Truro, N.S. (April 19, 2021) – The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is pleased to announce the All-Star and Rookie All-Star Teams for the 2020-21 season. In a change from previous seasons, an All-Star Team is being named for each division instead of one team to encompass all twelve teams. Players were selected based on nominations and subsequent votes from officials with all MHL teams.
Eastlink North
Left Wing – Joshua Nadeau (Edmundston Blizzard)
Just days after his 17th birthday, Joshua Nadeau burst onto the scene with an incredible first month of the 2020-21 MHL season. At the end of November, the rookie from St-François, N.B. led the league in scoring with nine goals and eleven assists in eight games to earn honours as the Gongshow Top Forward and Pro Design Cresting Top Rookie of the month. Nadeau was named as a Player of the Week on four occasions during the season and finished the season with thirteen goals and eighteen assists in fifteen games. That placed him 14th in overall league scoring with the best points per game average at 2.07. Nadeau has committed to the University of Maine Black Bears.
Centre (TIE) – Patrick Brown (Fredericton Red Wings)
Patrick Brown, from Orillia, Ontario, was acquired by Fredericton in late November and played in 15 of the Red Wings’ 25 games, nearly leading the team in scoring with eight goals and nine assists. The 21-year-old finished the season on a nine-game point streak and was named a Player of the Week in late March.
Centre (TIE) – Jérémie Jacob (Miramichi Timberwolves)
Jérémie Jacob finished tied for second in team scoring for Miramichi with seven goals and 21 assists in playering all 26 of the team’s games. The 19-year-old from Dieppe, N.B. had the second-most powerplay assists in the MHL with eleven, with his overall assist total placing him 11th in the league. He was twice named a Player of the Week.
Right Wing – Drew Toner (Grand Falls Rapids)
The 20-year-old hometown forward finished tied with Tyler Boivin for the team lead in scoring with eleven goals and 25 assists in 23 games. His assist total was the most on the team and placed him 7th overall. Toner had the longest assist streak in the MHL this season, covering a nine-game stretch where he tallied fourteen from mid-November to mid-December. Toner was named a Player of the Week on four occasions.
Defense – Matthew MacKay (Grand Falls Rapids)
The captain of the Grand Falls Rapids, from Sackville, N.S., led all defensemen in scoring with nine goals and 20 assists in 23 games and was tied for 17th in league scoring overall. His 1.26 points per game was the highest amongst blueliners who played at least 20 games and second only to Fredericton’s Devan Newhook overall. MacKay was named Gongshow Top Defenseman in November and an honourable mention for March/April. He was a Player of the Week five times. His 15 powerplay points were third-most in the MHL. MacKay led all defensemen in goals, powerplay goals, powerplay assists, was tied for the most game-winning goals with two, and was second in assists.
Defense – Elliott St-Pierre (Campbellton Tigers)
Elliott St-Pierre, from Rimouski, Quebec, was tied for fourth in team scoring with three goals and sixteen assists in 27 games for Campbellton. The 20-year-old led all MHL defensemen in shorthanded points with three assists. Two of those came in one game, March 21st, which was an individual game high for any player this season. St-Pierre finished with the eighth-most point amongst defensemen and was named a Player of the Week in late March.
Goaltender – Tristan Gray (Campbellton Tigers)
Tristan Gray finished his final regular season in the MHL with an 8-3-0-1 record in twelve games. The 21-year-old from Bonavista, NL posted a 2.79 goals against average, which was tied for fourth-best in the MHL, while his .919 save percentage was second-best in the league. Gray also had one shutout this season, a 35-save effort in his first start of the season back in November against Miramichi. He made at least 30 saves in nine of his twelve starts, including two games of 40 and 41 saves respectively. He was named a Player of the Week twice.
Eastlink South
Left Wing – Justin Ertel (Summerside Western Capitals)
The 17-year-old rookie from Mississauga, Ontario led the Western Capitals in scoring with nine goals and nineteen assists in 18 games. Justin Ertel’s point total was third-most among rookies. His assists total was tops among rookies, as were his eight powerplay assists. Ertel had a six-point effort on March 14th against Pictou County, which tied him with Amherst’s Stephen Fox and Truro’s Bair Gendunov for the most points in one game this season. He was named an honourable mention for the Pro Design Cresting Top Rookie in both January/February and March/April, and was a Player of the Week in mid-March.
Centre – Griffen Fox (Amherst Ramblers)
Griffen Fox was second in team scoring with fourteen goals and 25 assists in 22 games. Acquired by the Ramblers in early January, Fox was held scoreless in just four games and had ten multi-point games. He was eighth in league scoring and finished in a three-way tie for the second-most shorthanded goals with three. Fox was named an honourable mention for the Gongshow Top Forward award in January/February.
Right Wing (TIE) – Stephen Fox (Amherst Ramblers)
Stephen Fox finished second in league scoring with 28 goals and 31 assists in 34 games played. The 20-year-old from Newtown, N.S. led the league in shorthanded goals with five, which helped him lead the MHL with seven shorthanded points. Fox was tied for the most powerplay assists in the league with twelve, placing him second in total powerplay points with eighteen. He also tallied the most game-winning goals with five. Fox was one of three players to have a six-point game this season, which was an individual game high. He ended the regular season on a nine-game goal scoring streak, with thirteen in total during that period, which was the longest such streak in 2020-21. He also had an active ten-game point streak, with 25 points total. Fox was named the Gongshow Top Forward for March/April and an honourable mention for the award in December. He was also named a Player of the Week five times.
