Preds Prospect Huang Wraps Up Strong Junior Career, Looks Towards NCAA

Becoming an NHL Draft pick was one impressive accomplishment for Alex Huang last summer. Earning an acceptance into Harvard University just happens to be another for the young defenseman. 

Huang - selected by the Nashville Predators in the 2025 NHL Draft (4th round, 122nd overall) - concluded his final season of junior hockey with a QMJHL Championship last spring. He will attend Harvard in the fall, making his NCAA debut.

The Ivy League decision was a discussion between his family, agent and the Preds. 

“We were working as a team to find what's best for me on the hockey side and also on the academic side,” Huang said on June 30 during his second Preds Development Camp. “Harvard's not just a great place for hockey and for school, it's also a great place to evolve and grow up as a person.”

The 18 year old tallied 70 points in 62 regular-season games last season, holding a +58 rating throughout the year. He then posted 19 points (2g-17a) in 20 playoff games to help the Chicoutimi Saguenéens win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.  

The QMJHL title was a full-circle moment for Huang - he was drafted to Chicoutimi three years ago and had been there ever since.

“We just became brothers, and to win it all in the end, it was a great feeling,” Huang said. “At the Memorial Cup, we didn't get the result we wanted, but it was still a great experience playing high-end talent.”

Huang enjoyed competing amongst the best in the tournament, which included fellow Preds prospects Cameron Reid (Kitchener) and Hiroki Gojsic (Kelowna). Huang and his team were eliminated by Reid and the Kitchener Rangers, the eventual Memorial Cup Champions. 

The group shared a reunion at Development Camp, a mix of teaming up and competing against each other - like they’ve been doing for years. 

“You try to go hard on them, even though you're from the same team, and you try not to let them do too much,” Huang said. “It just shows how great this organization has developed their players, and I think that three of the four teams had Preds prospects at the Mem Cup, so it’s just a great thing to play them, because you know them already. Me and Cameron, we go way back. We won the U-17 [World Championship] and the [Ivan] Hlinka [Tournament] together [with Team Canada], so just to play them on their stage, it's also great.”

Huang feels last season prepared him for the pace and physicality of college. After all, he marked career-bests that speak for themselves - in every category (11g-59a-70p). 

But he grew more than just his scoring. 

“My overall game, not just offensive production, did a good job, but also on the defensive side, being reliable defensively, being hard to play against,” Huang said. “I attribute that to, first of all, the coaching staff, and also my teammates that helped me push myself to get there every single day. So, it's just an overall improvement in every facet of my game.” 

That progress was highlighted at the Future Stars Game to conclude Preds Development Camp, where he shut down plays and buried the opening goal of the game, along with one of the few shootout tallies on the day.  

Huang’s extended season also taught him how to recover better, a professional habit to keep in his back pocket. He played 82 games throughout the year, including back-to-back nights - mirroring the regular-season schedule of an NHL club last season.

“Getting to experience that at 18 years old is pretty great,” Huang said. “So, just taking care of my body, eating well, making sure that I'm not sick, that I'm not injured; I think that I've done overall a good job the entire year of staying healthy, and it showed in the playoffs.” 

Learning to manage his health played an important factor in Huang’s playoff run, providing an experience he’ll take with him to Harvard, along with skills from Dev Camp. 

Huang praised several prospects by name throughout the week, mentioning Egor Surin’s physicality, Tommy Bleyl’s skating, Aiden Fink’s development and more. 

“I just try to learn from everybody,” Huang said. “If you're drafted, if you're not drafted, if you're a first-round pick, if you're here, you do something well, and there's something that I can learn from you. So, just trying to be a sponge, like [Preds Head] Coach [Andrew] Brunette said, and take away as much as I can for my summer training for next season at Harvard.”

Huang doesn’t know exactly what he’ll be studying at the elite institution, but he knows he’ll enjoy it. He plans on asking around for some ideas.

“I'll talk to some people here that were in Ivy League and some friends that went to university as well, but [it] will be something fun for sure,” Huang said.

And while he plans to have fun, his main objective is to build off his time in the QMJHL, bringing a winning attitude to college. 

“I'll try my best to bring the most into a winning culture at Harvard,” Huang said after the Future Stars Game. “There are already a lot of great players there, but if I can contribute, and make this a winning place again, then I think that my goal would be accomplished.”