UPDATE! This Habs Prospect Is Turning Heads!

Montreal Canadiens fans may have another goalie prospect to get excited about 

While most of the attention has been on Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes, Alexis Cournoyer is quietly putting together a standout season at Cornell University. The 2025 5th-round pick is turning heads in the NCAA with elite numbers, strong positioning, and a calm presence in net.

Is Cournoyer becoming a legit prospect in the Canadiens’ goalie pipeline? Could he be the next surprise development success story for the Habs?

Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico break down Cournoyer’s season, his playing style, and where he fits among Montreal’s growing list of young goaltenders.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Montreal Canadiens content and daily NHL coverage!

#GoHabsGo #Canadiens #NHLProspects

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The Star D'Amico Show is brought to you by CheapestT-Shirts.ca. If you're looking for quality gear without overpaying, shop cheapesthirts.ca. Food selection for men, women, and kids. Tees, hoodies, headwear, bags, and more. Proud Montreal business. Order today, ship today, delivery tomorrow. That's cheapesthirts.ca. Local, fast, and affordable. Brought to you by Instacustoms.com. If you need custom gear from a local Montreal business, Instacustoms.com has you covered. Custom shirts, hoodies, hats, and more. Made your way. Fast turnaround, great quality, and proudly Montreal-based. Check out Instacustoms.com. Brought to you by Cablitel. For trusted alarm systems in Quebec and eastern Ontario, choose Cablotel. Over 20 years of expert installation and top-tier protection for homes and businesses. Check out Cablitel.com, email them. Info at Cablitel.com. It's Cablitel. Peace of mind you can count on. Brought to you by Morella Steakhouse. Looking for an unforgettable night out, Morella Steakhouse on Highway 132. It's just 15 minutes from Montreal, serving up premium cuts and bold flavors and no tax on your bill. Book your table tonight at MorellastaSteakhouse.ca. Taste excellence tonight. Brought to you by Little Bear. Give your pet the best with Little Bear Pet Supply. It's a proudly family-owned business here in Montreal for over 30 years. Chuck Eve and their all-star staff have you taken care of with all the top brands at the best prices, and they really care for your pets. Shop online at LittleBearOnline.com or visit them on St. Catherine across from Westmount Square. It's Little Bear Pet Supply. Brought to you by McLean's Pub. Head over to McLean's Pub, 1210 Peel Street in the heart of downtown Montreal. Great food, cold drinks, and big games on all the screens. McClain's Pub, good times and great company. It's another edition of the Star and Domico show. And what do you know? I'm Sean Starr, and there's Marco D'Amico, uh Symmetry. I I I love, I love uh for real? For real, all day, every day, for the most part, uh, except on Saturdays. We generally don't work on Saturdays. What do we got?

SPEAKER_00 2:10

License plate, give it away or oh, that's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

I mean, that is the most Italian I think you've ever been on this show. The Italian, the proud green, white, and red uh color scheme of the uh of the Italian flag.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

I'm not gonna I'm not gonna claim that one. That would be on my dad.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

I love that. Um, but let me ask you something. Are you know with the Italian theme in mind? Are you like Forza Azzuri when the World Cup rolls around? Or like you draped in baggio gear? Are you wearing the Azzuri colors? I mean, do you go full bore?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I I'll definitely cheer for Italy. I think the uh the only problem is if Italy qualifies for the World Cup, their first opponent is Canada.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

That's right. That's right. And that I will abstain. Okay, fair enough. We'll save that topic for another day. Late, maybe perhaps later this morning to a special edition, you know?

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Well, I mean, we'll have a conversation next week if Italy even qualifies for the Earl. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

For the World Cup. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

We'll get there.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

You know, I always remember, you know, Bob McKenzie a lifetime ago saying it, you know, in in Connor McDavid's early years with the Edmonton Oilers, he called it a crime against hockey humanity that McDavid didn't participate in the playoffs in the early goings. And I feel the same just to tie it back into Italy and the World Cup. It's a crime against football or soccer humanity. The uh the Italians absent from the World Cup, it just uh it doesn't uh it doesn't sync up in my mind, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

