Quinn Kennedy, left, Shawn Carrier, centre, and Will Bent celebrate a Halifax Mooseheads goal during a QMJHL game at the Scotiabank Centre last season. Photo by Trevor MacMillan /QMJHLArticle contentRoster projections are an important off-season exercise for the Halifax Mooseheads brass but nothing compares to seeing what they have in real life.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHead coach Brad MacKenzie and general manager Cam Russell share the same optimism for this year’s group but are anxious to get to work on the tangible part of the process when training camp opens Sunday morning. The Mooseheads will hold their first intrasquad games of the pre-season at the RBC Centre and the team staff can finally start evaluating everything on the ice.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“I think that’s the million-dollar question: What kind of a step do we take this season?” MacKenzie said. “We know we have to continue to be patient with these guys. We still have a pretty young group but we’re really excited because I think we took a good first step last year and I think with the guys that we have, and a lot of that talent back, we can take another big step forward.Article content“Ultimately, I don’t necessarily like to put a number on what that looks like but I think it’s about our group continuing to grow, being patient and knowing that we could have a special group here moving into the next few years as the pieces start to mature and fall into their place.”Article contentThe first important answer the Mooseheads need is to determine which returnees are still worthy of being on the roster. Goalie Nick Cirka will be one of those players and, in all likelihood, so will defencemen Owen Phillips, Carlos Handel, Mathieu Taillefer, Justin Chiras and Eddy Doyle.Article contentArticle contentCore forwards Quinn Kennedy, Liam Kilfoil, Shawn Carrier, Amelio Santini, Danny Walters, Will Bent and Caylen Blake are also established building blocks. Beyond that, the other depth players will have to prove their worth and that means fending off a talented group of hungry rookies.Article contentFirst-round pick Malik L’Italien will surely take one of the spots on defence and import picks Jasu Mensonen and Oleg Kulebyakin are as good as locks up front. American draft picks Cam Minella (second round) and Paulo Gualberto Jr. (third round) are two other strong candidates and it goes without saying recently acquired veterans Owen Bresson and Cameron MacPherson will fill openings in goal and on the wing, respectively.Article content Players attending Halifax Mooseheads training camp this year. Photo by Halifax MooseheadsArticle contentWhen you start doing the rest of the math with all of that in mind, it’s easy to see why making the final roster will be a tall task for anyone else. For that matter, the Mooseheads fully expect to jump ahead a step right from Day 1 by assessing which key players deserve the top assignments.
Veterans and rookies all have something to prove at Mooseheads training camp
