Nov. 4, 2026 - UBC Thunderbirds forward Max Comsia has been named the 2026 Canada West men's soccer Player of the Year after a career-best season that established him as one of the conference's most dominant attacking players.
The third-year forward from North Vancouver, B.C., led Canada West with 15 points and tied for the conference lead with nine goals, including five game winners. Comsia's outstanding campaign helped power the Thunderbirds to another undefeated regular season, as UBC finished atop the conference standings with a 13-0-2 record.
Comsia headlines an impressive group of major award winners announced by the conference on Wednesday morning.
The UBC Thunderbirds claimed three of the five major awards, with fifth-year defender Eric Lajeunesse earning Defensive Player of the Year honours for the second consecutive season, while head coach Mike Mosher was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his storied career and second straight season.
Luis Rangel-Kataev of the Calgary Dinos was named Rookie of the Year after an impressive debut season that saw the first-year forward score seven goals and add an assist, helping Calgary match its program record for wins in a season.
Hagon Kim of the UNBC Timberwolves was named the Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient in recognition of his outstanding leadership and commitment to serving others. As president of the Timberwolves Student Athlete Society, Kim helped lead a record-breaking fundraising campaign that raised more than $12,000 to support a local family rebuilding their lives after escaping domestic violence.
The Canada West men's soccer season comes to a thrilling conclusion on Friday night, as the UBC Thunderbirds host the Alberta Golden Bears in the championship final. For schedule information, visit WinTheWest.ca.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Max Comsia (UBC Thunderbirds)
Forward | Third Year | North Vancouver, B.C.
\nLeading the conference with 15 points while producing career-high numbers across the board, UBC Thunderbirds forward Max Comsia has been named 2026 Canada West men's soccer Player of the Year.
A dominant force for the regular-season champion T-Birds, the third-year student-athlete from North Vancouver tied for the conference lead with nine goals, five of them standing as game winners.
Twice named conference Player of the Week this season, Comsia has positioned himself in elite territory in just his third Canada West season, having earned first team All-Star status for a second straight year.
In addition to his scoring prowess, the 6-foot-3 striker uses his strength and size across the pitch as a true all-around player for the top-ranked T-Birds.
Comsia is the first Thunderbird to win conference Player of the Year honours since Sebastian Dzikowski did so in 2023.
“Max’s emergence and development over the last several years has been outstanding. As always, first and foremost, the credit goes to the player. Max was a guy who in his first year was basically a red shirt, he was not really ready at that point in time, but by January I already knew he was going to be a good player. His work in the gym, I’ll give him credit there – he’s a bull, he’s a strong guy. His hold-up play, his back-to-goal has really, really evolved positively, and then the goals have come. I’m absolutely thrilled for Max, he’s very deserving of this award.” - UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher\n
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Eric Lajeunesse (UBC Thunderbirds)
Defender | Fifth Year | Ottawa, Ont.
Three-time All-Canadian and twice a U SPORTS Championship All-Star, fifth-year Thunderbird Eric Lajeunesse has been named Canada West Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season.
\nCaptaining the T-Birds to an undefeated season, the defender out of Ottawa led another outstanding team effort with UBC conceding just 11 goals on the year, along with a conference-leading nine clean sheets.
Playing every minute of every game yet again this season, Lajeunesse added a pair of goals and two assists along with another goal and assist in UBC’s quarter-final battle vs Lethbridge and will now compete for another Canada West title Friday night.
Since earning U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in 2022, Lajeunesse has gone on to play more than 50 CPL games for Pacific FC and set a new Canada West record this past season playing in 75 games over his outstanding five-year T-Bird career.
