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Denis Toner isn’t content just to be a depth player on the Halifax Mooseheads. The soon-to-be 19-year-old from Saint Andre, N.B., made the QMJHL team’s full-time roster this year after coming up short the previous three training camps.

On paper, he will enter the season as the No. 7 defender but he sees that as nothing more than a starting point.

“The first goal was to make the team, but more than that I’m 19 years old and I feel like I can be a veteran with this group of guys,” he said. “I know everyone here and I feel comfortable so hopefully I can play a regular role every game. That’s what I’m working towards.”

Toner stood out in training camp with his skating and puck movement, but also his attitude. At five-foot-nine and 163 pounds, he is quick on his feet and coaches and teammates rave about his leadership qualities. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his history. Toner was the captain of his bantam AAA and midget AAA teams in Fredericton, as well as for Team New Brunswick at the 2015 Canada Games.

His confidence during the pre-season games stood out and he was the team’s most consistent defender many nights.

“I think I came to camp ready, physically and mentally,” he said. “I felt a lot let less pressure this year. I’m 19 now and I didn’t put any extra stress of my shoulders. I came in comfortable and my dad just told me ‘Have fun, you’ve worked hard for this your whole life.’ I did that - I went out and had fun and it’s paid off so far.”

The Mooseheads selected Toner in the eighth round of the QMJHL draft in 2015. He went back for one more season of midget in Fredericton after that, then spent two seasons with the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Hockey League. He also gained some experience last year as an occasional call-up to the Mooseheads.

“Playing with fast players and against fast players, even it’s just a little bit, you learn a lot,” he said. “Even if it’s only a couple games here and there, it gets you ready mentally for what you’re going to face if you make the team. I think I’m ready for that.

“I remember when I was 16 my coach Fabian Joseph in Woodstock told me to play another year of midget. Then when I was 17 he told me it was time to play with the bigger guys at the faster speed in junior A. I played on a mature team so they showed me a lot. A lot of those guys are playing university now so it shows that the MHL is a good league.”

Toner will certainly play regularly for the first few weeks of the QMJHL regular season. Defencemen Walter Flower (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jake Ryczek (Chicago Blackhawks) and Jocktan Chainey (New Jersey Devils) haven’t returned from NHL tryouts yet and Jared McIsaac hurt his shoulder late last week at the Detroit Red Wings camp and is expected to be out for three or four weeks.

“(The pre-season) has definitely been a good opportunity for me to show what I can do,” Toner said. “I’ve played power play, PK and in all sorts of situations that I may or may not see this season. It’s good that they trust me and put me out in all those different situations.”

The Mooseheads open their season on the road on Friday against the Saint John Sea Dogs.

“We’re pumped up,” Toner said. “The pre-season is done now, we wiped that away and now we’ll start from scratch again. We’ll have a big week of practice and then we’ll get it going this weekend.

“We’re feeling pretty good. Pre-season was tough with all the guys at NHL camps but I think we’ve been working on our systems with the guys that are here. Some days we’re only eight or nine guys practising so that’s tough but I think we’re getting better already.”