leads the list of returning players as he enters his final season of junior hockey. The two other 20-year-old roster spots are held by forward Braeden MacPhee, who brings veteran leadership and grit, and defenseman Brady Schultz, who provides offence from the blue line.
Halifax Add Fresh Faces
There will be 10 new faces on the squad this season. Fresh faces abound with 16-year-old 2024 draftees Caylen Blake and Amelio Santini. The headliner however is homegrown talent, 11th overall draft pick Danny Walters. The big (6-foot, 183 pounds) center could become the focal point of the retool as he brings a slick skating, offensively skilled playmaker to the Mooseheads.
The fresh faces aren’t just on the roster, but also behind the bench as the team fired head coach Jim Midgley after a disappointing season that saw the team finish fourth in the regular season standings and then get swept in the opening round of the playoffs. This led to a bold move by Russell who brought in Andrew Lord to serve as head coach in his first season with Halifax after the reigning ECHL Coach of the Year joined the team in the offseason from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
Russell and the Mooseheads are well known for their ability to add top-end skill in 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 strong season in the Malmo Redhawks system scoring six goals and 23 points in 28 games in their under 18 program. He also was a point per game for the German Under 18 World Junior Championship Division 1A (WJC Div 1A) team.
This fresh face will be a key addition as his strong defensive acumen solidifies a solid top four. But his mobile, puck-moving style will help to launch the fast-paced offensive game that Lord and the coaching staff are implementing. It will be a professional style game as the Mooseheads will be playing at a high pace, intending to force their opponents to make errors and capitalize on those mistakes. The home opener for the 2024-25 season is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4 at Scotiabank Centre versus the Quebec Remparts.