Hendrix Lapierre: 2022 Annual Review And Forecast

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Jon Sorensen


We continue our annual prospect review and forecast series with Hendrix Lapierre, forward for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Quebec Men’s Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). (You can access all of our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.)

VITALS

Lapierre, 20, is a 6’-0”, 180 lb forward from Gatineau, Quebec. He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract on October 27, 2020, for an average annual value of $925,000. With two year’s of entry-level slides, he will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

CAREER SUMMARY

After playing in the Quebec Midget AAA League during the 2017-18 season, Lapierre was the first pick overall in the 2018 QMJHL draft. In his first season with the Saguenéens, 2018-19, he recorded 13 goals, 32 assists for 45 points in 48 games. His production was enough to lead all first-year QMJHL players in points per game and he won the Michel Bergeron Trophy for the league’s offensive rookie of the year.

In February of 2019, Lapierre suffered what appeared to be a concussion and was forced to miss nearly a month. He was able to return to the Saguenéens for the last seven games of the regular season and participate in the playoffs, where he scored three goals and recorded two assists in four games.

During the summer of 2019 he represented Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he scored three goals and recorded eight assists for 11 points in five games, ultimately catching the eyes of Capitals scouts.

Expectations for Lapierre were high for the 2019-20 season. The Saguenéens assembled a star studded roster that was expected to contend for the Memorial Cup and Lapierre was expected to be their top center. He posted 13 points in his first 13 games of the season, but then had an awkward collision in a game on October 23 against the Rimouski Océanic.

After the game, he was diagnosed with what was believed to be his second concussion. The symptoms soon subsided and he was back in the lineup less than two weeks later. But then Lapierre took an open ice hit on November 21, and this time, the concussion symptoms did not go away. He had headaches, and was sensitive to light and sound. He had trouble focusing on school work and feared his season was over.

Lapierre began skating again in January but still felt something was wrong. He still had headaches but it was mostly in the morning and they would go away in 10 minutes, which  was not typical of concussions. So the family sought other medical opinions, specifically Dr. Daniel Dyrek. In February, he had X-rays and MRI’s done.

While the imaging was relatively clear, Dr. Dyrek noticed two vertebrae that were out of place. It appeared the overarching issue was a cervical issue rather than concussions. Dr. Dyrek figured the second and third injuries were the aggravation of an old spinal issue, rather than repeated concussions. Hence, Lapierre got to work to heal his spine and strengthen the nearby muscles. He was nearly ready to return in March when the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

The Capitals selected Lapierre with their first round pick (#22 overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on October 6, 2020.

Lapiere had a challenging 2020-21 campaign, which included more than 60 days of quarantine time. He did manage to participate in Team Canada’s training camp prior to the World Juniors in December but was cut from the team. He also participated in the Capitals’ Covid-abbreviated training camp in January (each camp required a week of quarantine before participating and returning to Canada).

Lapierre scored eight goals and 23 assists in 21 regular season games for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. He was fourth on his team in goals and first on his team in assists. He ranked 89th in the QMJHL in goals and 21st in the league in assists. Lapierre began to heat up in the postseason, adding five goals and seven assists in nine postseason games.

Lapierre was then traded from Chicoutimi to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL on June 23, 2021.

Lapierre’s 2021-22 campaign began with a solid prospect development camp and main Capitals training camp, and was ultimately awarded a spot on the Capitals opening night roster. He would score a goal in six games with Washington before being re-assigned to Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL. Lapierre was invited to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2022 World Junior Championship team, but once again, was cut from the team. He would return to Acadie-Bathurst to have a fairly decent second half of the season, but missed games late in the season due two different lower body injuries. Lapierre finished the season 21 goals and 30 assists in 40 games played. He finished the season with a 1.28 points per game percentage, good for 21st overall in the QMJHL, and 4th on the Titan roster. He recorded 150 shots for a 14.0% shooting percentage.

2021-2022 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS

The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Hendrix Lapierre during the 2021-2022 season. You can find all of our monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

OCTOBER
Lapierre attended Capitals’ prospect camp at the end of September and participated in the Capitals main training camp that followed. He remained on the Capitals roster for opening night, and played in five games. He recorded his first career NHL goal on October 13.

The Capitals will need to make a decision regarding Lapierre very soon. They will burn the first year of his entry-level contract should Lapierre play in 10 games or more. Lapierre could return to Acadie-Bathurst before the end of the year, as he is ineligible to play in the AHL (age).  He’s come a long way since last season where he had an average scoring season for a first round draft pick. Remember, he was cut by the Canadian Junior team just 10 months ago. Regardless, Lapierre’s shown he’s capable of playing in the NHL.

TRENDING: UP

NOVEMBER
The Capitals announced November 10 that they had assigned Lapierre to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Lapierre recorded a goal in six games with the Capitals this season but was seeing less playing time as the Capitals regular season progressed.

