Mooseheads begin rebuilding process
The rebuild of the Halifax Mooseheads has begun.
The Mooseheads traded two veteran defencemen — Patty Kyte and Walter Flower — in separate deals Sunday as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade period opened.
Halifax dealt Kyte to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for a first-round pick in the 2020 QMJHL entry draft. Kyte, who was signed as a free agent by the Mooseheads in 2017, played 156 career games with Halifax and collected 69 points and 131 penalty minutes. The Pembroke, Ont., native also appeared in 32 career playoff games.
The 20-year-old Flower was traded to the Rimouski Oceanic for the Saint John Sea Dogs' second-round pick in 2020 and the Bathurst Titan's fourth-round pick in 2020. Each was previously acquired by Rimouski.
The Lunenburg native, in his fifth QMJHL season, has 66 points and 200 penalty minutes in 235 career games, which are fifth-most in franchise history by a defenceman. Flower was a second-round selection by the Mooseheads in 2015.
The QMJHL trade period runs until Monday, Jan. 6 (1 p.m. AT) and more deals are expected by the Mooseheads as they kickstart the rebuild.
Three potential trade chips — Jared McIsaac, Bo Groulx and Raphael Lavoie — are currently with Canada's world junior team. There are rules that prevent world junior players from being traded before the end of the world junior tournament. McIsaac, Groulx and Lavoie could technically be in limbo until early January if they remain on the Team Canada roster.
The Mooseheads are off until Saturday, Dec. 28, when they host the Cape Breton Eagles at Scotiabank Centre.
WILDCATS PART WAYS WITH HEAD COACH TORCHETTI
The Moncton Wildcats announced on Saturday that the QMJHL club has released head coach and director of player operations John Torchetti from his duties.
“A decision was made for internal reasons that the change was required,” a Wildcats' statement read. “As this is a personnel-related matter, the organization will have no further comment.”
The Wildcats, the No. 3 team in the Canadian Hockey League, are second in the QMJHL's Eastern Conference with a 24-9-0-0 record.
Torchetti was hired last January. Assistant coach Darryl Boyce takes over as interim head coach while assistant director of hockey operations Ritchie Thibeau will oversee hockey operations. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately, a Wildcats' news release said.
On Sunday, the Wildcats acquired goalie Dakota LundCornish of Upper Tantallon from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for netminder Alexandre Parent and a fifth-round pick in 2022.