The Carleton Ravens Men’s Hockey Team had a successful 2015-16 season, finishing third in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) during the regular season, winning the Bronze Medal game, and advancing to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s (CIS) National Championship in Halifax.
Aside from team success, there were plenty of individual accomplishments that stood out.
Patrick Killeen and Francis Dupuis were the best goaltending duo in the country, posting save percentages of .927 and .925 respectively. Forward Ryan Van Stralen set a modern-era program record with 22 goals in 28 games. However, no player stood out like first-year Brett Welychka.
In a spectacular freshman season, in which he won the Clare Drake Award for CIS men’s hockey Rookie of the Year, Welychka topped it off by winning Carleton’s Male Athlete of the Year award at the university’s 2016 varsity awards banquet on March 31.
“I think it speaks loudly for our program, not just myself,” Welychka said. “Our coaches and trainers did an incredible job and I was able to come in and focus on playing my game.”
It was expected to be a hard-working, transition season from major-junior to collegiate hockey for the former Belleville Bulls’ captain, but with his 32 assists and 46 points throughout the regular season, he set two modern-era (post 2007) records at Carleton.
In the CIS, the player chooses the team, and Welychka said Carleton was a perfect fit.
“It was down to a few teams, I talked to my parents about finding a good city and a good coach . . . I wanted to find a team where I could play my game and try some stuff I couldn’t do in junior,” he said.
Welychka, a London native, played his major-junior hockey for the London Knights and Bellville Bulls. He had major success with the Knights, winning two Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championships and going to three Memorial Cups.
He was also the captain in his final year with the Bellville Bulls. Welychka said his past experiences helped him prepare for the CIS National Championships.
“The tournament atmosphere at Nationals really reminded me of the Memorial Cup. There are a few guys on the team who have played at the Memorial Cup and a few who haven’t. I really didn’t need to mentor anyone, you just go out there and play,” Welychka said.
Welychka finished the season with the most assists in the nation, while his 46 points placed him one point behind the league-leader Guillaume Asselin of Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Although Welychka had a lot of experience before joining the Ravens, he said playing in the CIS presented new challenges.
“Being a student-athlete is tough,” Welychka said. “The first two weeks were really difficult, but once we got on the ice, got skating and got playing I started to settle in . . . I wouldn’t say it’s a breeze but it definitely got a lot easier.”
Welychka said he hasn’t put too much thought into going pro, and added he plans to wait until after he graduates. For now, he said he looks forward to another successful season with the Ravens.
