PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Little East Conference (LEC) announced its men's ice hockey major award winners and all-conference selections on Tuesday, and freshman Étienne Tremblay-Mathieu (Québec City, Québec) was one of three Plymouth State University student-athletes to be recognized.
 
Tremblay-Mathieu was named LEC Men's Ice Hockey Rookie of the Year following a standout campaign. Senior Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) and Tremblay-Mathieu earned All-LEC First Team recognition, while Tremblay-Mathieu and classmate Kim Hilmersson (Uppsala, Sweden) were All-Rookie Team selections.
 
Under 16th-year head coach Craig Russell, Plymouth State finished 15-11-1 overall and 11-6-1 in the inaugural LEC season, earning the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament. The Panthers defeated sixth-seeded VTSU Castleton, 5-2, in the first round before falling at second-seeded and No. 13-ranked Babson in the semifinals.
 
 
Étienne Tremblay-Mathieu:

• A 5-8 defenseman, Tremblay-Mathieu ranked near the top of the league in several offensive categories, finishing fifth in assists (19), fifth in assists per game (0.76), and ninth in points per game (1.12).
• His 28 points led all defensemen in the league.
• He tied for second on the team with 32 blocked shots and finished with a +7 rating.
• He recorded five goals and nine assists during a six-game stretch from mid-November to early December, including a hat trick and career-best four-point performance against WestConn.
• This is his first postseason honor.

 
Will Redick:

• A 5-9 forward, Redick was the Panthers' top scorer with 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points.
• He ranked among the conference leaders in nearly every offensive category: first in shots (157) and shots per game (5.81), second in face-off wins (314), fourth in points (34), fifth in goals (17) and points per game (1.26), sixth in goals per game (0.63) and face-off percentage (.556), seventh in power play goals (5), and 10th in assists (17).
• He leaves the program second in career goals (72), assists (85), and points (157), and is one of just two players in program history to surpass 150 career points.
• A model of consistency, Redick posted at least one point in 19 of 27 games.
• He matched a career high with four points (two goals, two assists) in a win at WestConn on Jan. 30.
• This is his third postseason honor, having previously claimed MASCAC Player of the Year in 2023-24 and All-MASCAC First Team recognition in each of the previous two seasons.

 
Kim Hilmersson:

• A 6-0 forward, Hilmersson quickly became a crowd favorite with his physicality, big hits, and play-making ability.
• He finished the year with a +10 rating, posting eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points – tied for third-most on the team.
• He scored the Panthers' first goal of the season less than two minutes into the opener against No. 9 UNE and had two two-goal games during the season.
• He recorded a career-best five points (two goals, three assists) in the Panthers' 6-2 win over Southern Maine on Feb. 20, helping secure the No. 3 seed for the LEC Tournament.
• This is his first postseason honor.