New York Rangers take Alexis Lafrenière with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft

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Since Alexis Lafrenière was in his early teens, he’s been talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick.

Now it’s official.

Just five days short of his 19th birthday, the New York Rangers selected the coveted Canadian forward with the first pick in the 2020 NHL draft, ending years of anticipation.

“It was an unreal feeling,” Lafrenière said via Zoom on Tuesday. “We’ve been waiting for a long time.”

The draft was originally planned for late June in Montreal — which is less than an hour from Lafrenière’s hometown of Saint-Eustache — but the coronavirus pandemic pushed the date back to October and moved the event to a virtual setting.

Watching from home with his immediate family, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound left-winger witnessed his wait come to an end.

Alexis Lafreniere was taken No. 1 overall by the New York Rangers.

 (Photo: Ryan Remiorz, AP)

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“Obviously, it’s different,” he said. “We didn’t expect that a couple months ago — but it’s still an honor. It’s still a big day in my life. Today I woke up and I was really excited, and I just got ready for the pick. It was just a huge honor for me when I heard my name. I’m just a little bit speechless and really excited.”

Lafrenière is one of the most accomplished No. 1 overall picks in recent years, with two Canadian Hockey League MVPs and an IIHF World Junior Championship MVP already under his belt.

He played the last three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Rimouski Océanic, the same team that produced 2005 No. 1 pick Sidney Crosby. They are the only two players to win the CHL MVP award twice.

“I’m really trying to focus on myself and on getting better as Alexis Lafrenière,” he said. “I don’t think I’m Sidney Crosby. I’m really focusing on getting better as a player. Obviously, Crosby is a different level, I think, so I’ll just try to improve as a player and keep getting better.”

Over the course of 173 games with Rimouski, Lafrenière accumulated 297 points (114 goals and 183 assists) — an average of 1.72 per game and nearly 100 per season. His best season came in 2019-20, when he led the QMJHL with 112 points (35 goals and 77 assists) in 52 games, which works out to an average of 2.15 per game.

“A couple years ago, when I came to Rimouski, I wanted to improve as a player and to play some good hockey,” he said. “I think I had a couple pretty good seasons, so I told myself that I had to work hard and had to keep getting better. That’s what I did and we’re here today. I’m getting drafted with the New York Rangers, so it was kind of a dream growing up, just to be drafted.”

Many scouts feel that Lafrenière would have been the No. 1 pick if he was eligible last year, too. His combination of skill, strength, high-level production and competitive fire make it difficult to identify holes in his game, although his skating has been occasionally criticized as average, or only slightly above average.

Lafrenière solidified his position as the No. 1 pick with a standout performance at the 2020 world juniors. He bounced back quickly from a knee injury, which many thought would prevent him from finishing the tournament, to lead Canada to the gold medal. Despite playing only five games, he produced 10 points (four goals and six assists) and was widely hailed as the tourney’s best player.

“The big thing about Alexis is that he’s a clutch player,” Team Canada coach André Tourigny told the USA TODAY Network. “He is a good player when the pressure is on. When the game is on the line, he’s the kind of guy who wants to be on the ice.”

That bodes well for the Rangers, who are expected to insert him directly into their NHL lineup and see how he performs under the bright lights in New York City.

Lafrenière said he hasn’t discussed exactly what his role will be, nor has he decided on which number he’ll wear. (He wore No. 11 with Rimouski, which is retired by the Rangers for Mark Messier and Vic Hadfield.) But he did indicate he’ll be ready to compete when training camp rolls around, likely in December.

“I think physically, I got a lot stronger,” he said. “In my game, I can create scoring chances a lot and I think that’s something I’ll try to bring in the next level. For sure, it’s going to be a bit of an adjustment, but I’ll keep getting ready. And when the training camp starts, I’ll try to be as good as I can and I’m going try and make a difference.”

This was only the second time the Rangers have picked No. 1 overall — and first since 1965. But, it marked the fourth consecutive year in which they’ve selected in the top 10.

Now, Lafrenière will join one of the youngest cores in the league, right alongside last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Kaapo Kakko.

“I can’t wait to see the fans,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the fans and the building. I’m really excited to arrive in New York in the next couple months and I hope we’re going to have a good season.”

The Rangers finished the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season at 37-28-5, which was better than 13 other teams. But a qualifying round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes placed them into the unique lottery drawing to determine the No. 1 pick, which altered the course of their franchise history.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

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