Category: Team Stories

Axemen add talented defenceman to the roster

The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome Brayden Schmitt to the hockey program. The agile, two-way defenseman from Truro, NS joins the Axemen after playing 5 seasons in the QMJHL, most recently with the Cape Breton Eagles.

Schmitt says, “I decided to choose Acadia University because I love the Valley and the town of Wolfville. The coaching staff was extremely welcoming and kind in our talks, and with old teammates and friends currently on the team I felt it was a perfect fit for me to pursue my schooling and hockey career here. The rink and facility are top-notch and I love playing on the big ice.”

Brayden began his junior career in 2020-21 with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, being named Captain of the team in 2022. After 2 and a half years with the Armada, he was traded at the holiday break in 2022 to the Cape Breton Eagles.

In 2023-24 he recorded his best statistical season scoring 49 points in 68 games. Brayden was named an assistant captain of the Eagles in 2024-25 where he would post 27 points in just 45 games, due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. He was also named QMJHL’s student athlete of the month in February of this year.

Over his 5 seasons in the QMJHL, Schmitt played in 273 regular season games, scoring 135 points, and adding 8 points in 29 playoff games.

Axemen head coach Darren Burns is excited to add Schmitt to their defense core saying, “Bringing Brayden into our program is extremely significant on and off the ice. He personifies leadership and character and he’s a widely respected player in Atlantic Canada and in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. He is an excellent skating defenceman who has the ability to bring the puck up the ice with ease. His ability to jump in the rush and his polished puck moving ability immediately helps a team’s transition. He plays the game with grit and passion which are key ingredients in the AUS.”

As for Brayden, he says “The Axeman fans should expect to see a smooth-skating defenceman that loves to join the rush and get involved offensively, whilst being able to get back and shut down defensively.”

Schmitt is the first announced Axemen recruit for the upcoming season and he reunites with former Eagles teammate Conor Shortall on the Axemen blueline. Stay tuned for more Axemen commitment announcements in the coming weeks. #GoAcadiaGo

Story by Chris Richards

For Immediate Release

Montreal Canadiens Legend Larry Robinson to Headline Acadia Hockey Fundraiser

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Darren Burns, head coach of the Acadia University men’s hockey team, announced today that Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens legend and Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman, will headline this year’s Acadia Axemen Celebrity Hockey Dinner in June.

Nicknamed “Big Bird” in part for his size (6’4’’ and 225 pounds), Robinson was a big and strong yet highly mobile defenceman. He played 17 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and another three seasons for the Los Angeles Kings, until his retirement after the 1991–92 season. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice (1976–77 and 1979–80) as the league’s most outstanding defenceman and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1978 playoffs. He was named to the league’s first and second all-star teams three times each. Larry Robinson’s name appears on the Stanley Cup ten times, six as a player, three as a coach or assistant coach and once as a scout. He turned professional in Halifax, spending 1971 to 1973 with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the American Hockey League before making it to the National Hockey League with the Canadiens.

“We’re so excited to have Mr. Robinson headline our silver anniversary dinner,” said Burns. “The man is a legend, one of the greatest defenceman in NHL history and a hero to generations of hockey fans. We are fortunate to have him.”

The 25th Acadia Axemen Celebrity Hockey Dinner takes place on Thursday, June 19^th at the Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville.  Since starting in 1998, the event has raised close to $500,000 in support of the men’s varsity hockey program at Acadia. Tickets and corporate tables are available by visiting the Acadia Box Office or calling 902-542-5500 or by visiting: https://acadiau.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=2572

For further information on the Celebrity Dinner event, contact Len Hawley, Chairperson at (902) 698-9692 or via email len.hawley@acadiau.ca.

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Media Contact:

David Salter

709-315-7868

david.james.salter@gmail.com

Monday, March 3rd at 7pm

Friday, February 28th at 7pm

Acadia faces tough task against USports #1 ranked Reds

The Acadia Axemen advanced to the AUS semi-finals in dramatic fashion, sweeping the StFX X-Men 2-0 in their best-of-three quarterfinal series. However, they now face a much steeper challenge as they take on the USports No. 1-ranked UNB Reds in a best-of-five showdown, beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. in Fredericton.

UNB’s Dominance

The defending UCup champions have been nearly unstoppable over the past two seasons. After going undefeated last year from exhibition through playoffs, UNB followed up with a 28-1-1 record this season, suffering just one regulation loss and one overtime defeat.

The Reds boast an offensive powerhouse, with five of the top six AUS scorers on their roster. Emmit Sproule led the way with 43 points, finishing second in the conference behind SMU’s Derek Gentile. Freshman Peter Reynolds was the league’s top goal-scorer, netting 21 goals in 30 games, while offensive defenseman Kale McCallum added 39 points in just 27 games.

Between the pipes, AUS Second Team All-Star Samuel Richard anchored UNB with a stellar 1.48 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, finishing the season 21-2.

After a 12-day break since their last game on February 15, the question remains—will UNB show signs of rust, or will they simply be fresh and well rested.

