Liam Hawel named U SPORTS men's hockey rookie of the year; joins Centorame and Struthers as All-Canadians

Mount Royal's Yaremko headlines U SPORTS men's hockey major award winners

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U SPORTS) – Mount Royal forward Nolan Yaremko was honoured with the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as U SPORTS men's hockey Outstanding Player of the Year Wednesday night.

Past Award Winners

St. Francis Xavier forward Liam Hawel captured the Clare Drake Award as Rookie of the Year, while Rams forward Kyle Bollers earned the Randy Gregg Award for Student-Athlete Community Service for his outstanding contribution both on and off the court. Finally, Dalhousie coach Chris Donnelly took home the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as Fox 40 Coach of the Year.

Hosted by the Acadia Axemen, puck drop on the 2022 U SPORTS Men's Hockey Championship starts on Thursday and the event concludes Sunday with the gold medal game at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. All games are to be played at The Andrew H. McCain Arena.

Livestreaming in English is available for free worldwide on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and the CBC Sports App and usports.ca, with French digital coverage carried on usports.ca

SENATOR JOSEPH A. SULLIVAN TROPHY (Player of the Year): Nolan Yaremko, Mount Royal 

Leading both the MRU Cougars and all CW skaters, Nolan Yaremko has had an incredible season earning 39 points (19G-20A) in the regular season earning a well-deserved spot on the CW first all-star team. Yaremko's performance has been not only a standout among players on his team, but also Canada West topping the entire conference in goals. Unsurprisingly, it was Yaremko who notched the Cougars game winning goal on Saturday, Feb. 26 to lift the Cougars beyond the CW quarter-finals and into semi-final action. In doing so, this is the first time the Cougars have made it through to the semi-finals in MRU's CW / U SPORTS era history.  

In his two years of eligibility at MRU, Yaremko has notched 48 points (21G-27A) in 36 games and will look to continue leading the team in 2022-23.  

Originally from Spirit River, Alberta, Yaremko was selected in the second round, 29th overall in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft and earned a spot with the Tri-City Americans in 2014-15 and played all five seasons of his career there while becoming captain in his fifth year in 2018-19. Through 278 career games, Yaremko posted 159 points (67G-92A). In April of 2019, Yaremko signed a Amateur Tryout Contract with the Stockton Heat. 

"From start to finish his season was, in a word, exceptional. He did it all for us and was an impactful player every time he hit the ice," said Mount Royal Head Coach, Bert Gilling. "Nolan was remarkably consistent in his productivity throughout the regular season and playoffs while playing and contributing in all situations of the game."     

Nominees
CW: Nolan Yaremko, Mount Royal (Winner)
OUA: Nicolas Mattinen, Ottawa
AUS: Liam Hawel, St. Francis Xavier 

CLARE DRAKE AWARD (Rookie of the Year): Liam Hawel, St. Francis Xavier

Liam Hawel is a 6'4" forward and business student hailing from Arnprior, Ont. An AUS first team all-star, he was third overall in U SPORTS scoring with 37 points (18G, 19A) and was second in the nation in goals scored. He led the AUS conference in points, goals and assists and had the third highest +/- rating at +16. Liam also notched five power play and four game winning goals this season for the second place X-Men.  

Prior to joining the X-Men, he played five years in the OHL, winning an OHL championship with the Guelph Storm in 2019. A fourth-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2017 NHL draft, Liam most recently spent the 2020-21 season with the AHL's Laval Rocket. He was also a member of the 2016-17 U18 national team, competing in the IIHF U18 World Championships. 

"Liam has been an outstanding addition to our program," notes head coach Brad Peddle. "He had an excellent first season and made an immediate impact to our program. He was a key part of our regular season success and is fierce competitor with elite level skill and hockey sense with the ability to take over games. Liam certainly established himself as one of the premier players in the nation in only his first season." 

Nominees
AUS: Liam Hawel, St. Francis Xavier (Winner)
OUA: Holden Katzalay, Queen's
CW: Riley Sawchuk, Mount Royal 

RANDY GREGG AWARD (Student-Athlete Community Service): Kyle Bollers, Ryerson

Taking home the Randy Gregg Award for student-athlete community service is Rams rookie Kyle Bollers, who has worked hard to ensure that equity-seeking communities are being represented and given the same opportunity to play hockey and learn the game.

Included in these efforts is Bollers' work with the Black Aces hockey program, helping kids from underserved communities learn to skate, while also serving as a tutor/mentor. The first-year forward from Oshawa, Ont. was also a key contributor in the Regent Park community skate, where the team engaged the Toronto community in conjunction with the Toronto Police. The sport media major has also raised funds through his Against All Odds account by selling t-shirts supporting underserved communities and breast cancer awareness, and has been helping to organize the annual Golf 4 ALS tournament since 2014, raising funds for ALS Canada and Sunnybrook Hospital.

Even with the dedication and effort put forth this off-ice initiatives, Bollers also impressed in the rink during his foray into the OUA. The West Division all-star put his name on the map in a big way as the crème of the freshman crop in the region, en route to being selected as the West/Far West rookie of the year.

