UNB names captains

The UNB Varsity Reds have announced their captains for the 2014-15 season.

Third-year junior Cam Critchlow from Fredericton, New Brunswick, is the V-Reds captain, replacing graduated Chris Culligan.

Critchlow is a former five-year veteran of the QMJHL where he was captain for two different teams. In his UNB career, he has been awarded the Hardest Working Player and Most Improved Player award. He can play any forward position and is known for his competitive, hard-working style. 

Critchlow attended the Edmonton Oilers NHL camp in 2012 and is very active in the Fredericton community at UNB hockey camps and school visitation programs. 

Critchlow will be the eighth UNB captain under head coach Gardiner MacDougall's tenure at UNB - a list that also includes Chris Culligan, Kyle Bailey, Dustin Friesen, Craig Mahon, Ryan Lindsay, Dave Geris and Darryl Rivers.

Fourth-year veteran Tyler Carroll from Strathroy, Ontario, will be an assistant for his second season.

Prior to UNB, Carroll spent four seasons with the Guelph Storm of the OHL where he was a team captain and named the Top Defensive and Hardest Working Player in his conference. He was named an AUS All-Rookie member and was UNB's top rookie in his first season after attending the Carolina Hurricanes NHL camp. 

In 2013, Carroll was a key member of UNB's national championship team and was named MVP of the national championship. Last season, although derailed by injuries for the majority of the season, he was a key member of the AUS World University Games team in Italy. The fourth-year senior is UNB's most influential player and is looking forward to a career-best season.

Also named assistant captains for this season were Taylor MacDougall from New Maryland, New Brunswick, Adrian Robertson from Mississauga, Ontario, and Cam Braes from Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia.

Fourth-year senior Taylor MacDougall has been part of three consecutive UNB pennants, 2 CIS national appearances and one CIS national championship. Prior to UNB, MacDougall was a five-year veteran of the QMJHL in St. John's, Montreal and Cape Breton and also attended NHL camps for Boston and the New York Rangers. 

MacDougall has been one of UNB's most responsible players and a four-time member of UNB's Top 5 Fitness Club. He is outstanding on face-offs, a top notch penalty killer and led the team in shot blocks last season. He is currently in the second year of a law degree after completing a business degree with honours.

Third-year Adrian Robertson won a national championship in his first season at UNB and has been one of the team's most improved players during his first two years. He was also named the winner of the prestigious Mike Cavanagh Award last year.

Prior to UNB, he played in the OHL for Kingston and Windsor - where he was team captain - before finishing off in Sarnia. He attended the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp.

Robertson is a two-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and had the team's highest GPA (4.2). Recently, Robertson was named UNB hockey's second winner of the CIS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian Award - the most prestigious academic award for a student-athlete in the CIS. Expected to play big minutes on the UNB blue-line this year, the highly competitive Robertson is very effective in his role as a team leader, penalty killer and shut down defender.

Third-year Cam Braes from Shawnigan Lake, BC was a 2011 AUS All-Rookie and UNB's top rookie. He led the team in playoff scoring en route to a national championship.

Prior to UNB, Braes played in the WHL with Lethbridge, where he was team captain. He was traded to Moose Jaw as a 20-year-old. Braes has attended NHL training camps for the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. He has been a two-time CIS Academic All-Canadian as a Kinesiology student and a two-time member of UNB's Top 5 Fitness Club. He has also been one of UNB's top players in his first two seasons with excellent offensive skills and a very competitive nature in the defensive zone. Braes is expected to be a key contributor to the team's success this season.