The results of a building year sees a team looking to take a big step heading into 2026-27.
The Halifax Mooseheads have a recent history of some league-winning, star-studded teams.
This past season wasn't one of those banner years, but with their arsenal of young talent and the potential to add more this summer, good times could be on the way in Nova Scotia.
Of course, the playoffs weren't much to write home about, as they ran up against an absolute juggernaut Saguenéens team, but that shouldn't take away much excitement from the generation of Mooseheads being built.
Oleg Kulebiakin was a dynamo as a rookie on a young Halifax team. (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)It's always a positive when a 17-year-old import can lead the team in scoring, and Oleg Kulebiakin did just that for the Mooseheads, and could be drafted in the first three rounds at this summer's NHL draft thanks to his play.
Between Malik L'Italien, Daniel Walters, Caylen Blake and Nick Graham-Cirka, this team has a good pool of young talent that have shown an ability to play at this level. If that group can take a step, and veterans like Shawn Carrier, Quinn Kennedy, Jasu Mensonen and Owen Phillips return next season, you can start to see the nucleus of a very strong core.
Add onto that the fact they hold Rimouski's first-round draft pick this year, and will very likely have a top two selection in this upcoming draft, and all of a sudden there's even more potential brewing.
Liam Kilfoil will likely be the biggest loss for this team heading into next season, as he'll be joining the NCAA's Northeastern University in the fall. The New Brunswicker has been one of the team's best attacking talents in the past couple of seasons, and could've continued to make an impact on what would likely be an improved side next year.
But, overall, Halifax is a team that has been building a team for the past couple of years with the expectation to improve in 2026-27. It's going to be a matter of how much they can seize that moment.
Previous Postmortems
Never want to miss out on any QMJHL news? Make sure to book mark THN's QMJHL site.
Also follow @roryyarthur on X/Twitter for more updates.