Goaltender Mathis Rousseau, who played in five games for Canada in the World Junior Championships in 2023-24, will be playing for the University of Maine men’s hockey team beginning this fall.
Rousseau is coming off a season in which he led Moncton to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League regular season and playoff championships, which earned the Wildcats a berth in the Memorial Cup.
The Memorial Cup involves the champions from the three Major Junior leagues in Canada, plus a fourth host team.
Moncton went 1-2-1 and lost to eventual champ London (Ontario) in the semifinals 5-2.
Rousseau posted a 2.72 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in those four games.
In all playoff games, including the QMJHL playoffs, he had a 2.53 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
All-Hockey East and East All-American second team goalie Albin Boija will return for his junior year at UMaine but No. 2 goalie Patriks Berzins transferred to St. Cloud State after appearing in two games as a freshman this past season. Freshman Gage Stewart was the other backup but didn’t get into a game.
“He will be a difference-maker, it’s just a matter of when,” Moncton head coach and former long-time University of New Brunswick coach Gardiner MacDougall said about Rousseau. “He’s quick and he reads the game well. He’s observant and calm. Nothing rattles him.”
Rousseau began the season with Halifax of the QMJHL before being traded to Moncton. He had a 9-16-5 record, a 3.16 GAA and a .906 save percentage for Halifax but was 11-4 in regular season play for Moncton with a 2.33 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
The Montreal native, who will turn 21 on Sept. 10, has a wealth of Major Junior experience.
He appeared in 170 QMJHL regular season games over four seasons and was 104-47-11 with a 2.70 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He also played in 41 playoff games and was 24-14-2 with a 2.74 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
During the World Junior Championships, he went 3-2 with a 2.00 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
“He was our best player in the Memorial Cup. He is gritty and he will make the team and his goaltending partners better,” MacDougall added. ”And he’s a leader.”
Rousseau, who will have four years of eligibility, said there were several reasons behind his decision to come to UMaine and he is “pretty excited” about coming to UMaine.
He said he really liked the coaching staff and “they really help guys get to the pro level. That’s something I was really looking for.”
He also cited the enthusiasm from Black Bears fans.
“Obviously I heard great things about the fan support and the student section. It was a no-brainer,” Rousseau said.
He is looking forward to competing with Boija for playing time and feels that competition will be “great for both of us” this coming season.
“I’ve heard great things about [Boija] so I’m really excited to go play with him next year,” Rousseau said.
Rousseau said because he is a shorter goalie, he plans to focus on “getting stronger” over the summer. The website Elite Prospects has him listed at 5-foot-11.
“I want to come to Maine and mature, physically. On the technical side, it’s about positioning,” said Rousseau who added that he will need to take that positioning to another level being a smaller goalie.
He expects that UMaine goalie coach Alfie Michaud “is going to help me a lot.”
Rousseau has attended four summer development or rookie camps and is looking to land another one this summer. He has been to the camps of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes (now Utah) and the Nashville Predators.
