TORONTO --
Alexandre Gagnon of the McGill University Redbirds has been named winner of the Dr. Randy Gregg Award
for student-athlete community service in men's hockey.
The announcement was made on Wednesday at the All-Canadian Awards Ceremony in Toronto, site of the 2024 U SPORTS Final Eight championship tournament.
Gagnon, a 25-year-old native of Gatineau, Que., becomes the second McGill player to win this prestigious national award and the first since future NHL player Mathieu Darche in 2000.
Other major award winners include
Mount Royal's
Connor Bouchard, who received the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the most outstanding player; Brock's Connar Ungar, who won the Clare Drake Trophy as rookie of the year; UNB's
Kale McCallum, who was named the defenceman of the year;
Shane Farkas of , who is the goaltender of the year;
Brady Gilmour of UNB, who took home the R.W. Pugh Trophy (most sportsmanlike player); and
Gardiner MacDougall of UNB, who captured the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award given to the Fox40 Coach of the Year.
The 2024 University Cup gets underway on Thursday at the site of the old Maple Leaf Gardens, the Mattamy Athletic Centre on the Toronto Metropolitan University campus. Play continues with two games daily through to the gold medal game, which is set for 5 p.m. on Sunday. Sixth-seeded McGill is slated to play its quarter-final against No. 3 UBC on Friday at 7 p.m.
View the official championship website.
Gagnon, an alternate captain, is a physical and health education senior, who has had the luxury of playing alongside his younger brother Mathieu, for the past two seasons. He has achieved a lofty 3.97 cumulative grade point average (out of 4) to earn Academic All-Canadian honours and a berth on the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound defensive forward scored six goals and 17 points in 24 league games this season, with only six penalty minutes. He played a key role on McGill's stifling penalty-killing unit which led the nation with an 89 per cent success rate. Gagnon, who won the team's Albert Fyon Trophy as most improved player last season, has served as the team representative on the Varsity Council in the capacity of VP-Community Affairs. He also volunteered as project leader for the team's McGill-24 crowdfunding project (2023), represented the hockey team at the Residence Welcome Week event, served as a team mentor for the younger players, was chosen for the University's National Philanthropy Day video, and volunteered for a "McGill Athletics Thank-a-thon", which involved calling donors to the hockey program.
Gagnon is the recipient of multiple academic honours, including the 2023 Walter & Mary Marsh Scholarship (community involvement and outstanding leadership), the Tomlinson Undergraduate Award (academic excellence and mentorship), the Phi Delta Kappa Prize (exceptional extra-curricular and community involvement), a Minister of Education Excellence Scholarship (MEES Award), the John Chomay Award (academic and athletic excellence) and a 1938 Champions Award (leadership, academic excellence, athletic achievement).
2024 MEN'S HOCKEY AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy (most outstanding player): Connor Bouchard, Mount Royal
Clare Drake Trophy (rookie of the year): Connor Ungar, Brock
Defenceman of the Year: Kale McCallum, UNB
Goaltender of the Year: Shane Farkas, Mount Royal
R.W. Pugh Trophy (most sportsmanlike player): Brady Gilmour, UNB
Dr. Randy Gregg Award (student-athlete community service): Alexandre Gagnon, McGill
Father George Kehoe Memorial Award (Fox 40 Coach of the Year): Gardiner MacDougall, UNB
First Team All-Canadians
Athlete University Pos Year Hometown Academic Program
Connor Bouchard Mount Royal F 2 Cochrane, Alta. Open Studies
Simon Lafrance UQTR F 4 Ste-Eustache, Que. Physical Education
Austen Keating UNB F 3 Puslinch, Ont. Business Admin.
Kale McCallum UNB D 2 Rothesay, NB Arts
Clayton Hanus Mount Royal D 2 Excelsior, Minn. Business
Shane Farkas Mount Royal G 2 Penticton, BC Open Studies
Second Team All-Canadians
Athlete University Pos Year Hometown Academic Program
Matthew Struthers STFX F 3 Milton, Ont. Business
Jacob Roach Brock F 3 Brooklin, Ont. Sport Management
Colson Gengenbach Calgary F 3 Edmonton, Alta. Business
David Noël UQTR D 3 Quebec City, Que. Kinesiology
Jake Lee UBC D 2 Sherwood Park, Alta. Arts
Connor Ungar Brock G 1 Calgary, Alta. Social Sciences
All-Rookie Team
Athlete University Pos Hometown Academic Program
Alec Belanger Dalhousie F Quebec City, Que Kinesiology
Luka Verreault Ottawa F Rimouski, Que. Accounting
Jake Poole Calgary F McAuley, Man. Arts
Charlie Callaghan STFX D Toronto, Ont. Business
Jonah Boria Brock D Grimsby, Ont. Kinesiology
Connor Ungar Brock G Calgary, Alta. Social Sciences
SOURCE:
U SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
and
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
