Alex Aleardi's first week with the Plymouth Whalers couldn't have been more explosive if someone would have stuffed him into one of those giant circus cannons and fired the Farmington Hills native across the Compuware Arena ice surface.

  Aleardi, who was acquired by the Whalers from Belleville on Sept. 20 for a pair of future second-round picks, leads the Ontario Hockey League with seven goals following the first weekend of play.

  The high-energy center also notched an assist while registering a plus/minus rating of plus-four.

  If not for a couple of very-near-misses in Saturday's 6-2 victory over Barrie, Aleardi's numbers would be even more phenomenal.

  "I was thrilled when I found out I'd be coming back home to play," said the personable 18-year-old, who grew up in

Canton. "This is the team I followed when I was growing up, so to be able to play for the Whalers is a great feeling."

  Aleardi emphasized there's nothing about his new set-up that he's not excited about.

  "We have great coaching here and a great group of guys," he said. "Everybody has gone out of their way to help me out and make me feel right at home.

  "We did a team-bonding thing yesterday and did a little rock-climbing. I got to know the guys better."

  As a fast-skating youngster, Aleardi played almost exclusively with the elite Compuware and Honeybaked AAA programs.

  "I played with (Whalers defenseman) Austin Levi the year before I got drafted into the OHL," Aleardi revealed. "We kind of went our separate ways, but we still remained friends and chatted occasionally. I've known both the Mahalaks (RJ and Matt) and Beau Schmitz. Knowing a lot of the guys before I came in has helped make it so it wasn't an awkward situation."

  At his current pace, Aleardi would eclipse last year's numbers -- 41 points in 64 games -- sometime around Thanksgiving.

  "I've always been a goal scorer," he said. "Coming into the OHL was a big jump. I've learned how to read the play and react better. Plus, I'm bigger and stronger, and my shot is a little more powerful than it was my first year.

  "I'm playing with two great linemates now -- Tyler Brown and Garrett Meurs -- and they do a great job of finding me and hitting me with passes."

  Aleardi, who emulated Sergei Samsonov and Steve Yzerman during his youth-hockey days, described his style this way:

  "I'm fast and mobile on the ice," he said, offering a first-person scouting report. "I'm always active on the ice, always going somewhere, doing something."

  Aleardi was not selected in this year's NHL Draft, the first one he was eligible for.

  "I try not to worry about it," he said. "This season I'm just going to go out there, work as hard as I can and try to get two points for my team.

  "I worked extremely hard in the off-season, working five days a week to get stronger and put some weight on. Hopefully it pays off."

  Alex is not the only Aleardi who was thrilled by his trade to the Whalers.

  "My parents are very excited, too," he added, smiling. "They don't have to make that six-hour drive to Belleville any more to see me play."

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.