A CH prospect faces discrimination at the university because he speaks French

Raphael Simard
A CH prospect faces discrimination at the university because he speaks French
Credit: X

It's 2026, and unfortunately, in our world, there are still people who discriminate against others based on their sexual orientation, nationality, or language, among other things.

This is the case for Alexis Cournoyer, the CH prospect who played at Cornell last season.

Nicolas Cluotier of TVA Sports reported that Cournoyer admitted he was forbidden from speaking French in the locker room.

He told Cloutier (TVA Sports) that he loved his time there, but he experienced culture shock. And as a Quebecer, “it really got to him.”

He would have liked to speak French with his teammate Xavier Veilleux, but the language of Molière wasn't welcome in the locker room. They were even called “Frenchies”…

For a state (New York) just a few minutes from Quebec, it's pretty disappointing to see linguistic discrimination like that.

Despite everything, Cournoyer, who was drafted in the 5th round in 2025 by the Habs, had a good season. He posted a 2.05 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. He won 18 games and lost 10.

He's one of the team's top prospects in goal. Even though he posted solid stats in the NCAA, he still has a long way to go to make it to the NHL. He's clearly behind Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler.

But there are also Yevgeni Volokhin, Emmett Croteau, Quentin Miller, Arseni Radkov, and Mikus Vecvanags, who are all prospects for the team in goal.

Like Miller, however, Cournoyer is from Quebec. He starts with a slight edge, then, especially in the eyes of the fans.


In a nutshell

– Very funny.

– That's good.

– Oh, really.

– Worth a listen.

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