Lafreniere impressed in his first practice, skating on a line with center Filip Chytil and right wing Julien Gauthier, the Rangers' third line on their current depth chart. There was one part of the scrimmage when Lafreniere led the forecheck and helped create a turnover that led to a breakaway chance for Chytil.
"I got a chance to watch him a little bit during the skates we've had here the last two weeks and you can see he plays fast, he's got his head up, strong on his skates, competes hard, and he's got world-class talent," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "I mean, this guy approaches the game the right way. He's got a lot of pro to him already. I liked his effort today."
Lafreniere said the pace of play is the biggest difference he felt in practice compared to other levels, which includes the QMJHL and the 2019 and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships.
"Everything is quicker," Lafreniere said. "You've got to make plays quicker. In juniors, you have maybe a little bit of time with the puck, but here you have to think the game quicker. I think that's something I'll try to adjust and try to get better."
The Rangers do not expect the adjustment to the pace and NHL style to take long for Lafreniere based on what they've seen from him already.
"You forget how young he is because he carries himself with a ton of maturity," said left wing Chris Kreider, who was training with Lafreniere in Connecticut for several weeks. "I've played with him a bunch and the skill is very, very evident. He's got the thing on a string, sees the ice incredibly well, heads-up.
"He's a lot thicker than a normal 18- or 19-year-old kid (6-foot-1, 193 pounds). Very strong on his skates and he competes. He's a dog on the puck. Guys try to bump him and he's trying to spin off and get to that ice. He's hypercompetitive and he wants to win, and you can tell he loves playing the game. … You can tell he has serious passion for the game, enthusiasm, really good energy and he just wants to succeed and win."