Right Wing (TIE) – Bair Gendunov (Truro Bearcats)
The league’s leading scorer, Bair Gendunov had 29 goals and 32 assists in 33 games. The 20-year-old from Toronto, Ontario was traded from South Shore to Truro in late November and went from scoring one point per game to averaging over two points per game with the Bearcats. Overall, his 1.85 points per game was second only to Edmundston’s Joshua Nadeau. Gendunov led the MHL in goals and assists, powerplay goals with 12, and powerplay points with 23. He finished the regular season on an eight-game point streak, with 24 in that time, and an active eight-game assist streak, with fourteen since late February, which was the longest of the season by any player. Gendunov was named Gongshow Top Forward in December and January/February, along with being an honourable mention in March/April. He was also named Player of the Week six times this season.
Defense – Chase Carter (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 21-year-old from Truro, N.S. was acquired from the Edmundston Blizzard in October and instantly helped solidify and already strong Mariners blueline. Carter tallied the third-most points among defensemen with six goals and eighteen assists in 36 games. He had the third-most goals and assists for blueliners, and was tied with Grand Falls’ Matthew MacKay for the most game-winning goals with two. Carter was named the Gongshow Top Defenseman for January/February and was a Player of the Week once this season.
Defense – Marko Jakovljevic (Amherst Ramblers)
Acquired by the Ramblers in January, Marko Jakovljevic tied for fourth among MHL defensemen with four goals and fifteen assists in 22 games. That also placed him in a tie for sixth in team scoring. He was tied with two other players for the second-most shorthanded assists among defensemen with two. Jakovljevic was named an honourable mention for the Gongshow Top Defensemen in January/February and was named a Player of the Week in early February. He has committed to Ontario Tech University for 2021-22.
Goaltender – Justin Sumarah (Yarmouth Mariners)
Justin Sumarah was named the Gongshow Top Goaltender in the MHL in the league’s first month and never looked back. The 20-year-old from Halifax, N.S. led all goaltenders in wins with a 21-4-1-0 record in 26 games. Sumarah’s 1.95 goals against average was nearly a full point better than the next goaltender on the list, while his .935 save percentage and five shutouts easily led the way across the MHL. He played the most minutes of any goaltender in the league at 1,569 and made the most saves with 732. Sumarah allowed two or fewer goals in eighteen games. He was also named the Gongshow Top Goaltender for January/February and a Player of the Week six times overall.
Rookie All-Star Team
Left Wing – Joshua Nadeau (Edmundston Blizzard)
(See description above)
Centre – Mark Hillier (Summerside Western Capitals)
Mark Hillier joined the Summerside Western Capitals in mid-January and finished fourth in rookie scoring the MHL with thirteen goals and thirteen assists in eighteen games. His goal total was tied for the most in the league among rookies with Edmundston’s Joshua Nadeau. Hillier was tied with teammate Justin Ertel for second in rookie powerplay points with 10 and his two game-winning goals led all first-year players. Hillier was named the Pro Design Cresting Top Rookie for January/February and was a Player of the Week on one occasion.
Right Wing – Landon Sim (Pictou County Weeks Crushers)
The 16-year-old hometown forward finished tied for fourth in team scoring with eight goals and thirteen assists in 35 games. Landon Sim finished fifth in rookie scoring and had the third-most powerplay points among rookies. Sim was tied for the most shorthanded points for rookies, where his three shorthanded assists were the most for any first-year player. He was named a Player of the Week twice.
Defense – Peter Stanger (Campbellton Tigers)
The 18-year-old from Quispamsis, N.B. was named the Pro Design Cresting Top Rookie in December and an honourable mention for that month’s Gongshow Top Defenseman. Peter Stanger finished eighth in rookie scoring with three goals and sixteen assists in 25 games, which nearly twice as many points as the next rookie blueliner on the list. He was tied for fourth in rookie assists and fourth among all MHL defensemen. Stanger was named a Player of the Week three times.
Defense – Dylan Chisholm (Valley Wildcats)
Dylan Chisholm was drafted in the 4th Round, 67th overall, in the 2019 MHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old from Antigonish, N.S. posted three goals and five assists in 28 games for Valley in 2020-21 while logging heavy minutes for the young Wildcats team. His two powerplay goals were tied with Campbellton’s Peter Stanger for most among rookie defensemen.
Goaltender – Gio DiMattia (Grand Falls Rapids)
The 17-year-old from Halifax, N.S. was drafted in the 5th Round, 51st overall, in the 2020 MHL Entry Draft. Starting in ten of the team’s 23 games, Gio DiMattia posted a 4-2-1-3 record with a 3.83 goals against average, and an .874 save percentage. He was named a Player of the Week in early November.
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Media Contact:
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Junior Hockey League
jfaulkner@themhl.ca