Mount Pearl’s Zach Dean is one of three nominees for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s top offensive rookie award, the league announced Tuesday.
Dean, from the Gatineau Olympiques, Zachary Bolduc of the Rimouski Océanic and Zachary L’Heureux of the Moncton Wildcats will receive the Michel Bergeron Award. All three finalists represented Canada at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Bergeron coached in the QMJHL between 1975 and 1980, winning the President’s Cup championship in 1978. He went on to serve as head coach of the Quebec Nordiques and the New York Rangers for 11 seasons.
Dean finished sixth amongst QMJHL rookies in scoring this past season, with 18 goals and 46 points in 57 games for the rebuilding Olympiques (22-37-5-0).
The 5-9 centre was drafted fourth overall in the QMJHL midget draft last summer.
Past recipients of the award include many QMJHL Hall of Famers, including Pat LaFontaine, Martin Lapointe and Vincent Lecavalier.
The Bergeron Award is another honour for which a Newfoundlander is nominated in the QMJHL. Dawson Mercer of Bay Roberts is up for both the Michael Bossy Award as the best pro prospect, and the Paul Dumont Award as the league’s personality of the year.