Alexandre Doucet’s path out of the Detroit Red Wings organization is taking him to Finland.
The former QMJHL standout, who went undrafted before Detroit signed him as a free agent two years ago, will now suit up for Assat Pori in Liiga. Even after a huge final junior season in 2022-23, when he scored 58 goals in the “Q,” Doucet never did enough across three seasons to carve out a real spot in Detroit’s long-term plans.
The odds were always steep for an undrafted player trying to stick. The source notes that last season only 12.5% of NHL players on opening day were undrafted, and Doucet couldn’t push through that kind of traffic.
His pro numbers tell the story. He opened his North American career with the Toledo Walleye and delivered 19 goals and 41 points in that first season, but the offense didn’t carry over in his two years with the Grand Rapids Griffins. In 2024-25, he had seven goals and 21 points, and last season he finished with eight goals and 14 points.
While Doucet heads overseas, the Griffins are set for a couple of preseason looks in Toledo. Grand Rapids will face the Cleveland Monsters at the Huntington Center, home of the Toledo Walleye, on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. and again on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. The neutral-site games will give Detroit fans a chance to see prospects like Trey Augustine, Carter Bear and Anton Johansson without having to travel far, less than an hour from Detroit.
In other notes, former Red Wings defenseman Slava Fetisov is not a fan of the IIHF.
Detroit has missed the playoffs for a decade, but the Winged Wheel is still tops.
And Todd McLellan’s message remains the same: his team’s salvation could come from keeping the puck out of their net. McLellan always says NHL games are usually a race to three.
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Fetisov, now a member of Russias State Duma, said he was disappointed by the ruling and accused the IIHF of showing bias against Russia. His comments add another layer to a debate that has long stretched beyond hockey, with the sports top officials still facing pressure to balance competitive fairness, safety concerns and the broader fallout from the war. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Need More Than Wins To Feel Like Detroit Again
The Red Wings problems this season have gone well beyond the standings, because the bigger issue hanging over the franchise is whether the team actually feels like Detroit again. After years of trying to push back toward contention, the conversation around this group has shifted toward something more fundamental: rebuilding a style that is tougher, more connected and harder to play against, the kind of identity that once defined the organization and still shapes the way fans judge it.
Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond sit at the center of that discussion, not just as talented young pieces but as the players most likely to help set the tone for what comes next. The challenge is less about chasing a playoff spot in the short term than making sure the Red Wings establish a clear identity first, one that can hold up against the NHL teams that have made two-way structure and physical edge part of their core. [Read more 🡒]