The Halifax Mooseheads have defied the odds early on in the 2024-25 Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) season after a successful road trip with four wins and one loss as they prepare to return to Halifax for their home opener versus their rival Quebec Remparts.
After opening the season with four consecutive wins, Halifax had their perfect record snapped by the Charlottetown Islanders to end their road trip.
Mooseheads’s Fast Start
New head coach Andrew Lord, in his first season with the club, arrived in Halifax after coaching in Wales with the Cardiff Devils and in South Carolina with the ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits. He has inherited a young retooling team that opened the season with eight rookies.
Related: Halifax Mooseheads Retool for 2024-25 Season
Headlining the rookie class is Daniel Walters, who was selected 11th overall by his hometown Mooseheads in June. General manager Cam Russell’s first major splash in his retool plan was a trade that sent the reigning QMJHL MVP Mathieu Cataford to the 2025 Memorial Cup hosts, Rimouski Oceanic, for a massive haul that included first-round picks in 2024 (11th overall – now Walters) and 2026 along with second-round picks in 2024 (34th overall – forward Caylen Blake) and 2026 and a 2024 third-rounder (48th overall).
Lord’s lineup ranks 11th in age with an average of 17.9 years old. This is because the team is holding onto the maximum number of over-agers possible, which is a good balance with the many rookies, and adding another six sophomore players who still require guidance. Another hurdle Lord will face this season is that Halifax has one of the smallest teams physically. Lord won’t use this as an excuse. Instead, he has spent training camp and pre-season rallying the team around team play but also with a singular focus: to win.
“I just think it gives an excuse, right? (Rebuilding team). I mean, we have to go in, and our mindset has to be to win every game. There’s no point in thinking about our age or, you know, what excuses there could be.”
Mooseheads head coach, Andrew Lord
In the first five games, Lord has seen improvement on special teams. The power play (PP) sits at 25%, good for 10th overall and nearly a full percentage point above the 2023-24 success rate of 24.1%. Meanwhile, the penalty kill (PK) has gone from 88.1% to 88.9%, which ranks second in the QMJHL. They have also been successful at five-on-five with the seventh-ranked offence with 17 goals for and the third-ranked defense with nine goals against.
These positive results have not gone unnoticed as the Mooseheads have been shooting up in the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Power Rankings, now sitting at sixth. Despite losing a lot of key talent during the off-season, Halifax is proving they are still a force in the QMJHL.
Mooseheads’ New Core
The retool means a significant shift in the core group. The Mooseheads will rely heavily on their veterans until the rookies begin to feel confident in their game. However, the biggest contributor, and perhaps the key to the season, will be the stellar play in goal by 20-year-old Mathis Rousseau. His 1.47 goals-against average and .947 save percentage not only make the team competitive, but he provides them with a safety net. His athleticism allows him to make spectacular saves and cover up any defects in the team’s defensive game. This will buy Lord the time for his team to settle into his defensive system.
Walters has one goal and two assists in his first five games while playing on the team’s second line. There are high expectations for this young player as he boasts terrific size for his age at 6 feet and 183 pounds. So far, he has lived up to his reputation as a true two-way forward with a very high and consistent compete level. His performance in the faceoff circle has shown flashes of brilliance, but will work on his consistency in this area. He has also shown he has good hands and ability to make plays in tight spaces as well as strong defensive play, all skills that will serve Halifax well this season.
Now Halifax will head back home, eat home-cooked meals, and for the first time, play in front of their 10,000-plus fans who are ready to welcome back the QMJHL-leading team. They will put their 4-1 record on the line for their home opener when they face off against the Remparts de Quebec who won the QMJHL title at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax two seasons ago.
