Coxhead announced as Huskies captain; MacPherson, Ralph and Bellamy named assistant captains

HALIFAX, NS - Saint Mary's men's hockey head coach Tyler Naugler has announced his leadership group for the 2023-24 Atlantic University Sport season.

Andrew Coxhead, a third year forward out of Bedford, NS has been selected as Huskies team captain. 

"I've known Andrew since he was a little boy, growing up attending our Junior Huskies camps," said Naugler. "Over the years I've seen his leadership qualities grow, as he grows as a person. He's been a leader for us, and a captain for other programs and I know he'll continue to bring great leadership to our group."

Last season, Coxhead led the Huskies with 14 goals, and added 10 assists for 24 points in 26 games played, and was named an AUS Second Team All-Star. For his Huskies career, Coxhead has posted 36 points (20 goals, 16 assists) in 41 regular season games, and 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 11 playoff games.

A commerce student, Coxhead was named a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian last season, and also helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 FISU Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY, where he recorded 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 7 games played.

Coxhead succeeds Keith Getson, who served as the Huskies captain for the past two seasons, and is now playing professionally in France.

Forward Cedric Ralph (Peterborough, ON), and defencemen Justin MacPherson (East Gwillimbury, ON) and Jaxon Bellamy (Hampton, NB), will join Coxhead in the Huskies leadership group, serving as assistant captains.

"We're still a very young hockey team, and experience is everything when you talk about winning in this league," said Naugler. "Having Andrew, Cedric, Justin and Jaxon return as experience leaders, will pay dividends for us with the new guys coming in and how we approach this season."

A third year defenceman, Justin MacPherson scored 27 points (4 goals, 23 assists) in 26 games played last season. For his Huskies career, MacPherson has posted 48 points (9 goals, 39 assists) in 49 regular season games, and added 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 11 playoff games.

MacPherson has been named an AUS First Team All-Star each of the past two seasons, and in 2021-22 was named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian and to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. He joined Coxhead with Team Canada at the 2023 FISU Winter Games, recording three assists and a team-high +10, and helping the team to a gold medal.

A third year forward, Cedric Ralph scored 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) in 27 games played last season. For his Huskies career, Ralph has posted 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 50 regular season games, and added 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 11 playoff games.

A second year defenceman, Jaxon Bellamy was named to the 2022-23 AUS All-Rookie team after leading all AUS defencemen in goals (9), and all first year defencemen in points (23) and shots (90). He added a team-high 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 7 playoff games.

The Huskies open their 2023-24 Atlantic University Sport regular season on Friday night, when they host the Dalhousie Tigers at 7 p.m. at the Dauphine Centre. GET TICKETS