Michel Léveillé is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

who was a two-time All-American for

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Career

Léveillé was a late-blooming junior player, not participating in a high-level league until he was 19. In his final season of junior eligibility, Léveillé's point total exploded and he averaged more than two points per game with the

Nanaimo Clippers The Nanaimo Clippers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Frank Crane Arena. Franchis ...

. Léveillé was forced to play senior hockey for a year before he could join the ice hockey team at

, but his freshman year was well worth the wait. He was nearly a point-per-game player for the year and was named the

Hockey East Rookie of the Year The Hockey East Rookie of the Year is an annual award given out at the conclusion of the Hockey East regular season to the best player in the conference as voted by the coaches of each Hockey East team. The Rookie of the Year was first awarded in ...

. He helped the team finish second in the conference and than capture the Hockey East Championship. Maine received the #3 overall seed and marched through the NCAA Tournament. Léveillé's only goal was an important one as it tied a game late and allowed the Black Bears to overcome an early deficit to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. The team reached the championship game for the 5th time in program history, but the offense failed and they fell 0–1 to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. With Léveillé already being 23 at the start of his sophomore season (older than some seniors), he was named as an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

. In year two, he produced twice as many goals, but the team's performance decreased as a result, and he produced less points. The Black Bears recovered in 2006 and Léveillé averaged more than point per game. He was named to the All-American team and pushed the team back up to a 2nd-place finish in

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

. Maine had another successful run in the NCAA Tournament, reaching their 10th Frozen Four. Léveillé was named team captain in his final year and was again an All-American. The team had mixed results in postseason play but did return to the Frozen Four. After Maine was eliminated, Léveillé finished the year with the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

. For Léveillé's first full season as a professional, he spent most of his time in the AHL but couldn't establish himself as a consistent scorer. After getting demoted to the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

the following year, he spent the entire 2010 season at the AA-level. After the season, he travelled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and played three seasons in the 2nd national league. In 2013 Léveillé returned to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and played one season for a low-level pro league before hanging up his skates. Léveillé began his coaching career the following season, working for the North American Hockey Academy for two years. In 2017 he returned to

and became a coach for the Maine Wild, a youth hockey organization.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Léveillé, Michel 1981 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Canadian ice hockey centres Ice hockey people from Quebec French Quebecers Sportspeople from Lévis, Quebec Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey players Toronto Marlies players Columbia Inferno players Manchester Monarchs (AHL) players Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010) players Heilbronner Falken players Saint-Georges Cool FM 103.5 players