Over the past three seasons, Lafrenière has put up some outstanding production with the Rimouski Océanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, scoring 114 goals and picking up 183 assists for 297 points in 173 games played. His 2018-19 season was a memorable one as a 16/17-year-old, where he put up 105 points (37+68) in 61 games. Although he failed to win a QMJHL title with Rimouski, Lafrenière was named as the league's most valuable player, and eventually was named the MVP of the entire Canadian Hockey League.
Lafrenière was already having another phenomenal 2019-20 season in Rimouski before the rest of the season was canceled due to the coronavirus. The 18-year-old had scored 35 goals and amassed 77 assists for 112 points in just 52 games played. He could very well be named as the MVP of both the QMJHL and the CHL once again when they decide to hand out the annual awards.
The native of Saint-Eustache, Quebec was also a pivotal part of the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. Lafrenière missed a pair of games in the preliminary round due to a knee injury, but he was still able to play in five games, scoring four goals and picking up 10 points while earning the MVP honors of the tournament.
While Lafrenière has not been labeled as a "generational" talent heading into the draft, he is a high-octane player on the wing that will likely become one of the better players in the NHL for years to come.
“Lafrenière has exceptional skills and attributes which make him a scoring threat every time he steps onto the ice,” said NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. “Whether it’s with Rimouski in the QMJHL or on the world stage he has continually shown that he is a force that can impact and be a difference maker in games. What sets him above in this Draft class is the natural compete and battle traits that are ingrained in his game, allowing Alexis to lead the way and make others around him better.”
Right behind Lafrenière on the North American rankings is Sudbury Wolves center Quinton Byfield in the Ontario Hockey League.
Byfield is a big-bodied forward who led the Wolves in scoring this season with 82 points (32+50) in 45 games played. The 17-year-old was the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year for the 2018-19 season, and ended up ranking fifth this season in the OHL with an average of 1.82 points per-game.
The native of Newmarket, Ontario also won the gold medal with Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championship, picking up an assist in seven games played in a much smaller role on the team.
The best defenseman of this draft comes in at No. 3 on the North American rankings - Jamie Drysdale of the Erie Otters.
Drysdale was one of the bright spots for the Otters this season on the blue line with nine goals and 38 assists for 47 points in 49 games. The 18-year-old finished the 2019-20 season as the OHL's 13th leading scorer among defensemen, while ranking 10th among defensemen in average points per-game (0.96).
Like Lafrenière and Byfield, the smooth-skating offensive defenseman was also a part of the 2020 World Junior champion Canadian roster, where he scored a goal and added two assists in seven games on the back end.
The 18-year-old winger made his debut in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and put up a stellar season for Adler Mannheim. Stützle ended up being named the DEL Rookie of the Year as he went on to score seven goals, while picking up 27 assists for 34 points in 41 games at Germany's top level of professional hockey.
The native of Viersen, Germany also took part in the 2020 World Junior Championship in Ostrava, where he picked up five assists in five games played for Germany's first appearance in the top division of the tournament since 2015. Stützle was a big part of that German team that helped the nation survive relegation and earn a spot in the 2021 World Juniors in Alberta, Canada.
Stützle may be smaller in size, but he is a very good skater and is always a threat on the ice with the puck. He has great vision in the offensive zone, and has the ability to carry the offense for his team while playing on the wing. He will look to become just the third-ever German-born and trained player to be picked in the top-10 of the NHL Draft.
“Stützle is a smart, creative, playmaking forward,” said Goran Stubb, Director of NHL Central Scouting’s European Services. “He has an exceptional combination of skating and puck skills that are at an elite level and he’s capable of making precision plays at top speed with a wicked finishing shot.”
The 2020 NHL Draft was originally supposed to take place in Montreal, Quebec, but it has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. It has not been announced yet as to when and where the draft will take place this year, while the NHL Draft Lottery has also been pushed pack to an unknown date.