“He gets better every year and he really took it to another level this year, I thought he was exceptional. He showed the player that he is, a guy who’s played 50 games in the CPL, just outstanding, I can’t say enough. I’ll say it again, and I don’t say it lightly as someone who has been around for nearly the last 50 years of our team, he goes down as one of the best players in our program’s history. One of the real pleasures to see has been his emergence and development as a leader. From a really quiet guy in his first and second year where he didn’t say a whole heck of a lot, now he’s got the command of the locker room. Also, just how he carries himself, he’s as exemplary a player as I’ve seen in my time.” - UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher\n
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Luis Rangel-Kataev (Calgary Dinos)
Forward | First Year | Calgary, Alta.
It didn’t take long for Luis Rangel-Kataev to make his mark for the Dinos. He made an immediate impact in his debut, coming off the bench to score against Mount Royal in the opening game of the season.
\nHe went on to register seven goals and one assist during the regular season, including six goals in four games in September, a feat that saw him earn his first BioSteel Athlete of the Week award. His efforts helped lead Calgary to a landmark season, as they equalled the program record for wins in a season with nine, finishing atop the Prairie Division standings.
"Luis is an outstanding young man who truly exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete. As a rookie, he has made an exceptional impact on our team, stepping up in a big way during a season when we lost several key players to graduation. His hard work, commitment, and contributions went far beyond what you would typically expect from a first-year player. We are incredibly proud of Luis and the impact he made on our team this season.” – Calgary Head Coach Ramon Mifflin\n
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Hagon Kim (UNBC Timberwolves)
Fourth Year | Defender | Ilsan, Korea
Hagon Kim has emerged as one of the undisputed leaders and respected veterans on the UNBC Timberwolves men’s soccer team, and is honoured as the conference's 2026 Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient.
\nOn and off the field, Kim has dedicated himself to becoming the best possible player, teammate, and member of the community he can be. He is the current President of the Timberwolves Student Athlete Society (TSAS), started every game he has played in a UNBC uniform (58 as of Oct. 26, 2026), and new to his resumé is a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian honour after he posted a remarkable 4.22 GPA during the 2025-26 academic year.
Talented, reliable, humble and genuine, Kim has earned the respect of his teammates, coaches, classmates, UNBC support staff and members of the Prince George community.
As President of TSAS, he helped lead the society to a record-breaking year for its annual MVP campaign, raising more than $12,000 in 2026. The funds were then directed to a local family rebuilding their lives after escaping domestic violence.
Steve Simonson Quote about Hagon Kim:
"I am incredibly proud of Hagon for all the work he does for UNBC athletics and the community of Prince George. Although he doesn’t do it for the recognition, I think it is fitting that he has earned the Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service Award. His selfless actions on and off the field are a shining example of what a student-athlete should strive to be, and the recognition is well deserved." - UNBC Head Coach Steve Simonson\n
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Mosher (UBC Thunderbirds)
\u200b \u200b \u200b \u200b • 31st Season
Leading the Thunderbirds to first overall in Canada West for a fifth straight year, Mike Mosher has earned his second consecutive Coach of the Year award and the fifth of his storied career.
\nFinishing the regular season undefeated for a second straight year, Mosher’s squad led the conference with 44 goals and allowed just 11 against while leading the Canada West with nine clean sheets.
With Sunday’s 2-0 win over Victoria, Mosher and the T-Birds have earned a berth at an 11th straight U SPORTS National Championship tournament and will host the Alberta Golden Bears in Friday’s Canada West Final, where the winningest head coach in conference history will go for a 13th conference banner.
Surpassing 250 conference wins this year in his 31st season, Mosher has guided UBC to five U SPORTS titles as a head coach thus far, having also won three as a player.
“UBC is so lucky to continue to benefit from one of the greatest coaches in this country in Mike Mosher. His legacy speaks for itself and his consistent success is a testament to his dedication to both his program and players. Mike's ongoing impact is hard to measure given the number of student-athletes he has guided to success both on and off the pitch while at UBC and beyond their time as a Thunderbird. We are so proud of Mike's achievements and all those still to come.” - UBC Managing Director of Athletics Kavie Toor\n