Burbidge Commits to Acadia
Skilled forward from Falmouth, NS joins Axemen
The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome the Valley’s own Cole Burbidge to the hockey program. Cole a 6’1” forward from Falmouth, NS, joins the Axemen after 3 years in the QMJHL with the Saint John SeaDogs and most recently the Cape Breton Eagles.
We asked Burbidge what made him choose Acadia, and he said, “I knew it was a place where I could grow both as a hockey player and a student. I had great conversations with the coaching staff as well as current and former players, and everything they said made me feel like this was the right fit. I grew up just outside of Wolfville, which is a small town where the community and fans are passionate and always show up for the team. Acadia offers the opportunity to compete at a high level, earn a good education, and be part of a tradition.”
Burbidge starred with the Valley (Kings Mutual) Wildcats of the NSMBHL back in 2019-20 scoring 80 points in just 32 games, adding 11 points in 2 playoff games. In the 2021 QMJHL draft, Cole was chosen 29th overall, in the 2nd round by the Saint John SeaDogs. After the pandemic year, he then moved on to Mount St. Charles Academy U16 in the United States where he notched 59 points in 52 games.
As a rookie with Saint John he had an impressive 50 points in 68 games in 2022-23, in the off-season he was traded to the Cape Breton Eagles where he would score 57 points in 68 games in 2023-24. This past season Cole notched 43 points in 61 games. Overall in his time in the QMJHL he scored 150 points in 197 career games, adding 12 points in 25 playoff games. Burbidge will have a number of familiar faces on the Axemen, joining former Eagles teammates Brayden Schmitt and Conor Shortall, along with former SeaDogs teammates Brady Burns and Charlie Desroches.
Coach Darren Burns is excited to add the talented local player to the team saying, “Cole has qualities you can’t teach. His intelligence and playmaking ability is second to none. He is an extremely smart player who can make plays when sometimes it doesn’t appear there’s a play to make. Playmaking centers are pivotal in any lineup, in any league, and he is going to be a huge addition for us. An extremely low maintenance player that adds instant offence to our roster.”
We asked Burbidge what Axemen fans can expect from him on the ice, and he described his game saying, “The fans can expect to see a playmaking centerman with good hockey IQ who will be able to contribute in any position required.”
In addition to adding Burbidge, the Axemen have a deep recruiting class which includes defenceman Brayden Schmitt and forwards Justin DeZoete, Jordan Grill, Ryder McIntyre, Zak Lavoie, and Roenick Jodoin. Anticipation is growing for the upcoming season as we welcome a total of 7 new recruits to the Axemen roster for 2025-26 in addition to a strong core of returning players.#GoAcadiaGo
Story by Chris Richards