Amid down season for Mooseheads, star forward focuses on upside

Richard Woodbury · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 09, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 9

Shawn Carrier wasn't disappointed erstwhile helium learned past off-season that helium had been traded from the contending Moncton Wildcats to the rebuilding Halifax Mooseheads. He really thought it was an astonishing opportunity.

Carrier was the sixth wide prime successful the 2023 draft, but got buried connected the 4th enactment successful his rookie play playing connected a beardown squad filled with older players. His 11 points successful 59 games was much of a reflection in ice clip than his talent.

So erstwhile helium learned helium was headed to Halifax arsenic the Mooseheads traded seasoned players amid a rebuild, Carrier's caput focused connected how he could marque the astir of the situation.

"It's a bully accidental to amusement my skills and my game, truthful it's going to beryllium beauteous fun," said the 17-year-old, who turns 18 successful little than a week.

Carrier has 40 points connected the play and has logged dense crystal clip connected Halifax's apical lines. He plays connected the powerfulness play and kills penalties, allowing him to show NHL scouts each facets of his game.

Carrier is eligible for this year's NHL draft. He was astir precocious listed arsenic the 194th-best North American skater connected the NHL's prospect rankings.

The Mooseheads are adjacent the bottommost of the 18-team league standings and warring for 1 of 16 playoff spots.

Mooseheads wide manager Cam Russell said the bulk of crystal clip goes to older players connected contending teams. He said Carrier benefits from where the Mooseheads are successful their development.

"It's a small spot of a bittersweet concern wherever it's pugnacious to permission the squad that's drafted you and the squad that is contending, but astatine the aforesaid time, you're going to different squad that's truly excited to get you that has truly bully opportunities for you to play and play bigger minutes and beryllium a bigger portion of a hockey team," said Russell.

'A unsocial kid,' says wide manager

Besides his skills, Russell said Carrier plays with passionateness and enthusiasm.

"He's a unsocial kid due to the fact that it's hard to find … guys that travel to the rink each time that are enthusiastic, that person that bubbly vigor and play hard connected the ice, too," said Russell.

"A lot of kids these days, they privation to beryllium conscionable strictly accomplishment players and don't truly recognize the enactment ethic portion of it. But … he's a bully hybrid."

Carrier has established himself a person successful the locker-room, said goalie Jacob Steinman.

"He brings a hard enactment ethic [that's] contagious to different guys," said Steinman, who besides played with Carrier connected the Wildcats past season, earlier joining the Mooseheads successful a mid-season commercialized this year.

Carrier has done this while besides learning a caller language. A autochthonal of Trois-Rivières, Que., helium spoke constricted English earlier joining the Mooseheads because helium could talk French successful Moncton, but he's present fluent.

Longer term, Carrier is reasoning of what the Mooseheads could become.

"Next twelvemonth and successful 2 years, we're going to beryllium precise good, truthful I'm conscionable excited for that," helium said.