Category: Team Stories

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Morgan Nauss named Acadia Team Captain

Acadia Axemen ’23-’24 leadership group pictured from left to right: Nick Deakin-Poot, Peyton Hoyt, Morgan Nauss, Hudson Wilson, Merrick Rippon, & Reilly Webb.

The Acadia Axemen are proud to announce their leadership group for the 2023-24 season. Hammonds Plains’ native Morgan Nauss will be the Axemen team captain this season, with alternate captains Hudson Wilson, Reilly Webb, Merrick Rippon, Nick Deakin-Poot & Peyton Hoyt.

Acadia Head Coach Darren Burns made the announcement during practice on Thursday, and afterwards said, “We are very proud to announce our captains for this year’s team. In taking into consideration player voting and our coaching staff’s assessment, it was clear that all of these players deserved to wear a letter; they certainly check all the boxes for what we want our program to embody.

Morgan Nauss will wear the ‘C’ . Without question, he has been a team player from day one. He is a very underrated player who always puts team first. We feel extremely confident that this group will lead our team on and off the ice this season with integrity, commitment and respect for Acadia.”

 

Nauss, a 4th year defenceman with the team, played his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads and Chicoutimi Sagueneens, he was an assistant captain for Chicoutimi for 2 seasons. Over 5 seasons and 285 regular season QMJHL games, he amassed 96 points. Morgan joined the Axemen in 2019-20 and has played in 63 regular season games, with 8 points. Nauss takes over the captaincy from Jack Flaman who graduated from the program following last season.

We caught up with the new Captain, and Nauss said, “It is an honour to be named Captain of the Acadia Axemen. I plan to lead by example on and off the ice, along with many other leaders we have on our team.”

Alternative Captains Hudson Wilson and Reilly Webb, both wore the ‘A’ last year as well for the Axemen. Wilson played majority of his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s before ending his 5th season with the Peterborough Petes. He committed to Acadia in 2020-21, however the season was cancelled due to the pandemic, so is beginning his 3rd season and has played 40 regular season games, with 9 points. Wilson was an assistant captain with Ottawa in 2018-19.

 

Reilly Webb split his OHL career with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Saginaw Spirit, and like Wilson, joined Acadia in the cancelled 20-21 season. He enters his 3rd season playing in 51 games with 12 points.

 

Merrick Rippon played majority of his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s after a half a season with the Mississauga Steelheads in 2017-18. He enters his 3rd season with the Axemen after joining Acadia in 2021-22, and has played in 48 regular season games, scoring 16 points from the blueline.

 

Nick Deakin-Poot, split his junior career between the OHL’s Guelph Storm and the QMJHL’s Saint John SeaDogs. He was an assistant captain for his final season with the SeaDogs in 2019-20, before joining Acadia before the pandemic cancelled season in ’20-’21. The forward is playing in his 3rd season, after playing in 46 games in his first 2 seasons, with 20 points, adding 4 points in 8 playoff games.

 

Peyton Hoyt, played his QMJHL career with 3 teams, spending 2 seasons with the Cape Breton Eagles, before moving on to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, and finishing his last season and a half with the Val-d’Or Foreurs. Hoyt was an assistant captain for the Foreurs in his final season. After the cancelled season with Acadia, Peyton has played in 49 regular season games, scoring 28 points in 2 seasons, adding 3 points in 5 playoff games.

 

Acadia hits the ice for their regular season opener on Friday night, when they host the StFX X-Men at 7pm at the Andrew H. McCain Arena. Get your tickets today at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

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Acadia kicks off the pre-season in Halifax against Dal on Tuesday

The Acadia Axemen kick off their exhibition games this week as they travel to Halifax on Tuesday to take on the Dal Tigers at the Halifax Forum at 7pm. The team then returns home for 3 pre-season games, starting with hosting the OUA conference’s Queen’s Gaels on Thursday, September 21st at 7pm, followed by a rematch against Dalhousie on September 27th, before rounding out the pre-season against the UPEI Panthers on September 29th. Regular season action gets underway on Friday, October 6th as Acadia hosts the StFX X-Men at the Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville.

