It has been a rough year injury-wise for Hendrix Lapierre leading up to the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The forward was only able to suit up for 19 games for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, but he did manage to pick up 17 points in those games. When Lapierre is healthy, look out for his dominant skating, where quick cuts are no problem even at his top speed.
This is what makes Lapierre a threat - he can couple his skating and puck handling all while traveling at full speed. It makes him hard to defend against.
Prior to the start of the 2019-20 QMJHL season, Lapierre played a prominent role for Team Canada at the U19 Ivan Hlinka tournament with 11 points in five games. Canada took home the silver medal at the tournament.
Lapierre was the first overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Draft, and named the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year, with his 13 goals and 32 assists in 48 games for Chicoutimi. Despite the fact that Lapierre missed most of the 2019-20 season, he still has cracked the Top 15 of Central Scouting's North American skaters headed into the draft. Lapierre is ranked 13th in their final rankings, the same spot where he sat at the mid-season rankings.
The centerman can help a team in all three zones as your classic two-way center.
