Varsity Reds hockey player Philippe Maillet is the recipient one of two 2017 BLG Awards, recognizing the top male and female university athletes in Canada.
“I had to take a breath and get up slowly,” Maillet says about hearing his name called at a ceremony in Calgary on May 1. “It’s a surreal feeling to be voted the top male athlete in Canadian university sport in 2017. It’s a select club and I’m just happy to join it.”
“You’ve got to look at the overall picture, that you’re one of the top four athletes in the country, from every sport, so it’s a victory there,” says Maillet. “This is the ultimate award, though, and there’s so many people behind it and I’m as happy for me as I am for everyone that is here and my teammates and coaches.”
Maillet is the second Varsity Red to win a BLG Award, joining UNB hockey associate coach Rob Hennigar, who won in 2008.
“We’re so thrilled that Philippe has been recognized as this country’s top male university athlete. This is an award so richly deserved,” says UNB President Eddy Campbell. “It speaks to his passion and dedication for the game. It also is a proud reflection of the strength of our university’s athletic program.”
Maillet was recognized following an impressive season that saw him score 23 goals and 32 assists in 30 regular season games, capturing the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and U Sports scoring titles.
The fourth-year forward was awarded the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports Player of the Year, named a U Sports and AUS First Team All-Star, and was the University Cup most valuable player as the Varsity Reds captured the team’s second consecutive national championship.
Maillet, from Terrebonne, Que., is a two-time AUS most valuable player, a three-time AUS First Team All-Star and a two-time U Sports/Canadian Interuniversity Sport First Team All-Star. He’s twice been named UNB's top male athlete, in 2014-15 and 2016-17.
Upon completion of the Varsity Reds season, Maillet signed a contract with the Ontario Reign, of the American Hockey League, the top farm team of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The Reign are currently involved in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.
“The BLG awards represent the highest honour for our student athletes," says Graham Brown, chief executive officer of U Sports. "This year’s national nominees are not only exceptional athletes, they are also tremendous ambassadors for the entire U Sports membership.
Arielle Roy-Petitclerc, of Laval University’s Rouge et Or women’s soccer team, was also named a BLG Award winner.