The Axemen will look to put their players to the test in preparation for the yearly grueling battle of the ultra competitive AUS conference. Acadia’s lineup will include 8 new players to their roster, including 2 new goaltenders, who will be taking in their first USports action and adjusting to the speed of the game and size of the players in the league.

Acadia Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns is looking forward to the pre-season games for his team saying, “Everyone is very excited to get going. In university hockey the off-season is very long. We have liked what we have seen so far in terms of fitness levels and practices. Obviously, games are a whole different story. Creating excellent habits is crucial and we hope to see that right away. We look forward to evaluating our players individually and where we are at as a team and we intend on getting a good look at everyone, where we have four exhibition games.”

Annapolis Valley residents will recognize a couple names of the new players joining the Axemen, as Port Williams’ Brady Burns, and Kentville’s Cam Whynot, join second year forward Bailey Peach of Falmouth on the team. Enfield’s Liam Kidney and Hammonds Plains’ Morgan Nauss round out the other Nova Scotians suiting up for Acadia.

Look for a full season preview of the Axemen hockey team coming soon!

Get your first look at the 2023-24 Axemen in these preseason games at the Andrew H. McCain Arena by purchasing your tickets today at the Acadia Box Office or online at acadiau.universitytickets.com

Follow along with @axemenhockey on social media platforms, including live in-game updates on Twitter/X.

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Kentville defenceman to suit up for Acadia

The Acadia Axemen are proud to welcome the Annapolis Valley’s own, Cam Whynot, to the hockey program. The 6’1” defenceman from Kentville will join the Axemen after playing the last four seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 3rd round of the 2021 NHL draft, 89th overall.

We asked Cam what it will be like to step onto Acadia home ice this fall in front of the hometown crowd that has watched him play since he was a tot, he said, “being able to suit up and play in the place that everything started in is special. It’s a surreal feeling being able to play in front of all the people I care about and who have supported me since day one.”

Cam joins a pair of other Valley natives on the Acadia roster in Bailey Peach, from Falmouth, who is entering his 2nd season with the Axemen, and Brady Burns, from Port Williams, who like Whynot, will be experiencing his 1st season in the AUS this fall.

We asked Cam what Axemen fans can expect to see from him on the ice this season, he said, “fans should expect a steady 2-way defenseman, who is a good puck mover and can play in any situation.”

Whynot was drafted into the QMJHL in 2019 by the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the 1st round, 9th overall, and was traded to the Halifax Mooseheads before the season began. He then suited up for 57 games in his rookie season as a 16 year old. His next three seasons were a model of consistency as he scored 23 points in 34 games, 17 points in 45 games, and this past season he notched 25 points in 48 games. For his QMJHL career, Cam had 74 points in 184 regular season games.

Axemen Head Coach Darren Burns is pleased with the addition of to his lineup saying, “we are very excited to have Cam joining our program. We believe he is one of the top overage defencemen in junior hockey and we look forward to coaching him.

We think it’s a great fit and the timing is right for him. He, unfortunately, endured many injuries last season and he needed rest this summer. He now joins a strong defensive core and he can begin to train and practice at a high level. There’s no pressure on a timeline to return and when he does, he will be playing with a very strong back end. There is no doubt he can be an impact player in this league and he can pursue a long career in the game.

He is an extremely intelligent defenceman, who is an effortless skater with accurate passing skills. His ability to break the puck out is exceptional. We have followed his career from a very young age and to have another local product joining us is very rewarding. We know people in the Annapolis Valley will be thrilled he’s coming home.”

The Axemen begin their pre-season exhibition games on home ice on September 21st as they host the Queen’s Gaels. Get your tickets at the Acadia Box office or online starting September 1st at acadiau.universitytickets.com