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Halifax Mooseheads, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles play season openers

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season has finally arrived with both the Mooseheads and Screaming Eagles playing season openers on the road.

Halifax plays in Charlottetown while Screaming Eagles open in Bathurst

Paul Palmete · for CBC News ·
Maxim Lazarev plays forward for the Screaming Eagles and is considered to be one of the team's key players. (CBC)
The puck drops for real tonight for the Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

After a month of training camp and exhibition games, the regular season has finally arrived as both teams open their seasons on the road.

Halifax will play in Charlottetown tonight and then continue their road trip in Saint John tomorrow.

The Screaming Eagles will open the season in Bathurst against the Titans and then travel to P.E.I. to play the Islanders tomorrow night.

Marc-Andre Dumont, Cape Breton general manager and head coach, is expecting big things from his team. Cape Breton improved a lot in the second half of last year's season and hopes to build on that progress this season.

"I think we really have a great squad," said Dumont. "We have a really great team spirit and we did some great team-building in August. Our group is united and our group is focused on succeeding, there's no doubt about that."

Russians 'work ethic addicts'

Leading the way for Cape Breton will be their two star players from Russia. 

Evgeny Svechnikov had an outstanding rookie season last year when he scored 32 goals and had 78 points in just 55 games.

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles head coach Marc-André Dumont thinks the tournament will help his players get better. (CBC)

Maxim Lazarev also put up big numbers with 36 goals and 80 points in his second season with the Screaming Eagles.

The two Russians are among five Cape Breton players who are currently away at NHL training camps. Svetchnikov is with the Detroit Red Wings while Lazarev is with the Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Black Hawks.

"They are a key part of our lineup and a key part of our culture too," said Dumont.

"Those guys are work ethic addicts. We have to pull them off the ice and turn out the lights in the gym to get them to leave. They had great numbers last year and that was the result of their hard work and dedication."

Mooseheads counting on younger players

One player who won't be in the Cape Breton lineup this season is Halifax native Shane Bowers. He was the Screaming Eagles top draft pick in the spring but decided to play at a U.S. prep school this season.

Life without Nik Ehlers begins tonight for the Halifax Mooseheads.
Halifax Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell says he is looking to the younger players to step up and fill the offensive void.

The Danish speedster was one of the top junior players in the country last season when he scored 101 points in only 51 games. Many hockey analysts are already suggesting Ehlers will play a key role with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets this season.

Mooseheads General Manager Cam Russell is banking on some of the team's younger players to step up and fill the offensive void.

"You just can't replace guys like that," said Russell. "So everybody else has to pick up a little bit of slack here and there and every year one or two players kind of jump out and surprise you."

Nik Ehlers' linemate from last season, Timo Meier, is also at an NHL training camp. He'll be skating — or should we say swimming — with the San Jose Sharks. He scored 46 goals for Halifax last year.

The Mooseheads biggest strength should be their goaltending with veterans Eric Brassard and Kevin Resop.

Teams still without full rosters

The team didn't win any of their five exhibition games. That included four losses to their provincial rivals from Cape Breton. 

Wins, along with goals, could be hard to come by for Halifax this season.

"There have been quite a few good surprises in my mind of guys who have come in and earned a spot," said Russell. "It is a young group but I think it's an exciting young group of hockey players."

With the season starting tonight all teams in the Q league want to get off to a fast start. But for some teams, it could be tough.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are projected by many to be a much-improved team this season.

But Sea Dogs general manager Darrell Young will have to do a lot of lineup juggling.  Nine of his players are at NHL camps and it will be quite a while before the team gets all of their key players back in junior.

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