| Eric Alarie | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | L | LW | 6’1″ | 198 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 2018 | Winnipeg, MB | 2003 | 2022-2023: Free Agent 2021-2022: C+ 2020-2021: B |
WHL: Four Game Recap, November 9, 2022: Big body power forward who uses his size to drive the net with the puck. Has a very accurate and heavy shot. Good net presence on the Powerplay. Has a good understanding of where to be away from the puck in the Defensive and Neutral zones. Knows where to go in the offensive zone away from the puck but lack of speed on first few steps keeps him from getting into the soft spots when they are open. Lack of effort when his team was down a few goals. Grade: C+
Neutral Zone 2022 NHL Draft, July 4 2022: Why a draft pick: He has an NHL frame. Including the WHL playoffs, he scored 27 goals this year with 25 of them coming from inside the house. He has the strength and balance to shoot off a wide dribble without needing the extra stickhandle. He shows nice offensive zone anticipation and knows how to read the quiet areas. Why not a draft pick: His points per game dropped in 2021/22, as did his shots on goal percentage and puck battles won percentage. As a 2003 standing 6’1″ and 200 pounds, we would like to see him use his body to be a more destructive presence. Through 163 career WHL games (including playoffs) he has 27 penalty minutes.
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran: Eric is the kind of player who grows on you as you watch him and if you were his coach I think you would love him. He is direct and loves to go north and south. There isn’t a lot of flash to his game and at times he almost seems too simple, but I’ll tell you what… solid professional careers are built from making the correct play more than your opponents. He’s a big kid at 6’1 200lbs, but he looks to me like he could carry another ten to twelve pounds without it impacting his speed or agility. Let’s face it if you’re watching this year’s National League playoffs players like Eric are having an impact. He’s hard on pucks, enjoys running into people and most importantly he stays out of the box. His frame and willingness to be disruptive are huge assets, but it’s his mental capacity to make the right play over and over that NHL organizations will be looking at.
WHL: Moose Jaw vs Prince Albert, April 2021: An honest hard working game for Alarie. He was a disruptive force as an F1, stopping on every puck and never allowing himself to be looked off by an opposing player. He likes to play through contact with two hands on his stick which makes him very strong along the walls and in front of the net. Alarie showed poise when receiving breakout passes in the defensive zone, got his feet moving north very quickly and consistently found the easy outlet. Alarie is a very consistent dependable power forward who is at his best when he keeps it simple.
Canada Winter Games, March 2019: Alarie wore the C for Team Manitoba and lead by example he did throughout the week. Was a strong power forward who cleaned up around the net. Had good hands in tight areas, did a good job elevated the puck in tight on goalies for some nice finishes. Heavy on pucks in the corners and along walls. Finished checks all over the ice. Played in all situations, defensively did a nice job getting in shot lanes to block shots, had a good active stick on penalty kills to break up plays. Grade- B
CSSHL Showcase, February 2018: Eric is a strong skater and plays a heavy game. He is strong on his skates and displayed solid edge work. He can beat you with speed or out-muscle you while driving the net. He’s effective down-low in the corners and on the cycle. Very smooth with the puck on his stick and he plays a solid 200ft game. He’s very versatile and can play effectively on both the power play and penalty kill. The 2003 finished with 5 points in 4 games and scored in 3 of those games. He’s a very consistent forward that produces every game. Grade: A-
U14: Rocky Mountain Classic Bantam, November 2017: A very impressive forward. Eric is very strong on his skates, has good speed and is an excellent outside speed type of power forward who will use those assets to drive to the net and fight for ice. He has excellent vision, sees teammates well and is an unselfish play maker. Eric was effective as well both as a power play and penalty killing forward. Grade: A
U14: Hockey Manitoba Bantam Showcase, October 2017: Eric is one of the top forwards for the Rink Hockey Academy out of the CSSHL. RHA played two exhibition games at the showcase over the weekend and Eric finished with two goals and three assists. He plays a fast hard-nosed game, using his size and speed to get pucks in deep and work the corners. He has a heavy-accurate wrist shot and with any space in close, he is sure to find the back of the net. Grade: A