But Italy either qualify either wins a tournament or doesn't qualify at all.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Yeah, um, so yeah, maybe we'll have a special soccer edition uh in July when the World Cup, I think it's July, I forget. Anyways, um it's June to July. Uh so okay, so I was partially right. Um, I want to talk about we're we're here to talk about Habs Prospect Watch, and we'll dive into that in a second. But hey, what are you doing on uh March 29th? Nothing? Good. That means you have time to come see Marco and I from McClane's pub.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Didn't even give me a chance to answer.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Well, you know, I was talking to the general population, you know. I know what you're doing on the 29th. Uh, but yeah, come check us out. It's the real deal on peel. It's the place to be before and after, even during a game, uh, and not just hockey. It's an unbelievable uh place to grab a bite, have a drink, socialize with friends, and catch all the best sports action in McClane's pub. And we'll be there at 4 p.m., starting at 4 p.m., uh, to preview the Habs and Hurricanes. But we're here to talk about a Montreal Canadian's prospect on a come up, and he did something he has never done before, and post his first NCAA shoutout with the University of Cornell in their 4-0 win recently over Harvard. Marco, who are we talking about today?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Uh, we're talking about Canadian's fifth round pick in the 2025 draft, Alexis Cornway. Um, just uh you know, freshly turned 20-year-old uh in December. Uh, this is a player that the Canadians really liked. Um last year played about 21 games in the QMJHL after the portal was opened between Canadian Major Jr. and the NCAA. Uh, and he put up ridiculous numbers in those 21 games, a 942 save percentage or 182 uh goals against. But on everybody's mind was well, okay, that's the cue. Now you're about to head to the NCAA. It's a different beast here. And so he goes off to Cornell and the ECAC, and you know, Cornell is a good school. ECAC competitive division. Um, they're set, in fact, uh, from the moment you you watch this episode, tomorrow, the Friday, is when the ECAC championships begin. Uh, I believe Cornell is in fact playing against Princeton. Yes, Princeton, uh, in uh the semifinal at 7 p.m. on Friday, and then the championship game will be on Saturday at 5 p.m. So uh it'll be a big weekend for Alexei Cornway, but he's had himself a pretty big season as well, Sean. Um, 26 games for Cornell, uh nine uh sorry, nine one nine save percentage, one nine-four goals against as a freshman in the NCAA. Those are some tight numbers for a rookie goaltender coming in like that, uh, the way he has, and how little he has played already from the QMJHL level to make that jump to the NCAA and be that performant has a lot of people turning their heads.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

You talk about big numbers uh for Mr. Cornway and what he's been doing since he made the leap over, as you point out from the queue, into the Ivy Leagues of the NCAA. He's also big in stature. I mean, we're talking about again fifth fifth round pick of the Montreal Canadians back in in the summer of 2025, but this is a big, this is a big individual.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that the Canadians used a uh a fifth round pick on a uh NCAA bound, really tall goaltender, and it uh you know, could potentially work out. Uh Jakob Dobish was picked in the fifth round, if we all remember in the 2020 draft.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

And well, if you knew you were going there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Yeah, so uh, you know, with Courtway, he has the build, of course, 6'4, 205 uh at the age of 20. So this is a very technically sound athletic goaltender. Uh, sees the ice really well. His mobility is quite good in the crease. Obviously, you want to see them be uh continue to be as competitive as he is. He's been a really big reason why uh you know Cornell has been really strong this year. He's an 18 and eight record in 26 games. That's a really good outcome. So Cornway has really done quite well for himself, so much so that he won the Ken Dryden Award in the ECAC for the uh the division's number one goaltender. And he did so as a freshman. So that that and now he's up for rookie of the year as well, uh, against one Ethan Witten Wittenbach, uh, who, if for those that don't know, is the uh you know the flames second coming of the late and great Johnny Goodreau, the way that he's been playing in the NCAA. Same build, same energy. Uh, you know, and in fact, uh Ethan has uh is a player that I've spoken to in the past, has a nice tight-knit relationship with the Goodreaux family as well. So that's a name I I want you all to remember is Ethan Wittenbach, because he will be winning that rookie of the year. But Alexi Cornway is his most immediate competition as well. So the accolades continue to come for this, uh, for this young goaltender. And I think, Sean, a lot of the a lot of the times we we, you know, everyone's focus is on what's going on in Montreal, what's going on in Laval, but I feel like Cornway hasn't gotten enough love on this channel. So it was a really good time to talk about it because scouts have really started to mention his name to me a little bit more, and people in the ACAC have been like nudging me, like, hey, are you paying attention to this guy? And there's a lot to like.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

