Jake Furlong named Captain
2023-09-29
Halifax, NS – The Halifax Mooseheads officially announced their Captain and Alternate Captains for the 2023-24 QMJHL season on Friday.
19-year-old defenceman Jake Furlong of Upper Tantallon, NS was named the 35th Captain in team history prior to practice. Head Coach Jim Midgley, along with Jake’s parents Terri and Gary Furlong, helped present the veteran defenceman with his jersey in front of his teammates and Mooseheads coaching staff.
Furlong was recently returned to the Mooseheads following training camp with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Jake was a second round draft pick of Halifax in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft and is entering his fourth season as a member of the Mooseheads. He set career highs with seven goals and 43 assists last season and is 10th in franchise history for career points by a defenceman with 102. Furlong becomes the 10th Nova Scotian to be named Captain of the Mooseheads.
“Jake exemplifies the values of the Halifax Mooseheads. His work ethic, consistency and commitment make him a great ambassador for our organization,” said Jim Midgley.
Furlong has displayed all of those qualities throughout his Mooseheads career but perhaps no greater than during the 2023 playoff run which saw him log major minutes every game while putting his body on the line and shutting down the top forwards from each opponent on a consistent basis.
Legendary alumnus Jody Shelley joined the team meeting via videoconference and announced the Alternate Captains for this season. Veteran forwards Markus Vidicek and Jordan Dumais will wear the “A” on their jerseys during each game while defenceman Brady Schultz and forward Mathieu Cataford will rotate wearing a letter during home and away games.
Vidicek was a Halifax first round pick (14th overall) in 2020. The 19-year-old from Kirkland, QC scored a career high 80 points last season by netting 32 goals and 48 assists. He was recently invited to participate in Rookie Camp with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Dumais was also a first round pick of the Mooseheads in 2020, taken just four spots after Vidicek (18th overall). He later became a third round draft choice of the Columbus Blue Jackets and is currently participating in NHL Training Camp. Dumais set a Mooseheads record for points scored in one season with 140 points in 2022-2023. He is one the verge of becoming the most prolific scorer in franchise history and will begin the season with 278 career points, just 25 behind Brandon Benedict’s record of 303.
Schultz, a 19-year-old defenceman from Munroe, Connecticut, has proven to be a steal for Halifax after being drafted in the 14th round in 2020. He is entering his third season on the blueline with the Herd and has been incredibly dependable throughout his QMJHL career. Schultz provides solid defensive skills while contributing significantly on offense. He exploded for a career high 42 points last season while maintaining a +/- rating of +45.
Cataford, the youngest of the leadership group, is an 18-year-old who is among the best forwards in the QMJHL. He is a Vegas Golden Knights prospect and was a first round pick of the Mooseheads in 2021 (sixth overall). The Saint-Constant, QC native is poised for another big season after breaking out for 75 points as a sophomore last year. Cataford brings strength and physicality to the lineup in addition to his finesse with the puck.
Your Mooseheads will play a pair of games on the road this weekend when they travel to New Brunswick to face the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday night at 7pm before visiting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday afternoon at 3pm. The next home games at Scotiabank Centre are scheduled from Friday, October 6th at 7pm versus Victoriaville and Saturday, October 7th at 7pm versus Blainville-Boisbriand. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
