PITTSBURGH — Alexis Lafreniere is, by universal acclimation, the top prospect available in next week’s NHL Draft.
He is a left winger who put up 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 games with Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season and is a mortal lock to be selected by the New York Rangers with the No. 1 pick.
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It’s not that Lafreniere is the betting favorite to go first overall; he’s the only real candidate.
That Lafreniere will become a star in the NHL seems to be the working assumption of pretty much everyone in the industry, and Patrik Allvin, the Penguins' director of amateur scouting, does not disagree.
“Let’s hope he can fall (to the Penguins in Round 3),” Allvin said, laughing. “Obviously, he’s been a good player for the last couple of years. He’s been a leader. He’s carried the Canadians at the world juniors (tournament). I think he is ready to step right in and contribute, unfortunately, right away for the Rangers, which is not good for us.”
Still, Allvin isn’t convinced that, a few years from now, Lafreniere will be separated from the rest of the Class of 2020 the way he appears to be now.
Read this full article at our partners, DKPittsburghSports.com.
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