Scouting Season Culmination
2024-04-24
The action on the ice is over for the season for the Mooseheads but it’s an entirely different story off the ice for General Manager Cam Russell and the scouting staff. The full court press is on to scour for talent ahead of both the QMJHL Entry Draft and the CHL Import Draft.
Russell took off for Finland on Tuesday, along with Assistant GM Allie MacDonald where they will be on hand for the IIHF U18 World Championship being held in Espoo and Vantaa beginning tomorrow and running until May 5th. Russell and MacDonald will hold discussions with Mooseheads’ European Scout Sebastiano Lo Castro. The 44-year-old was added to the staff this season and is a long-time coach of youth hockey programs in Germany. Halifax owns the 43rd overall pick in the July 3rd CHL Import Draft and this scouting trip will be used to narrow the focus on potential draft targets. The Mooseheads also have the option of making a second-round selection at 103rd overall, but with forward Jan Sprynar eligible to return to the team as a 19-year-old, it is unlikely that Halifax will make use of the second-round pick.
Of course, the search for a new Mooseheads Head Coach continues simultaneously for Russell and ownership, but there is nothing new to report on that front at this time.
While Russell, MacDonald and Lo Castro observe the talent on the world stage in Finland, the remainder of the scouting staff will converge in Boisbriand, QC to take in the QMJHL Cup – a tournament that brings together the top 15-year-old players from Québec and the Atlantic Provinces, this Thursday to Sunday. This tournament offers scouts a chance for a final viewing to see the top draft eligible players go head-to-head.
120 Players are divided into six teams, including two consisting entirely of Atlantic Canadian talent. Click here to see the full rosters.
The Mooseheads are currently set to make their first selection in June’s QMJHL Entry Draft in the third-round. The 2024 first-round pick was dealt to the Armada as part of the Josh Lawrence trade in 2022 and Halifax traded a 2024 second-round pick to Rimouski on draft day last year as part of the package to move up and select Liam Kilfoil. The Mooseheads own 13 picks between the third and 14th rounds, including two ninth-round selections after adding one from Charlottetown in the August 2022 transaction that sent defenceman Alexandre Tessier to the Islanders.
The QMJHL Entry Draft will be held Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th in Moncton, NB. Draft order will not be finalized until the end of the QMJHL Playoffs. Russell and staff will conduct several meetings between now and draft day to finalize their priority lists.
Fans can view the QMJHL Central Scouting Final Player Rankings here.