QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads

Mathieu Cataford Wins QMJHL MVP

Published on May 3, 2024 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release


Forward Mathieu Cataford has been named the winner of the QMJHL's Michel-Briere Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. The Mooseheads forward had an outstanding season with career highs in goals (40), assists (50) and points (90) to lead the team in scoring while finishing third in the QMJHL scoring race.

The 19-year-old beat out fellow finalists Antonin Verrault of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Justin Gill of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to give the Mooseheads back-to-back MVP award winners after Jordan Dumais captured the Michel-Briere Trophy in 2023.

Cataford was a third round draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and has spent his entire QMJHL career with the Mooseheads, scoring 211 points in 195 games over three seasons. His point total places him ninth all-time in franchise history while he is 10th in team history in both goals (88) and assists (123). The native of Saint-Constant, QC was drafted sixth overall by Halifax in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft.

He has made a name for himself not only with his scoring abilities but with his dedication to playing a two-way style of game that features a strong physical element all while being a consummate teammate.

Cataford scored a career-best five points in a game on December 8th, 2023 at Scotiabank Centre when he tallied three goals, including the overtime winner along with two assists in a 5-4 Mooseheads victory over Gatineau. That game was the first of a career-high 11-game points streak for the forward.

Off the ice, he is just as valuable and was named a finalist for the Marcel-Robert Trophy for the QMJHL's Scholastic Player of the Year Award. Cataford was nominated by the Mooseheads in back-to-back seasons thanks his remarkable work in the classroom. Prior to joining the Herd he was educated solely in French which is his first language. It was his request to attend an English school and he excelled with a 95.5% average in his first year at Woodlawn High School. He followed that up with a 95.1% average in his second year to graduate with first class honours. Mathieu was an "A" student in 2023-24 in his first year enrolled in the Saint Mary's University Bachelor of Commerce program.

Cataford is the 52nd player to win the MVP award in QMJHL history, joining the likes of Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Pat LaFontaine, Dale Hawerchuk and many others. He is the third member of the Mooseheads to nab the trophy following Jordan Dumais and Jonathan Drouin.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 3, 2024


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