Kraken sign Alexis Bernier to three-year, entry-level contract

The Seattle Kraken are bringing in one of the talents bound for the 2026 Memorial Cup, signing right-handed defenseman Alexis Bernier to a three-year, entry-level contract on Tuesday, with the deal worth $1,033,333 AAV set to start in the 2026-27 season. 

Bernier, who recently won the QMJHL championship with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, is now off to the Memorial Cup, where he will come up against the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, with the latter acting as tournament hosts. 

Bernier, 19, will turn 20 before his contract with the Kraken begins. Through the 2025-26 irregular season, the physical defenseman scored 12 points in 21 regular-season games before adding four goals and three assists in the QMJHL playoffs to help the Saugeneens hoist the Gilles-Courteau Trophy for the first time in 32 years. 

“We’re excited to have Alexis under contract with the team,” said Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. “He plays a strong, physical game and will bring size to our blueline. We’re happy to see him play in the Memorial Cup after winning a QMJHL championship with Chicoutimi.”

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Bernier had totalled 22 goals and 72 assists in 190 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, including a standout 2024-25 season in which he scored 14 goals and 32 assists while serving as an alternate captain. 

“Bernier is a hard-working defensive defenseman,” Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis said. “There’s nothing too flashy about his game, but he’s smart with the puck and gives you little room to work with around the net. He also hits hard – very hard.”

Soon to wrap up his junior career, Bernier will compete for an NHL roster spot at Kraken training camp at the end of the summer, with the NHL team looking to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2023.