A couple of best buds from Niverville and Ste. Agathe received awards at the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) awards banquet on May 17.
Hayden Fast (Niverville) and Denis Gagnon (Ste. Agathe) have grown up playing hockey together on various teams, starting from Niverville Clippers Peewees to the Eastman Selects U18AAA, and this year they rostered together for the St. Vital Junior Victorias in the MMJHL.
Both players played close to 70 games this season, including exhibition, regular season, and playoffs.
The 2023 MMJHL awards night was very memorable, as Gagnon was named a Second Team All-Star and Hayden Fast took home the MMJHL’s Rookie of the Year. Fast had put up 59 points in 43 games in the regular season and 18 points in 18 games in the long playoff run.
“Winning Rookie of the Year was one of my goals from the start of the season, and it means a lot to have accomplished that and contributed to the Victorias’ success this season,” says Fast.
This year’s Victorias team had a lot of amazing athletes, with other teammates also being recognized for their hard work and dedication, including those who received league scholarship awards for their post-secondary education.
The Victorias went on their longest playoff run in 16 years and made it to the finals, experiencing some epic comebacks along the way. Although they ultimately lost to a very talented St. James Canucks team in the finals, the Victorias still managed to hold their heads high.
Gagnon continued his education at the University of Manitoba throughout the season and Fast worked a full-time job in addition to serving as assistant coach of the Eastman U13AA boys team, who were undefeated in the regular season and went on to win the league championship.
Looking ahead to next season, Gagnon’s plans are to finish his last year with the St. Vital Victorias while further pursuing his education degree. Fast has signed with the Soderhamn/Ljusne HC J20 team in Sweden, with the opportunity to play Division 2 pro hockey and continue his hockey career.
“My agent reached out to me not long after my last contract ended and just asked what my plans were for the upcoming season, and I was still very unsure at that time,” says Fast. “I didn’t even know if I was going to play another year of competitive hockey to begin with, so I jumped at the idea of going overseas, as that’s been a dream of mine for a long time. So I felt very blessed. Hopefully, I can keep growing as a hockey player and a person next season.”
The duo would like to acknowledge the great community support and encouragement they receive by so many businesses, family, and friends in Niverville and Ste, Agathe that enable them to play competitive hockey.
