BONNYVILLE – There is no denying that the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs are having a stellar season, which is only possible with repeated performances of excellence from its players.
Last month, two Jr. A Pontiacs were named as recipients of Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) awards for the contributions they made to the sport and their teams this season.
Pontiacs’ team captain Trey Funk was awarded the AJHL’s Most Dedicated Player Award, while Nicolas Beaudoin was named the AJHL Rookie of the Year.
Beaudoin was one of four rookie finalists to be considered for the Dick White Trophy. The St. Paul rookie has taken the league by storm in his first year of Jr. A hockey, having scored 40 goals and 34 assists during the regular 2022-23 season for total of 74 points.
Beaudoin is the second Bonnyville Pontiac to receive the prestigious award. Another local product, Justine Fontaine, received the title of AJHL Rookie of the Year in the 2005-06 season.
“I am just super honoured and just proud of myself because I have put in a lot of hard work all season and the past couple of summers, so it's definitely nice to have that reward, but it comes with the team I'm playing on the opportunities I've been getting with the Bonnyville Pontiacs,” Beaudoin told Lakeland This Week.
The St. Paul native noted that he has taken a different route than most to make it to the Jr. A level.
“I played minor hockey in St. Paul my whole life and then made the jump to Junior B in St. Paul and then I came to spring camp here in Bonnyville and somehow just worked my way up,” acknowledged Beaudoin. “I can’t thank the St. Paul Canadiens organization enough for jumpstarting my career.”
While many other players move to play AAA hockey or attend private schools before skating into the Junior A level, Beaudoin made the decision to stay home and focus on his high school years.
“I was interested in high school sports and tennis. So, I kept hockey to the side and focused on my high school experience,” he said. “I just wanted to do everything, and it was nice that I was able to finish school at St. Paul Regional. That meant a lot to me.”
Beaudoin said that in his younger years he tried not to take hockey so seriously. “I think that was the best thing for me, but now I'm ready to take that step,” he said. “The key is just stay humble – that's how you get better.”
Pontiacs’ head coach Mario Pouliot said Beaudoin is a player that builds his own success. “He’s a great kid, he’s a passionate kid, he loves the game, he works extremely hard every day to get better.”
Playing 17 games as an affiliate with the Pontiacs last season, Beaudoin was also a rising star with the St. Paul Canadiens of the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League in 2021-22. He claimed Rookie of the Year in that league, scoring 16 goals and 21 assists in 24 games.
Beaudoin has already cemented his next steps in his hockey career by committing to University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Most Dedicated Player Award
To be a team captain is to be a leader both on and off the ice. Funk is a player who embodies what it means to be a leader.
The Pontiacs forward from Redwood Meadows, Alta., has played for the Bonnyville team for three years, donning the Pontiacs’ jersey 118 times during regular season games before he graduates from junior hockey after this season, according to the Jr. Pontiacs organization.
“During his three years with our organization, his dedication has not wavered for the team and community of Bonnyville,” said the Pontiacs’ associate general manager Neil Langridge. “Trey’s commitment to the game and his craft has been evident since his first days in the AJHL and for him to be recognized for his dedication is only fitting.”
Funk will join two other former Pontiacs that have been awarded the Don McNabb Memorial Trophy, Ryan Symington in 2016-17 and Kevin Carthy in 2010-11.
During the 2022-23 regular season, Funk put up 22 goals and 24 assists, for a total of 46 points. During this year's ongoing playoff run, he added an additional six goals and seven assists for the Pontiacs.
