Zach Bennett
The 20-year-old from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland was drafted in the 7th Round, 97th overall, by the Yarmouth Mariners in the 2017 MHL Entry Draft. After playing sixteen games with the Mariners in 2018-19, in which he had two goals and four assists, Bennett was dealt to Campbellton. He finished tenth in team scoring in 2019-20, with eleven goals and eight assists in 38 games with the Tigers.
Truro acquired Bennett in late-May 2020, and he finished tied for third in team scoring with 28 points. He had seven goals and 21 assists in 32 games. During the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin, Bennett had one goal and three assists in three games. He was named a Player of the Week twice this season and finished his MHL career with 53 points in 86 games.
Alex DeGagne
The 21-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario joined the Bearcats in February, with three goals and three assists in nine games in 2020-21. During the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin, DeGagne had one goal and five assists to lead all Bearcats defensemen in scoring. He was one of three blueliners to finish the round-robin with six points, the most in the MHL. DeGagne was named a Player of the Week once this season.
Previously, DeGagne spent two seasons with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes from 2017-18 to 2018-19, where he was teammates with Leon Denny, followed by just over one season with the Victoriaville Tigres.
DeGagne has committed to the Laurentian University Voyageurs for 2021-22.
Leon Denny
The 21-year-old from Eskasoni burst onto the scene with the Bearcats during the 2016-17 season with nine goals and eight assists in 39 games. He had one goal and five assists in seventeen playoff games as the Bearcats won the MHL Cup in seven games over Miramichi. Denny then moved on to the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, playing three seasons with the club where he tallied sixteen goals and 56 assists in 187 games.
After two games with Shawinigan in 2020-21, Denny rejoined the Bearcats in early November and was named team captain. He had three goals and seven assists in 23 games this season, including three goals and an assist in five games in the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin. Denny was named a Player of the Week once this season.
Bair Gendunov
The MHL’s leading scorer, Bair Gendunov had 29 goals and 32 assists in 33 games in 2020-21 and was named an All-Star at right wing. The 20-year-old from Toronto, Ontario was traded from South Shore to Truro in late November and went from scoring one point per game to averaging over two points per game with the Bearcats. Overall, his 1.85 points per game was second only to Edmundston’s Joshua Nadeau. Gendunov led the MHL in goals and assists, powerplay goals with 12, and powerplay points with 23.
He finished the regular season on an eight-game point streak, with 24 in that time, and an active eight-game assist streak, with fourteen since late February which was the longest of the season by any player. He had one goal and five assists in the Bearcats’ five games in the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin. Gendunov was named Gongshow Top Forward in December and January/February, along with being an honourable mention in March/April. He was also named Player of the Week six times this season.
For his career, Gendunov tallied 88 goals and 92 assists for 180 points in 135 games, including twelve game-winning goals. He added five goals and sixteen assists in eighteen playoff games.
David Gagnon
The 21-year-old from Halifax was originally drafted by the Bearcats at the 2017 MHL Entry Draft in the 6th Round, 94th overall. However, he spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians. There he compiled 39 goals and 43 assists in 121 games, including three goals and three assists in 14 playoff games.
Gagnon acquired by the Bearcats from the Canadians on January 3rd. In 18 games during the regular season, he had 12 goals and 16 assists. During the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin, Gagnon had a team-leading five goals and six assists in five games. His eleven points were also tied for the first in the MHL with two other players.
Gagnon has committed to the Lindenwood University Lions, an NCAA Division I school in St. Charles, Missouri for 2021-22.
Caleb Hart
The 21-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario was a third-year Bearcat in 2020-21. In his rookie season of 2018-19, Hart had five goals and five assists in ten games, with an assist in four playoff games. In 2019-20, that point total grew to eighteen with four goals and fourteen assists. In his final year in the MHL, Hart finished sixth in team scoring with eleven goals and eleven assists in 32 games. He also had two goals and four assists in five games during the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin. Hart was named a Player of the Week once this season.
Alec MacDonald
The 21-year-old from Truro was a Territorial Draft selection by the Bearcats in the 2016 MHL Entry Draft. MacDonald split his time between Truro and the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats in 2017-18, logging twelve games between the pipes in Truro where he went 8-3-0-0 with a 2.13 goals against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts. He stayed with the club in 2018-19 with an 8-7-1-1 record in 20 games, a 2.82 goals against average, a .915 save percentage, and one shutout.
Taking over as the starter in 2019-20, MacDonald was a workhorse in goal. He played in 44 of 52 games with a 23-13-3-4 record. His win total was third-highest in the MHL, while his 2.93 goals against average was sixth-best and .911 save percentage was fifth best. MacDonald also logged the most minutes of any goaltender that season at 2,658 and had one shutout. He was named the Gongshow Third Star of the Month in December 2019.
In 2020-21, MacDonald played in 25 of the team’s 32 games. He had a 17-6-1-0 record, with his win total again being second-most in the MHL. MacDonald’s 2.79 goals against average was tied for fourth-best, while his .909 save percentage placed him third. He played the second-most minutes at 1,485 and had one shutout. He started three of the team’s five games during the Canadian Tire Cup Eastlink South Playoff Round-Robin, with a 1-2-1 record, 4.71 goals against average and .857 save percentage.
MacDonald was the Gongshow Top Goaltender in March/April and a Player of the Week twice. He also passed a milestone this season with his 100th game played and statistically ranks among the very best goaltenders in team history.
Jack McGovern
The 21-year-old defenseman from Dartmouth was drafted in the 2nd Round, 21st overall, by the Bearcats in the 2016 MHL Entry Draft. He suited up for Truro once in the 2016-17 season and from there was a constant presence on the blueline for the club, playing a total of 178 regular season games in Truro, with eleven goals and 37 assists. McGovern had two assists in sixteen playoff games with the club over three seasons. He was named a Player of the Week once in 2020-21.
McGovern had two goals and seven assists in 44 games in 2017-18, three goals and twelve assists in 49 games in 2018-19, and four goals and ten assists in 52 games in 2019-20. In his final season, McGovern had two goals and eight assists in 32 games.