29 août 2017 – Times & Transcript Aigles Bleus land star recruit for next season SEAN HATCHARD TIMES & TRANSCRIPT Former QMJHL scoring star Maxime St-Cyr will join the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus men’s hockey team for the 2018-19 season. PHOTO: SUBMITTED Maxime St-Cyr won’t be able to help the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus this season. But the Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey conference team is confident the former major junior scoring star will be a key addition down the road. The Aigles Bleus announced on Monday that St-Cyr - who scored 54 goals in his final season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar - has committed to the club for the 2018-19 season. 29 août 2017 – Times & Transcript St-Cyr played the past two seasons in the professional ranks, so he must sit out this coming season. He has three years of university eligibility remaining. The 23-year-old native of St-Charles, Que., has chosen to play at the university level to pursue his studies and maintain his chances of playing pro in the future. “He got traded a couple times (in the professional ranks) and I think that sparked his decision to go to university hockey, finish up university and then pursue a pro career after he graduates from the Université de Moncton,” said Aigles Bleus’ director of hockey operations Jean-François Damphousse. “He was a player that was on everybody’s radar when he was playing with Baie-Comeau and was the highest scorer in the league.” St-Cyr is not allowed to play in games for Moncton this season, but will practise and train with the team. He’s expected to play in the New Brunswick senior ranks this season. St-Cyr split the past two seasons playing pro in the ECHL and Southern Professional Hockey League. He played for five teams last season - Norfolk Admirals, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Wichita Thunder in the ECHL and Peoria Rivermen and Penascola Ice Flyers in the SPHL. In 38 games in the ECHL last season, he produced 13 points (eight goals, five assists). In 14 games in the SPHL, he tallied 14 points (six goals, eight assists). St-Cyr played with the ECHL’s Florida Everglades in the 2015-16 campaign, registering nine goals and 15 points in 48 games. Prior to turning pro, the 5-foot-7, 185-pound forward suited up for parts of five seasons in the QMJHL with Baie-Comeau 29 août 2017 – Times & Transcript and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. In 264 QMJHL regular- season games, he recorded 203 points (118 goals, 85 assists). He added 37 points in 52 playoff games. St-Cyr won both the QMJHL and Canadian Hockey League scoring titles as a 20-year-old in the 2014-15 season, striking for 54 goals and 84 points in 68 regular-season games with Baie-Comeau. “He’s a small player with great strength. He goes into the corners, he goes into the tough areas to battle for pucks,” said Damphousse.“He obviously has a touch around the net - scoring 54 goals in junior is something special. “I’m quite confident he’s going to be a great player in U Sports and I’m excited to have him around.” St-Cyr begins his business administration studies at UdeM next week. “I played in Moncton when my team met the Wildcats and I appreciated playing here,”he said. “I spoke of various possibilities with Jean-François Damphousse and (UdeM recruitment coordinator) Étienne Rouleau and I am happy to report to the Aigles Bleus. “I wish to obtain my degree and then concentrate on pro hockey. I will benefit from the stability of university hockey and study as compared to the pro level.” Moncton hits the ice for the opening day of training camp on Friday under new head coach Judes Vallée, who has replaced former bench boss Serge Bourgeois. The Aigles Bleus finished sixth in the seven-team conference with a 10-17-3 regular-season record and were swept by the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in the first round of the AUS playoffs last season. 29 août 2017 – Times & Transcript Moncton begin the AUS regular season on Oct. 4 against the two-time defending Canadian champion University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in Fredericton. .