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Here is the Halifax line-up to start the 2014-15 campaign.
After a couple of weeks' worth of collective breath-holding, the Montreal Canadians did decide to return Zach Fucale back to junior, and he will be the unquestioned number one goalie (probably seeing a sizable workload again). He will be backed up by first-round pick Evan Ness, who Halifax chose over 2013 draft pick Jean-Philippe Brais (who was solid in midget as a 16-year-old last year; if Ness proves not ready, he may get a look).
Defense-wise, Halifax has a very solid top four with overagers Austyn Hardie and Jesse Lussier providing shutdown play, and Matt Murphy and newcoming Raphael Maheux bringing the puck-moving from the backend. Jacob Jacques returns, but will be expected to provide more poise than last year, with rookies Taylor Ford (who had a cup-of-coffee with the team towards the end of the season), Brandon Worthen, and Cavan Fitzgerald jockeying for playing time as the #6.
Up front, Halifax is missing four of their top five scorers from a year ago. Ottawa draft pick Nikolaj Ehlers will lead the way, while third-line fixtures Andrew Ryan and Timo Meier will have to up their game offensively, as they see increased minutes and tougher defenders. Ryan Falkenham returns for his fourth season as the new team captain, while the Moynihan brothers will be given an opportunity in a top-six role to build on their modest performances. Vincent Watt, Andrew Shewfelt and Samuel Vigneault will be thrust into important roles after spending extended periods on the taxi-squad last year, Alexandre Caron-Roy will provide the protection on the fourth-line, and rookies Sam Mealey, Max Fortier, Mark Vokey, and Guillaume Archambault will look to make an offensive statement in likely-limited ice-time.
Combos:
(18) Ehlers / (20) Ryan / (18) Meier
(17) C.Moynihan / (18) D.Moynihan / (19) Falkenham
(18) Watt / (16) Mealey / (17) Fortier
(19) Caron-Roy / (19) Vigneault / (18) Shewfelt
Spares: (18) Archambault, (17) Vokey
(19) Murphy / (20) Lussier
(20) Hardie / (18) Maheux
(17) Ford / (18) Jacques
Spares: (17) Worthen, (18) Fitzgerald
(19) Fucale, (16) Ness
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