Our 18 | Three Questions on the 2023-24 Halifax Mooseheads

Can the Moose remain kings of the hill offensively?

There was no shortage of goals in the Nova Scotia capital last season as the Mooseheads became the first team in almost 30 years to rely on three different 50-goal scorers. Two of those players, Alexandre Doucet and Josh Lawrence, have graduated from the league. It’s the enviable position of the league’s second-best squad from 2022-23 that leading scorer Jordan Dumais is back for another run after producing a team-record 140 points last campaign. Also returning are a pair of 30-goal scorers in Markus Vidicek and Mathieu Cataford. The club also returns 30 goals scored from the blue line, a number that is sure to go up as the backend group remains largely unchanged.

Who will step up to support the remaining core?

The 2023-24 Mooseheads will be centered largely around key players at each position, including Dumais, defenseman Jake Furlong and goaltender Mathis Rousseau. Filling in key positions on the depth chart will be the responsibilities of several players who found themselves in key situations as last season progressed. Brady Schultz and David Moravec, along with 2023 Nashville Predators draftee Dylan MacKinnon will provide the club with a strong defensive corps up and down the lineup. Brody Fournier may see more minutes as an overager after spending last year in an energy role, while key newcomers include Swiss winger Yannik Ponzetto and 2023 QMJHL second-rounder, center Liam Kilfoil.

What will the latest Jim Midgely era bring?

The last time Jim Midgely stepped behind the Halifax Mooseheads bench, he was the club’s Head Coach and it was the 2017-18 season. Despite guiding that team to a 93-point campaign, Midgely was unceremoniously dismissed that off-season. Back for another round with the club he captured a Memorial Cup with as an Assistant Coach back in 2013, Midgely returns with some impressive credentials since his last stint in the Q, including assistant coaching tenures in Germany and with the New York Rangers. An even more experienced Midgely is fully ready for this year and looking for redemption with yet another contending Moose squad.

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2022-2023 Stats: