Alex Barre-Boulet

Alex Barré-Boulet (born May 21, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by teams in the NHL, he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2018. Barré-Boulet has also previously played for the Seattle Kraken, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche.

Playing career Junior Barré-Boulet played at the midget level in his native Quebec with both the Rive-Sud Express Midget Espoir and Lévis Commandeurs of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QMAAA) from 2012 to 2014. He was a late round draft pick to the Drummondville Voltigeurs (102nd overall) in the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) entry draft. Developing early as an offensive under-sized forward, Barré-Boulet lead the Voltigeurs with 54 assists, placing second in team scoring with 89 points in just his second QMJHL season in 2015–16.

During his third season in the QMJHL in 2016–17, Barré-Boulet was traded by the Voltigeurs to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in exchange for two players and three draft selections. In scoring at a greater than point-per-game pace with the Armada, Barré-Boulet recorded 14 goals to lead the league in that year's playoffs.

Originally undrafted into the National Hockey League (NHL), Barré-Boulet secured a three-year, entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 1, 2018. He finished the 2017–18 QMJHL season recording a league-leading 53 goals and 63 assists for 116 points in 65 games to claim the Jean Béliveau Trophy as well as the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as league MVP. Barré-Boulet would help the Armada advance to the President's Cup Finals that spring, ultimately falling short against the Acadie–Bathurst Titan in six games.

Professional Having ended his major junior career, Barré-Boulet attended both the Tampa Bay Lightning's rookie and main training camps, before he was reassigned to American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Syracuse Crunch to begin the 2018–19 season. He scored the game-winning goal in his professional debut on October 6 and went on to be the top-scoring rookie in the AHL during the regular season with 68 points in 74 games for the Crunch, placing sixth in the league's overall scoring race. Barré-Boulet also earned a share of the Willie Marshall Award as the league co-leader with 34 goals, alongside teammate Carter Verhaeghe.

During the 2019–20 season, Barré-Boulet exploded offensively, putting up 40 points in 43 games before the annual All-Star break. He recorded his professional hat-trick on February 28, 2020, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Barré-Boulet was one of the eight players called up to the Lightning for their training camp prior to the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On February 22, 2021, Barré-Boulet skated in his first career NHL game in a 4–2 Lightning win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. On April 25, he recorded his first career NHL goal and point in a 4–3 Lightning overtime win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets at Amalie Arena. Barré-Boulet subsequently signed a three-year contract exentension to remain with the Lightning in July 2021.

On October 10, 2021, he was placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was claimed by the Seattle Kraken the next day. He played two games for Seattle recording an assist before, on October 21, he was placed on waivers by the Kraken, and was reclaimed by the Lightning the next day.

As an unrestricted free agent following the 2023–24 NHL season, Barré-Boulet signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2024. After beginning the 2024–25 NHL season with the Canadiens, Barré-Boulet was placed on waivers and, after going unclaimed, assigned to Montreal's AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket in mid-October.

Entering the ensuing off-season again as an unrestricted free agent, Barré-Boulet agreed to a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 4, 2025. After beginning the 2025–26 season assigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, he emerged as an offensive leader with the latter, finishing second in league scoring with 26 goals and 44 assists for 70 points through 70 games played. In a brief recall to the NHL, Barré-Boulet made his Avalanche debut on January 19, 2026, recording an assist in a 5–2 win against the Washington Capitals.

On July 1, 2026, Barré-Boulet was signed as a free agent to a two-year, two-way contract by the San Jose Sharks.

Personal life Barré-Boulet met his wife, fellow Québécois Anne-Marie Labrecque, while playing for the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2017. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Zack, in February 2022, followed by a daughter, Anna, a year later.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2012–13 Lévis Commandeurs QMAAA 11 1 2 3 4 4 2 1 3 2 2013–14 Lévis Commandeurs QMAAA 32 21 19 40 6 6 2 7 9 8 2014–15 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 68 23 28 51 24 — — — — — 2015–16 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 65 35 54 89 42 4 1 1 2 8 2016–17 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 37 17 31 48 26 — — — — — 2016–17 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 28 12 21 33 16 20 14 17 31 10 2017–18 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 65 53 63 116 67 19 13 14 27 14 2018–19 Syracuse Crunch AHL 74 34 34 68 18 4 1 2 3 0 2019–20 Syracuse Crunch AHL 60 27 29 56 22 — — — — — 2020–21 Syracuse Crunch AHL 10 8 4 12 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 15 3 0 3 0 — — — — — 2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2021–22 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 14 3 2 5 4 — — — — — 2021–22 Syracuse Crunch AHL 58 16 47 63 32 5 0 3 3 2 2022–23 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2022–23 Syracuse Crunch AHL 69 24 60 84 58 5 1 8 9 2 2023–24 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 36 6 3 9 10 — — — — — 2023–24 Syracuse Crunch AHL 23 4 15 19 6 8 4 3 7 0 2024–25 Laval Rocket AHL 64 22 41 63 42 13 3 8 11 16 2024–25 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2025–26 Colorado Eagles AHL 70 26 44 70 30 17 5 7 12 4 2025–26 Colorado Avalanche NHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — NHL totals 72 12 7 19 16 — — — — —

Awards and honours Award Year RefCHL CHL Canada/Russia Series 2016 CHL Player of the Year 2018 QMJHL First All-Star Team 2018 Jean Béliveau Trophy 2018 Michel Brière Memorial Trophy 2018 AHL All-Rookie Team 2019 Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award 2019 Willie Marshall Award 2019 All-Star Game 2020, 2023 Second All-Star Team 2020 First All-Star Team 2023, 2026