Alexandre Doucet, forward for the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, has come a long way in his short pro career. After going undrafted, he would sign a 3-year, entry-level deal with the Detroit Red Wings on March 1, 2023. Since then, he has made an impact on the Walleye season and made a couple of stops in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Walleye’s Doucet making a name for himself
Doucet was a dynamic scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), dominating with the Val-d’Or Foreurs and Halifax Mooseheads. Last season, he combined 58 goals and 57 assists for 115 points between the two teams in only 70 games. His 115 points put him third overall in league points.
During the 2022-23 season, he would rack up some accomplishments with his point production. He was a member of the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) all-star third team and the QMJHL all-star second team. He would also have the most goals in the league with 58 and the most points in the playoffs (31). His career with both Val-d’Or and Halifax are 108 goals and 139 assists for 247 points in 240 games, an average of 1.03 points per game.
After his QMJHL career was over, he then signed with Detroit and participated in the 2023 Detroit Red Wings development camp, to which he raised some eyebrows with his play and work ethic. After the development camp and training camp with the Griffins, he was sent down to the Walleye to get ice time and further his development. He was entering his first pro season in the pro ranks and needed to get adjusted. It took him no time once he hit the ice at the Huntington Center, as he showed the same skill set in Toledo as he did in Val-d’Or and Halifax. He is not the fastest player on the ice, but he is always where the puck is, and makes his ice time count with offensive creativity.
This season, he has seen time with Grand Rapids and Toledo. With the Walleye, he has eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 29 games, including two game-winning goals and two power play goals. While he is scoreless in six games with the Griffins, he is growing as a hockey player and getting to know the style of play in the AHL. Time and development are all he needs to be an elite player in the Red Wings system.
Doucet posted a career-high four points (two goals and two assists) in a 9-2 drubbing of the Fort Wayne Komets on October 27, 2023. In his last five games, he has one goal and one assist for two points. The 6-foot and 192-pound native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, has come a long way since turning pro as his confidence and maturity have helped him adjust to hockey at a higher level.
It is only a matter of time before Doucet is a full-time roster player in Grand Rapids. Strong on his skates, he protects the puck along the boards and in stride through all three zones. He plays a strong game in the offensive zone and has one of the more accurate shots on Toledo’s roster. Doucet can play in a top-four role or be just as successful on the power play. As a player who went undrafted, he certainly has developed into a player who can make an impact once he makes it to the NHL. Not too many players can go undrafted and make an NHL roster.