It's it's fitting, you know, you talk about um the recipient of the Ken Dryden Award, who also attended Cornell, where Alexi Cornway plays, and who we're talking about today. More symmetry, the word of the day on uh Star and Domiko. Um, you know, we talked about his stature, and the other thing too, if we talk about the depth at that position for the Canadians, how do you how would you describe it? Are they building a strong pipeline of of goaltenders with the guys that we see and cover here? Um, you know, and and further to that, um the prospect playing overseas in Russia, and now here we are talking about someone here at Cornell and Alexei Cornwaye.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Yeah, well, the Canadians have three goalies in the NCAA right now. Uh Caiton Miller, um Emmet Croteau, and Alexei Cornway. Cornouaille is one of two freshmen, so is Caiton Miller, but Miller is 21. Cornway is 20. Um, and Cornway, the youngest of the three, has the better stat line of the three. Uh, so it to me, impressive outcome in general. I did not have that on my bingo card at the start of the season. Um, and one thing, one of the things that's really interesting is the amount of uh runway that he has. So Cornway, because he was he started his NCAA career this year, the Canadians have three more years to sign him. So they can take their time. They don't have to rush him to Laval. He can continue, he can go back to Cornell next year, he can enter the transfer portal if he wants, though I'm I'm quite sure he'll go back to Cornell. Um, he'll be able to continue to grow out his game, uh, continue to get bigger, can you continue to get stronger, of course. And it gives the Canadians that kind of flexibility because there are other players they're gonna have to make decisions on quicker, like Croteau, for example, who will become a free agent next summer, or uh Ken Tom Miller, who is a little older uh and will probably require a decision to be made in his regard because he'll probably want to turn pro sooner than later. Uh, and then there's you know, Genny Volokin that we've talked about in Russia, whose contract will come to an end in 2028. Uh, and at that point, we'll have to make a decision on whether to come over. So the Canadians are gonna have decisions to be made on all the goaltenders that they've been adding to their pool. And I feel like Alexei Cornway is the kind of player that's had the Canadians tattooed on his heart since he was a kid. Um, at the moment he was drafted, in fact, when we were on the Zoom call with him, he was in his bedroom doing the zoom call, and the lamp above his head had a Canadians logo on it as he was doing as he was doing the press conference. So believe you me, it would be a dream for that young player to play for the Canadians as well. So you know he's pushing hard. Uh, no relation to Ivan Cornway. I know this is gonna be in the comments all over the place. No relation. Yeah, um, but one thing I will say, okay, because people are gonna be like, okay, you're talking about the situation. What do we know about the player? How does he play? Um, from what I've been told from from from people that are familiar with goaltending technique, uh, I can see, but I am not a goaltending expert. He's a very uh technically sound goaltender, so it's not like uh Jakob Dobish where he's all gas, no breaks, right? In the sense that he's a competitor. It's more a little bit more in the same style as uh Jacob Fowler and a Carrie Price, where it's it's more about the technique, the amount of space you take up, the percentages that you play, being able to box guys out, the powerful strides left and right. That's what makes him uh a difficult goalie to beat. And I think one of the things, especially when it comes to Cornway and the way that he played this year, is that he was challenged often. Like the ECAC is not an easy league this year. They have some teams scoring quite well. And so that's what I kind of find interesting in this setting right now, Sean, is you can see uh a goalie already as a rookie battling the way that he is. It bows really well, you know, for the next subsequent seasons because the Canadians feel like there is some NHL potential in this player, and you know, the fact that you have that kind of runway and you're paying you're playing in that kind of a competitive division, uh, it looks really good for him to continue to improve on this for years to come. So it's a good start, and it's a player that I've been told everyone should be keeping an eye out on. And you'll have a chance to see him this weekend in the ECAC uh playoffs as well, including the final on Saturday. He's been a really strong player for them and he continues to evolve. And again, I've been told this is a player to keep an eye on because he plays a more well-rounded style of game for a goaltender, and the technique is there with the runway that he has. There's gonna be a lot of opportunity for him to improve. And I must, from what I've been hearing, uh the Canadians have been very impressed with what he's done so far this season. And I think we're gonna start hearing more and more about him as we start talking about some of the more underrated prospects uh in the Canadians pool.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

