2025 QMJHL Playoffs | Huskies vs. Mooseheads Preview

The top team in the West Division is preparing to battle with the Cinderella story of the playoffs. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Halifax Mooseheads are preparing to add another chapter to their history of postseason encounters starting Friday night in Rouyn-Noranda.

The Huskies eliminated their divisional rivals, the Gatineau Olympiques, in five games to punch their ticket to the Quarter-Finals for the third straight campaign. Offence came from almost everywhere from this pack of dogs, with all but two skaters registering at least one point despite the relatively short series. Entering round two, a five-way tie for the lead in points is split between some familiar names in forwards Antonin Verreault, Thomas Verdon, Bill Zonnon, Samuel Beauchemin and defenseman Ty Higgins. That’s not to overlook the work of Benjamin Brunelle, scorer of two game-winning tallies in round one. The reliable net-front presence of Alex Carr and Axel Dufresne was part of a formidable team-wide commitment away from the puck that saw the Huskies hold Gatineau to one goal in each of the first three games. Between the pipes, rookie Samuel Meloche continues the same steady level of play that made him a bright spot in the regular season. The Huskies are hoping to earn their first trip to round three since winning both the ‘Q’ and Memorial Cup titles in 2019.

Despite holding the 16^th and final seed in the postseason, facing the previous year’s playoff champions and icing the youngest roster the QMJHL has seen in decades, the Halifax Mooseheads made history with a dramatic seven-game opening round triumph over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. This was a total team effort with key plays at key times on both sides of the puck. Though captain Brady Shultz led the club in scoring and performed admirably in a shutdown role when it mattered most, contributions from the likes of Liam Kilfoil, Quinn Kennedy and Braeden MacPhee were impossible to ignore. Shawn Carrier made an impression in his first extended playoff foray, while first-year blueliner Carlos Händel picked a perfect time for his first ‘Q’ postseason tally with the game-winner in Game 7. Owen Phillips patrolled the blue line with his typically strong, understated game. Arguably the biggest story was Jacob Steinman, who was dazzling in each of the Mooseheads’ four wins, particularly a 38-save shutout in the clincher. The Mooseheads reach round two after a one-year hiatus, having earned a spot in the 2023 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final.

These two clubs haven’t met since November 16 and neither claimed a regulation win in the two-game season series. The most recent encounter was a 4-3 Huskies overtime triumph on home ice. The Mooseheads claimed a 2-1 shootout win in Halifax on November 1. This will be the fifth encounter between the two clubs in postseason competition. Halifax gained the upper hand during both the 2005 and 2013 Semi-Finals, while the Huskies came out on top in a 2017 first-round clash and, most memorably, defeated the Moose in six games in 2019 to claim the organization’s second playoff title.

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Team Comparison (Regular Season):