Kilfoil to join Mooseheads; Pekarcik added to USHL roster

Embed from Getty Images

It's been an eventful few days for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

On Thursday, the Halifax Mooseheads announced that Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil has committed to the club for the 2023-24 season. In March, Kilfoil signed a tender agreement with Dubuque to play with the United States Hockey League club this coming season.

“We are extremely thrilled to be able to make this announcement today,” Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell said in a news release Thursday.

“He has incredible talent and would have gone much higher in the draft, so we are lucky to land a player of his caliber. He will immediately step in and become a key member of our team this season and beyond. We can’t wait to see him on the ice with our players at training camp next month.”

The 16-year-old played in 25 games with both the Buffalo Regals under-16 squad and Salisbury prep school. Kilfoil spent the 2021-22 season at Mount St. Charles where he was roommates with Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge. Halifax notably traded up to select Kilfoil in the second round after Saint John chose Beveridge.

The Kilfoil news is a big get for the QMJHL but a big loss for Dubuque — which the Fighting Saints made up for on Monday. The USHL club announced that Slovakian forward Juraj Pekarcik has been added to the team's active roster just a couple weeks after being selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

🚨 ROSTER NEWS | The Fighting Saints have added forward Juraj Pekarcik to the active roster. #HalosHigh

Pekarcik on being a Fighting Saint 🗣 "I'm very excited to be part of the Dubuque team and I'm very excited to be there. I think it's the best choice for my development." pic.twitter.com/kaICuZbtUn

— Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) July 17, 2023

"I'm very excited to be part of the Dubuque team and I'm very excited to be there," Pekarcik said in a tweet posted by the Fighting Saints. "I think it's the best choice for my development."

Pekarcik spent last season in Slovakia and was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in this year's NHL Draft. The 17-year-old likely would have been an impactful player immediately for the rebuilding Titan.

These moves are nothing new as the recruiting war continues to heat up between the CHL and the USHL. Players who opt to play in the USHL maintain their NCAA eligibility.