Acadia’s Momentum

The Axemen enter the series with confidence and momentum, not only from sweeping round one, but also from their dramatic comeback in Game 2, erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period to win by two.

Head Coach Darren Burns praised his team’s resilience:

“In round one, we liked the way our players handled adversity and setbacks—whether it was early penalties in Game 1 or falling behind extremely early in Game 2, but we continued to play well. Coming back to score four in the third period says it all. Our guys’ trust and belief in what they were doing was crucial.”

Acadia showcased a balanced attack in the quarterfinals, with six different goal scorers. Regular-season leading scorer Brady Burns has yet to find the back of the net in the opening round of the playoffs, but others have stepped up, including Liam Kidney (4 points in 2 games) and captain Peyton Hoyt, who is from Lincoln, NB, which is just outside of Fredericton, scored twice for the Axemen. Burns and AUS All-Rookie Team member Cam MacDonald will be counted for their offensive punch in this series.

Goaltender Thomas Couture will be a key factor in this series, as he has proven capable of stealing a game on any given night and the Axemen will need his stellar play against the high octane Reds attack.

Looking ahead, Coach Burns emphasized the importance of staying true to their game:

“We just need to continue playing to our capabilities. We aren’t the same team we were in September. The players have worked hard and stayed committed. Belief is important. AUS hockey is incredibly competitive, and the postseason is short—it’s all about embracing the moment and doing everything you can to make it last.”

Series Schedule

• Game 1: Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 pm in Fredericton
• Game 2: Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 pm in Fredericton
• Game 3: Monday, March 3 at 7 pm in Wolfville
• Game 4 (if necessary): Tuesday, March 4 at 7 pm in Wolfville
• Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, March 6 at 7pm  in Fredericton

🎟️ Get your tickets for Game 3 at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com.

📺 Watch the road games live on AUStv.ca or listen to Len Hawley and Dave Salter’s call of the game on AVR 97.7 FM and avrnetwork.com.

#GoAcadiaGo

Thursday, February 27th at 7pm

AUS Playoffs, Round 2: Best 3 out of 5

Saturday, February 22nd at 7pm

Game 1 Thursday in Antigonish, Game 2 in Wolfville on Saturday

For the 3rd straight season, the Acadia Axemen will face the StFX X-Men in round 1 of the best of 3 AUS playoffs, with game 1 of this year’s series going Thursday night in Antigonish at 7pm.

After a heated final game of the regular season that saw the teams combine for 214 minutes in penalties, the intensity and temperature is bound to remain high. Combine that with the two teams playing 13 periods of hockey in 2 games in the best of 3 matchup in round 1 of last year’s playoffs, with StFX winning the series 2-0, this matchup is highly anticipated among hockey fans alike. Despite the Axemen dropping Saturday night’s season ending game to the X-Men, Acadia owns the season series between the teams 3 games to 2. However, when we caught up with Acadia head coach Darren Burns, he is not putting much stock into that regular season success going into the post-season saying, “I don’t think coaches really look at regular season results come playoff time. The reality is this is an excellent league and it’s very close. We have just focused on trying to improve as a team as the year went on and we feel we have.”

The Axemen have been playing some of their best hockey of the season down the stretch, finishing the season winning 3 of their last 4 games. The StFX X-Men have struggled as of late going 1-4 in their last 5 games. Their top scorer, Zack Trott ended the regular season with 36 points in 30 games. Top goal scorer Alex Christopoulos had 32 points including 15 goals, however, he will miss game 1 after an altercation with Acadia’s Luke Zazula in the final game of the season that will see both players suspended. With Christopoulos out, the X-Men will look to Jacob Maillet and Ethan Burroughs, who had 26 and 25 points respectively this season, to bring the offense. Charlie Callaghan is an offensive force on the backend as a key on their powerplay along with his ability to jump into the rush at even strength to create scoring chances.

Key players to watch for the Axemen will be regular season leading point and goal scorer, Brady Burns. With 32 points, including 13 goals in 30 games, he along with linemate Cam MacDonald, who had 12 goals and 27 points as a freshmen, will be key to the Acadia offense. Adam McMaster finished the regular season on a tear, scoring 7 goals and a total of 10 points in his final 8 games down the stretch. Charlie Desroches and Tyler Deline (17 and 16 points) will be counted on at both ends of the ice for offense and to keep their opponents at bay. It’s no secret the key to the Axemen success will be the play of their netminder, Thomas Couture, who played in 26 of 30 games this year, and was stellar in last season’s playoff series giving Acadia every opportunity to win through the triple and quadruple overtime games.

When asked what the Axemen need to do to be successful in this short best of 3 playoff series, Coach Burns said, “Our success will come from hard work and structure. When we have had our best results it’s because we played smart and we played with a lot of structure in our game, all over the ice.”

Game 1 on Thursday, February 20^th at the Keating Centre in Antigonish is set to be an exciting start to the series, with both teams eager to gain the upper hand. Game 2 goes Saturday night in Wolfville at the Andrew H. McCain Arena at 7pm. With such evenly matched teams, this series promises to be a thrilling display of AUS hockey at its finest. #GoAcadiaGo

Thursday, February 20th at 7pm