Lamoureux Aiming to be 'One of The Best Defenseman' in QMJHL in 2023-24

Maveric Lamoureux has never felt better.

The 19-year-old defenseman is one of the top prospects in the Coyotes' system and has worked tirelessly to recover from a shoulder injury that he sustained prior to his selection at 29th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. His road to recovery was long, and at times frustrating, but Lamoureux came out of the other side with a very different perspective on his young career.

The towering 6-foot-7 defenseman said the rehab on his shoulder went so well he's stronger than ever, and last month's prospect development camp was a good litmus test of how it's holding up.

So far, it has passed with flying colors.

"Recovering was a long process. It was really long, and I had some hard times, too," Lamoureux said. "Right now, though, I feel really good. It's even stronger than the other one, and everything is perfect with my shoulder right now."

The road to recovery culminated in 35 games with the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltiguers in the second half of the 2022-23 season, making his debut on Dec.16, 2022. He notched two assists in his second game back, a 6-3 loss to the Victoriaville Tigres, and ultimately finished with five goals and 14 assists while serving as an alternate captain.

He chipped in six points in nine playoff games before the Voltiguers were eliminated by the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the quarterfinals of the QMJHL Playoffs.

Fast-forward to development camp, and Lamoureux said he has spent countless hours with Coyotes skating coach Lars Hepso, development coach Kurtis Foster, and skills coach Kyle Bochek to continue improving his game, focusing on his skating, shooting, and even some deception as he skates into the offensive zone.

He hopes all of that hard work will pay dividends sooner, rather than later.

"Being with all of those coaches really helped me a lot," Lamoureux said. "My main goal is definitely just to be one of the best defenseman this year in [the QMJHL], so that's what I'm working on, and I'm going to try and show that this year."

The ability to work with Arizona's world-class development staff is something that isn't lost on him, either.

"It's the NHL for a reason," Lamoureux said. "They're all professionals and they're all really good at what they're doing, so it's definitely another step above Juniors. Being here with great people, it's just amazing for me, and I just take so much from them."

Though the Ontario native was technically participating in his second development camp, it was even more meaningful considering he watched last year's camp from behind the glass while recuperating from the aforementioned shoulder injury.

This year he was a full participant, skating with fellow prospects, and in many cases, friends. Lamoureux roomed with defenseman Justin Kipkie, a 2023 fifth-round selection who plays with the WHL's Victoria Royals, and the two bonded almost instantly despite having never met.

He actually arrived early for camp, and spent that time with Julian Lutz (F, 43rd overall in 2022), Maksymilian Szuber (D, 163rd overall in 2022), Adam Zlnka (F, 204th overall in 2022), Ilya Fedotov (F, 43rd overall in 2021), Conor Geekie (F, 11th overall in 2022), and Josh Doan (F, 37th overall in 2021).

"I just got closer with those guys, and they're really good friends to me now," Lamoureux said. "Meeting new people and making new friends, it's just such a good experience to be here."

He knows his road to the NHL is still a long and winding one, but the lessons he's already learned in overcoming adversity has arguably set Lamoureux up for success. His attitude has never wavered, though, and his one big takeaway is to grow his game in a way that can establish him as one of the most imposing blue-liners around.

When that happens, he'll find himself checking another box off his bucket list: Spending time in The Valley during the coveted fall, winter, and spring months, as opposed to the record-setting heat in the doldrums of summer.

"It's way too hot, you can't do anything outside right now," Lamoureux said with a smile. "I'm going to take away the steps I need to improve in my game to get to play at the NHL level. There are a lot of things I need to work on, and just being here today with all the coaches, I just need to take so much from them, and learn from that, and be even better when I come back."