Kian Bell has committed to Acadia

Axemen add SJHL’s two time leading scorer

The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome forward Kian Bell to the hockey program.

Bell, standing at 5’11” hailing from Fall River, NS, has been the top scorer in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) the past two seasons with the Battlefords North Stars. In 2022-23 Bell and his North Stars were the Canterra Seeds Cup SJHL champions, and represented the SJHL at the Centennial Cup where they would advance to the tournament final, losing 4-0 to the Brooks Bandits. Kian had 7 points in 6 games in the national tournament.

We asked Bell what made him choose Acadia, he said “I chose Acadia because I love the town of Wolfville and the campus. I know that Acadia historically has one of the best hockey programs in the country, and is also a great school academically, so to me it seems like a perfect fit.”

He began his junior career in 2020-21, after being called up from the Steele Subaru’s U18 where he had 45 points in 27 games, he suited up for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, with 2 points in 9 games. He was named the NSU18MHL Most Valuable Player for the season of 2020-21.

In 2021-22 he would spend the full season in the QMJHL with the Eagles, registering 14 points in 55 games. The following season he joined Battlefords of the SJHL and would register a league best 102 points in 51 games, including 54 goals. Bell would be named the SJHL’s Player of the Year and League MVP. Kian would begin the 2023-24 season in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he had 1 goal in 8 games, before re-joining the North Stars where he would score 94 points in just 41 games and was named a finalist for the CJHL’s most valuable player.

Acadia Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns likes what Bell brings to his squad, saying, “Throughout our conversations with Kian there were a couple of key things that continued to be evident; how much he wanted to be at Acadia and how much he loves hockey. Obviously, these are crucial components of what you look for in a player. His past has shown that offence is a big part of his game and this is an area where we wanted to improve. We feel once he gets acclimatized to our league he can be a player who can provide offence to our lineup.”

As for Bell, he describes his play as “…a creative, pass first offensive player, who likes to shoot the puck as well, but also as a player who can be relied on in all situations, all over the ice.”

The Axemen continue to fill out their roster for the upcoming season, as Bell joins fellow recruits, goalie Nicholas Sheehan, defencemen Conor Shortall and Keagan Slaney, along with forward Marc Boudreau. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!

#GoAcadiaGo

Story by Chris Richards