Hot off a successful junior career with the Victoriaville Tigres, Colorado Avalanche draft pick Joel Chouinard was about to embark on what would not only become a nine-year professional hockey career, but a journey that also saw him start and finish a 90-credit distance education program, earning a Management degree by the time his playing career had concluded.  The success and lessons he experienced on the ice followed him off the ice where Chouinard now runs his own financial advisory practice.  He’s hoping his story helps inspire other players who are considering starting their degree, even if the end goal seems years away. 

Chouinard started playing hockey when he was four years old and like many kids that age dreamed of one day playing in the NHL.  “I always seemed to be one of the better players on my teams growing up and when I got to be around 12 or 13 years old my goal was to play Junior.  From there I just kept climbing the ladder,” said Chouinard.

Growing up in Sherbrooke, Quebec, he was fortunate to learn the game from his best friend’s Dad, former NHL defenseman, Sylvain Lefebvre.  “He was a huge inspiration for me.  I saw him almost on a daily basis growing up, and what stood out to me was his work ethic.  He was a great mentor, and I was fortunate to work with him years later in the Avalanche organization when he was a player development coach and then play for him when he was Head Coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs.  To this day I still look up to him and we keep in touch.”

Chouinard enjoyed four seasons with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL where he would hone his game, developing into a point-per-game defenseman in his final year when the team advanced to the Conference Semi-Finals. 

“Our run to the Conference Semi-Finals is definitely one of my proudest moments.  But what I truly enjoyed or remember the most was the special bond that we created as teammates during those four years.  We still keep in touch with each other and I try to see them once or twice a year.  We may go long periods of time without seeing each other, but when we do get together it was just like I saw these guys yesterday.” 

He was also named the recipient of the Paul Dumont Trophy as the League’s ‘Personality of the Year’ in 2010, joining the likes of Sidney Crosby, Guy Boucher, Kris Letang, Brad Richards, Simon Gagne, and many notable others who had won the Award in years prior.

“I look at the list of players who received the same award before me and am surprised to be in that company.  The award combines your involvement in the community as well as how you portray yourself on and off the ice and represent the League.  It was a huge honour to earn this type of recognition from the League.”

Having been drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and following his third Training Camp with the Avs in 2010, he would be assigned to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland to begin his pro career year. 

“I took everything in stride that first year and felt comfortable.  I was injured early in my first season, but I came back well.  I found the AHL to be more defensive minded where you learn to play both sides of the puck, whereas in Junior the play seemed to be more offensive.  I really found my game towards the end of my entry level contract and started to become the defenseman I wanted to be.”

It was also during this first season when he began taking courses through Athabasca University in what would be the first step towards earning his degree.

“At that time I played a lot of video games.  Then I was off for two and a half months due to my injury and stayed home when the team went on the road.  When I went home at Christmas my parents encouraged me to take some courses and do something productive with my downtime instead of just playing video games.  So I looked into it and originally thought I would never be able to finish a degree so why bother.  I contacted the PHPA Career Enhancement Program, took a course anyway and realized that I liked the finance class I was taking.  So I took another class and liked that one too.  At the time when I was just getting started, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and knew I would need a lot of credits to earn a degree.  But I just kept taking classes to stay busy knowing that I had time on my hands away from the rink and could always finish my degree later.” 

Over the next nine years, Chouinard continued to take one course at a time through Athabasca University, learning to balance his professional career development with his pursuit of a degree.

“It honestly wasn’t too hard.  On a non-game day, after practice you have lunch, and you’re home by 1pm.  So you can easily do 2-3 hours of course work per day.  I typically wouldn’t do any work on game-days.  It was all about finding a balance throughout the week and being organized.  I would do some work while we were on the road instead of going out with the guys to the mall or movies.  Or I would do some work on the bus to pass time.” 

Throughout his pro career, Chouinard played for eight different teams across the American Hockey League, ECHL, and Central Hockey League, which included playing for three different teams in both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.  Despite the grueling travel and transition between teams and Leagues, he kept up with his course work while still enjoying life as a professional hockey player.

“Toledo was a great place to play, and we had a good group of guys who were always happy for each other when someone got called up.  We were the Regular Season Champions in 2015 and one win away from advancing to the Finals that year.  I also loved playing in Grand Rapids for Jeff Blashill and Todd Nelson.  Derek Lalonde who is now as Assistant Coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning coached me in Toledo.  I got used to the back and forth, although staying in a hotel for three to four months was hard.  I used my time wisely though.”

Chouinard’s final landing spot was with the Allen Americans where he spent the last three years of his career.  He was soon named team Captain and was elected by his teammates to serve as the team’s Player Representative for the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.

“I had met my wife who was now living in Dallas and was very fortunate that Allen had a spot for me.  We had a house and no kids at the time so I would have the guys over a lot and try to take care of the younger guys.  I was like the Dad on the team.”

With a growing family of his own and a job lined up, Chouinard hung up the skates following the 2018-19 season.

“After my first son was born, I knew it would be hard on my wife who works long hours to raise a family with me being on the road for two weeks at a time.  I had a fun time in Allen, but felt good about my decision.  I already knew what I wanted to do and had a job offer in the field I was working towards, so timing was right and everything worked out perfectly.” 

Shortly after he was finished playing, Chouinard finally finished that Management degree he started in his first year as a pro.  Although it was a daunting task at times, he advises other players to take the appropriate steps to help prepare themselves for a post hockey career.

“Take one class at a time, and don’t look too far ahead.  Focus on each individual course and not at the degree as a whole because that can be intimidating.  Don’t get discouraged or stop.  I know better than anyone that it’s hard to see the end, but it can be done.  Keep registering for a new class when one finishes.  Keep going.  This degree has opened opportunities for me that I never thought would be possible after hockey.”

Chouinard was aided along the way by the PHPA Career Enhancement Program (CEP), which partners with institutions such as Athabasca University to secure discounted tuition rates.  The CEP also helps provide tuition relief, and can help point current and former players in the right direction if they are unsure about their post hockey career options.

“Athabasca University has really been an outstanding partner for many of our Members who are pursuing degrees,” added PHPA Career Enhancement Program Coordinator, Steve Carney. “They really check all of the boxes when it comes to meeting the needs of professional athletes, being affordable, flexible, and their unique monthly start dates make it easy for players like Joel to see progress quickly.” 

The hard work paid off for Chouinard who now happily runs his own financial advisory practice where he uses many of the tools learned while pursuing his degree.

“During the first five years it’s critical to put in the work.  I go out and meet people, create relationships, network.  It’s a new challenge and different from my hockey career where I was mainly interacting with my teammates and fans.  I keep growing and building my practice though.  You have to put yourself out there.  I started coaching minor hockey, got involved in the community, and am really enjoying where things are at.”