Truro, N.S. (March 20, 2023) – The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is pleased to announce the All-Star and Rookie All-Star Teams for the 2022-23 season. Players were selected based on nominations and subsequent votes from officials with all MHL teams.
Eastlink North
Left Wing – Daryk Dubé-Plouffe (Miramichi Timberwolves)
The 20-year-old from Trois-Rivières, Quebec led the MHL in scoring with 99 points in 42 games for 2.36 points per game. His 38 goals were tied with teammate Jeremy Duhamel for the fourth most in the league, while his 61 assists tied him with Summerside defenseman Ed McNeill for the most in the MHL. Only 24 of Dubé-Plouffe’s points came on the powerplay, in stark contrast to many of the top scorers this season who racked up points with the man advantage. He had four game-winning goals, which was second on Miramichi to Duhamel’s six. Dubé-Plouffe was named the league’s Top Forward in October and December, and was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week seven times. He was named the 3rdStar from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) in October.
Centre – Alex Arsenault (Edmundston Blizzard)
The 20-year-old from Saint-Charles, N.B. was fifth in league scoring with 81 points, finishing one point back of teammate Olivier Coulombe. Arsenault had the fourth-most assists this season at 55 and five game-winning goals. He had 22 powerplay assists, which was sixth-most in the MHL, to go with six powerplay goals. His 1.56 points per game was tenth-best this season. Arsenault was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week on five occasions. He had previously been named a Rookie All-Star in 2019-20.
Right Wing – Olivier Coulombe (Edmundston Blizzard)
The 21-year-old from Montmagny, Quebec finished fourth in league scoring with 82 points. Despite starting his season in November, Coulombe tallied 52 goals and 30 assists in 2022-23 and had points in 36 of 37 games played. This marked the first time a player has topped the 50-goal mark in the MHL since Summerside’s Thomas Stavert in 2014-15. He finished tied for third with Grand Falls’ Yannic Bastarache in powerplay points with 37. Coulombe had an incredible twelve game-winning goals, including a streak of four straight games in November with the winning goal and three-straight games in January. He had a league-best 27-game point streak in 2022-23, collecting 59 points from November 4th to February 17th. Coulombe entered the Metalfab MHL Cup Playoffs on a nine-game goal scoring streak with sixteen goals in that time. He was named the Top Forward in November and January, and was the Honourable Mention in March. Coulombe was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week seven times.
Defense – Ed McNeill (Summerside Western Capitals)
The 20-year-old from Summerside, P.E.I. finished seventh in league scoring with sixteen goals and 61 assists and was second on the Western Capitals in scoring. McNeill was tied with teammate Isaac Wilson in goals among defensemen and was tied with Miramichi’s Daryk Dube-Plouffe for the overall league lead in assists. He had the second-most powerplay points in the league with 44, trailing only the 48 from teammate Trentyn Crane. McNeill was named Top Defensemen in September and December, with an Honourable Mention in January. He was named to the Eastlink North Team of the Week nine times. McNeill was also named an MHL All-Star for the Eastlink North last season.
Defense – Sam McKinney (Miramichi Timberwolves)
The 20-year-old from Burton, N.B. was one of only two defensemen to finish in the Top 20 in league scoring, with his 66 points tying him for eighteenth on the list. McKinney was third in goals for blueliners with 15, behind Summerside’s Ed McNeill and Isaac Wilson who each had 16, and was second in assists behind McNeill. McKinney ranked third for defensemen in both powerplay assists (23) and powerplay points (26). He was tied with three other defensemen with three game-winning goals. McKinney was named the league’s Top Defenseman in February, which later earned him 3rdStar of the Month by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). He was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week seven times. McKinney was previously named a Rookie All-Star in 2019-20.
Goaltender – Thomas Boucher (Edmundston Blizzard)
The 20-year-old from Lévis, Quebec started his season on November 10th and posted a record of 21-2-0-2, with a 2.51 goals against average, a .917 save percentage, and two shutouts. His win total and save percentage were both the best in the MHL, and Boucher tied with three other goaltenders for the league lead in shutouts. Boucher’s goals against average was the second-best in the league, trailing only Yarmouth’s Keegan Warren. Boucher won his first eleven starts of the season, including three that needed overtime. He was named Top Goaltender in November and Honourable Mention in December. Boucher was named to the Eastlink North Team of the Week five times. The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) named Boucher as the 1st Star of the month for November.
Eastlink South
Left Wing – Reilly Mayne (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 20-year-old from Hopeall, Newfoundland played all 52 games for the Mariners in 2022-23, finishing second on the team in scoring with 66 points. He cracked the Top 20 in league scoring, tying for eighteenth. Mayne was one of only six players in the MHL to score on a penalty shot this season. His 29 goals placed him thirteenth in the league, while his 37 assists ranked him twentieth. Mayne was one of three players tied for fourth with six game-winning goals this season. He was named to the Eastlink South’s Team of the Week four times.
Centre – Nick Mahar (Pictou County Weeks Crushers)
The 19-year-old from Sydney, N.S. more than doubled his point total from his rookie campaign last season, leading the Crushers with 73 points in 52 games. That placed him tied with Edmundston’s Jeremy Duguay for eighth in league scoring. Mahar tied Summerside’ Trentyn Crane for seventh in the MHL with 33 goals. His 40 assists were the sixteenth most in the league. He was named to the Eastlink South Team of the Week five times.
