The hits keep on coming for Bomber defenceman Xavier Lapointe. The D-man is one of five players nominated for the national junior A defenceman of the year award.
Not long after being named the SJHL's defenceman of the year for the 2021-22 season, Lapointe was selected as a finalist for the award by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). Lapointe was officially nominated for the honour May 5, joining Zach Bookman of the AJHL's Brooks Bandits, Mark Cooper of the Hawkesbury Hawks of the CCHL, the Saint-Jerome Pantheres' Pierre-Olivier Bourgeois in the LHJQ and Andrew Gibson with the NOJHL's Soo Thunderbirds.
Lapointe was named the SJHL defenceman of the year late last month, having led all SJHL defenders - as well as all Bomber skaters - in scoring.
In his first season as a Bomber, the Quebec City native put up 50 points in 58 games, leading the Bombers in scoring and being a key presence on the team's power-play and top pair, along with Bomber vet Cole Vardy. Lapointe has committed to join the NCAA's Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers next season.
In 16 playoff games so far this year, Lapointe has two goals and 10 points.
In the CJHL's official announcement of Lapointe's nomination, Canada's junior A hockey organization said Lapointe "dominated the SJHL from the start of this year, ending up with 19 goals and 50 points – both the best in the league among defencemen – while playing in all 58 games on the Bombers’ back end."
Lapointe is the third Bomber defenceman to win the league's top D-man honour, following Josh Roach in 2013 and Eric Sinclair in 2017.
Other SJHL players nominated for national awards include Humboldt's Connor McGrath, who was one of five players nominated for national rookie of the year, as well as Broncos goalie Rayce Ramsay, who received a nod for goalie of the year.
