It happened on November 24th. The Val-d’Or Foreurs were visiting Halifax, a sometimes intimidating place for visiting teams.
“At home, a small crowd is 7,000 spectators,” recalls Sylvain Favreau, head coach of the Mooseheads.
That evening, therefore, the ice was still shiny when Alexandre Doucet recovered a puck in the neutral zone, escaped and opened the scoring from the 27th.e second.
Second presence: same result. On a shorter distance, Doucet comes alone in front of the goalkeeper and scores again. After 3 min 12 s, it’s already 2-0 Foreurs.
“It started badly! Our coach was not too happy, ”recalls striker Mathieu Cataford.
Today, the Mooseheads laugh it off. During the Christmas break, they made a trade and now Doucet is scoring for them, not against them.
“We already had him in our line of sight, and there he took advantage of two of our mistakes. Our former owner Bobby Smith was there, and I think that confirmed things! Alexandre wasn’t too intimidated that night,” says Favreau.
Favreau does not regret the transaction. Doucet had a hat trick on Wednesday, after the one recorded on Sunday. Here it is at 1er rank in the QMJHL for goals with 56.
Yzerman’s call
Doucet’s talent may have gone unnoticed before, but not anymore. Never drafted or invited to a summer camp, the Estrien was recruited by the Detroit Red Wings two weeks ago. The team offered him an entry contract. Here he is assured of a job in professional hockey for the next three years.
It’s a happy ending for a player who, by his own admission, wasn’t interested in the college route. “I want to go into construction, so I’m not going to learn that at university! “, he launches.
“At a minimum, I was going to sign a contract in the ECHL, so I knew I was going to play pro. But my goal at the start of the year was an American League contract. To have one from the National League, it exceeds my expectations. It’s a beautiful gift! »
PHOTO TREVOR MACMILLAN, SUPPLIED BY HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
Alexandre Doucet
The Wings were part of a quartet of teams chasing him, a quartet that did not include the Canadian, we are told. At 21, Doucet was free to sign with any team he chose. But Detroit has often drawn on Halifax in recent years, and general manager Steve Yzerman has gotten involved.
“My new agent, Philippe Bureau, told me that Steve was going to call me in the next few days. I was at the arena one morning. Just before putting my phone aside, I see that I have a missed call. Right after, I get a text and it’s Steve Yzerman. We made a FaceTime.
” It’s a hall-of-famer. I was a little impressed, I tried not to show it! What convinced me was their vision. They have room to accommodate me. »
More complete
Doucet is expected to play in Grand Rapids of the American League next season. This contract does not guarantee him a great career in the NHL either, despite his strong production. From Alex Barré-Boulet to Giovanni Fiore, there are several former QMJHL scoring champions who were unable to duplicate their success in the best league in the world.
Doucet, however, shows steady progress. We are described to a player who made “an examination of conscience” to offer a more complete game.
“At 18, I was a depth player and that’s when I worked on the details of my game. With Daniel Renaud, in Val-d’Or, we made video twice a week, but we didn’t watch my presence with the puck, we looked at the details. In the pro, it is played on that. »
“I can confirm that by talking to teams, many wanted to invite him, underlines Sylvain Favreau. But those most senior in recruiting saw a problem with his skating. He proved that there is no problem.
“He already has an NHL shot. He has the power and the precision and when you have both, it’s very interesting. He has the vision to create plays under pressure, to slow down the game for his teammates. And he has very good work habits. That cannot be learned. »
PHOTO TREVOR MACMILLAN, SUPPLIED BY HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
Alexandre Doucet
This contract is a nice outcome for a player who has always believed in it, even if he saw dozens of his peers leave for NHL camps every summer while he stayed at home.
“You think about it when you see the invitations passing. It was disappointing, but it was above all my relatives, my friends who didn’t understand, who told me: such a guy over there, he’s not as good as you. But I knew it wasn’t over. I knew I was of the caliber, so that was motivation. »
This motivation will allow him to experience his first NHL training camp next fall.