Alexandre LeClair is a man of quite a few talents but, it all could have ended up differently as growing up in Montreal, Canada, football was not his sport of choice at first. Early on in his life he was talked into trying out for his team in middle school where he found he had quite a knack for the game! Coach Wellington found he would be best suited at the wide out position and this may have been one of the greatest coaching decisions of all time. LeClair absolutely tore up every single field he stepped on. At this level of competition there was none for Leclair but the feeling of performing well and succeeding with his team was something that kept him coming back for more. Eventually he went on to High School at Dawson College and tried out for the Blues. He blew everyone away running a 4.56 40 (most likely a bit skewed by human error like many high school 40 times) but despite that he was quite a quick guy who showed tremendous route running ability. He not only made the team but was put in the #2 WR spot over their under performing Sophomore Jack Radley.



Things were great for LeClair and he seemed primed to take that #1 spot from the Senior with him graduating. However near the end of off season their starting Quarterback took a bad fall during practice and broke his ankle. Their backup wasn't showing much promise and the teams future looked quite bleak. LeClair stepped up and decided to give it a shot and though his mechanics weren't correct off the bat he showed quick improvement in just a couple weeks of practice to the point where he was out playing their back up by a mile. With this the aforementioned under performing Radley was promoted from his slot role last season all the way to the starting WR with another Freshman lined up as the #2. LeClair didn't have the mechanics down yet but he was a terrific leader and watching him do whatever he could to get better for the sake of the team had everyone else training and performing to the fullest extent.


The first few games were close losses, all less than 6 points. Their fourth game was against their rivals the Vanier College Cheetahs who they had lost for the past 6 games and 3 seasons...People were ready for LeClair to get slaughtered, but instead he rose to the occasion. In the first half alone he put up an amazing stat line completing 25 of 27 for 310 yards and 2 touchdown passes. One of them being a 78 yarder to Radley who looked like a fire had been lit under him. They absolutely blew our the Bombers 52-15 with LeClair ending up with 37 completions out of 41 434 yards and a grand total of 5 touchdown passes he even ran the ball himself for 54 yards on 11 carries. The Cheetas secondary barely got a finger on the ball! Leclair went on to have a couple of fantastic season at Dawson College good enough to garner D1 NCAA attention!



LeClairs plan was to go to the CFL he never really planned on moving to America or going to school there but the Northwestern Wildcats saw the potential in him and managed to talk him into going to school there. Some say this is where he really found his love for football. He was surrounded by the culture and, not only that but he was a big part of it himself. His freshman year it was made clear he was to be the future of this school but, first he had to take the time to learn from their senior Starting QB and Co-Captain Kain Colter. This man taught LeClair just about everything he knows about passing the ball efficiently and he's also a big reason why LeClair continued to train as a wide out, matter of fact Colter went on to switch positions to a wide out once he reached the pros as well. These guys had a lot in common but, one thing was different. LeClair just had natural ability and that's something you can't learn.

Though out his time in college he put up amazing stats including receiving the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award! A feat not many can they have accomplished but, nothing is more astonishing than his Senior year stat line. This man put the ball up 601 times, completing 398 of them for 4,595 yards 39 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. It's safe to say he lit the league on fire but, he was presented with a tough choice. He could go and, become the big fish in the small pond and kill it in the CFL or take the biggest jump in competition there is and go directly to the NSFL for its inaugural draft. All star players from all over the world would be in the latter and its of course much harder to stand out...Especially as a QB where there were only three starting spots and around a dozen prospects. As you may know by now our man Alexandre LeClair is not one to back away from a challenge. He was staying in America...or so he thought?


The day came and pick after pick, round after round he waited...The first quarterback wasn't taken off of the board until the fourth round! Quite astonishing to many there but he knew he would hear his name called then finally the words came over the speaker. "With the 62nd overall pick in the 11th round of the NSFL Inaugural draft the Yellowknife Wraiths select Alexandre LeClair." He let out a relieved sigh and began to celebrate with his family and friends at the event. He was happy to be going back to Canada but was quite a shock for him and anyone who is aware of his achievements for him to drop that far but he didn't have to worry anymore...so he thought?...again! LeClair quickly realized that Yellowknife had just drafted Quarterback Chris Orosz four picks before him. It looks like the starting spot wasn't guaranteed.

Preseason rolled around and, LeClair was looking great he was set to get the first two starts in the battle with Orosz getting the last two. In their first ever appearance as a team LeClair lead the Wraiths to as 24-7 victory over the San Jose Saber Cats he posted up extremely solid numbers with 21 completions on 28 attempts for 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, and not a single pick. Giving him a very impressive QB Rating of 120.4. A lot of people felt he was a shoe in for the starting spot but, then came week two. Despite Leclair putting up a valiant performance the Wraiths suffered a crushing 31-10 defeat at the hands of Baltimore. LeClair wasn't as solid in the performance as he was in the previous but it was not a bad effort by any means. He ended the night 23 for 35 with 181 yards 1 touchdown and no picks. resulting in a 87.9 QB rating. Unfortunately for him it wasn't good enough as Pre season MVP favorite Scrub Kyubee out played EVERYONE with 4 touchdown passes and a QBR of 147.5.

