In this week’s Roundup, a trio of former BCHL players earned weekly conference awards.
ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week
Kai Daniells – Junior – Princeton University (Nanaimo Clippers)
Friday night against St. Lawrence, Daniells scored five goals, including the game-winning tally with 3:10 to play in the third period for a 7-4 win. With his goal output, the junior forward tied Princeton’s school record. He is the fourth player in program history to score five times in a single game and the first since Nov. 30, 1962. It is the most goals scored in a single game by a player in the NCAA this season and the most in a game since 2011. He stayed hot on Saturday, tallying an assist and scoring the game-winning goal with 2:40 to play against Clarkson for the 4-3 win.
The Whistler, B.C. native played three campaigns with the Nanaimo Clippers from 2020 to 2023, with his best output coming in 2022-23 where he finished as the BCHL’s fifth-leading scorer with 71 points in 54 games, while his 35 goals on the year were fourth most in the league.
Atlantic Hockey Forward of the Week
Felix Trudeau – Senior – Sacred Heart University (West Kelowna Warriors)
Trudeau earned this honour for the second week in a row after the Pioneers forward netted his second hat trick in as many weeks. The Terrebonne, Que. native became one of two skaters this season to net multiple hat tricks and currently leads all of Division I hockey with eight goals in the month of November.
Trudeau played the 2021-22 season with the West Kelowna Warriors. He led the team in scoring that season, and also finished tied for 10th overall in the league, with 61 points in 49 contests.
ECAC Hockey Defender of the Week
Brett Merner – Sophomore – Colgate University (Nanaimo Clippers)
Merner registered an assist to open up scoring in the Raiders’ 2-1 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday. The next day, the 21-year-old tallied two assists against Union College, helping his team force overtime and an eventual shootout, ending in a 4-4 tie with Union winning 2-1 in the shootout.
The Nanaimo, B.C. native suited up for 158 regular season games over three seasons with his hometown Clippers, notching 70 points along the way. In his final BCHL season in 2023-24, Merner finished third in league scoring among defencemen with 42 points and was named a First-Team All-Star.
