UNB's Brady Gilmour headed to the pros
Brady Gilmour is going to play in the ECHL after four seasons with the University of New Brunswick Reds
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Coming off of a perfect season and back-to-back USports titles, Brady Gilmour will be moving up to the professional level.
The University of New Brunswick Reds men’s hockey team forward signed with the East Coast Hockey League’s Toledo Walleye on Wednesday, according to the league website.
Gilmour played four seasons with the Reds, first joining the team in the 2019-2020 season.
The Grafton, Ont., forward had a career year at UNB this past season, putting up career-highs in goals (12), assists (29), and points (41) in the regular season. He finished tied for fourth in assists, and was third in plus/minus, and was named an Atlantic University Sport first team all-star, and tied for third in the conference in points.
This past season, Gilmour was a key contributor to the best season in UNB and USports history as the Reds had a perfect 43-0 record on their way to their second-straight national title. Gilmour was named tournament MVP and all-star.
Before arriving at UNB, Gilmour was a seventh-round draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings. From 2016-2019, he played for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League.
Now, the 24-year-old will make the jump to the professional level.
The ECHL is the third tier of professional hockey in North America, one tier below the American Hockey League, and two below the NHL.
Along with his two national titles, Gilmour helped UNB win four-straight conference championships in the AUS.
N.B. para hockey team prepping for nationals
After going undefeated in a recent tournament in Quebec, New Brunswick’s para hockey team will be taking the next seven weeks to train for the national stage.
The team is set to play in the 2024 National Para-Hockey Championship, which goes from May 16-19 in Port Colborne, Ont. This will mark the second time the province has sent a team to nationals, the first time in 2023.
Mark Langford, assistant coach for Team New Brunswick, said they’re looking to build off of their experience from last year. He said the team has two more preparation camps before it travels to Ontario.
“Our camp in early January, we had nearly 30 players come out. So that was awesome to see the interest,” said Langford. “We just ran them in those camps through a series of drills just to observe what we saw, and make sure that everybody had the right skill set to play at that level, but also the right attitude.”
Langford said they narrowed their final roster to 16 players, including two goalies. He said the team consists of players from the Moncton and Fredericton areas, Sussex, and a few players from P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.
Last year, New Brunswick finished with a 4-2 record at nationals but failed to secure a spot in the medal round of the tournament.
Langford said nationals was an incredible experience and they’re hoping to keep some of the positive momentum that they’ve gained.
Last weekend, much of the New Brunswick provincial team played in the Winter Challenge Tournament in Quebec, going undefeated and winning gold.
“It just shows we can compete right there with some of the best para athletes in other provinces,” he said. “That makes it all worth it, and (I’m) just so excited what comes here in May.”
Southern senior hockey finals soon to begin
Two teams remain to see who’ll become champions of the Southern Senior Hockey League.
Game 1 of the best of seven finals series goes Friday as the Saint John Toyota Flames play the Game Time Irishmen in St. Stephen at 7:30 p.m.
The Irishmen and the Flames have been the top two teams in the five-team league in the regular season. The Irishmen finished first at 14-2 while Saint John was second at 11-5.
In the previous semifinal series, Saint John defeated the River Valley Rock three games to one. As for the Irishmen, they made quick work of the Tri-County Express, taking them down in a three-game sweep.
In northern New Brunswick, the Dalhousie Marauders won the championship in the Beausejour Senior Hockey League.
The Marauders defeated the River Valley Lumberjacks in six games, winning Game 6 on Wednesday, 4-2.
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