U SPORTS all-stars to face nation junior hopefuls in Moncton
Zazula named to USports ‘Team AUS’
TORONTO β For the eighth time since 2015, a team of U SPORTS menβs hockey all-stars will be facing members of Canadaβs National Junior Team Selection camp as a part of its preparation for the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship.
U SPORTS has selected players exclusively from theΒ Atlantic University SportΒ (AUS) conference to represent the All-Star team and face Team Canadaβs hopefuls in a pair of games at the Avenir Centre in Moncton on Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. AT and Dec. 12 at 12 p.m. AT.
Tickets for the event can be purchased atΒ www.avenircentre.com
The U SPORTS squad is loaded with firepower, as the Top 10 AUS scorers have all made the roster, with every player scoring at a greater than a point-per-game clip. The team will be led byΒ AUSΒ leading scorerΒ Liam Hawel from the STFX X-Men, who has posted 27 points in 18 games this season (12-15-27). The former Soo Greyhound and Kitchener Ranger also played seven games for the Laval Rocket of the AHL in the 2020-21 season before joining the X-Men for the 21-22 campaign where he scored 18 goals and added 19 assists.
The U SPORTS defence is led byΒ UPEI Panthers blueliner Matthew Brassard. The former Barrie Colt and Niagara Ice Dog is the leading point-getter amongst rearguards in Canadian university menβs hockey with 23 points in 18 games (3-20-23). LegendaryΒ UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who will also oversee the U SPORTS entry at the upcoming FISU Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, New York, will guide the All-Star team with six members of his UNB REDS, including fourth year forwardΒ Brady GilmoreΒ (3-16-19)
βThis is an excellent opportunity for U SPORTS to show our continued support for Hockey Canada in helping them best prepare the Canadian World Junior Team for the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Atlantic Canada,β saidΒ Lisette Johnson-Stapley, Chief Sport Officer of U SPORTS. βWe are honoured to be invited annually to the selection camp, while simultaneously showcasing some of the best talent Canadian university hockey has to offer. We greatly appreciate Hockey Canadaβs support in hosting some of Canadaβs top university players.β
Hockey Canadaβs National Junior Team has faced various U SPORTS competition on a regular basis since 1988. U SPORTS began its current All-Star team format in 2015 and in seven previous camps has a 6-6-1 record.
U SPORTS MENβS HOCKEY ALL-STAR ROSTER
Name / Nom | Pos | Hometown / Ville natale | Yr/AnnΓ©e | Team/Γquipe |
Jonah Capriotti | G | Mount Hope, ON | 2nd | UPEI |
Matthew Welsh | G | Halifax, NS | 3rd | Saint Maryβs |
Noah Carroll | D | Strathroy, ON | 5th | UNB |
Adam McCormick | D | Woodstock, NB | 2nd | UNB |
Yann-Felix Lapointe | D | Granby, QC | 2nd | Moncton |
Justin MacPherson | D | Richmond Hill, ON | 2nd | Saint Maryβs |
Matthew Brassard | D | Barrie, ON | 4th | UPEI |
Ross MacDougall | D | St. Stephen, NB | 4th | UNB |
Luke Zazula | D | Langley, BC | 2nd | Acadia |
Vincent Deslauriers | F | Ste. Anne-des-Plains, QC | 5th | Moncton |
TJ Shea | F | Tignish, UPEI | 4th | UPEI |
Kyle Maksimovich | F | Hamilton, ON | 4th | UPEI |
Troy Lajeunesse | F | Dokis, ON | 5th | UPEI |
Mika Cyr (INJ)
*will not play |
F | Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, NB | 2nd | Moncton |
Nathael Roy | F | St-Redempteur, QC | 2nd | Moncton |
Matthew Struthers | F | London, ON | 2nd | STFX |
Liam Hawel | F | Kanata, ON | 2nd | STFX |
Austen Keating | F | Kitchener, ON | 3rd | UNB |
Brady Gilmour | F | Cobourg, ON | 4th | UNB |
Jason Willms | F | Kitchener, ON | 3rd | UNB |
Shaun Miller | F | Cole Harbour, NS | 3rd | Dalhousie |
Andrew Coxhead | F | Fall River, NS | 2nd | Saint Maryβs |
Jacob Hudson | F | Antigonish, NS | 2nd | STFX |
TEAM STAFF
Gardiner MacDougall | Head Coach | UNB |
Forbes MacPherson | Assistant Coach | UPEI |
Derek Cormier | Assistant Coach | Moncton |
Tyler Naugler | Assistant Coach | SMU |
Christopher Becker | Equipment Manager | UNB |
Jordan Lamontagne | Equipment Manager | Moncton |