After only a year of Alabama club hockey transitioning to Division 1 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, Pierre Ouellette became the program’s first All-American at the D1 level. 

Three years later, Ouellette will be participating in the main team camp for the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, the NHL affiliate for the New York Rangers. 

“I have put a lot of time and effort into hockey,” Ouellette said. “It’s a really good feeling to have the opportunity to do what I have dreamed of for the past 25 years.”

When training camp begins in Portland, Maine, on Oct. 2, Ouellette will be competing for one of 21 roster spots. Typically, players must pay their way through a free agent camp prior to training camp in order to make the training camp roster, but Ouellette’s contract allows him to go straight to training camp while getting his living expenses paid for during that time.

“I was looking to go to Europe to play and was talking to people during the season about it, but it is hard to go to Europe straight out of college,” Ouellette said. “After that, I was offered to go to the main camp for Maine, and I figured I should take this opportunity to try to make the team.”

As a transfer from Oswego State University in New York, Ouellette’s first season at Alabama in 2016 was one of the best in the history of Alabama club hockey. His style as an offensive defenseman allowed him to finish in the top 50 in the ACHA with 41 points.

“Being one of the best defensemen in the country, we leaned on him for 30 minutes a night, which is not easy for any player,” coach Kyle Richards said. “Those big minutes contained big defensive situations, and we wanted our best player on the ice.” 

But as a main part of the defensive unit, Ouellette knew he needed to change his style to become a well-rounded player to benefit the team and also his future career. Richards said his defensive game got “tremendously better” over his three years with the Frozen Tide.

“Sometimes I took the risk of going up front on offense, but also had to be responsible on the back end,” Ouellette said. “In the future, I knew that teams would like me more as a two-way player. Over the past three years, I practiced on my defense and was making sure it was on point for the opportunity that I have now.”

Along with his impact on the ice, he had just as big, or even bigger, impact on the team, Richards said. Ouellette was named an alternate captain in his junior and senior season, a rare feat for a member of the Frozen Tide.

“He’s a leader,” Richards said. “He had the respect of the guys in the locker room. When he talked, they listened.”

With Ouellette having already graduated in May, there will be a hole to fill both and off the ice for Alabama this season, but Richards believes that Ouellette’s professional signing is just the beginning.

“Moving forward, we want recruits to see if you go play hockey at Alabama, it isn’t just a means to an end, but that you can go play at the professional level,” Richards said. “We believe our program is one of the flagship programs in the country that can provide that opportunity.”