On Friday, August 7th, Former ECHL’er Alex Belzile made his NHL debut in Game 4 of the qualifier series. Belzile played in the ECHL with the Gwinnett Gladiators (now Atlanta Gladiators), Alaska Aces (no longer exists), Idaho Steelheads, Fort Wayne Komets and the Colorado Eagles (now in the AHL). Belzile, 28-years-old, is the 677th former ECHL player to make his debut in the NHL.
Belzile, a native of Quebec, won two Kelly Cups in the ECHL. The first was in 2014 with Alaska and the second with the Colorado Eagles in 2017. In 2014, Belzile racked up four goals along with eight assists in 16 games played. This was while playing with the Aces where he added three goals and seven assists in 18 playoff games. Alaska would then go on to secure the championship.
As a former Aces fan, my favourite memory of Belzile with the with team was him scoring the third goal of game six in the 2014 finals with five minutes left in the third. This was the goal that would seal the championship victory.
In 2017, he was with the Colorado Eagles, scoring 10 goals and 17 assists in 17 regular season games. Belzile had had his best statistical playoff year that year, scoring 14 goals and 12 assists in 18 playoff games en route to the championship. Following that, he earned a promotion, making it to the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage.
Belzile played 239 games in the AHL. He did so between the Rampage, the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Laval Rocket. His best regular season statistics came in 2018-19 with the Rocket at Place Bell. There, he played in 74 games, scoring 19 goals while adding 35 assists.
Alex Belzile is now the 43rd player to have won the Kelly Cup and play in the NHL. In the ECHL, Belzile took part in played 168 games. He is also one of the 51 players that have won multiple Kelly Cups. In doing so, he’s joined by Gerald Coleman, a former backstop for the Alaska Aces. He won the cup in 2011 and 2014.