Mooseheads star Alexandre Doucet has his future mapped out, but he's still got some hockey to play

While Halifax Mooseheads forward Alexandre Doucet has his post-hockey career mapped out, his focus right now is on getting the championship that has eluded him during his five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Doucet, 21, is one of the team's three overage players and was traded to the team in December for a title run.

Doucet led the league in goals scored during the regular season (58) and finished third in points (115), trailing teammates Jordan Dumais (140) and Josh Lawrence (119).

Entering the season, Doucet had lots of motivation. While friends of his were invited to NHL training camps, he wasn't.

"I didn't have a camp last summer, so my goal was to prove [the teams] wrong," said Doucet.

He said NHL teams started contacting him in January. On March 1, he signed a three-year entry deal with the Detroit Red Wings.

Career plans outside of the rink

Doucet said it's always been his dream to play in the NHL, but it isn't his only ambition. After his hockey career wraps up, he wants to become a carpenter, like his father.

Doucet grew up on a farm in Sherbrooke, Que. The family still lives there.

"I'm a guy that doesn't like to not move all day long, so I want to have a job that I can move and use my strength a little bit," he said.

While many major junior hockey players go on to play university hockey if the pros aren't the next stop for them, Doucet said he wasn't interested in that. It didn't fit his career plans.

With his Red Wings contract, the plan for Doucet is to play for their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, next year.

Halifax Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell played 10 seasons in the NHL. He said Doucet is going to have a great hockey career.

"He's going to push himself," said Russell. "He's going to find a way to do it. He's going to work hard and coaches love those types of guys. You know, there's zero maintenance. They do everything they're told. They work hard every night."

Russell also cites Doucet's positive attitude as a plus. Doucet can be frequently spotted smiling on the ice and his character is one of the reasons the team traded for him.

"The intangibles are so important to a hockey team," said Russell. "You don't want to bring a player in at Christmas time disrupting the chemistry."

For Doucet, winning the league championship would be the perfect cap to the season.

He came close in the 2020-21 season with the Val-d'Or Foreurs, but the team lost in the final in a six-game series against the Victoriaville Tigres.

The Mooseheads await their second-round playoff opponent, which won't be decided until tonight or Tuesday. The series will open Friday in Halifax.

Halifax swept Cape Breton 4-0 in the opening round. Doucet and Lawrence each had 10 points to lead the Mooseheads in scoring.

Doucet's playoff heroics this year have included scoring the tying goal with 10 seconds left in Game 2 to force overtime, as well as scoring the winning goal in Game 4 while shorthanded.

When this season ends, Doucet's professional hockey career will begin. And at some point, he'll swap the hockey stick for a hammer.

"I don't know when it's going to end, but that's my plan for after, for sure," he said.

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