You know, as I knew we were gonna be talking about this subject, uh, whether it comes across or not, I'll leave that up to you. But I like to prepare for topics, uh, generally well ahead of time, you know. And I I had an opportunity to read obviously about um Alexe Cournoyer and and what the kind of scouting report is on him, and I'll echo Marco's sentiments. I am far removed from being any version of a goaltending expert. But one of the things, Marco, that seems consistent about this young man's game is uh he's aggressive, challenges shooters, jumps on top of the crease, very active, and uh a lot of people have high marks on his on his rebound control, leaving a lot of shooters kind of frustrated on a regular basis. But again, like anybody else, that isn't a consensus number one or tab to be a generational talent. There's work to do. I mean, there also seems to be a clear indication that this kid is headstrong, and I mean that in a good way. The ability to learn um as he continues his development. And this is such a positive thing about any prospect, but especially goaltenders, the willingness to kind of adapt, learn, and and and improve. And you get the sense, Marco, that he's got the right frame of mind to continue to improve on his skill set. Hopefully one day that teeks it takes him to the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadians who would love to have another uh Quebec born goaltender playing for theirs for their team.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Yeah, well, I think it's uh I don't think it's necessarily something that we could talk about um just like that when Jacob Fowler is the the you know the mod right now in in Montreal. But definitely, you know, you want to promote this kind of situation where these guys would eventually be able to rise into a role, a bigger role for the organization. And I feel like Jacob Fowler is that guy right now, but it's always good to have follow-up, right? We've always seen that. You always want to be able to continue that funneling process uh within the organization. You can't just be like, okay, we the the Canadians have one good young goalie and they're done. No, you need to continue to build up that pipeline uh and to keep guys coming. Uh, you know, and and I remember he wasn't even on the radar like two months ago when it came to even the Mike Richter Award, which is awarded to the best goaltender in all of uh in all of uh the NCAA, I feel like you know, maybe a guy like Trey Augustine probably has that locked up uh at Michigan State, but you know, he gained a lot of hype as the season went on. He really kind of improved as the season went on. And I think that's exactly what the Montreal Canadians are looking for. So outside of Jacob Fowler, now if we start trying to think who could potentially be the Canadians' goaltender with the most amount of potential down the stretch, there are growing uh voices in the favor of you know Alex C. Cornway at this point.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

And I guess just to to round up, you know, where this young man kind of ranks. I mean, there are can we talk about where he is in terms of the collegiate pipeline? You know, is he still maybe hanging down third, fourth amongst the Canadians prospects that are NC in the NCAA, or you know, the Russian goaltender that you spoke about name dropped earlier in this episode? And and obviously, again, with the with the context being there's lots of room to grow, but kind of where is he in this collegiate depth chart, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Well, I think honestly, right now, there's a very good argument to put him near the top. I mean, the way that he's been playing for Cornell, it's you know, I think we all understood it was Jacob Fowler number one. Um, but if Jacob Fowler is playing in the NHL now, right, do we consider him a prospect? It's that murky gray area with the prospects when they start playing NHL games. You don't know, but in terms of players not currently playing pro in North America, uh, I would have it would definitely have to be Voloken and then Cornway for me. But in the NCAA, I'd have Cornway ahead of uh uh as the top of the three uh in that head, including uh Arseni Radkov, who is slated to go to the NCAA uh next season. So uh it should be it should be a really interesting time. But I'm I'm just wondering, you know, because of how well he's done, would he even would he consider a potential uh going into the transfer portal and going to play for a bigger school in consequence, given how well he's played? Um, I have no information on the matter. It's something I'll look into, but players that come in and play that well at you know, and don't skip a beat that have played so little major junior uh prior to because he was he was playing between the MHL and major junior last year, right? Um it is impressive. So I'm wondering, you know, like will is he's a is he a player that may get looked at in that regard uh to potentially jump ship and go to a bigger program, or will he come back to Cornell next year and try to lead them to another ECAC championship? Let's see if he can win the first one this weekend. Uh, and uh we'll definitely go from there. But in terms of potential and the way that he's kind of grown this season, there's a lot to like in the in the in the play of uh uh Alexey Cornway. And I think, again, you know, from everything that I'm being told is to keep an eye on him, and I think you should too.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

You piqued my curiosity, though, what you had just mentioned about you know the possibility of uh the transfer transfer portal and uh playing for a bigger, more prestigious program, let's just say. No disrespect to the Ivy League at Cornell. But um Do the Canadians as a management team have any influence on that? Could they encourage him to explore that? Or that's just they let the player do what the player I guess wants or prefers to do.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Yeah, I mean, I would it impact sometimes like teams like to draft players that they that go to schools whose coaching staff they already trust.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Like I'll give it a I'll give an example like Lane Hudson going to Boston University, that Gorton and Hughes were very familiar with to begin with, like kind of helped the process. Um, Jacob Fowler going to BC. Yeah, you know, uh where Gore uh Jeff Gorton's son was at, kind of helped that, you know, they were able to kind of get closer and understand what kind of an environment BC would be for Jacob Fowler, and that also kind of weighed into the evaluation. So yeah, it I think it maybe does impact things from a pre-draft perspective, but once drafted, they kind of let the kids do their own thing. Uh, you know, it's just about them being able to continue to improve. And, you know, if there's a goalie that's continued to improve by leaps and bounds from his draft here to now, uh, Alexei Cournoye's progressional curve is a very, very sharp one at that.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

And we'll be paying very close attention. Um, good insight. And um, again, the pipeline of goaltenders for the Montreal Canadians is they kind of build it up looking uh better and better. Um, Marco D'Amico and I, of course, right here for daily habs coverage on youtube.com wherever you get your favorite audio podcast platforms. Good stuff, Marco. We'll see you later.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Always a pleasure, guys. Thank you so much.