ARLINGTON, VA — Hendrix Lapierre came into camp this fall with a chip on his shoulder.
A year ago, Lapierre expected to spend the 2024-25 campaign as a full-time NHL player. He was coming off a season that saw him play more than half the year with the Capitals, recording 22 points (8g, 14a) in 51 games, before becoming the AHL’s 2024 playoff MVP in the spring.
But instead of graduating to a Capitals regular, Lapierre floundered at the NHL level, making the team’s Opening Night roster but registering a lackluster training camp performance and continuing to struggle into the season. The Caps didn’t wait long before pulling the escape hatch, making a deal to acquire centerman Lars Eller in November. By, the following month, Lapierre was back in the minors.
The Lapierre that arrived at training camp in September has borne little resemblance to the player the Capitals demoted last season. He currently leads the league with seven preseason points (1g, 6a) in four games — including two three-point nights — and got another shot at playing his natural center position at practice on Friday, something head coach Spencer Carbery attributed in part to Lapierre’s standout play.
Lapierre explained that, after last season, he had little desire for a repeat performance.
“I think last year I came in and it was kind of like, ‘All right, you pretty much made this team already,’” he said Friday. “Then this year it was kind of like, ‘All right, you’ve got something to prove. You have to find your way in, and you have to work your way in.’
“So I feel like that was a little bit of a difference. But for sure that little, I wouldn’t say maturity, but experience of learning from your mistakes, from what happened last year, I think that helps tremendously.”
In 27 games last season, Lapierre averaged just 9:48 of ice time, scoring no goals and earning just eight assists. At five-on-five, Lapierre received 87.5 percent of his starts in the offensive zone, but the Capitals were outscored 11 to 7 and out-chanced 114-108 with him on the ice, controlling just 42.5 percent of expected goals.
His place in the Capitals organization is also more precarious than it was a year ago. For the first time in his career, Lapierre is eligible for waivers, meaning a demotion could easily mean the end of his time in DC.
Some of Lapierre’s improvement this fall came from a longer summer. After back-to-back trips to the Calder Cup Finals in 2023 and 2024, Lapierre’s 2024-25 season ended in May when the Hershey Bears lost the division finals in a sweep to the Charlotte Checkers. Those extra few weeks made Lapierre’s offseason far less rushed, giving him time to work through his training at a more comfortable pace.
He also found confidence in his success at the AHL level. Lapierre recorded 32 points (7g, 25a) in 32 games for the Hershey Bears, regaining his footing after a difficult start to the year and a frustrating demotion.
The biggest part of his change, however, may have stemmed from a mental shift. Lapierre had seen firsthand just how hard it is to crack the NHL, and he knew his previous approach wasn’t good enough.
“I put in a lot of work in the summer, but I’d say mentally, probably it’s the best I’ve felt, just knowing that I have one goal in mind,” he said. “Everything that I’ve done since (the first day of camp) has been to make this team. I feel great mentally. I feel full of confidence. I know I put in the work this summer, I know I’m putting in the work in practices, so when I get to game situations, I feel really comfortable.”
Lapierre’s determination to get back on the roster has become his sole goal coming into the season — he joked early in camp that he’d play in goal if that’s what the coaching staff wanted — but his strong performance has put him in the running to retake his former third-line center spot.
“I can play on the wing if I have to, but being in the middle is where I would say I’m most comfortable,” he said. “I thought this camp I was going to be on the right wing, on the left wing, at center, but it seems like so far it’s just been in the middle. I’m comfortable with whatever, but it’s been good so far in the middle.”
His focus has paid off, even beyond just scoring points. Excluding Lapierre’s three-point showing in Hershey on September 25 (for which the NHL did not track statistics), the Capitals have controlled 60.9 percent of expected goals, 55.6 percent of scoring chances, and 69.64 percent of high-danger chances with Lapierre on the ice at five-on-five.
Head coach Spencer Carbery highlighted the growth he’s seen from a “laser-focused” Lapierre at camp this fall.
“When you’re around him, and when he’s practicing, and when he’s watching film, and when he’s at the board, I can feel that he’s just completely zeroed in on what he needs to do in the next drill, next game…
“I think he has a real clear understanding of how important this camp is, and also the drive he has and how determined he is to make it come to fruition. It’s not like he’s a different person; I can just tell he’s very, very focused on what he needs to accomplish in camp.”
Lapierre knows he can’t erase last year’s failures, and he’s not interested in making excuses for his poor performance. But after months of hindsight, another season under his belt, and some self-reflection, he’s ready to turn the page on a new chapter.
“I’ve said this a thousand times, but everything that I do right now is to make this team. Maybe it wasn’t the case last year. But as I said, this year I have something to prove — a little more, maybe, than last year. I’m focused, I want it more than anything, and I think so far it’s going relatively well.”
