5 Canadians shine at the East-West Shrine Bowl (Video)

Ben Heenan, Arnaud Gascon-Nadon and Akeem Hicks represented the CIS at the recent East-West Shrine Bowl played on Saturday in Tampa, Florida. Much of the talk among the 3 was centered on Akeem Hicks, who hopes he did enough to impress the NFL scouts. Ben Heenan, who is ranked #1 by the CFL scouting bureau for the 2012 CFL draft, started the game at right guard for the West team.

The youtube video was put together by Huskies Outsider. Gascon-Nadon, undersized to play the NFL defensive end position, held his own on the defensive line. Two other Canadians participated in the game, UConn’s Moe Petrus (St. Laurent, QC) and Boise State’s Tyrone Crawford (Windsor), who is ranked highest in the NFL draft boards from the Canadians who participated in the Shrine game. Crawford will attend this years NFL combine.

OL Ben Heenan-Saskatchewan

6’4, 310 lbs.

Heenan is a 21 year old prospect who has been a dominant player in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports for the past four years. He was named CanWest Rookie of the Year, and is coming off back to back All-Canadian Team placements. He has been an offensive guard for most of his career, but this past season he was asked to kick outside to offensive tackle. Right now the CFL Scouting Bureau ranks Heenan as the #1 overall CFL College Draft prospect.

DL Arnaud Gascon-Nadon-Laval

6’3, 250 lbs.

Gascon-Nadon started his career playing for Rice in Conference USA, but after spending some time there he bounced back to Canada and went to the powerhouse program of Laval. Like Heenan, Gascon-Nadal is a two year All-Canadian Team member who has absolutely dominated his competition in the CIS. His numbers are down this year because of the extra focus that teams have given him. He still managed to register seven sacks in nine games, after registering eight sacks in seven games last year. He’s a two time winner of the RSEQ Conference Lineman of the Year Award and is currently ranked as a top three DL prospect for this year’s CFL Draft.

DL Akiem Hicks-Regina

6’6, 305 lbs.

Akiem Hicks is an American and at one time was considered a top level four star JUCO signee for the LSU Tigers. Hicks signed with LSU coming out of Sacramento CC but ran into an issue with a housing situation that may have involved a booster. Needless to say he left LSU and went north to Regina.

Akiem lead his team in tackles, sacks, TFL, and forced fumbles this year. He is a two time All-CanWest (Conference) player and was also All-Conference in JUCO. Hicks actually beat out Ben Heenan for the CanWest nominee for Lineman of the Year. Hicks is not eligible for the CFL Draft so it’s NFL or bust for him at this point.

DL Tyrone Crawford – Boise State

2010: Reserve defensive lineman appeared in each of Boise State’s 13 games…named SI.com All-America honorable mention…registered 32 tackles on the season (13 solo), including 13.5 tackles-for-loss – tied for most on the team – and 7.0 sacks, the second-most on the team. Also forced a fumble, broke up a pass, and blocked a field goal (vs. Nevada) during the season. JUCO: Named junior college first-team All-America at Bakersfield College…also garnered first-team all-state and conference defensive most valuable player honors…registered 42 tackles (28 solo), including 14 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks. Also named first-team all-conference as freshman in 2008. Personal: Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

OL Moe Petrus – Connecticutt

2010: Started all 13 games for the Huskies, second team All-BIG EAST pick … earned an Offensive Game Ball following the Pittsburgh win (Nov. 11) along with other blockers in recognition of UConn’s 265 rushing yards. 2009: Moved to the center position, starting all 13 games… . 2008: Started all 13 games for the Huskies at left guard … Named to the Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America All-Freshman team … Part of an offensive line that allowed running back Donald Brown to lead the country in rushing … 2007: Redshirted … Personal: Hometown is St. Laurent, Quebec, Candada … A 2006 Canadian All-Star…Captain of Team Canada…Member of 2005 Team Canada Global Junior Championship team and MVP of the championship game.

About the East-West Shrine Game
The East-West Shrine Game is the longest-running college all-star football game in the country and features some of the highest-rated players in the projected NFL draft ranking. While the teams are divided by East and West, the players come together for the beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. The 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. To learn more about Shriners Hospitals for Children, please visit www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.