Maxim Masse, Tommy Bleyl and Marcus Kearsey were honoured at Monday's CHL awards.
The CHL awards act as a bookend to every year, honouring the best of the best performers across the three major junior leagues that make up the full entity.
This year, three QMJHL players were honoured with awards, including Anaheim Ducks prospect and Chicoutimi Saguenéens forward Maxim Masse picking up the David Branch Player of the Year award.
The other winners were Moncton Wildcats defenseman Tommy Bleyl receiving the Rookie of the Year award, and Charlottetown Islanders captain Marcus Kearsey winning the Humanitarian of the Year award.
Maxim Masse became the first QMJHL player to win the CHL player of the year award since Alexis Lafreniere in the 2019-20 campaign. (Photo: Bruno Girard)It was an exceptional year for Masse on the high-flying Saguenéens, scoring 51 goals and 51 assists for 102 points in 63 regular-season games.
He led the QMJHL in points and tied for the league-lead in goals, driving the bus for the best offensive unit in the league.
The Rimouski native becomes just the sixth player to ever take home the CHL rookie of the year and player of the year over the course of their career, and is now expected to move on to play NCAA hockey at UMass in 2026-27 before he turns pro.
Coming over from the U.S. prep school system was as good of a decision as Bleyl could've made, with the American blueliner immediately becoming one of the top offensive defensemen in the QMJHL on a Moncton Wildcats team that won the Jean-Rougeau trophy as regular season champions.
The Schenectady, NY, native recorded 81 (13+68) points in 63 games in his rookie season, leading all QMJHL blueliners in points.
Next up for Bleyl is the NHL draft this summer, where his name is expected to be called somewhere around the end of the first round or start of the second.
The 6-foot tall defender is expected to return to the Wildcats next season, before honouring his commitment to NCAA Michigan State in 2027-28.
The last recipient is Kearsey, taking home the Humanitarian of the Year award. He makes it back-to-back humanitarian winners for Charlottetown, following Maxwell Jardine's recognition last year.
It's clear the Islanders organization and its players are dedicated both on and off the ice.
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