Burns joining Acadia Axemen

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

In a not-so-surprising move, Brady Burns has committed to join the Acadia Axemen men's hockey team for the 2023-24 season.

The Saint John Sea Dogs' all-time leading scorer knows Acadia University quite well having grown up in the area. His father, Darren Burns, has been part of the Axemen coaching staff since the 1995-96 season and has been the team's head coach since 2001-02.

Darren Burns has been a regular attendee at Sea Dogs games - home and away - over the past five years. Former Dogs netminder Thomas Couture, who was part of last year's Memorial Cup championship team, has also committed to Acadia for the 2023-24 season.

“Playing at home, in the Valley, is very exciting for me; to get the chance to come home after a long time away and play in front of fans, that I grew up watching games with, is a surreal feeling as a local player," said Burns in an Axemen hockey release.

The 20-year-old Burns had 33 goals and 71 points in 61 regular season games with Saint John during his overage season. He ends his junior career with 116 goals and 258 points, both franchise bests.

Burns was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft.

"We are excited to add Brady to our program," said Darren Burns. "We feel he fits what we need to help us build for the upcoming season. He brings many intangibles we want in our lineup. His passion for the game is at an extremely high level. He’s grown up watching this league, so he is aware of what he needs to improve on, in his game, to make the jump to the AUS. We want players that are loyal and understand commitment, and we feel he can bring that here to Acadia. We like the fact that he went to Saint John and targeted the Sea Dogs and the QMJHL as the place he wanted to be at a very young age. He was part of a group that experienced a special time there. He has also benefited from the experience of the struggles of a rebuild, with success, as the team finished the year exceeding expectations. The passion for hockey is second to none in Saint John, and playing for a prestigious program like the Sea Dogs has pressure and expectations with it. We want these types of players, who are accustomed to playing where hockey is high profile and there is pressure to win.”

The Axemen finished fifth in the always challenging Atlantic University Sport conference last season. Acadia's roster included former Sea Dogs forward Nick Deakin-Poot.

Burns was perhaps hoping for an opportunity to play pro hockey next season, but playing in the AUS certainly leaves that door open. The conference regularly delivers players into the pro ranks in North America and Europe.

Alex Drover, also an overage forward with the Sea Dogs last season, has committed to play at Ontario Tech next season. There has been no official word on where captain Charlie DesRoches plans to play next year.