Hendrix Lapierre realized his NHL dream when the Washington Capitals selected him 22nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Capitals traded up for the rights to draft the 18-year-old center, who was considered a top-ten talent before injuries during the 2019-20 season hurt his stock.

Lapierre later revealed that Alex Ovechkin was one of his favorite players.

“I was a big Ovechkin fan growing up,” Lapierre said. “I had his jersey. I had his poster on my wall. My first jersey that I received was an Ovechkin jersey. Washington holds a special place in my heart and I’m really, really happy to be a part of that organization for sure.”

Wednesday, Lapierre posted photos wearing an Ovechkin jersey and posing in front of an Ovi fathead on his Instagram account.

The next day, the Capitals posted the photos on Twitter and Ovi responded. “Congrats Hendrix and all draft picks this year!!! Meet u soon :)))),” he wrote on Twitter.

Congrats Hendrix and all draft picks this year!!! Meet u soon :)))) https://t.co/tCdDks89v3

— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) October 8, 2020

Lapierre was star struck.

First time on twitter, I guess it’s for a good reason! 🤷🏼‍♂️ https://t.co/AFWZ75Oh8L

— Hendrix Lapierre (@Lapiz92) October 8, 2020

Props to Ovi for welcoming the kid to the team.

Headline photos courtesy of @lapierreh