Lapierre was interviewed by TVA sports the day after he was assigned to Acadie-Bathurst. “Of course, in an ideal world, I would have stayed in Washington. 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. However, I know that I made a huge leap in progress,” said Lapierre.

Before his departure from Northern Virginia, Lapierre met with the Capitals coaches and management. The native of Gatineau said they had very positive words for him prior to his return to Canada. “Their 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.”

Lapierre knows there is still plenty of work to do before he makes his return to Washington. “I’m aware that I still have a lot to learn. 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.” More of interview here.

Lapierre returned to games on November 13 against Martin Has and Shawinigan where he picked up a pair of assists, twice setting up linemate and Seattle Kraken draftee Jacob Melanson en route to a 6-4 victory and first-star honours.

Lapierre was then back at it again the next night as he notched another assist, this time coming against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, his former squad.

Lapierre was the first intermission interview on November 19th. He commented on his time in Washington, his first goal in the NHL, his overall game and his current perspective on things.

Lapierre would be held off the scoresheet in his next game, but would return the next night with a primary assist on the Titan’s second goal.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan fired their head coach Mario Durocher on Thursday, November 26. The team started the season 9-9-2. Assistant Greg Leland assumed the duties on an interim basis.

Lapierre would pot his first goal of the season on November 28. He also had a pair of assists in the game.

Lapierre has seen steady time with both special teams as well. His penalty kill work was solid in the four games we watched in November. He had the half-wall position on the power play for the Titan, which may not be the best use of his skills.

For the month of November and for the season for Acadie-Bathurst, Lapierre had a goal and six assists in six games played. He shot the puck just 18 times for a 5.6% shooting percentage and was a -1 on the ice.

On November 1, Lapierre was formally invited to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, beginning Dec. 9 in Calgary.

TRENDING: UP

DECEMBER
Lapierre dropped down to center the second line for Acadie-Bathurst in the first game of December, and has been slowly building chemistry with his linemates of Cole Huckins and Bennett MacArthur.

Lapierre began his scoring for the month with a nice primary assist on the Titan’s second goal on December 3rd against Cape Breton.

Lapierre would record his second point of the game in the middle frame.

Lapierre was invited to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, which opened in Calgary, Alberta on December 9. He would be held off the scoresheet in the first scrimmage on Saturday, but did score in the mandatory shootout after the game.

He would also be held off the scoresheet in the second and final camp scrimmage, although he was moved up to center the top line. Lapierre was cut from Canada’s National Junior team on December 12.

Lapierre would score in his first game back with Acadie-Bathurst on December 16.

On December 21 the QMJHL paused their entire schedule until January 7 due to COVID-related issues. For the season, he has five goals and 13 assists in 11 games played.

TRENDING: SAME

JANUARY
The QMJHL extended their holiday/COVID-19 pause until the second week of January. Players reported to teams on January 14. The League’s regular season schedule was planned to resume  the week of January 17, with postponed games to be rescheduled at a later date.

The return of activities initially planned for the week of January 17 will instead take place on February 1. The circuit is still working to replace the games postponed so far, while the primary objective remains to play all 68 regular season games.

Lapierre played no games in January. He has five goals and 13 assists in just 11 games played so far this season. Once again Lapierre needs to find games. He has played in a total of 57 games since the start of the 2019-20 season.

TRENDING: SAME

FEBRUARY
Lapierre wasted little time in finding the scoresheet when Acadie-Bathurst finally returned to game action on February 5. He would score in the first period against Blaineville-Boisbriand. He also had an assist and was named the second star of the game.

Lapierre would score his next goal on February 10 against the Armada.

Lapierre found the back of the net in the next game on Friday night against Victoriaville. Lapierre had three goals and two assists in the first three games since the restart of the QMJHL season on February 5.

Lapierre would pot a pair of goals on February 21 against the Charlottetown Islanders. His first goal was the first score of the game in the first period.

Lapierre’s second goal came with 28 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. Acadie-Bathurst would win it in overtime.

Lapierre has 12 goals and 19 assists in just 19 games played so far this season. The game count is once again extremely low, but has been out of his control this season. He still needs games and hopefully that comes in the backend of the season.

TRENDING: UP

MARCH
It was another streaky month for Lapierre. He scored a pair of goals in the first game of the month.

But then things cooled off a bit for Hendrix as he was eventually dropped to center the third line. He returned to the goal scoring with a tally on March 15th and again of March 20.

Lapierre recorded two goals and three assists and was named the first star of the game on March 25 against the Halifax Mooseheads. His first goal came just 1:32 into the contest.

Lapierre’s second goal of the game came early in the second period on a nice end-to-end play that was finished with a shot from the top of the slot.

Lapierre, 20, would also add three assists in the game as Acadie-Bathurst would go on to win 11-2, extending the Titans winning streak to eight games and improving their record to 32-15-2-2 on the season. Lapierre scored once more on March 27 against Cap Breton.

