(FREDERICTON, NB) UNB Reds men’s hockey alumnus Phil Maillet is headed to the NHL’s return to play, and the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Maillet has been named to the Washington Capitals 31 player playoff roster.
“It’s exciting to see Phil keep progressing in his hockey career,” said Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall. “He has a high compete level that allows him to use his skills, elite hockey sense, and passion for the game to have success, which includes this opportunity to play in the NHL.”
The revamped NHL playoffs begin Saturday, with teams playing in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton. The Capitals will play their games in Toronto. They open their seeding round on Monday, August 3rd, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Maillet is one of 18 forwards and eight centres the Capitals named to their 2020 playoff roster.
He led Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, in scoring when the AHL season was suspended due to the global pandemic. Playing in 61 of the Bears’ 62 games, Maillet scored 17 goals and added 27 assists.
Maillet played four seasons with the Reds, winning national championships in 2016 and 2017, earning Atlantic University Sport Rookie of the Year honours in 2014 and AUS MVP honours in 2015 and 2017. In 2017, he was named the U SPORTS Player of the Year and won the BLG Award, as Canada’s top male university athlete.
“He’s made continuous improvements in his game,” said MacDougall. “He came to UNB and was the AUS Rookie of the Year. Four years later, he was U SPORTS Player of the Year and Canada’s top male university athlete.”
In a text to MacDougall last week, during the Caps’ training camp, Maillet told the Reds coach “I’m happy with what I’m showing right now, but there’s always room for more.”
If he makes it into a game, Maillet will become the eighth UNB men’s hockey alum to skate in the National Hockey League and the first to play in a regular season or playoff game since Kevin Henderson did so with the Nashville Predators during the 2012-13 season.
Last fall, Jordan Murray played a pre-season game with the Ottawa Senators before being assigned to their AHL affiliate, in Belleville.
Needless to say, Maillet’s former Reds teammates and coaches will be watching the Capitals a little closer during the upcoming NHL playoffs.
“He’s a real inspiration to our team,” said MacDougall. “Our current players can see his path and see what he’s done to continually advance his career.”