Michel Léveillé Explained

Michel Léveillé
Birth Date:29 May 1983
Birth Place:Lévis, Quebec, Canada
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:181
Position:Center
Shoots:Left
Played For:Toronto Marlies
Columbia Inferno
Manchester Monarchs
Charlotte Checkers
Heilbronner Falken
Saint-Georges Cool FM 103.5
Career Start:2003
Career End:2014

Michel Léveillé is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former center who was a two-time All-American for Maine.

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. Léveillé was forced to play senior hockey for a year before he could join the ice hockey team at Maine, 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. He helped the team finish second in the conference and than capture the Hockey East Championship.[1] 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.[2] The team reached the championship game for the 5th time in program history, but the offense failed and they fell 0–1 to Denver.

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

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 following year, he spent the entire 2010 season at the AA-level. After the season, he travelled to Germany and played three seasons in the 2nd national league. In 2013 Léveillé returned to Quebec 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 Maine and became a coach for the Maine Wild, a youth hockey organization.[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1999–00Cégep Lévis-Lauzon FauconsQCMAA32 31 48 79 50
2000–01Nanaimo ClippersBCHL45 22 27 49 63 7 5 3 8 10
2001–02Nanaimo ClippersBCHL52 33 75 108 56
2002–03Lévis CanonniersQSCHL9 5 8 13 10
2003–04MaineHockey East43 6 34 40 42
2004–05Lévis CanonniersQSCHL1 0 0 0 0
2004–05MaineHockey East33 12 12 24 55
2005–06MaineHockey East37 16 24 40 46
2006–07MaineHockey East40 19 26 45 69
2006–07Toronto MarliesAHL3 2 0 2 2
2007–08Columbia InfernoECHL4 1 4 5 4
2007–08Toronto MarliesAHL41 9 3 12 14 11 1 0 1 4
2008–09Manchester MonarchsAHL20 1 6 7 11
2008–09Charlotte CheckersECHL40 15 22 37 46 6 3 5 8 8
2009–10Charlotte CheckersECHL67 17 49 66 85 10 1 7 8 8
2010–11Heilbronner FalkenBundesliga48 17 33 50 70 4 1 4 5 6
2011–12Heilbronner FalkenBundesliga29 17 13 30 89 7 4 3 7 16
2012–13Heilbronner FalkenBundesliga42 18 28 46 56 5 1 1 2 6
2013–14Saint-Georges Cool FM 103.5LNAH30 17 23 40 10 3 0 0 0 2
BCHL totals 97 55 102 157 119 7 5 3 8 10
NCAA totals 153 53 96 149 212
ECHL totals 111 33 75 108 135 16 4 12 16 16
AHL totals 64 12 9 21 27 11 1 0 1 4
Bundesliga totals 119 52 74 126 215 16 6 8 14 28

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-Hockey East Rookie Team2003–04[4]
All-Hockey East Second Team2005–06[5]
AHCA East Second-Team All-American2005–06[6]
All-Hockey East First Team2006–07[7]
AHCA East First-Team All-American2006–07[8]

Notes and References

  1. News: Maine men's Hockey 2018–19 Record Book. Maine Black Bears . January 18, 2019.
  2. News: Maine 5, Harvard 4. USCHO.com. 2004-03-26. 2013-06-21.
  3. News: Michel Leveille Joins Maine Wild Hockey Staff . Maine Wild . February 24, 2017 . December 3, 2021 .
  4. News: Hockey East All-Rookie Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 11, 2013.
  5. News: Hockey East All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 14, 2013.
  6. News: Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners. NCAA.org. June 11, 2013.
  7. News: Hockey East All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 14, 2013.
  8. News: Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners. NCAA.org. June 11, 2013.