Cameron Critchlow will play for the UNB Varsity Reds next season if he isn’t playing professionally.

The graduating Halifax Mooseheads captain and QMJHL playoff hero has committed to the powerhouse program in Fredericton, N.B., where he played his peewee and bantam AAA hockey.

Critchlow, 20, will first vie for an NHL contract as a free agent at Edmonton Oilers development camp in July.

“He is a key addition to our lineup, as he has proven he can play well with good players and in a number of important roles and in key situations,” V-Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall said in a release. “He has proven himself as an accomplished leader, plays gritty and hard on pucks, and has shown continuous improvement because of his work ethic and attitude.”

The Moncton native posted a career-high 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points in 68 regular season games. But in the playoffs, he piled up 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points in 16 games, including a four-goal performance in a Game 7 win over the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL quarter-finals.