Cornell men’s hockey freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux was named a Second Team All-ECAC Hockey honoree, the conference announced on March 11.
Veilleux’s recognition comes after a standout regular season in which he recorded 24 points, ranking fourth among all ECAC Hockey defensemen. In conference play, he led all ECAC blueliners with 18 points and tied for ninth nationally among Division I defensemen for conference points.
As Cornell prepares for its best-of-three quarterfinal series against Harvard this weekend, Veilleux holds the second-highest point total among freshman defensemen in Division I, just one point behind Penn State’s Jackson Smith. He is also one of only five first-year blueliners nationwide to reach at least 20 points this season.
Veilleux is the third Cornell freshman ever to be selected to one of ECAC Hockey’s three main all-league teams, joining goaltender Matthew Galajda (First Team in 2018) and Ben Robertson (Third Team in 2023). With his goal against St. Lawrence on Feb. 27, Veilleux set a new program record for most points by a freshman defenseman at Cornell.
Five of his six goals this season have come on the power play, leading the Big Red and tying him for second-most power-play goals by a Division I defenseman this year. He has already more than doubled the previous Cornell record for power-play goals by a freshman defenseman and could become the first Cornell blueliner since Nick D’Agostino in 2011-12 to score six power-play goals in a season.
The ninth-ranked Big Red team (20-8-1) will host Harvard in the ECAC Men’s Hockey Championship quarterfinals this weekend. Games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a possible third game on Sunday at 4 p.m., all streamed live on ESPN+.
