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Maine Nordiques defenseman Alex Pellerin comes from a hockey family, and it would have been easy to follow the path set before him.

But he wanted to take a different route.

His dad, Charles Pellerin, is an owner and the team president of the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League — the league the Lewiston Maineiacs called home from 2003-11 — and his two brothers, Maxime (2019-24) and Jeremy (2017-19) played for the Tigres.

Alex, though, also played football in addition to hockey, and he fell to the 13th round of the QMJHL draft in 2020. Maxime was a first-round draft pick in 2019, while Jeremy was a 10th-round selection in 2017.

Alex Pellerin initially didn’t want to leave his hometown of Victoriaville, Quebec, to focus solely on hockey.

“I didn’t want to go play in the QMJHL because I was also a football player at the time, so I wanted to keep going in football and hockey,” Pellerin said. “I also wanted to take the NCAA path — like, having that American dream — and at the time, you couldn’t play QMJHL and the NCAA. So that’s kind of what led me to the United States.”

Nordiques coach Nick Skerlick said Pellerin isn’t content to rely on his family name.

“I feel like a lot of times you hear in politics or any type of fame, people are handed things because of who their parents are or siblings are,” Skerlick said. “Alex doesn’t want anything handed to him, and that’s what makes him so special. He’s the first guy really to come on in and challenge me at times in a positive way, not even argumentative, but just wants me to look at things (from) a certain perspective.”

Shoulder injuries curtailed his football career, so Pellerin turned his focus to hockey in the United States. His first stop was at Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He moved on to the North American Hockey League before last season and spent 2023-24 and the first half of this winter in Texas playing for the El Paso Rhinos.

Pellerin said that, at first, making the move to the U.S. was “stressful” because it was a lot different from his family’s previous experiences in hockey.

“We didn’t have really an idea what to expect,” Pellerin said. “Once I got to the United States, I knew I made the right choice, and it made me discover so much about myself, about the game, about other things. Just so many life experiences, like going down to Williston, then I went to El Paso, Texas, for a year (and a half), and then I came here (to) Maine. Like, nothing else in hockey would have allowed me to do that.”

The Nordiques acquired Pellerin near the end of December in a trade with El Paso. He scored two goals and dished out 11 assists in 26 regular-season games with Maine. He has two goals and three assists in seven playoff games.

Pellerin has helped the Nordiques reach the NAHL East Division Final against the Rochester Jr. Americans, beginning Friday in Rochester, New York. Game 2 is Saturday. Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five series will be at The Colisee in Lewiston on May 9 (7:30 p.m.) and, if necessary, May 10 (4:30 p.m.). If there is a Game 5, it will be played in Rochester on May 11.

Luke Chappelle, Pellerin’s defensive partner, said Pellerin is a defender first, which allows Chappelle to be more offensive — he set a team record for goals by a defenseman with 12 in the regular season.

“I try to play a little bit of defense, but when I don’t, I’ve got him back there to cover me, for sure,” Chappelle said.

Pellerin isn’t the only Nordiques player with family connections in hockey. Tomek Haula’s older brother, Erik, plays for the New Jersey Devils. Damon Myers’ dad, Mike, is the chief operating officer of the Worcester Railers of the ECHL.

Though Pellerin no longer plays football, Skerlick said the defenseman brings a gridiron mentality ice.

“My favorite part about him is he’s still trying to get under people’s skin,” Skerlick said. “He’s been getting punched in the face in these playoffs, and he doesn’t care. He just wants to win. He’s an ultra competitor, there’s no question.”

GOING BACK TO QUEBEC

Pellerin’s goal is to play college hockey in the United States, but instead of the NCAA, next season he’ll be in U Sports — the governing body of collegiate sports in Canada — competing for McGill University in Montreal.

His older brother, Maxime, played for McGill this season as a freshman. However, the brothers won’t be teammates because, due to recent rules changes, Maxime is leaving to play at Nebraska-Omaha next season.

The NCAA announced last fall that players from the Canadian Hockey League — which includes the QMJHL, Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League — are eligible to compete in Division I hockey beginning in the 2025-26 season. Previously, such players were deemed ineligible because the NCAA considered the CHL a form of professional hockey.

Alex Pellerin decided to play at McGill in January, and Maxime committed to Nebraska-Omaha in February.

“So when I decided to go to McGill, I kind of had an idea he was gonna leave, but I didn’t know for sure,” Alex said. “I’m so happy for him; it’ll be a great experience.”

After years of going his own way, Alex now wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play NCAA Division I hockey.

“But by going U Sports, you can also maybe have a shot of going NCAA or go further after that,” Alex said. “Depends on what I want to do later in life and all that stuff. So, like, doors are still wide open.”