Great news for Quebec punter Vincent Blanchard in the CFL

It took him just two seasons to rise to the ranks of the elite. Vincent Blanchard, a kicker for the Edmonton Elks originally from Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, is one of three finalists for the CFL's Special Teams Player of the Year award.

The Quebec native is up against two American kick return specialists: Trey Vaval of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, last year's winner of this award, and Tyreik McAllister of the Calgary Stampeders.

He's had a remarkable season. The former kicker for Laval University's Rouge et Or made 55 of his 59 field goal attempts, a team record for the Elks. His 93.2% success rate was the best in the league.

He also set a CFL record by making nine field goals in a single game. He was just as solid from long range: 16 makes on 19 attempts from 40 yards or more, including six out of seven from beyond 50 yards.

Adding 42 two-point conversions and four single points, the 28-year-old finished first in the CFL with 211 points.

Accolades Keep Coming

The accolades keep coming for Blanchard. Last week, he was unanimously selected as the Elks' Special Teams Player of the Week. On Thursday, he was also named to the CFL All-Star Team as a placekicker. In total, nine Elks players are part of this 40-player squad.

His performances helped Edmonton finish atop the West Division with a 13-5 record. The Elks now await the winner of the matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the British Columbia Lions in the West Division final.

This year, the CFL is replacing its awards gala with surprise award announcements, which will be streamed online over the coming weeks.

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