2020 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Hendrix Lapierre Scouting Report

Positives and Negatives

To start, LaPierre is a very fast skater. His smooth strides are a huge reason for that, as he effortlessly glides his way up the ice. He also has very good edges, as he can make quick cuts, sharp turns, and stop on a dime. Those qualities allow him to stick with the play if the puck changes directions, or he loses the puck and has to get back possession.

Offensively, LaPierre has a strong arsenal to choose from. Do you need a guy who can dice up opposing defenseman with ease and put on a show for the fans? LaPierre is your guy. However, the overuse of his stickhandling prowess does lead to some facepalm-inducing turnovers.

Do you need a playmaker? LaPierre can fill that role too. He has a good feel for the puck and a good sense of who’s around him. His excellent vision adds to his ability to find open teammates that some players couldn’t locate. His passing ability in itself is at a high-level. He has a nice touch on his passes, putting the right amount of power behind every pass, with pin-point accuracy.

Do you need someone who can score goals? LaPierre can step up to the plate and deliver on that, too. His shot is fairly underutilized. He does struggle to get pucks through traffic, so he tends to look for passes if a shooting lane isn’t immediately there. But his shot features a decent amount of power and very good accuracy. His shot isn’t exactly NHL-ready yet, but it’s certainly close.

His game revolves around his high-level awareness and hockey IQ. His off-the-puck movement showcases his awareness more than anything. He keeps his head up and does an exceptional job finding soft spots in the opposition’s coverage. He also fills-in for teammates when they step out of their zone to make a play.

LaPierre can play physically as well. He certainly isn’t a one-dimensional player. He holds his own in net-front battles and board battles. He isn’t afraid to step up and play the body when an opportunity presents itself either. He doesn’t consistently step up and play physical, nor does he lay punishing hits, but he certainly holds his own.

LaPierre is at the center of attention on the transition through the neutral zone. He is really good at weaving through traffic with the puck to get up ice. He is also good at moving the puck up to teammates in order to gain entry with possession of the puck.

On the forecheck, he usually goes in slow and tries using his high IQ to out-smart the opposition and intercept their breakout passes. He uses an active stick while doing so, which can force the opposition to make a bad play or create hesitation, which allows him to attack the puck carrier.

LaPierre is an effective back checker. He uses his speed and active stick to disrupt plays from behind. He is good at pick-pocketing players as well, with stick lifts and poke checks. If he amps up his physical play a bit, he could become one heck of a back checker. However, as is, he is efficient in this area.

He is a solid defensive forward. LaPierre’s IQ and active stick, paired with his skating ability and positional awareness make him a very reliable forward in defensive zone play. He’s good at clogging up passing lanes and taking away one-time lanes while keeping his head on a swivel to see if there’s anything else he needs to do. He supports the defense down low, and his active stick is effective in forcing turnovers.