There probably is a little risk there, but I thought at our pick, where we were at, the upside just made up for it. Report: Golden Knights signing Stephenson to 4-year, $11M ex... Flames end Jeremie Poirier's slide, select him 72nd overall, Wild trade up to grab defenseman Daemon Hunt 65th overall, Rangers trade Lias Andersson to Kings for No. NBCSN called it the “most interesting pick” in the first round. The Capitals made a splash on draft … HDA cuts ties with NHL, calls league's equality work 'perfor... OHL can't return with on-ice contact, says government offici... Report: Flames, Oilers interested in Jacob Markstrom, Oilers sign Puljujarvi to 2-year contract. Those are probably the main things that really stick out for us, especially the hockey sense and the hands and the unselfishness.". Washington now holds just three picks (the 117th, 148th and 179th) in Rounds 2 through 7, which will be conducted Wednesday. I’m looking forward to the future. It is only the start of this experience, but it feels really good.”. 9:49 pm ET. Lapierre plays for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL and was the offensive rookie of the year during 2018-19 season. It happens. The Capitals sent the Calgary Flames the 24th and 80th selections to grab Lapierre. “Right now I believe it’s not a risk anymore but obviously I had a really tough season last year with the injuries,” he said. He also led Canada to the gold medal at the world junior championships, where he claimed MVP honors. The Washington Capitals drafted forward Hendrix Lapierre with the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft.The Capitals sent the Calgary Flames - who … 24 and No. Dr. Dan Dyrek is an athletic therapist who’s worked with Larry Bird, Patrice Bergeron, David Ortiz, and others. He scored one goal in his second game. Go behind-the-scenes in the Capitals War Room as Washington makes a trade to select Hendrix Lapierre with the 22nd pick in the 2020 #NHLDraft#CapsDraft | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/VSfrx0BtII. Staying healthy will be priority number one for the 18-year-old. An emotional and relieved Lapierre hugged his mom after the selection was announced. Covering the impact of coronavirus on the sports world. I worked on a lot of stuff last year, worked really hard. Lafreniere was considered a lock to be the No. 60 pick, Maple Leafs select Roni Hirvonen with 59th pick. Caps give inside look at trade, selection of Hendrix Lapierre originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan announced the pick virtually from MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Lapierre's season was derailed due to … Capitals re-sign defenseman Brenden Dillon to a four-year contract. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. His stock subsequently plummeted, but the injuries ended up being twisted vertebrae in his neck that mimicked concussion-like symptoms, and he's apparently healthy now. Lapierre's skills are hard to assess, but if he can overcome the hesitancy from so many injuries, Lapierre's exceptional offensive skills could make him a 60-70-point, first-line guy. Mahoney described Lapierre as having a “very high hockey IQ, good character player and extremely unselfish.” Washington scouts believed he had a stellar showing at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led all skaters in points (11) in five games and helped Canada earn a silver medal. Hendrix Lapierre represents a high risk, high reward player as a first-round draft pick. 1 overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL draft missed a lot of time in his junior career due to concussion and vertebrae issues, but Lapierre managed to finish the season as the 13th-ranked North American skater despite the injuries. Lapierre was drafted 22nd overall by the Capitals at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday. However, his significant injury history makes him the most unpredictable prospect in the 2020 NHL Draft. Great skater with powerful strides. He always has way more assists than he does goals. 22. 24 to No. Shane Wright has the intangibles - and shot - of a generational star, Blue Jackets sign Domi to 2-year, $10.6M deal. He’s an electrifying type person," Pierre McGuire said. This player was cleared in April to come back and play. In an interview with Jamie Hersch after being selected, Lapierre said that he believed he was fully healthy and that the Capitals were not chancing it by selecting him. But the following summer, he looked great at the Hlinka tournament, second on Team Canada in points, but then he got off to a very slow start in October of 2019 and he suffered back-to-back concussions in the span of a month. “I was always really positive and tried to bring positive energy to myself and the dressing room as well and all that stuff, but it is good to be back. MacLellan called up Flames GM Brad Treliving and offered him the 24th and 80th overall picks for No. “I know he’s had a rough year with injuries,” Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan said during a video conference call with reporters. All original content on russianmachineneverbreaks.com is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)– unless otherwise stated or superseded by another license. 