Jack Hughes (Left) and Alexis Lafreniere (Right)
Harper Cotie
Even though NHL training camp is right around the corner, people can’t stop talking about hockey phenomes Jack Hughes and Alexis Lafreniere. Hughes is a lock to be the first overall selection in next year’s NHL entry draft (2019). This young man has been generating buzz and excitement for months with his high end talent, including videos of highlight real goals on Instagram with the US under 18 Development program. TSN’s Gord Miller recently said on TSN 1050’s ‘Overdrive’, that Hughes displays a striking resemblance to Pat Lafontaine.
Wouldn’t it be something if the 5’10, 175-pound centreman was drafted by the Islanders, who selected Lafontaine third overall in 1983? On the flip side, we could very well see Jack join his brother Quinn in Vancouver, who drafted him 7th overall this past June. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we can all look forward to seeing the Hughes’ brothers playing together for Team USA at this year’s World Juniors in none other than…Vancouver.
This past season, Hughes put up 18 goals and 39 points in 18 games with the US under 18 National Team in the USHL. There is no question that Jack Hughes is going to be a superstar in the NHL, and whoever gets to select him at the 2019 draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, will be extremely lucky.
Now, let’s move two years down the road to the 2020 NHL entry draft. Quebec native Alexis Lafreniere is already being talked about as Canada’s next hockey prodigy and is the projected first overall pick in 2020. Lafrienere put on a show at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in mid-August, tallying 11 points in five games, while leading Canada to a gold medal victory over Sweden. Who could forget Lafreniere’s end-to-end, highlight real goal that he scored in the 6-2 win? Just like Jack Hughes, Lafreniere is going to be special.
Lafreniere absolutely ripped it up in his first season with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2017-18. He put up an astounding 42 goals and 80 points in 60 games as a 16-year-old. He was the first rookie to score 40 goals in the Quebec league since Sidney Crosby did in the 2003-04 season for…Rimouski. Go figure. That season, Sid averaged roughly 2.29 points per game. Lafreniere averaged 1.33 this season, which is more comparable to a guy like Nathan MacKinnon in his rookie year in the QMJHL, where he averaged 1.34 points per game with the Halifax Mooseheads. Nevertheless, Alexis Lafreniere is in great company with some very impressive numbers.
Wouldn’t it be something if the Montreal Canadians could snag a superstar in the making from Quebec, to be the next face of the franchise? Lafreniere will definitely crack Canada’s World Junior squad for this year’s tournament. The question is, how much will he play as a 16-year-old?
The bottom line is that these two (Hughes and Lafreniere) are going to be stars. They both possess a tremendous amount of skill and will both make an NHL franchise and their fans very happy for years to come. It’s never too early to look into the future, especially when you’re talking about these kinds of players. For two years, everyone talked about this year’s first overall pick in Rasmus Dahlin, who we finally get to see in the NHL as a member of the Buffalo Sabres this season. The prospects every year seem to be better and better. It’s only the beginning for a new generation of supreme NHL talent.