Alex Therien on Growing Up in Ottawa, Why Pressure Is a Privilege, and the Importance of the PWHL
Although her journey in the sport started later than some, Alex Therien's story has taken her to places few have experienced. And she's just getting started.
Growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Alex Therien initially fell in love with the sport while playing road hockey, but her love for the version played on ice took a little longer to develop.
“I was more of a gymnast and soccer player and didn’t really like the game,” Alex recalled. “I grew up around the rink watching my brother’s games, so I think that’s where I told my parents that I wanted to give it another try.” Thanks to her supportive parents, who were open to letting her try hockey again, as well as her grandfather and brother, who played and reminded her of the joy of the game, Alex found that passion, and it’s resulted in a journey few have been fortunate enough to have.
Our full conversation is also available over on YouTube here.
Unlike a growing number of players who have a desire to pursue the game of hockey, Alex was able to play her entire junior career close to home in the nation’s capital, beginning first with the Ottawa Jr 67s organization (formerly known as the Ottawa Lady 67s) before moving to finish out her junior career with the Nepean Jr Wildcats.
“Every Ottawa junior player has asked themselves, ‘Do I have to go to Toronto to get to where I want to go?’ and I think a few years ago, you would have to say yeah,” Alex said. “I think these Ottawa coaches have done a great job of growing the game for us and creating new teams and new opportunities so we don’t have to go to Toronto, and we can stay home for our last few years of junior.”
Over her final two junior seasons, Alex saw tremendous growth on the ice, as the defender doubled her point total from 11 points in 40 games in 2023-24 to 21 points in 38 games the following season. And in that final junior season, Alex also had the opportunity to put on the Canadian jersey and represent her country at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Vantaa, Finland in 2025. And in the gold medal game, Alex assisted on the second goal and finished with four points en route to bringing home gold in a 3-0 shutout of the Americans. “It was just such an awesome experience playing with the top players in the country and playing against the top players in other countries,” Alex said.
That experience, and gold medal therein, closed one chapter of Alex’s story and opened another with the University of New Hampshire. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to learn that Alex chose that university considering she spent time hiking and camping in the area while she was growing up, but the decision ran deeper than just that.
“I knew right off the bat when making a decision that I didn’t want to go someplace that was all city,” said Alex. “When I went to New Hampshire, it was just amazing. I fell in love with the campus, the facilities and the coaches. I’ve never met coaches that made me feel so safe and so welcomed. It was just a family right off the bat.”
In her first season in the NCAA, Alex would go on to record seven points over 35 regular-season games with New Hampshire, continuing to make an impact on the ice while learning to balance top-tier academics. “It may have taken a month or two to truly get into the groove of things,” she said, “but I think learning how to do that and setting myself up for success helped me build a mental side that I didn’t know I had before.”
Since our conversation, Alex has transferred to St. Lawrence University, where she’ll begin a new chapter while entering her second NCAA season. She shared that it was a challenging year mentally, but that “I wouldn’t have changed a thing because it taught me a lot and I grew so much as a person both physically and mentally.”
On the decision to transfer, Alex said: “The staff at UNH were great, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I had there. But I realized I needed to be closer to home and closer to family to actually be at my best, both on and off the ice,” Alex would go on to add, “I was lucky to connect with SLU (St. Lawrence University) pretty quickly after the [transfer] portal opened. Talking with them about their program, how I’d fit in, and even realizing how many of the current players I already knew or had played with, it just felt right. The whole thing clicked in a way that gave me a lot of confidence and excitement.”
There’s no doubt that this next chapter will be just as successful as each one before it, and Alex will undoubtedly continue to make an impact on the hockey world with a very exciting St. Lawrence University program.
The city of Ottawa provided the foundation for what has already been a remarkable career for defender Alex Therien, but it’s more than just that. The support she’s had from family along the way, the growth and maturity she’s gone through both on and off the ice, and her dedication to never settle have become the perfect ingredients in creating a player many will want to emulate and a person many will consider a role model.
Our full conversation is also available over on YouTube here.