Jaxon Pierce draws on experience from his hometown, while pursuing success with the Trenton Golden Hawks
Trenton Golden Hawks forward Jaxon Pierce is familiar with being around winning cultures, thanks to his father, Andrew, the strength and conditioning coach with the University of New Brunswick Men's Hockey program.
Since 2000, the UNB Reds have captured nine national titles, 12 conference championships, and 16 regular-season league titles under head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
After leading the program to a perfect 2023-24 season, MacDougall announced his retirement from the program to take over behind the bench of the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL.
In his 24 seasons, MacDougall became the winningest coach in U SPORTS men’s hockey regular-season history.
"I was very fortunate to be around the University of New Brunswick. I took in everything from Coach MacDougall," Pierce said. "He taught me everything I know about being a hard worker, both in life and in hockey."
"Seeing that winning culture and the hard work he preaches. He's a crazy motivator. He's one of the best people in the world. He's never not happy, always has a smile on his face, and is the hardest worker I know. I try to take after him."
The Golden Hawks' coaches and organization promote a similar love of the game and standard of excellence.
Trenton has dominated the OJHL Eastern Conference for much of the past decade. The team has reached the league finals four times in the past eight seasons, winning a Buckland Cup and back-to-back Dudley Hewitt Cup titles.
"Our coaches preach that winning culture, and the whole team buys in," he said. "We're all hard workers. We all want to get better every day, and the wins are coming from it. So it's great."
With a 32-5-2-0 record, the Golden Hawks lead the OJHL with a .846 winning percentage. Pierce has scored two goals and recorded 17 points in 35 games this season.
Before joining the Golden Hawks, Pierce played at Stanstead College, where he developed both as a forward and a student. Stanstead is a Quebec-based high school with a prominent hockey program that competes on the prep school circuit.
"It's a great experience," he said. "You meet a lot of amazing people from all over the world. They teach you how to live on your own and how to really balance school as well as playing hockey."
He particularly appreciated the blend of academics and high-end competition. Jaxon captained the varsity team in his final season.
"Our school and coach always preached that school came first and hockey was second," Pierce said. "It was tough, the transition from normal high school, but you meet lifelong friends. They're all supportive. It's great for hockey. It's a lot of fun."
The experience also included unforgettable road trips south of the border.
"It was great. We had a bus trip to Minnesota. It was very long, but you bond and make up a bunch of little games that you play," he said. "Seeing all those campuses down in New England and all over the US. It's very beautiful."
Traveling to Ontario and Quebec from his hometown in Fredericton, New Brunswick, has taught Pierce the importance of adapting to new environments.
"If you really want to achieve the hockey dream, you’ve got to move around a lot," he said. "It's a great experience to just see all these different hockey cultures from across the world."
When choosing Stanstead College, Pierce prioritized his education and schooling. Looking ahead, he's considering a future in economics.
"When I made the decision to go to prep school, I put major junior aside and focused on the college level," he said. "It taught me to balance school and hockey, so I felt like that put me in the best position to be successful. Stanstead had good economics teachers and classes. So I think that's what I want to pursue."
Pierce has found a home with his billet family in Trenton, where he lives with teammates Spencer Hughes, Matthew Souliere, and Kyloe Ellis.
"There's a lot of family in that house, but it's a lot of fun. Our billet parents [Missy and Bryan Rhodes] are awesome," he said. "It makes it feel like I'm still at home, even though I'm hours away."
Living in a full house while preparing for an economics degree certainly sounds like a lot. But there’s no doubt Jaxon will stay focused as the playoffs approach, with his hockey education spanning three provinces and the support of his parents, Andrew and Marlo.
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