Cornell men’s hockey has two players among the three finalists for the 2026 ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year award, with freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer and freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux joining Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach, according to a March 18 announcement by the conference office.
The recognition highlights Cornell’s strong presence in collegiate hockey this season. Both Cournoyer and Veilleux were unanimously selected for the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team last week. This marks only the sixth time since 1988 that two Big Red teammates have earned All-Rookie honors, and it is the third occurrence in the past 18 years.
Cournoyer also received First Team All-ECAC Hockey honors and was named ECAC Hockey’s Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year last Thursday. He became just the fourth true-freshman netminder to earn First Team honors and is one of seven Cornell goalies to win the Ken Dryden award since its inception in 1996. In his 23 regular-season games, Cournoyer posted a goals-against average of 2.01, ranking sixth nationally and second among qualified ECAC goaltenders, along with a .917 save percentage. His 16 wins tied him for third-most among freshman goaltenders nationwide.
Veilleux earned Second Team All-ECAC Hockey honors last Wednesday, making him only the third Cornell freshman to appear on one of the conference’s three main all-league teams. He finished with 24 points during the regular season, tying him for fourteenth nationally among defensemen. His five power-play goals were tied for most among freshman defensemen across all teams.
The winner of this year’s ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year will be announced Thursday evening in Lake Placid before the semifinal round of the championship tournament. Cornell, ranked eighth nationally and seeded third in the tournament with a record of 22-9-1, will play fourth-seeded Princeton at Herb Brooks Arena on Friday night.
