Montreal, June 6, 2023 – The Aléo Foundation and the Montreal Canadiens are pleased to announce the awarding of 54,000 $ in scholarships to 27 elite-level female and male hockey players who have distinguished themselves over the past year.
The Canadiens de Montréal Scholarship Program, now in its 16th edition, supports the best up-and-coming male and female hockey players and is managed by the Aléo Foundation, formerly known as the Fondation de l'athlète d'excellence du Québec (FAEQ), in partnership with Hockey Québec, Quebec's M18 AAA Hockey Development League (LHM18AAAQ), and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
The 27 recipients, aged 15 to 17, were selected for both their athletic and academic achievements. With the aim of helping student-athletes prepare for their post-athletic careers, continuing their education remains one of the main eligibility criteria. As a result, one female hockey player from each of the eight U18 AAA female teams in the Ligue de hockey d'excellence du Québec (LHEQ) and one male hockey player from each of the 15 U18 AAA male teams in the Ligue de développement du hockey were chosen. Three scholarship holders playing in the RSEQ and one recipient from the U18 AAA league were also recognized.
In their own words:
«The Montreal Canadiens organization is proud to team up with the Aléo Foundation. Our involvement demonstrates the importance for us of highlighting the perseverance and achievements of up-and-coming male and female hockey players. We hope that the support we offer to these athletes, who excel in the elite of our sport, will enable them to fulfill their ambitions and achieve their dreams.»
– Geneviève Paquette, Vice President, Community Engagement, Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club
«Both the athletic and academic success of Quebec's male and female hockey players is one of the main objectives of the Montreal Canadiens Scholarship Program. It is with great joy that we see the province's most famous team recognize the recipients» efforts on the ice and in the classroom. The Aléo Foundation is very pleased with this stellar partnership.»
– Martin Lavigne, President of the Aléo Foundation
Many former recipients of Montreal Canadiens scholarships have distinguished themselves since the program was established, including Olympic medalists Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Marie-Philip Poulin and Lauriane Rougeau. Among the scholarship holders who played in the NHL during the past season, there are also Sammy Blais of the St. Louis Blues, Max Comtois Anaheim Ducks, Laurent Dauphin of the Arizona Coyotes, Elliot Desnoyers Philadelphia Flyers, Anthony Duclair of the Florida Panthers, William Dufour of the New York Islanders, Gabriel Fortier of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Samuel Girard of the Colorado Avalanche, Alexis Lafrenière of the New York Rangers, Devon Levi of the Buffalo Sabres, Kevin Mandolese of the Ottawa Senators, Mike Matheson of the Montreal Canadiens, Jakob Pelletier of the Calgary Flames, Sam Poulin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nicolas Roy of the Vegas Golden Knights, Joe Veleno of the Detroit Red Wings and Jeffrey Viel of the San Jose Sharks.
New name, new image, same mission!
The Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) has adopted a new name and visual identity: ALÉO – Propelling the athlete beyond sport. This change aims to further highlight its personalized approach where overall well-being and Well-being in performance of its scholars are at the center of its actions.
Recipients of the 2023 Montreal Canadiens Scholarship Program
(27 scholarships of 2,000 $ each)
| Name | Age | City | School | Team |
| Women's section | ||||
| Camille Banville | 16 | Gatineau | Nicolas-Gatineau Comprehensive High School | Intrépide de l'Outaouais M18 AAA |
| Daphnée Bélair-Teasdale | 16 | Laval | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Secondary School | Laval-Montreal Amazones U18 AAA |
| Magalie Bordeleau | 17 | Quebec | Triolet Secondary School | Sherbrooke Harfangs U18 AAA |
| Rosalie Breton | 17 | Saint Bernard | Collège de Lévis | As de Québec M18 AAA |
| Marie-Jeanne Gagné | 16 | Saint-Philippe | Charles-Lemoyne College | Richelieu M18 AAA Remparts |
| Sandrine Larouche | 17 | Terrebonne | Saint-Gabriel High School | Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière M18 AAA |
| Raphaëlle Piché | 17 | Drummondville | Marie-Rivier Secondary School | Stars 55 of Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec M18 AAA |
| Clara-Mai Van Houtte-Cachero | 17 | Pointe-Claire | St. Thomas High School | Lac St. Louis Warriors U18 AAA |
| Men's section | ||||
| Émile Beaunoyer | 16 | Drummondville | Collège Notre-Dame de Rivière-du-Loup | Collège Notre-Dame Albatros M18 AAA |
| Lucas Beckman | 15 | Montreal | Lester B. Pearson High School | Rousseau-Royal de Laval-Montréal M18 AAA |
| Luka Charbonneau | 16 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Marcel-Landry High School | Polyvalente Marcel-Landry Oursons RSEQ M18 D1 |
| Alexis Cournoyer | 17 | Trois-Rivières | Les Estacades Academy | Trois-Rivières M18 AAA Estacades |
| Caleb Desnoyers | 16 | Saint-Hyacinthe | Fadette Secondary School | Gaulois de Saint-Hyacinthe M18 AAA |
| Alexis Fahey | 17 | Gatineau | Nicolas-Gatineau Comprehensive High School | Intrépide de Gatineau M18 AAA |
| Olivier Groulx | 15 | Saint-Lazare | Louis-Philippe-Paré High School | Grenadiers de Châteauguay M18 AAA |
| Alex Huang | 15 | Rosemère | Saint-Gabriel High School | Saint-Eustache Vikings U18 AAA |
| Luc-Antoine Labbé | 17 | Saint Mary | Pointe-Lévy High School | Levis M18 AAA Chevaliers |
| William Lacelle | 15 | Baie-d'Urfé | College Sainte-Anne | Lac St-Louis Lions U18 AAA |
| Olivier Laverdière | 15 | Quebec | Saint Francis Seminary | Saint-François Blizzard M17 AAA |
| Justin Lemay | 17 | Soul | Arvida Comprehensive High School | Jonquière M18 AAA Elites |
| Iain Olsen | 17 | Vergennes (Vermont) | Stanstead College | Stanstead College RSEQ Division 1 M18 Spartans |
| Simon Poitras | 17 | Montreal | Saint Joseph Seminary | Saint-Joseph Seminary Vert et Or RSEQ M18 D1 |
| Nathan Quinn | 15 | Napierville | Charles-Lemoyne College | Local residents of the Collège Charles-Lemoyne M18 AAA |
| Sheldon Rankin | 16 | Amos | Amos High School | Forestiers d'Amos M18 AAA |
| Émile Ricard | 15 | Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover | La Ruche Secondary School | Magog Cantonniers M18 AAA |
| Xavier Veilleux | 17 | L'Ancienne-Lorette | Saint Francis Seminary | Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François M18 AAA |
| Nathan Wright | 15 | Repentigny | Esther-Blondin College | Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix M18 AAA |
About the Aléo Foundation
Established in 1985, the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence (FAEQ) has awarded over $20 million in scholarships to nearly 4,000 outstanding student-athletes from across Quebec. With the goal of clarifying the organization's mission to propel athletes beyond sports, in 2022 the FAEQ rebranded and changed its name to Fondation Aléo. In addition to continuing its provision of scholarships and support services to tomorrow's leaders, it confirms its personalized approach, focusing on the overall well-being and development of its scholarship recipients in their performance.
For more information: fondationaleo.ca as well as the official Aléo Foundation pages on our platforms:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
– 30 –
For interview requests or other information, please contact Josée Robitaille at josee.robitaille@fondationaleo.ca.
For more information:
Patricia Demers
Chief Executive Officer
Aléo Foundation
514-252-3171, extension 3728
patricia.demers@fondationaleo.ca
