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

[Jesperi is my Daddy]

Where do you think he goes in the past five drafts?
2015: 3
2016: 2
2017: 1
2018: 2 maybe 1
2019: 1

2015: 2
2016: 1
2016: 1
2018: 1
2019: 1

edit: maybe he goes 3 in 15' or 2 in 16' because of positional value but I don't think so

 

[ijuka]

Really, 2016? Sheesh. Matthews scored almost 1.5 PPG in a pro league and had a solid performance at men's worlds. Just how good do you think Lafreniere is?

 

[Hostile Offer]

Really, 2016? Sheesh. Matthews scored almost 1.5 PPG in a pro league and had a solid performance at men's worlds. Just how good do you think Lafreniere is?

Laf won't be scoring 40 goals in his rookie year but this guy is an absolute stud. Hockey IQ off the charts and everything looks so effortless with him.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Laf won't be scoring 40 goals in his rookie year but this guy is an absolute stud. Hockey IQ off the charts and everything looks so effortless with him.

Lafreniere is the best wing prospect since Patrick Kane.

 

[Dominance]

Lafreniere is the best wing prospect since Patrick Kane.

Will be tough to match Kane’s amazing career, but Lafreniere is easily the superior prospect.

 

[Dominance]

Named best forward in the tournament despite the injury. Just absolutely dominant in all areas and making things happen every shift. If there was any lingering doubt before, for whatever reason, there is none now that he is going 1OA.

Best prospect since McDavid. Far greater individual impact on the tournament than Eichel or Matthews had.

 

[ijuka]

Named best forward in the tournament despite the injury. Just absolutely dominant in all areas and making things happen every shift. If there was any lingering doubt before, for whatever reason, there is none now that he is going 1OA.

Best prospect since McDavid. Far greater individual impact on the tournament than Eichel or Matthews had.

How about Laine?

 

[Divine]

Named best forward in the tournament despite the injury. Just absolutely dominant in all areas and making things happen every shift. If there was any lingering doubt before, for whatever reason, there is none now that he is going 1OA.

Best prospect since McDavid. Far greater individual impact on the tournament than Eichel or Matthews had.

He had a far greater individual impact than McDavid too. McDavid wasn't even the best forward on his team. Why stop below McDavid?

As someone who's actually watched him play before the tournament. He seems to be in the Taylor Hall/Tyler Seguin tier of prospects. He's quick and shifty, but he's not dominating junior like Kane, McDavid, Tavares or Crosby were.

Taylor Hall seems like the perfect comparable. Identical numbers, both wingers. Heck, basically the exact same height too.

 

[Dominance]

He had a far greater individual impact than McDavid too. McDavid wasn't even the best forward on his team. Why stop below McDavid?

McDavid has comparable production in his draft year, still had a great WJC performance, and had a specific trait (skating) that made it impossible for him to be less than elite at the NHL level.

 

[Divine]

McDavid has comparable production in his draft year, still had a great WJC performance, and had a specific trait (skating) that made it impossible for him to be less than elite at the NHL level.

Production at the tournament or in junior? McDavid dominated the OHL. Lafreniere isn't dominating the Q.

 

[Mercedes Benn]

Production at the tournament or in junior? McDavid dominated the OHL. Lafreniere isn't dominating the Q.

70 points in 32 games isn’t dominating? Wow tough crowd.

 

[Tutu to]

Production at the tournament or in junior? McDavid dominated the OHL. Lafreniere isn't dominating the Q.

70 points in 32 games?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Production at the tournament or in junior? McDavid dominated the OHL. Lafreniere isn't dominating the Q.

Everyone fumbles a post or two. Just try and bounce back next time.

 

[Dominance]

Lafreniere with the MVP

Last Canadian draft eligible to win MVP would be who?

 

[93LEAFS]

Named best forward in the tournament despite the injury. Just absolutely dominant in all areas and making things happen every shift. If there was any lingering doubt before, for whatever reason, there is none now that he is going 1OA.

Best prospect since McDavid. Far greater individual impact on the tournament than Eichel or Matthews had.

Puljujarvi won MVP the Matthews year, as a 17 year old. Don't blow one tournament out of proportion. Matthews was the best player on the USA World Championship team.