22 to snag him, giving up a third-round pick in the process. September 2020 - Lapierre appears healthy and motivated. "The Chicoutimi Sagueneen is a savvy, creative, playmaking center who not only puts up points as an offensive catalyst but also plays a solid, committed game all over the ice. "The knock on [Lapierre], even in spite of the fact that he’s viewed as having elite playmaking ability and a really strong two-way presence," McKenzie said, "is that he doesn’t always get to the front of the net, he doesn’t always get to the inside and that is something that he is going to have to continue to work on. As pick after pick went by in the first round, all eyes suddenly turned to center Hendrix Lapierre. A slick playmaker with a terrific feel for adjusting the speed of the game to suit his desires. Lapierre added that he was a big fan of Alex Ovechkin. He's been given a clean bill of health and could still be selected in the first round. Maybe not a huge “wow” factor here, but the scouts who like him said he “plays the game the right way,” TSN's Bob McKenzie said in September. The Capitals made a splash on draft night, and they’re not afraid to show how they did it. He was one of the big names heading into the draft, but teams were scared off after he suffered a run of injuries in 2019. Able to execute plays at high speed. He said he suffered only one concussion, in February 2019, but then had a slew of neck injuries. — CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) October 7, 2020. Really, really happy.”. Senators trade up with Leafs to select Tyler Kleven 44th ove... Report: Predators place Turris on waivers for buyout, Sabres move up to draft John-Jason Peterka 34th overall, The ultimate, personalized mobile sports experience, Predicting homes for the NHL's most intriguing UFAs, Penguins trade Murray to Senators for 2nd-round pick, Duclair will become UFA as Sens decline to extend qualifying offer, The next one? 22 to snag him. 22, the Caps elected to trade up from No. Comes to play, gives an honest effort every game, every shift, every period. 24 to No. “I feel like being drafted today by Washington is absolutely amazing and I feel like it’s the cherry on the sundae of a pretty negative season. By RotoWire Staff Oct 6, 2020 at 9:49 pm ET 1 min read Lapierre was drafted 22nd overall by … There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, you just do not want a player to become completely passive when they have opportunities to take the puck in on net themselves. “Growing up, Washington was one of my favorite teams because of Ovechkin so wearing that jersey today feels really good,” he said. The Washington Capitals selected Hendrix Lapierre with the 22nd overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Lapierre plays for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL and was the offensive rookie of the year during 2018-19 season. Lapierre slipped down the draft board due to serious injury concerns. The analysts on the NBCSN broadcast, however, also had nothing but glowing things to saw about Lapierre. He’s a forward the Canadiens are likely to know much about since he’s played in the QMJHL the past two seasons. He was ranked 13th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. His NHL comparable is Jonathan Toews. The 18-year-old still possesses an enticing skillset capable of translating to NHL success. Bob McKenzie explained Lapierre’s story on NBCSN’s coverage of the draft: The kid has gone through a difficult year and change. A preseason favorite to become a top-10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, playmaker extraordinaire Hendrix Lapierre suffered a pair of concussions in a 30-day period that sidelined him for the rest of his draft year. "Has real good character, real good personality, lot of positives about the player. So keep in mind here, in nine calendar months, he had three head and neck traumas and the third one shut him down for the balance of the 2019-20 season. Capitals move up to draft Hendrix Lapierre 22nd overall, Mathieu Belanger / Getty Images Sport / Getty, Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox, Ranking the NHL's top 25 pending unrestricted free agents, Coyotes GM confirms Hall won't re-sign with Arizona. "He had an amazing [Hlinka Gretzky] tournament in the summer, he has a ton of personality. The video also cut to an interview with Lapierre, who admitted to receiving a call from his agent saying to get ready — though he wasn’t told which team would be taking him. All rights reserved, Caps give inside look at trade, selection of Hendrix Lapierre. After the Flames traded back from their original spot at 19th overall, the Capitals saw an opportunity to pounce if Calgary was willing to move back just two more spots. The footage included GM Brian MacLellan’s phone call with the Flames discussing terms for the pick as well as conversations between Capitals brass about what they saw in Lapierre before drafting him. And quite aside from the injury history, there were some teams that were concerned that [he is] too much perimeter play, too much of a playmaker, not enough of a guy that takes it to the hole.". Hendrix Lapierre represents a high risk, high reward player as a first-round draft pick. There was no where to play obviously. That moment when Hendrix Lapierre's dream came true.#CapsDraft | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/gKjlFPGTEY, — Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 7, 2020. Capitals select ‘top-ten talent’ Hendrix Lapierre 22nd overall after injury concerns, announced the pick virtually from MedStar Capitals Iceplex, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). The Capitals dealt their 24th overall pick and their 80th overall pick to Calgary to select the Canadian center at 22. Caps give inside look at trade, selection of Hendrix Lapierre originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington. The 18 … Skating on a line alongside fellow top 2020 prospect, Dawson Mercer this preseason has woken dreams of his potential. Certain content reproduced under license. Russian Machine Never Breaks is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHL, or its properties. "[The Capitals] decided at this stage of the draft, they’re taking somebody who’s got elite playmaking ability and plays a really good 200-foot all-around game, that they’ll take the chance on him and see where it goes from here," Bob McKenzie said. He’s a skilled player, potential to be a top-six centerman.”.