Alexandre Alain: Excellence on ice and in academics

MONTREAL - It may not be time for the Oscars or the Grammys, but it's been a busy award season for recently-signed Canadiens prospect Alexandre Alain.

After earning the QMJHL's Marcel-Robert Trophy for his academic and athletic success in April, the 21-year-old was handed the CHL equivalent over the weekend ahead of being honored with a 2017-18 Guy Lafleur Award of Excellence and Merit scholarship at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.
Alain is a deserving recipient of all the accolades that have come his way, having truly excelled both on skates and in the classroom.
He ranked second in scoring on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with 87 points (44G, 43A) in 65 games, before chipping in with another 30 points in 22 playoff games - the second-highest point total in the league during the postseason. Alain's efforts helped the Armada make their second straight appearance in the President Cup final, where they would lose to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

In school, Alain recorded near-perfect marks in his final year at CEGEP Saint-Jerome, where he recently completed his DEC in Natural Sciences.
"It's really special for me, it's an honor. I put a lot of emphasis on both school and sports, and to get rewarded like this, I'm very grateful," described Alain, whose 16 playoff goals were tops in the QMJHL this spring. "For me, it's very important to perform well, whether it's in class or on the ice."
Alain isn't only a high-performing student-athlete, he's also taken it upon himself to play the role of teacher, mentoring both his teammates and students at schools in the community about the importance of keeping up their classwork.
"It's really important to educate young people. I remember when I was starting in Major Junior, I had some doubts about school. I didn't know if I was going to be able to study like a regular person. But in the end, with discipline and hard work, it's really possible. That's why I want to educate young people as much as possible, and I did that with the Armada by going into schools to try to show them that it's really important to have passions and hobbies, but also to persevere at school," outlined the Quebec City native, who was named captain of the Armada last fall. "You shouldn't have to put school to the side because of your passions, and just because you're passionate about school, doesn't mean you have to put sports aside, either. I think it's really possible to balance both, and that's what I tried to convey when I did those school visits."

One man who has gotten to witness Alain's dedication up close is the new head coach of the Laval Rocket - and Alain's bench boss the past two seasons - Joël Bouchard, who was more than a little impressed with the Habs prospect's results.
"He's passionate about hockey, and he's passionate about school. You don't see that caliber that often, being that good at hockey and that good at school. He won the academic player of the year [award] this year, and I think he was nominated the last three years," said Bouchard, who is following Alain into the Canadiens organization. "He's been an example for our players on organization, time, and doing things right. He's graduating from CEGEP this year, which is pretty good for playing at a caliber of hockey he did, and the schooling he's getting out of it.
"He's definitely invested in everything he does. He doesn't cut corners. For him to take that kind of schooling in Junior hockey, it needs a lot of commitment, a lot of passion about it to take it seriously, and he definitely did," he concluded. "He's a great example for our organization."