 

[93LEAFS]

Last draft eligible to win MVP would be who?

As just stated, Puljujarvi.

 

[Dominance]

Puljujarvi won MVP the Matthews year, as a 17 year old. Don't blow one tournament out of proportion. Matthews was the best player on the USA World Championship team.

Who’s blowing it out of proportion? It’s just another brick in the wall. Lafreniere is doing absolutely everything one could ask of a draft eligible player to show in his draft year. Too bad some refuse to grant him his truly exceptional status just because he doesn’t play in college or Europe.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Last draft eligible to win MVP would be who?

This tournament didn't have many great players.

 

[snipes]

Named best forward in the tournament despite the injury. Just absolutely dominant in all areas and making things happen every shift. If there was any lingering doubt before, for whatever reason, there is none now that he is going 1OA.

Best prospect since McDavid. Far greater individual impact on the tournament than Eichel or Matthews had.

He’s a treat to watch, utterly dominates and tilts the ice when he’s out there.

 

[OldScool]

Lafreniere isn’t in the ballpark of McDavid. Still the #1 player in this draft but not close to the skill set of McDavid.

 

[Dominance]

This tournament didn't have many great players.

Reach.

 

[93LEAFS]

Who’s blowing it out of proportion? It’s just another brick in the wall. Lafreniere is doing absolutely everything one could ask of a draft eligible player to show in his draft year. Too bad some refuse to grant him his truly exceptional status just because he doesn’t play in college or Europe.

No, I think he's good and will go one. But, I don't think he's clearly ahead of Eichel or Matthews at the same age, and most people agree with that. Both those guys look like top 10 players in the league right now, so that isn't really a knock.

Tons of guys get viewed as exceptional while playing in the CHL, or even the QMJHL (see Crosby). This isn't a "where he plays issue." But, pointing to tournament MVP while impressive groups him in with Tavares and Puljujarvi. One, he should want to be grouped with, the other, not really.

 

[Dominance]

Lafreniere isn’t in the ballpark of McDavid.

Why? Do tell. He’s done everything McDavid had done up until this point. With this MVP performance, one could make the case for more. McDavid had his ridiculous skating which is why I don’t make the case for Lafreniere being quite on the same level, but in every other aspect of the game he is as good or better than Connor was.

 

[93LEAFS]

Why? Do tell. He’s done everything McDavid had done up until this point. With this MVP performance, one could make the case for more. McDavid had his ridiculous skating which is why I don’t make the case for Lafreniere being quite on the same level, but in every other aspect of the game he is as good or better than Connor was.

Connor also was only 17 at the tournament and destroyed the OHL at such an absurd level. No one has scored at the rate Connor did in the OHL at 17 since like Lindros. Lafreniere while a better player, has scoring in line with someone like Drouin when you look at 17 to 17, 18 to 18. Drouin had better teammates (MacKinnon at 17 and Ehlers at 18). But, what McDavid scoring at 2.5 points per game in the OHL is only in line with what Patrick Kane did at 18. That's before we get into the blatently obvious. McDavid can play at a speed almost unseen before. The fact his hands and head can keep up with his speed is just astonishing.

 

[Orange Fanta]

Why? Do tell. He’s done everything McDavid had done up until this point. With this MVP performance, one could make the case for more. McDavid had his ridiculous skating which is why I don’t make the case for Lafreniere being quite on the same level, but in every other aspect of the game he is as good or better than Connor was.

I think he has a more physical edge, better shot and as smart as he is think that's a slight notch below and I'll call the hands almost equal slight edge to connor. I think he is a tavares/stamkos/eichel/matthews/kane level prospect (not aesthetically) but in terms of impact and level of play where as connor was a crosby/ovi level prospect. He will at least be borderline elite because of his iq and already great toolset. I only gave the nod to McD on iq because of how fast he was able to process the game as a prospect same with his hands, his skating was just good it would make all the other aspects of his game even greater because his hands, feet, and brain were all on the same page and we see how that has worked for connor so far... Laf though I personally feel might be a better zone player and be better in corners and along the boards no.1 overall this draft without even a shred of doubt.