Liam Lefebvre continues to defy the numbers, with bigger goals yet to come for the LA Kings prospect

At the 2025 NHL Draft, 224 aspiring hockey players heard their names called.

Liam Lefebvre was not among them.

Lefebvre spent the preceding season at Trinity-Pawling School in Dutchess County, New York, more than 300 miles south of his home in Blainville, Québec. Lefebvre, a forward, averaged better than two points per game, but North American scouts focused their attention elsewhere.

One year later, the Los Angeles Kings are grateful for that.

After Lefebvre starred in both Rimouski and Chicoutimi of the QMJHL in his second draft-eligible season, the Kings selected him 46th overall in 2026 — impressively high for a player who went undrafted the prior year. Ever since, after an offseason trade, he’s led the Cape Breton Eagles with 1.41 points-per-game. And people are taking notice.

Lefebvre, 19, is rerouting the usual pathway to consideration for a World Junior Championship roster spot. Even without representing Canada at prior tournaments like the Hlinka Gretzky Cup or IIHF Under-18 Worlds, Lefebvre remains a candidate for the National Junior Team with the selection camp fast approaching.

“It would be a great honor to put that jersey on,” Lefebvre said. “Never done it before. I want to play my game the best I can, to have that opportunity potentially. It’s playing to my identity — being hard to play against, being in guys’ faces, using my skill, that hard skill, getting to the net. Just bring my sandpaper style of game and continue doing that. If that opens their eyes, I’ll be ready to go.”

Canada should have plenty of goal scorers, between returnees from last year’s bronze medal winners and newcomers like Dima Zhilkin, a potential top-five NHL Draft pick in 2027. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound Lefebvre could augment the group by playing the trustworthy hockey that characterized his 2026 playoff run, including the overtime winner he potted in Chicoutimi’s lone victory at the Memorial Cup.

That has caught the eye of those selecting the roster for the tournament this winter.

“He’s a little bit of a late bloomer, but he got himself on the radar with how he played in Chicoutimi last season,” said Alan Millar, the Team Canada general manager. “He helped them win the QMJHL championship and was an integral part of their success in getting to the Memorial Cup. As we’ve watched him this season, he’s presenting some versatility. He’s a guy with some offensive ability and can play a bigger, heavier game down the lineup if needed. He’s deserving of the views we’re getting of him.”

The visits from Hockey Canada’s scouting staff have illuminated the reasons why Lefebvre is averaging better than one point per game with the Cape Breton Eagles, following the offseason trade from Chicoutimi. He provides plenty of toughness, too, as evidenced by memorable fights at the Memorial Cup (with Everett’s Jaxsin Vaughan) and in a 2026 Rookie Faceoff game (against 7-foot-1 Sharks prospect Alexander Karmanov).

Lefebvre, a right-handed shot, plays mostly on the right wing in the offensive zone but adds value with his ability to take draws on his strong side. He’s given greater attention to his defensive play this season, taking pride in how Head Coach Jason Clarke trusts him on the penalty kill and when protecting late leads.

“I’m comfortable at both [wing and center], but having played a little bit more wing over the past season and early parts of this season, I’m a little more comfortable there,” he said. “I’m always open to both. If a coach sees me as a center, then I’ll be more than happy to take that on.”

Lefebvre is committed to play next season at Boston University, a dream school that he’s had in mind since a family trip to Boston when he was 12 years old.

For now, a second season in the QMJHL is crucial in preparing for the rigors of college hockey. Lefebvre has tallied 8 points, with a plus-8 rating, during the Eagles’ five-game winning streak leading into Friday’s showdown at Halifax.

“My minutes have gone up pretty significantly from the second half last year with Chicoutimi,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why I came back to the Q, to be put in all of those different situations, get comfortable, and build confidence through that.”

His steady progress was a major reason the Kings were motivated to select him with their second pick in June, following Elton Hermansson at 19th overall. Lefebvre said his best interview at the NHL Scouting Combine was with the Kings. One reason for the easy rapport: Bobby Ferraris, Lefebvre’s head coach at Trinity-Pawling, has been a friend of Kings amateur scouting director Mark Yannetti for nearly 30 years.

In fact, Ferraris and Yannetti were roommates for two seasons while playing for the UHL Mohawk Valley Prowlers. Certainly didn’t hurt his case.

“Most of those interviews were almost like interrogations, but the one with the Kings felt more like a free-flowing conversation,” Lefebvre recalled. “I really enjoyed it. Coming out of that one, I had a great feeling. When Draft Day came and it was getting to their pick, I had a feeling it was going to be them.”

After NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced his name, Liam’s parents, Loïc and Nicole, and older sister, Chloë, were there to embrace him. Liam thought about how they supported his decision to leave home at age 15, in order to mature through his transformative experiences on and off the ice at Trinity-Pawling.

To have his family alongside him at the draft made the moment that much better.

“Thinking back to all the sacrifices they made through the years, finally being in that position, it makes you take a step back and appreciate all they’ve done,” Liam said. “Having them there with me on the day made it so much more special. I really enjoyed that time with them. We had a nice lunch after with the whole family and were able to take it all in. I couldn’t be more grateful for what they’ve done over the years.”

Hockey has been at the center of so many Lefebvre family experiences. Liam loved skating on the backyard rink with his younger brother, Luca, who continues to play hockey in the Montréal area for the U-19 Blainville Bastions.

Liam grew up as a Canadiens fan. He turned 7 years old in the spring of 2014, when Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, and Brendan Gallagher helped the Habs reach the Eastern Conference Final. Now the Lefebvres cheer for the team the Canadiens met in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. The family’s connection to the Kings has strengthened through memorable experiences like Liam’s NHL preseason debut at Crypto.com Arena.

Lefebvre has assumed a leadership role since returning to junior hockey and serves as one of Cape Breton’s alternate captains. He said the team is focused on two trophies: the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champion, then the Memorial Cup. The franchise has never won either.

“The main thing we talked about in our leadership group meetings was leading by example,” he said. “We have a more experienced team. As a leadership group, [we] try to bring the way we want to play, the way we want to act off the ice, through the rest of the team, each and every day when we show up to the rink.”

Lefebvre is an ideal ambassador for the Eagles, who play in a majority English-speaking market within a predominantly French-speaking league. He’s fluently bilingual and bicultural, speaking French at home with his father and siblings and English with his mother.

After spending last season in two French-speaking environments, Lefebvre has enjoyed learning about the distinctive Cape Breton community.

“The people here, they take pride in what they do and the team they support,” he said. “[There’s] a lot of strong, passionate fans surrounding the team. That’s been great to have. It brings a lot of energy……it’s an amazing place to play and the people have been nothing but great to me.”

Lefebvre’s whirlwind 2026 has allowed him to make new fans from California to Nova Scotia. The next several weeks will determine whether he’s about to have an entire country supporting him on Boxing Day in Edmonton.

As of this week, Hockey Canada’s long list of players is in the mid-30s. The final roster limit is 25. Lefebvre, the resolute winger who’s made a habit of beating the odds, has one more numbers game to win.