Belleville resident celebrates career-best year and recognition for charity work
Supporting the community and giving to those in need are very much key parts of the hockey culture in the Bay of Quinte region. Donovan McCoy of Belleville perfectly exemplifies this ethic.
A right-shooting defenceman with the Sudbury Wolves, McCoy was nominated for the Dayna Brons Honorary Award, which recognizes an individual from Canada's hockey community who exhibits outstanding dedication towards patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada.
Since making his OHL debut with the Peterborough Petes, McCoy has been an integral member of the Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador program, which supports Canadian Blood Services.
McCoy was influential in organizing the largest player-led team blood drive and stem cell recruitment event in the CHL as a member of the Petes.
After being traded, McCoy split the 2023-24 season between Peterborough and the Sudbury Wolves. In the Nickel City, he again assembled his teammates for plasma donations.
McCoy has also made great strides with his performance. Previously, he celebrated a J. Ross Robertson Cup title in 2023 (given to the OHL playoff champions) with the Petes. He secured back-to-back OMHA titles with the Quinte Red Devils during his Bantam and Minor Midget years in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Despite moving franchises at the trade deadline, McCoy registered personal bests, scoring nine goals and 29 assists for 38 total points.
Chosen in the first round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection by Peterborough, McCoy has tallied 67 points with a plus-19 rating across 193 regular-season games. He has also qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons in major junior.
Although undrafted into the NHL, McCoy was invited to attend the Calgary Flames' development camp last summer.
Along with McCoy, the Dayna Brons Honorary Award recognized finalists Nico Laforge (Saint John Sea Dogs) and Brayden Schmitt (Cape Breton Eagles).
Canadian Blood Services has emphasized the significant contributions that McCoy, Laforge, and Schmitt have made throughout their careers, which highlight the spirit of the award.
Dayna Brons was noted for her humility, selflessness, and charitable and athletic contributions. The honour that bears her name is given to a person who also demonstrates those traits.
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