On Monday, Anaheim Ducks prospect Alexandre Blais announced his commitment to the University of Connecticut for the 2025-26 season.
Blais (19) was selected in the fourth round (100th overall in 2024) of last year’s NHL entry draft out of Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. He attended Ducks development and rookie camps following his selection.
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2024-25 was his third full season in the QMJHL, where he scored 73 points (20-53=73) in 60 regular season games and added 20 points (5-15=20) in 23 playoff games. Rimouski lost in the QMJHL championship series to the Moncton Wildcats, but received an automatic bid to the Memorial Cup as a result of hosting the tournament. Rimouski lost all three Memorial Cup games, with Blais finishing with a pair of assists.
Blais is an undersized but highly skilled winger who is adept at diagnosing a defensive structure with the puck on his stick. He’s a plus-skater who uses his edges well to evade contact on the walls and in the corners.
"I'm an offensive guy," Blais said of his play style at the 2024 Draft. "I'm pretty intelligent on the ice. I can feed the puck well to my teammates. I'm not the biggest, but I'm not scared to go into corners and win battles.”
Blais will join a UConn team in the fall, fresh off a loss in the Hockey East championship game and an appearance at the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinal game to Penn State in an overtime thriller.
Blais will be afforded the benefit of a college schedule, where there are fewer games in total and those games are mostly held on weekends, offering him the opportunity to add strength to his 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame during the week.
By making the jump to the NCAA, Blais' rights will be held by the Ducks (unless traded) until the summer following his senior season (2028-29) if he hasn’t yet signed his ELC.
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Photo credit: LCH - Vincent Éthier