Our Alumni | Voyer has been roaring with the Lions
Alex-Olivier Voyer has yet to reach the NHL, the ultimate goal of any hockey player.
But the Sherbrooke-born athlete pinches himself every day to make sure he’s not dreaming. Not only does he have the chance to earn a living playing the sport he’s passionate about, but he’s doing it in the same organization as the team he grew up rooting for.
“Having the chance to wear a Canadiens jersey at training camp and being part of their organization is something you dream of as a child,” he admits. “When you start playing hockey, you watch the Habs players on television on Saturday nights and you dream of being in their shoes one day.”
Now in his fourth season of professional hockey, the 24-year-old skater wears the colors of the Trois-Rivières Lions in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Voyer’s pro adventure began in 2020-21, after five seasons in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic and then the Sherbrooke Phoenix. The right-winger had just signed a two-season contract with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League when the pandemic struck.
“We had a good team and we aspired to great things. But we didn’t start the next season until January!”, he recalls.
After suiting up in only 22 games that season, he was sent to finish the campaign with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. Even so, he very much enjoyed his first taste of professional hockey.
“For sure, the players are bigger. But since I’m a big guy, I did well on that side of things. The big difference was the speed of the game and the speed of execution,” he points out.
“Off the ice, you’re also left to your own in a way. So, it’s a question of finding your own routine. Still, I had a great experience in the United States. Providence is a great city and I loved it!”
The atmosphere that surrounds a professional team is very different from junior hockey, as Voyer quickly realized.
“In the dressing room, they’re all grown men. There are dads, and their kids sometimes come to visit as well. But at the end of the day, we still all have many things in common.”
The following season, in 2021-22, he played 41 games in an assigned role on the Providence Bruins’ fourth line.
“It was very pleasant to be able to experience a full season. The year before, we had only played against Hartford and Bridgeport. But now, we could finally travel again.”
Unfortunately for Voyer, he’d start the 2022-23 season with Providence but would quickly join the Maine Mariners, back in the ECHL.
“You never expect to get demoted, but there were a lot of forwards in Providence. I’d only played two games in the first two months because I’d just come back from a major injury (a fractured ankle). So, it was the logical thing to do to get back into the swing of things.”
The right-winger’s presence was quickly felt in Maine. After returning to form, Voyer was able to close out the year with an impressive 43 points in 48 games for the Mariners.
His adventure away from his homeland would come to an end in 2023, however. In July, he returned to Quebec, signing a contract with the Laval Rocket. In September, he took part in the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp, before joining the Rocket’s afterwards.
Except that there are a lot of guys under contract within the Habs’ organization, and vacant spots were pretty rare for forwards. Voyer therefore started the current season with the Trois-Rivières Lions, with whom he’s been excelling.
“I think I left a good impression [at training camp]. I’m still very happy to be in Trois-Rivières, close to my family,” admits the player who currently ranks second on the Lions with 33 points in 42 games.
Although it’s been a few years since he left the QMJHL, Alex-Olivier Voyer still dreams of skating in the Bettman circuit one day.
“My ultimate goal is definitely to play in the NHL. But I’ve been making a living from hockey for four years now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
