Carleton Ravens men’s hockey forward Brett Welychka was named the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Rookie of the Year at the Manulife CIS All-Canadian Awards Gala in Halifax on Wednesday night.
“It is a very surreal moment for my family and I,” Welychka said in a text message after the awards gala. “To have won such a prestigious award like the CIS Rookie of the Year is unbelievable. Much credit to my teammates, coaching staff, and in particular my line mates.”
Welychka led the CIS in rookie scoring during the regular season with 14 goals and 32 assists. He finished second in overall scoring, just one point shy of Guillaume Asselin’s total of 47 points.
In seven playoff games, he scored two goals and had four assists en-route to an OUA bronze title.
Welychka’s line mates also experienced career seasons. Mike McNamee put up 16 goals and 23 assists in the regular season, while Ryan Van Stralen scored 22 goals and 16 assists.
“It makes it very easy to play my game with them,” Welychka said of his line mates. “Also, a big congratulations to the other nominees and rookies in their respected leagues,” he added.
Welychka beat out Dalhousie’s Phil Gadoury and Saskatchewan’s Kohl Bauml to earn the award.
Gadoury was an offensive force for the Dalhousie Tigers this season. He lead the Atlantic University Sport with 17 goals on the season and also added six assists.
Bauml, meanwhile, led the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) in rookie scoring with 12 goals and 21 assists on the season. He was part of a trio of freshmen Saskatchewan Huskies that lead the team to the CWUAA championship.
Welychka and Bauml will square off for the first time in their CIS careers on Thursday afternoon when the second-ranked Huskies take on the seventh-ranked Ravens at the Scotiabank Centre.
