He’s scored a goal in a National Hockey League training camp.
Sure, it was in a pre-season prospects tournament against the Nashville Panthers rookies, but a goal on NHL ice is a goal regardless.
“In junior I like to shoot the puck lots and going out there, that’s one of my strengths, so I wanted to use that as much as I could," Alarie said in describing the moment after a recent practice at Mosaic Place. “So I was trying to get a few shots on and I was lucky enough that one went in.”
It was all an eye-opening experience for the 18-year-old forward, and one that has left Alarie hungry for another taste.
“It was super amazing, being out there with top-notch players who are dedicated to their game and really good,” he said. “I learned a lot from that camp, so that was huge for me. Not being drafted, you want to prove yourself and what your strengths are as a player, just showcase yourself. Then maybe next year they’ll have a deeper look at me.”
If there was one small bit of disappointment, it’s that Alarie didn’t get a chance to take the ice at Panthers’ main camp. As an undrafted invitee, that was always going to be a long shot. Nonetheless, that’s just one more goal for next season.
“It was just rookie camp this year, I didn’t get a chance to play with the big dogs like Joe Thornton and (Aleksander) Barkov, but hopefully next year I’ll get the chance to do that,” Alarie said. “I think I did pretty good, though, the speed of the game is way faster than junior so it took me a few skates to get adjusted, but once I settled in I thought I did quite well.”
Alarie returned to the Warriors in time for their final pre-season game against the Regina Pats on Saturday, and it didn’t take long to have an impact. Looking precisely like a player who just returned from NHL camp, Alarie scored twice and added an assist in a 5-2 win over Regina.
“I hadn’t played in a pre-season game in a long time and it was my first WHL action this year, so the game was much slower and had more time to make plays,” Alarie said of the outing. “It was great for me, but my linemates helped me out a lot as well. It was a whole team effort and I’m just happy we got the W against Regina.”
Now the focus is all on what’s ahead, specifically the Warriors’ home opener on Friday night against Saskatoon at Mosaic Place. With almost their entire roster back in town -- as of Wednesday night only Martin Rysavy was still in Columbus Blue Jackets camp -- hopes are high for a fast start to the campaign.
“We have a good group here, a lot of us have been together since we were drafted when we were 15 or 16 and we know each other pretty well, we’ve grown up together and I think we’re ready for some big things,” Alarie said.
And playing in front of Warriors fans for the first time in over two years?
“It’s going to be huge,” Alarie said with a massive grin. “We missed the fans a lot last year, they give us a lot of energy and we can’t wait to get out there and play in front of them.”
