Even if it’s already a bit old, we had to start our interview by returning to this important confrontation with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Very few people anticipated such an outcome at the end of a campaign where the Drakkar dominated the regular calendar with 109 points, before passing the broom twice.
The proverbial chain, however, landed in the first part of the final, lost 5-0. The defeat suffered in overtime, by the smallest of scores, then hurt a lot.
“It’s definitely difficult to digest. I’m a competitor, a guy who always wants to win. When you get beaten to the punch, your pride takes a hit,” admitted Alexis Bernier, who has been back on the family farm for a few days.
“I don’t know if we expected it to be easy, but the Voltigeurs made us pay for every little mistake.”
Despite all the support offered by their supporters, the Drakkar players had to admit defeat. (Kassandra Blais)
If we only look at the numbers, the duo formed by Bernier and Anthony Lavoie does not look very good with a combined differential of -13 over the entire final round. But be careful: it was mainly they who were responsible for containing the best opposing trios, made up of players like Ethan Gauthier, Luke Woodworth and Alexis Gendron.
“When Émile Chouinard left to treat his cancer, Anthony and I had to raise our game. And I think we did it well. In the final, we faced a lot of excess numbers. With the strike force on the other side, it wasn’t always easy to manage. When you face big names all evening, it often ends up going in,” argued the 17-year-old right-hander.
In a good position
Most professional scouts will see past the “perfect storm” that occurred in the finals. It would have taken a lot more to ruin a season where Alexis Bernier practically doubled his offensive production (31 points in 67 regular games) and improved his differential by 49 units. All this while playing at least 22 minutes per game, in all situations, and with a size of 190 pounds spread over 6 feet and 1 inch.
Bernier ranks 62nd among North American-based skaters on the final NHL Central Scouting list, released in mid-April. By adding the Europeans playing on the other side of the Atlantic, who represented a third of the players drafted last year, it is reasonable to believe that the Valériennois will hear his name towards the end of the third round. This reading is supported by the interest already demonstrated by around twenty organizations on the Bettman circuit.
“I think people like my defensive and physical style. It’s rarer at a time when the game is very attack-focused.”
— Alexis Bernier
“Even I don’t necessarily expect to play on the powerplay in the pros, so I think my offensive skills are seen as a bonus.
Number 44 will most likely surpass the selection ranks of his father, David, who was selected in the seventh round in 1996 and then in the eighth round in 1998. A few jokes may come when the time comes, but my son knows very well that he cannot take anything for granted.
“My dad was drafted, but he never played (in the NHL). I see it above all as a ticket which then allows you to obtain professional camps to prove yourself. Because the real objective remains to sign a contract.
In 2023-2024, Alexis Bernier and Justin Poirier represented both the present and the future of their training. (Kassandra Blais)
“The future is still bright in Baie-Comeau”
Alexis Bernier’s 2023-2024 season will have in some ways been the image of that of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
We will have to wait until the QMJHL draft weekend, June 7 and 8, to have a better idea of the state of the forces next fall. Head coach and general director of Drakkar, Jean-François Grégoire will have to choose only three elements among his 10 players born in 2004, if this is not already done. The foundations will, however, remain solid with “2006s” like Bernier, Justin Poirier and Raoul Boilard, all listed by the NHL Central Scouting.
“Technically, our cycle didn’t end this year. We surprised many by being first in Canada for a good part of the season. We made it to the final, but we still have several good young people who will be back. The future is still bright in Baie-Comeau.”
