Axemen receive commitment from Cam MacDonald
Cape Breton Eagles forward from Hammonds Plains, NS to join Acadia
The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia native Cam MacDonald to the hockey program.
The 6’1” forward was drafted in the 2021 NHL Entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 5th round, 160th overall, and in committing to Acadia, he will reunite with his former Saint John Sea Dogs teammates Brady Burns, Charlie Desroches, and Thomas Couture, who won a Memorial Cup together in 2021-22.
We asked Cam what made him chose Acadia for his next chapter, he said, “I chose Acadia because they had a good group of people and players that I’ve played with over the years, with good schooling and it is closer to my hometown. The good recruiting class (by the Axemen) last season for winning games later on down the road was intriguing.
MacDonald began his QMJHL career with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2020-21, where he scored 17 points in 30 regular season games, and then adding 5 points in 6 playoff games including 4 goals.
In 2021-22 he notched 34 points in 67 regular season games and another 3 points in 4 games at the Memorial Cup tournament.
In 2022-23, Cam was named an assistant captain with SeaDogs, where he played 27 games to start the season, scoring 29 points in 27 games, before being traded to the Gatineau Olympiques, where he added 27 points in 31 games. Over the course of the season, he scored a career best 56 points in 58 games, including 29 goals.
This past season he moved on to the Cape Breton Eagles, where he scored 19 goals, and 48 points in 63 games. He was heavily counted upon by the Eagles for scoring in their playoff drive and the Hammonds Plains native did not disappoint, as he put up 13 points in 13 games, as the Eagles surprised many with 3rd round playoff appearance. Cam was teammates in Cape Breton this season with fellow Axemen recruit Conor Shortall. MacDonald also participated in the training camp for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes last September.
For his QMJHL career, in 218 regular season games he scored 73 goals and 155 points. In 24 playoff games he had 11 goals and 16 points.
Coach Darren Burns sees the commitment of MacDonald as a strong addition to the forward group saying, “Cam is a player that can make a team better in so many ways. On the ice, he has the smarts to play the power play, he’s a very sound penalty killer, great on faceoffs and plays the game hard and tough. His versatility and willingness to do whatever is best for his team has been on display his whole junior career.
We have watched him be a key piece of a memorial cup winner in Saint John, a go-to player who produced on a rebuilding team, and it’s no secret he was a driving force in Cape Breton’s run this past year.
You win with guys like Cam because they have no ego and are all heart. We are ecstatic to be able to bring him into our program.”
As for what fans can expect to see from him on the ice this fall in an Axemen jersey, Cam said, “I play a 200 foot game whether it’s offensively, working down low, off the rush, defensively winning face-offs, or play in the D zone. I like to pride myself on playing powerplay and penalty kill as well, whatever is needed.”
Acadia has now announced six recruiting commitments for the fall with MacDonald joining Eagles teammate, defenceman Conor Shortall, defenceman Keagan Slaney, forwards Marc Boudreau & Kian Bell, and netminder Nicholas Sheehan. Stay tuned for more announcements in the weeks ahead!
#GoAcadiaGo
Story by Chris Richards