Photo credit: Vincent Ethier

The Halifax Mooseheads pulled off a shocker to start the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft in Charlottetown on Saturday. General Manager Cam Russell used the first overall selection on power forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx, much to the delight on the large contingent of Moose fans in attendance at the Eastlink Centre.

Click here to see his first ever interview with Moose TV.

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It was Russell’s next move that solidified Halifax as the clear winners of the draft. The Mooseheads acquired the second overall pick from Baie Comeau which the Herd used on star Cole Harbour defenceman Jared McIsaac. The addition of the local player had the Mooseheads fans on their feet, erupting in cheers and applause.

Halifax parted with the seventh, 16th and 24th picks in 2016 along with the rights to Rouyn-Noranda’s first round selection in 2017 in order to land McIsaac.

Click here to see the new star defenceman speak to Moose TV following the first round.

It’s clear with these two selections that the Mooseheads have instantly revamped their roster and will continue to improve with hopes of being a contending team in the near future.

Click here to see the complete list of 2016 QMJHL Draft selections

Groulx’s 51 points in the regular season was the highest total by a rookie in QMAAA. He is a complete forward with leadership qualities. Groulx is a pure goal-scorer but is not selfish with the puck and is able to make a quality pass to a teammate in order for the play to progress.

As impressive as his play is with the puck, Groulx is equally effective without the puck in the three zones. He is touted as a franchise player for years to come.

Groulx played a major role in helping Canada win a Silver Medal at the 2016 Youth Olympics in Norway.

The 16-year-old is the son of former Gatineau Olympiques Head Coach Benoit Groulx.

McIsaac, the Cole Harbour Wolfpack blueliner, is a big body with the physical maturity to become an excellent player in the QMJHL. McIsaac’s strongest assets include his sense of play, transition in the neutral zone and his first pass. He’s also extremely hard to beat in one-on-one situations.

McIsaac has an offensive side to his game as well and scored more than a point per game with the Wolfpack this season. He was also a member of the Silver Medal winning Team Canada at the Youth Olympics.

The local defenceman scored three points in five games with Team Nova Scotia at the recent Gatorade Excellence Challenge.

Russell continued to deal in the second round when he sent picks 21 and 52 to Cape Breton to move up and select goaltender Alexis Gravel 20th overall. Gravel was the second ranked goalie available at the draft.

Big forward Raphael Lavoie was selected by Halifax with the 29th overall choice. Lavoie was ranked 19th overall by CSR. He is 6-foot-1 and weighs 172 pounds. Lavoie scored 12 goals and 14 assists in 42 games played with College Antoine Girouard. He added five points in eight playoff games.

Forward Frederik Theoret was selected 39th overall by the Mooseheads. He had 13 goals, 10 assists and 74 penalty minutes last season with College Charles-Lemoy.

Dartmouth defenceman Peter Diliberatore went to Halifax with the 57th selection. Diliberatore had 21 points in 38 games during the regular season and added eight points in 11 playoff games.

Diliberatore’s teammate Jordan McKenna was the Mooseheads next pick at 75th overall in the fifth round. McKenna had nine goals and 21 assists in 38 games with the Steele Subaru’s.

Russell used the 111th overall selection on American forward Jake Wise who had 41 points in 21 games with Central Catholic High School.

Halifax held two picks in the eighth round and picked goaltender Cole McLaren (129th) from the Valley Wildcats and forward Brandon Stone (133rd) of the Fredericton Canadiens. McLaren had a 3.30 Goals Against Average in 20 games played and a .910 Save Percentage. Stone scored 46 points in 35 games with Fredericton.

In the 10th round the Mooseheads took American defenceman Jack Rathbone from the Cape Cod Whalers. He scored 13 points in 12 games with Cape Cod and also suited up for Dexter School for 29 games where he had 11 goals and 15 assists.

Defenceman William Smith from Ulysse Prep in the 11th round with the 183rd selection.

Sticking with the American theme, the Mooseheads chose Cape Cod Whalers defenceman Brian Scoville in the 12th round (201st overall). Scoville is 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds.

Halifax Macs forward Ian MacPhee went to the Herd in the 13th round. The 1999 born player from Timberlea scored 28 points in 38 games with the Macs last season and added 70 penalty minutes.

With the final pick of the afternoon, the Mooseheads selected defenceman Cedric Matte of Bishop’s College U16 in the 14th round (237th overall).

Here is a breakdown of all of the Mooseheads selections: