F Alexis Lafreniere - Rimouski Oceanic, QMJHL (2020 Draft) Part 2

[kings11]

He's not over those guys, when I say ages I don't mean literal decades. But his playmaking specifically is stronger than any prospect I can remember in the past decade except possibly McD.

I could see that.. I think it’s his intangibles that are off the charts ala Mike Richards... some guys just wants to win and will it.... he seems like one of those guys

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Kane only played one year in London(draft year). He went 62-83-145 in 58 games.
Lafreniere has 23-47-70 in 32 games.

If you project it out to the same number of games, Lafreniere projects to 42-85-127. Not quite the same junior goalscorer. Kane was also an early-ish birthday.

Also different leagues which is a factor

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Also different leagues which is a factor

Minor one.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Kid Is the real deal. His hockey sense and control are at nhl level. Will contend for scoring titles and harts

 

[Slimmy]

Also different leagues which is a factor

Do you know how he compares to other notable players in later years from the QMJHL? Or do you know how much, if at all, the CHL and QMJHL scoring differs?

 

[nbwingsfan]

People who haven't seen Lafreniere play.

It’s good for the people who have said Byfield is the better prospect to finally actually see Lafreniere’s game. Now they know how foolish they sound

 

[Mickey Marner]

I think he's comfortably the best winger prospect Canada has produced in the history of the entry draft.

 

[Beukeboom]

It’s good for the people who have said Byfield is the better prospect to finally actually see Lafreniere’s game. Now they know how foolish they sound

Lafreniere did look fantastic today, and I do think he's the better prospect. But let's not forget he's a whole year older. That counts for a lot at that age. Lafreniere just had one point last year's WJC which in many ways would be a more fair comparison to Byfield this year.

Then again Byfield's size has been to his advantage of course.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I think he's comfortably the best winger prospect Canada has produced in the history of the entry draft.

What's the competition?

The best canadian winger since the entry draft era is obviously Guy Lafleur, but he played center as junior so I assume you don't count him.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Lafreniere did look fantastic today, and I do think he's the better prospect. But let's not forget he's a whole year older. That counts for a lot at that age. Lafreniere just had one point last year's WJC which in many ways would be a more fair comparison to Byfield this year.

Then again Byfield's size has been to his advantage of course.

Eh. Age really hasn't mattered that much when it comes to the truly elite players at the top of the draft in recent history. Matthew's is almost a year older then Laine and people constantly got hung up on that and Laine's obviously untapped potential because he was the younger and more "raw" prospect. Well it hasn't exactly translated to real life that way. Development isn't linear and if the reason you think someone is better is a number of months that is a pretty faulty reasoning.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

What's the competition?

As a prospect probably Taylor Hall.

 

[BenchBrawl]

As a prospect probably Taylor Hall.

Ah right. Sure he's better than Hall? Hall won back-to-back MVPs of the Memorial Cup tournament.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I'm going to Rimouski for a few days in January, will try to go see him play if schedule permit.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Ah right. Sure he's better than Hall? Hall won back-to-back MVPs of the Memorial Cup tournament.

Case can probably be made either way. Hall had a better team though. Rimouski hasn't been able to surround Lafreniere with a powerhouse of a team. He will be the first back to back CHL MVP since Crosby though.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Case can probably be made either way. Hall had a better team though. Rimouski hasn't been able to surround Lafreniere with a powerhouse of a team. He will be the first back to back CHL MVP since Crosby though.

Good points.

I have a friend who's been living in Rimouski from even before the Lecavalier era, and he's not even into hockey What a thing to be. I'm jealous of him, Rimouski is lucky.

 

[OldScool]

Performance today was impressive. It was interesting to see him vs Byfield and by my eyes it isn’t close to a comparison. Lafreniere is the total package and Byfield just has some parts. He took over the game and Byfield was invisible. Huge gap from 1 to 2 IMO.

 

[Mickey Marner]

What's the competition?

The best canadian winger since the entry draft era is obviously Guy Lafleur, but he played center as junior so I assume you don't count him.

Technically, Lafleur was from the amateur draft, not the entry draft. So, I didn't count him at all. But it basically comes down to those two for greatest Canadian winger prospect of all time.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Technically, Lafleur was from the amateur draft, not the entry draft. So, I didn't count him at all. But it basically comes down to those two for greatest Canadian winger prospect of all time.

Wait, what? If you include Lafleur, then he wins in a landslide ! Not just because he became a NHL legend; Lafleur was one of the biggest prospects in hockey history. Not comparable with Lafrenière.

Also, all-time? No way. We'd have to go back and check Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard and so on. Prospects were different back then, but stripped to its essence it's the same thing. I know Jean Béliveau was about a Mario Lemieux level prospect, for example.

 

[Beukeboom]

Eh. Age really hasn't mattered that much when it comes to the truly elite players at the top of the draft in recent history. Matthew's is almost a year older then Laine and people constantly got hung up on that and Laine's obviously untapped potential because he was the younger and more "raw" prospect. Well it hasn't exactly translated to real life that way. Development isn't linear and if the reason you think someone is better is a number of months that is a pretty faulty reasoning.

In this case they're in the same junior league system thou. Lafreniere was in his second season last WJC, just like Byfield is now. That's something that could matter for their performance.

 

[Dodospice]

I think Lafreniere is the #1 pick and best prospect but let’s not forget that when making these lists, people aren’t projecting who is going 1st but in many cases who they think the best players will be. I can see and understand how people can look 5-10 years down the road and want Byfield over Lafreniere, I can see all the arguments and understand the point.

I don’t agree with it but those people ranking Byfield #1 aren’t saying he’s better right now but instead that he will have a better career then Lafreniere. That doesn’t seem to be that far fetched of an idea and one that I can get behind but it seems to be lost on a lot of people that they’re projecting the careers of these players and not who’s best right now.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Wait, what? If you include Lafleur, then he wins in a landslide ! Not just because he became a NHL legend; Lafleur was one of the biggest prospects in hockey history. Not comparable with Lafrenière.

Also, all-time? No way. We'd have to go back and check Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard and so on. Prospects were different back then, but stripped to its essence it's the same thing. I know Jean Béliveau was about a Mario Lemieux level prospect, for example.

I wasn't alive to judge the relative hype, but Lafreniere is likely going to be only the 2nd player to win CHL player of the year twice. I realize the CHL & QMJHL MVP trophies did not exist during Lafleur's career, but I don't see much separating their D-2 & D-1 seasons, other than a Memorial Cup win.

Prospects wouldn't have been hyped the same way in the sponsorship era because they were already the 'property' of a team before they were 18. While I obviously don't think he'll be better than Gordie Howe, Lafreniere is certainly considered a greater prospect.

 

[HuGo Sham]

it wouldn't be enough but would love to see bergevin try to pull a mike ditka and offer all 12 of montreal's picks to draft him in montreal lol

 

[BenchBrawl]

I wasn't alive to judge the relative hype, but Lafreniere is likely going to be only the 2nd player to win CHL player of the year twice. I realize the CHL & QMJHL MVP trophies did not exist during Lafleur's career, but I don't see much separating their D-2 & D-1 seasons, other than a Memorial Cup win.

Prospects wouldn't have been hyped the same way in the sponsorship era because they were already the 'property' of a team before they were 18. While I obviously don't think he'll be better than Gordie Howe, Lafreniere is certainly considered a greater prospect.

I very much doubt that, by whom?

Is Lafrenière a bigger prospect than Matthews, or Eichel, or Tavares? Because Lafleur was significantly bigger than those guys.

Jean Béliveau was seen as a bigger prospect than virtually every prospects since him except Mario Lemieux and maybe Bobby Orr and Sidney Crosby. Eric Lindros is overrated as a prospect - he had two major issues: can't keep his head up and his parents. Two huge question marks, which both ended up affecting his career. The good scouting teams ought to have known this, and would have chosen a guy like Crosby over him 10 times out of 10.

 

[Mickey Marner]

I qualified the original statement with "Canadian winger" up-thread. I'm not claiming he's a greater prospect than Crosby, Lindros, Lemieux, Gretzky, Orr and whomever else did not play wing.

I think Tavares is probably his closest comparable. Maybe between Tavares and McDavid.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I qualified the original statement with "Canadian winger" up-thread. I'm not claiming he's a greater prospect than Crosby, Lindros, Lemieux, Gretzky, Orr and whomever else did not play wing.

I think Tavares is probably his closest comparable. Maybe between Tavares and McDavid.

Wasn't my point, I went on a tangent, sorry about that. Still not comparable to the level of hype Guy Lafleur had. To this day Lafleur is huge in Quebec City and it's not because he played for the Nordiques as a hairless old man.

That said, Lafleur was a center in junior, so nevermind all this.