For the month of March he recorded seven goals and 11 assists in 15 games for a 1.20 points per game monthly average. That’s down from his previous two months.

For the season Lapierre has 19 goals and 30 assists in 34 games played for a 1.44 points per game average, which is 4th-best on the Acadie-Bathurst team.

After spending more than 60 days in quarantine last season, Lapierre is starting to finally hit a stretch of consistent games. He is still on the low side, playing in just 80 games since 2018. That’s essentially the equivalent of one AHL season, which is likely next on the agenda for Lapierre. It’s difficult to imagine him playing 76 consecutive games/an AHL season without additional games and conditioning. Hopefully the Titan make a long run in the postseason.

Acadie-Bathurst has 16 games remaining in their regular season, which ends on May 1. From a pure developmental perspective, it’s clear that the value of games in the CHL/QMJHL has maxed out for Lapierre.

TRENDING: SAME

APRIL
Lapierre sustained a lower body injury during the Titan’s game on April 1 and was out of the lineup for the next six games. He returned to the lineup on April 14, and was moved to left wing on the second line in his first game back.

Lapierre, 20, potted a pair of goals in the first period against the Islanders. His first strike came at 10:56 of the period, extending the Titan’s lead to 2-0. Lapierre received a beautiful exit pass off the boards and deked the netminder for the open-goal shot. It was his 20th goal of the season.

Lapierre’s second goal came five minutes later in the opening frame. He knocked home a close-range shot from the right side on the power play, giving the Titan a 3-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Lapierre once again returned to the injury list on April 21 and missed the last four regular season games of the month. He did return for the Titan’s final regular season game on May 1.

For the season, Lapierre had 21 goals and 30 assists in 40 games played. He finished the season with 1.28 points per game, good for 21st overall in the QMJHL, and 4th on the Titan roster.

A decent, but not overwhelming season for Lapierre. 40 games played is also on the Low side for a player who has not played many games over the last four seasons – 128 games total over the four seasons in the QMJHL, or 32 games per season average.

He shot the puck 150 times for a 14.0% shooting percentage. His time in the QMJHL is done.

TRENDING: SAME

PLAYER FORECAST

Lapierre played in a total of 54 games this season, still on the low side, but much better than the 2020-21 season (30 games) and 2019-20 season (24 games). He was sidelined with two different lower-body injuries that kept him from competing in the full 68-game regular season schedule.

For the season, Lapierre had 21 goals and 30 assists in 40 games played. He finished the season with 1.28 points per game, good for 21st overall in the QMJHL, and 4th on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan roster.

Lapierre will be discussed as potentially winning an opening night roster spot, but once the dust clears and the season gets rolling, it’s likely Lapierre will spend a majority of the season in Hershey, working on his pro-game, and looking to play an entire season.

By Jon Sorensen

RELATED READING
Sagueneens: The Foreurs Win in Three
Hendrix Lapierre Needs Games: He’s Quarantined For Over 60 Days So Far This Season
Hendrix LaPierre On Meeting Idol Alex Ovechkin: “It Was Special To See Him And Shake His Hand”
Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre Do Battle In First Team Canada U20 Scrimmage

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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3 Responses to Hendrix Lapierre: 2022 Annual Review And Forecast

  1. steven says:
    June 5, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    I can see him doing wellin camo and still starting the season in Hershey. However he will finish the season in Wash as his scoring; both goals and assists will be needed. I can see him vaulting McMichael and playingon the 2nd or 3rd line. Now if Backy retires then He would be the logicalchoice to start on the 2nd line and McMichael on the 3rd. Lets start that rebuild NOW!!!!!!!

    Reply
  2. DWGie26 says:
    June 5, 2022 at 9:31 pm

    I think the rebuild will continue to be a pragmatic approach. Last year we saw Fever play a whole rookie season. CMM spent the whole season on Caps roster and Snively get a one-way contract and expected to make the Caps roster. I think we’ll see 2 forwards and 1 dee elevated to Washington next year. I don’t think Lapierre will be one of them. He needs to get stronger and play some pro hockey against men. Protas will be the next center and Leason will have to clear waivers so I think we’ll see them before Lapierre. But i like him and his ceiling is probably higher than CMM. But it takes time to play at pro level as CMM found out.

    Reply
  3. Lance says:
    June 5, 2022 at 11:30 pm

    I love taking centers in the 1st round. Lapierre’s skating, passing and hockey sense are blue chip. He seems to have a great attitude and loves being a hockey player. He just has to put in the work to get stronger and learn what it takes be an NHL 1st or 2nd or 3rd line center. I expect him to be at least a good 2nd line NHL center who will add to the power play. Does he play hard and get it done defensively? That’s a big deal in the NHL. He shows flashes of elite talent. He went #1 overall in the Q so you know he has unbelievable skill.

    A year or two in Hershey will prepare him to be his best.

    Reply

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