Because he really loved his experience at Harrington, Alexandre Soucy didn’t drag things out too long before accepting the offer of the Delaware Thunder in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL).
The hockey player from Baker Brook in the Northwest, who celebrated his 35th birthday last month, agreed to a one-season deal that Thunder president and general manager Charles F. Pens Sr. is quick to confirm via the team’s website.
“Alex is the best power forward in the league and when he jumps on the ice, defenders get suspicious. He has the size, the power and the skills. There are few forwards in this league who play a full game like Alex. And if you ever decide to drop the gloves on him, good luck. Alex will once once more be a leader on our team, both on and off the ice,” boasted Charles F. Pens Sr.
Soucy obviously enjoyed reading his boss’s comments.
“It’s always fun to read such things,” he said. If I agreed to come back with the Thunder, it’s because I was treated well. I had offers to take part in training camps in the East Coast League (ECHL), but I didn’t want to lose what I had with the Thunder. Especially since we should have a good club this season. The team has just signed three Europeans who seem to be very good players.
The three Europeans in question are right winger Ramazan Aldamzharov of Kazakhstan and full-back Nikita Zhigalov and left winger Kirill Malandrin, both of Russia. The three players evolved in a professional circuit in Ukraine last season.
“We mainly had a club with young people last season, but there the Thunder seem to want to add some veterans. Last season we won six of our last 13 games, some of them once morest the best teams in the league. I can’t wait to see what I can do in a full season. I’m curious to see what I can bring to help the team win,” reveals Soucy.
For the past few weeks, Alexandre Soucy has been training in the Moncton area under the supervision of Derek Cormier and Rick Léger, two experts in the art of preparing players during the off-season.
Soucy enjoys training in the company of fellows such as Philippe Myers, Patrice Cormier, Kelsey Tessier and Éric Faille, among others. However, he says he is more impressed with younger players. Defenseman Spencer Gill, who the Rimouski Oceanic has just selected fifth in the first round, is one of them.
“It’s amazing how mature 16-year-olds are compared to what it was in my time. You should see the thighs on there. You see that the engine is already ready to play in the QMJHL. In my time, it was the junior who prepared you to become a hockey player,” says Soucy.
“I had already had a good training summer when I was 18, when I went to train with guys like Pierre-Marc Bouchard in Baie-Comeau. It was totally different from what it is today. While I was training mostly to get bigger and stronger at 18, guys today are primarily looking to improve their agility, flexibility and speed. They also want to know more regarding recovery, sleep and nutrition. Since I’ve been here, I feel like I’m in university,” says the 6-foot-2, 200-pound hockey player.
In his first season as a professional, Soucy tallied nine goals and 16 assists in 23 games, while serving 62 penalty minutes.