Despite this being his first season, Bollers saw his name tied atop the OUA leaderboard in goals (13) and ranked third in total points (25). He also showed up when it mattered most for the Rams, netting four game-winning tallies for the Toronto-based squad. With a knack for scoring, it become commonplace to see his name on the scoresheet, being held off it on only three occasions in his 15 games played. And while there were many memorable moments during his debut campaign, his crowning individual achievement this season came in the form of a six-point game (2G, 4A) against Lakehead on March 4.

Nominees
OUA: Kyle Bollers, Ryerson (Winner)
CW: Keaton Jameson, Manitoba
AUS: Matt Welsh, Saint Mary's 

FATHER GEORGE KEHOE MEMORIAL AWARD (Fox 40 Coach of the Year): Chris Donnelly, Dalhousie

In his 10th season leading the Dalhousie Tigers' men's hockey team, Chris Donnelly has been selected as the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as the Fox 40 Coach of the Year.

After ending the 2019-20 season in seventh place with an 8-19-1-2 record, this year Donnelly guided the Tigers to an 11-11-1-0 record and third-place AUS finish.

In the 2021-22 regular season, Dalhousie scored an average of 3.35 goals per game, had the second-best penalty kill percentage in the league (84.7%) and second-highest save percentage (.903). The Tigers also led the conference with four short-handed goals.

Nominees
AUS: Chris Donnelly, Dalhousie (Winner)
OUA: Mike McParland, Nipissing
CW: Bert Gilling, Mount Royal 

R.W. PUGH AWARD (Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year): Joe Gatenby, New Brunswick

In his third season with the UNB REDS, defenceman Joe Gatenby has been chosen as the U SPORTS most sportsmanlike player and recipient of the R.W. Pugh Award.

A business student from Kelowna, BC, Gatenby played in 23 games for the REDS in the 2021-22 regular season, recording two goals and eight assists while picking up just six minor penalties.

He is the sixth player from UNB to be named the nominee for the award and the first since 2017-18 when Randy Gazzola won the award. Gatenby now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS R. W. Pugh Award. Gazzola was the last AUS player to win this award.

Gatenby was also a second-team AUS All-Star and received 2020-21 Top 8 Academic-All Canadian honours for his excellence on the ice, in the community and in the classroom.

Nominees
AUS: Joe Gatenby, New Brunswick (Winner)
OUA: Aaron Boyd, Carleton
CW: Nolan Yaremko, Mount Royal 

DEFENCEMEN OF THE YEAR: Nicolas Mattinen, Ottawa

Nicholas Mattinen is the recipient of the U SPORTS Defenceman of the Year Awards after earning both OUA East/Far East Most Valuable Player and conference Defenceman of the Year honours after his second season of play in Garnet and Grey, having joined the squad before the 2019-2020 season. This year, the 6-foot-5 blueliner from Ottawa tied for the Gee-Gees team lead in goals with six and was second on the team in points with 13 in 18 games played.  

Mattinen uses his tall frame and exceptional reach to not only be a good defender and cut off plays, but also to showcase his impressive puck skills. Whether it is breaking out with the puck, unleashing his shot, or demonstrating his overall poise and confidence, the Gee-Gees blueliner has proven to be a threat in all three zones. 
 
The two-time Ontario Hockey League champion (2016 with London; 2018 with Hamilton) and 2016 Memorial Cup winner with the Knights, played an average of 24 minutes per game for the Gee-Gees and maintain a responsible style of play therein, staying out of the penalty box during the lofty time he logged. The ability to do so proved even more impressive given the effort that the opposition spent zoning in on him on the ice. He also helped anchor the team's penalty kill that ranked fifth overall in the conference at 83.9%, while also shining on the powerplay, and on offence in general. 

Mattinen is wrapping up his career in Garnet and Grey following this season. He played his first AHL game on March 23, recording an assist with the Rocket de Laval. Mattinen was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. 

Nominees
OUA: Nicolas Mattinen, Ottawa (Winner)
AUS: Justin MacPherson, Saint Mary's
CW: Clayton Kirichenko, Alberta

GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR: Rylan Toth, UBC 

2021-22 was truly an historic season for Rylan Toth who tied for the conference wins lead with 11, along with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage, all while playing more minutes than any other Canada West goaltender.

The Saskatoon native finished his final Canada West regular season with four shutouts, setting a new Thunderbirds program single season record, just one shy of tying the all-time conference record, in a shortened season no less.

Three of Toth's shutouts came consecutively, as his streak of 227:49 without allowing a goal against stands as the third longest in Canada West history.

Also named a conference First Team All-Star, Toth was a major factor in UBC clinching second in the conference, earning hosting rights to a semifinal series for the first time in over 50 years.

While Toth's career regular season numbers alone are impressive, he takes it to another level come the post-season. In 16 career Canada West playoff games, Toth has a .915 save percentage. This post-season, he helped UBC punch their ticket to a second consecutive University Cup berth allowing just four goals against in a three-game series with Mount Royal on a .957 save percentage.  

"We've always known his potential and what he's capable of doing, it's terrific to see him getting recognized at this level, he's deserved everything," said UBC Head Coach Sven Butenshön. "He's here early, he's on the ice before everybody, he's a fifth-year guy that takes nothing for granted. His habits are very professional which will give him a great chance to play at a high level of pro. He's just been a great leader for our young goalies as well."

Nominees
CW: Rylan Toth, British Columbia (Winner)
OUA: Luke Richardson, Queens
AUS: Reilly Pickard, Dalhousie