Home / News / Hendrix Lapierre had 3 assists in his first 2 games back in junior. ‘In an ideal world, I would have stayed in Washington’

Hendrix Lapierre had 3 assists in his first 2 games back in junior. ‘In an ideal world, I would have stayed in Washington’

By Ian Oland

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November 15, 2021 8:27 pm

The Washington Capitals sent 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre back to the QMJHL on Wednesday after the 19-year-old prospect started the season in the NHL. After tying for the team lead preseason points (5), Lapierre scored his first NHL goal on Opening Night and averaged 9:35 TOI during his six regular-season games in the NHL.

“It’s a lot for a young player to I think to handle the NHL and the league itself,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette explained last week, reflecting on the move. “So we sent him back to juniors where he can play against his peers and who knows what happens from here, whether he gets a chance to play in the World Championships and whether he gets a chance to play in playoffs. If all those things could happen, you think about his year and it’s really in a great spot.”

Laviolette added that “It’s not a negative that we sent him back. We just felt it was time for a young player that where it’s very difficult to crack a league that’s made of grown men. It’s difficult and yet he did such a fantastic job that we had to keep him and we had to keep looking at him and he helped us.”

Saturday, Lapierre made his debut for Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who gave up a lot in a trade with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens to acquire him over the offseason. Lappy tallied two assists and was named first star of the night in Acadie-Bathurst’s 6-4 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes. Lapierre also wore the A as one of the team’s alternate captains.

Lapierre registered a secondary and primary assist on two different Acadie-Bathurst power plays.

On Sunday, in the back-end game of a back-to-back against his former team, Lapierre tallied a secondary assist on an even-strength goal by Cole Huckins.

Acadie-Bathurst would go on to lose to Chicoutimi, 5-2.

“Of course, in an ideal world, I would have stayed in Washington,” Lapierre said in a French-language interview with TVA Sports a day after he sent back to the Q. “However, I had a great opportunity to play games. It was up to me to grab it. I don’t think I did wrong, but maybe I didn’t do enough to stay on all year. I know, however, that I made a huge leap in progress.”

Lapierre said that the Capitals’ “messages were very positive. They obviously gave me a few points that they would like me to work on. I do feel, however, that they have confidence in me and that’s all I can ask for.”

Lappy will now play every night and have a huge role on Acadie-Bathurst, allowing him to continue to develop. He also is likely a shoo-in on Canada’s 2022 World Junior Championship team where he can test his skills against the other best under-20 players outside of the NHL.

“I am aware that I still have a lot to learn,” Lapierre said. “I haven’t played a lot of games in the last few years. We have a good team in Bathurst and I think my year will be really good. What I want this year is to have fun playing hockey.

“I know it’s a cliché, but I really want to get better every day. I want to play on the power play, shorthanded, take some big faceoff, and try to help the team win.”

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB

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