Right Wing – Ryan Semple (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 21-year-old from Lower Wedgeport, N.S. was another player who had an offensive explosion in 2022-23. Semple had 59 points in 49 games, topping his previous best of fourteen points in 2019-20. He was a consistent contributor, with points in 34 games, including fourteen of sixteen games to end the season. Semple had five game-winning goals and nineteen points on the powerplay. He was named to the Team of the Week in the Eastlink South four times.
Defense – Brendan Bays (Truro Bearcats)
The 20-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario finished third in assists and points for defensemen with 45 and 53 respectively. The Bearcats’ captain finished tied with Carter McCluskey for second in team scoring. He was tied for third in powerplay goals among blueliners with seven, sitting one back of Summerside’s William Irvine and Yarmouth’s Franco Canevari. Bays was named Top Defenseman in October and March, as well as being an Honourable Mention in February. He was named to the Eastlink South Team of the Week seven times, including four of the last five weeks of the season.
Defense – Ben Roode (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 21-year-old from Dartmouth, N.S. has been named an All-Star in the Eastlink South for the second season in a row. Roode was Yarmouth’s top-scoring defenseman with 41 points in 52 games. He tallied eleven goals and 30 assists on the season. Roode scored five game-winning goals to lead all defensemen. Three of those, impressively, came in three straight overtime games for Yarmouth between December 2nd and 10th. Roode was named an Honourable Mention for Top Defenseman in both November and December. He was named to the Eastlink South’s Team of the Week five times.
Goaltender – Joey Lovullo (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 19-year-old from Amherst, New York had a record of 17-2-1-0, tying him with Pictou County’s Kenzie MacPhail for the sixth-most wins. His 2.64 goals against average was third-best in the league, while his .905 save percentage ranked sixth. Lovullo also had one shutout, which was a 31-save performance in Truro on December 13th. He was named to the Eastlink South Team of the Week twice this season. He and teammate Keegan Warren backstopped the Mariners to the Young/Knickle Award for the Top Goaltending Duo, allowing only 132 goals as a team.
Rookie All-Star Team
Left Wing – Coen Miller (South Shore Lumberjacks)
The 17-year-old from Bedford, N.S. burst onto the scene with the Lumberjacks with fourteen goals and twelve assists in 23 games. Those 26 points placed him eleventh in rookie scoring. His 1.13 points per game was the best on South Shore and was tied with Pictou County’s Ben Mercer for the second-best in the MHL for rookies. Miller finished just one goal behind Bennett Kuhnlein for the team lead, and his nine powerplay points were also just one behind Nathan Carter for the most on the Lumberjacks. Miller was named to the Eastlink South’s Team of the Week three times.
Centre – Ben Mercer (Pictou County Weeks Crushers)
The 19-year-old from New Glasgow, N.S. led all rookies in scoring 54 points in 48 games. His goal total of 21 was tied for second among rookies with Fredericton’s Manix Sarrasin, behind teammate Riley Seymour who had 24. Mercer finished third for rookies in assists with 33, just two behind league leader Jerome Gilbert of Yarmouth. He had the second-most powerplay points among rookies with seventeen, notching five goals and twelve assists. Mercer’s 54 points placed him third on the Crushers, behind Nick Mahar and Lucas Parsons. He was named an Honourable Mention for the Rookie of the Month award in December and March.
Right Wing – Logan O’Neil (Pictou County Weeks Crushers)
The 18-year-old from Sydney, N.S. finished third in rookie scoring with 49 points. O’Neil had fifteen goals, which were tied for fifth-best among rookies with South Shore’s Bennett Kuhnlein. His assist total of 34 was just one behind Yarmouth’s Jerome Gilbert for the league lead among rookies. O’Neil led all rookies with two shorthanded goals, which was only one off the overall lead. His nine powerplay assists were the third-most among rookies. O’Neil was named to the Eastlink South’s Team of the Week once this season.
Defense – Evan Bellamy (Grand Falls Rapids)
The 18-year-old from Hampton, N.B. was the MHL’s top-scoring rookie defenseman. His 37 points also placed him fifth on his team and tied him for seventh in overall scoring for defensemen. His 30 assists were fourth-most among rookies. Bellamy easily led rookies in powerplay assists with nineteen, seven more than Pictou County’s Ben Mercer, which placed him fourth among all defensemen. His 23 powerplay points led all rookies and placed him fourth overall for defensemen. Bellamy was named Honourable Mention for both Top Rookie and Top Defenseman in October, and was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week twice.
Defense – Lincoln Waugh (Summerside Western Capitals)
The 16-year-old defenseman from Summerside, P.E.I. finished eighth on the Western Capitals in scoring and tied for eleventh in rookies scoring. Waugh tallied eight goals and seventeen assists this season. His assist total was tied with teammate DonHeaven Veilleux for ninth-most among rookies. He finished the regular season with points in five of his last six games. Waugh was named to the Eastlink North’s Team of the Week twice this season.
Goaltender – Keegan Warren (Yarmouth Mariners)
The 17-year-old from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland led the MHL with a 2.19 goals against average and posted a record of 19-3-1-0. Warren’s nineteen wins were tied with Miramichi’s Ryan Knight for the third-most in the league. He had a .912 save percentage, which was tied for third-best in the MHL with Summerside’s Chad Arsenault. Warren’s two shutouts were tied with three other goaltenders for the most this season. He was named the league’s Top Goaltender in January and an Honourable Mention in November. Warren was also named to the Eastlink South’s Team of the Week three times. He and Joey Lovullo backstopped the Mariners to the Young/Knickle Award for the Top Goaltending Duo, allowing only 132 goals as a team.
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Media Contact:
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Junior Hockey League
jfaulkner@themhl.ca