Couture named U SPORTS Goaltender of the Year; earns First Team All-Canadian honours

HALIFAX, N.S. — Acadia Axemen goaltender Thomas Couture was named the U SPORTS men’s hockey Goaltender of the Year and a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian on Wednesday at the All-Canadian Awards Brunch held as part of the 2026 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship in Halifax.

Couture becomes the first goaltender in Acadia program history to earn U SPORTS Goaltender of the Year honours.

His selection also marks the Axemen’s first U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honour since current assistant coach Liam Heelis in 2013-14, and the program’s first All-Canadian selection since goaltender Logan Flodell was named to the second team in 2019-20.

Couture delivered one of the top goaltending seasons in the country in 2025-26, earning Atlantic University Sport first team all-star recognition while leading both the AUS and U SPORTS in total saves with 861.

The Axemen netminder ranked third nationally - and first in the AUS - with a .927 save percentage. He also finished sixth in U SPORTS in wins with 14, ranking third in the conference, while posting a 2.49 goals-against average, the third-best mark in the AUS.

Couture started all six playoff games for Acadia, helping lead the Axemen to a 2-1 series victory over STFX in the AUS quarterfinal round to advance to the conference semifinal against Moncton.

The national recognition adds to Couture’s growing list of conference honours after previously being named both an AUS first team all-star and a member of the AUS all-rookie team in 2023-24.