Even still LeClair was confident in the numbers he put up. He ended the preseason with 396 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, Averaged 9.05 yards per and a QBR of 104.1. Which by all means are quite impressive numbers and it wouldn't be easy to top that. But Chris Orosz wasn't going to go down that easily. He came out with more of a risk taking gunslinger strategy that may not have been as effective to some but, certainly got the job done as Orosz lead the Wraiths to 17 - 9 victory over the Colorado Yeti.He went 23 for 39 and pulled in a quite impressive 276 yards along with two touchdowns, but the take away comes in the form of well, ...take aways! As he also threw two picks dropping his rating to a 76.4. At this point if Orosz lost the next game it would have to seal the deal on who gets the job, right? Well some say the decision was made before the preseason started but, i'm not here to speak on rumors or add to a fire, and either way that wasn't the case as Orosz lead the Wraiths to a 27 - 13 victory over the Otters an impressive feat though I do have to say he was aided with two defensive touchdowns. He went 15/35 and actually only managed to gain 135 yards, two touchdowns, no picks for a rating of 72.7. He ended his preseason with 409 yards, four touchdowns, 2 interceptions 10.45 per and a QBR of 74.55.

So you have LeClair who maybe looked like the safe bet. Didn't pull as many yards or points in but wasn't far off either and he didn't turn the ball over once and then you have Orosz who seemed like a risk. He is willing to heave the ball down field if need be. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't but he can consistently bring in points when he's not turning the ball over. The HO over in Yellowknife saw something very special in our man Chris Orosz as he was awarded the starting job and, that left LeClair with a choice. Either continue to play as a quarterback in the backup position or go back to his roots and, run the routes in the #2 spot behind one of the biggest names in the NSFL, Josh Garden. As we all know now he went on to choose the latter.



He started off consistently well, much better than a lot of folks anticipated and though he didn't prove to be a red zone threat in his first lot of games he proved he was more than capable of keeping up with top prospect and, number two overall pick Josh Garden. The yards and receptions were flowing like water but, something was preventing our man LeClair from pulling one down in the end zone. This went on all the way until week 10 when the flood gates completely broke! This guy put up three touchdowns in one game against Baltimore and absolutely stellar performance which was more than enough to seal the deal on a 40-20 Wraith victory! It's sad to say that some places in the media didn't really see LeClair as a threat at the wide out position until this game, but boy did he prove them wrong! Within the last 3 games he managed to pull down one more big one ending his season with quite an impressive stat line. 54 receptions for 754 yards, a very impressive 14 yard average, 47 yards being his longest reception and 4 touchdowns on top of that he only dropped 18 passes which was considered quite as far as our entry draft class goes.

Despite these numbers slotting him easily as a top 10 receiver he hasn't garnered very much attention in the media. This could be due to the fact that he's more of a quiet guy or he it could just be hard to look past the aura of Josh Garden but, one thing is for sure. LeClair is ready to take this league by storm and, I think this is his year. He's got a new team behind him in Las Vegas, a new Quarterback who also has something to prove and an immense amount of determination. I think LeClair is ready for the spot light.

Luckily for us Alexandre Leclair was open for a few questions.



As a WR do you think you can make the same impact that you expected coming into the NSFL draft as a QB?

"I think the results of last season (S1) speak for themselves. Many analysts and armchair GMs thought I would fail in my transition from QB back to WR but that's because they didn't know about my high school past. I think people are going to be more and more surprised by what I can bring to the game, match after match, season after season."

You haven't spoken openly to the media yet about your trade to Las Vegas, any feelings on that?

"The Wraiths staff have been nothing but supportive since I joined them following the S1 Entry Draft. That said, I do like the idea of being in Vegas more than Yellowknife. It's a much more lively city and it's not as cold and miserable during the playoffs season. I do appreciate that the Legion traded for me in that blockbuster trade as a main piece and not just a deal sweetener extra."

Did you personally feel like you were living in Gardens shadow through out the inaugural season?

"These sort of comparisons will always be made between teammates occupying the same positions. That said, I do feel that in some way, we did occupy a lot of similar space on the field and that it was a less from ideal situation for myself. It did however help that I got more Special Units time so it turned out to be less frustrating that it could've been. So yes, I did feel a bit like I was under Garden's Shadow but not as much as the media thinks it was."

How was your relationship with him while on the team and how is it now?

It was a professional relationship, like any colleagues working in the same office would be. I haven't had any contact with the Wraiths players since the trade so I would say statu quo?"


Some have said your new teammate Stormblessed may have attitude problems. Any comment on that?

"The actual training camp has not started as of yet so I don't have much to say about him. But from the off-season sessions in the gym he seemed like a nice guy. I don't get it, the guy has skill and performed incredibly well in the regular season, and even won the cup. Does his attitude matter?"

Lets be frank here. Do you believe you put up better numbers than Orozs during the preseason?

"Not gonna go too in depth here. But yes. I do believe I had the statistical advantage on the field during pre-season. The rest was up to the coaches. You figure it out"


Was there any bad blood or rivalry between Chris and yourself?

"There was a series of pranks on one another that might have gone too far. You should ask Chris Orosz about that instead of me."

Do you ever see yourself maybe going back to playing quarter back?

"I think at this point I'm pretty content where I am. Unless the team wants me to switch I think I'll be playing out my career as a WR."

Some have mentioned that your new team is heavily populated with misfits and late round picks. Any feelings on that?


"Team of misfits grouping up together to kick some ass? Sounds like we've got the framework for the Football version of Suicide Squad right there. Lets just hope that the reception is a lot better than the film."


I'd like to end this with a thank you to Alexandre LeClair for his time and, I would also like to wish him luck in the second season of the NSFL.

(07-21-2017, 11:55 PM)Aenir Wrote:I take offense at this! I have contacted LeClair multiple times this off season, tried to be very very supportive!

Also... he started the prank war, I just retaliated

(07-22-2017, 01:05 PM)Zoone16 Wrote:Last I checked, you were the one that got raided by the cops.

(07-21-2017, 03:58 PM)Zoone16 Wrote:Geez, Waaaay more than I was expecting to see. This is a great article.