Like countless other hockey players before him, Liam Lecauchois learned the game from his father, Xavier Lecauchois. But Xavier isn’t American, Canadian or even Russian — he’s French.
Born and raised in Normandy along the gentle hills of the Paris Basin, Xavier Lecauchois played ice hockey throughout his youth. Today, the sport remains relatively niche in France; only 13 French-born players have played in the NHL.
Xavier never made it that far. When he was 19, he quit playing, choosing an education and stable job over the pipe dream of professional sports. He eventually settled in the suburbs of Chicago.
But hockey was still his passion, and he wanted to make it his family’s passion, too. He put his two boys on skates as soon as they had refined-enough motor skills.
Now, at 19, Liam Lecauchois is a standout freshman for the Florida Gators club hockey team. He led the team in points in his first year with the program, as he now aims to continue improving his game during his time in college — all while making his mark on UF hockey.
From Chicago to Gainesville
Lecauchois grew up playing a variety of sports, from baseball to soccer to lacrosse, but hockey was the only one that truly resonated with him.
"[My dad] never forced me to play hockey, but that was the sport where he was always the most critical of me," Lecauchois said. "That constant learning mindset I had in hockey… I still bring with me to this day."
He dropped all other sports once he reached high school and eventually joined the Chicago Hawks AA team, where he went on to serve as captain for three years.
Under his leadership, the Hawks were consistently ranked among the top teams in the nation. Though they never captured a championship — falling short to the West Dundee Leafs in Lecauchois’ senior year — Lecauchois finished his AA career as the third-highest points scorer in the franchise's history.
Jonathan Cannizzo, his coach and mentor throughout this journey, isn't at all surprised by Lecauchois’ continued success at UF.
“He just had that quiet, confident persona that really good, strong leaders have,” Cannizzo said. “He was not only a model of what [a player] should look like on and off the ice, but just a genuine teammate.”
Despite his on-ice success, Lecauchois realized he wasn't going pro midway through high school. Now, just like his father decades before him, Lecauchois was faced with a decision to make — hockey or school.
Unlike his dad, though, Lecauchois had the privilege of compromise.
UF wasn't initially on Lecauchois' radar, only catching his attention after a tour with his high school. Lecauchois said he was immediately attracted to the Innovation Academy program, as his education took precedence over anything else.
However, UF also had a club hockey team — and one that only practiced once a week. He could have the flexibility to prioritize his studies while still staying involved with the sport he loved.
"Hockey being your whole life for three years [in juniors], I'm sure that would be a lot of fun, but that wasn't for me," Liam said. "I love hockey, but I didn't want to make it my whole life."
Lecauchois said it took some time to adapt to the new environment, transitioning from the windy streets of Chicago to the blistering Florida heat — especially with the distance from his parents. However, forming a connection with his new teammates came easily. One of them, winger Nicholas Ho, happened to play for the rival West Dundee Leafs during high school. Lecauchois had reached out to him before the season started, and the two quickly became friends, bonding through shared car rides on the way to Community First Igloo in Jacksonville — the team’s home-away-from-home rink — but it hasn't been without some chirping along the way.
“One time, one of our teammates forgot his jersey during practice, and I had an extra one that was a Leafs jersey, and I gave it to him,” Ho said, grinning. “He was so mad.”
The future
The Gators won their first national championship in 2024, slinging the team to AAU Division I.
Though they couldn’t repeat the feat in 2025, Lecauchois was one of the team’s standout stars, tying with sophomore Michael McCoy as the leading goal-scorer on the team.
Despite the disappointing overall result, Lecauchois expressed his commitment to the team's future. Drawing on his leadership experience from Chicago, he’s taken on the role of director recruiter for the team.
“ I'm just going to try my best to build as much awareness about the brand as possible and then recruit top talent, raise as much money as we can, and then all of that snowballs,” Lecauchois said.
The fate of UF hockey’s future remains mostly unclear. There are hopes the university will build a rink on campus, eliminating the frustrating travel to and from Jacksonville, but that’s still up in the air.
However, if one thing is certain, it’s that Lecauchois is carving his name in UF hockey history.
“I know the prime of University of Florida Gators ice hockey is going to come way past my time here,” Lecauchois said. “But I don't care, because I wanna just build something special for the future kids.”
Contact Daniela Ortiz at dortiz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @danielaortizUF.
Daniela Ortiz is a sophomore sports journalism major covering the UF club hockey team for Spring 2025. This is her first semester at the sports desk for The Alligator. When she's not watching sports, she likes to draw and read.
