Capitals sign 2020 first round pick

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan announced today that the team has signed 2020 first round pick Hendrix Lapierre to a three-year entry-level contract worth $2,775 million ($925,000 AAV).

NEWS | The Washington Capitals have signed center Hendrix Lapierre to a three-year entry level contract.

Full Details: https://t.co/gdZ7Cd1x4O#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/IYDxe69pIt— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 27, 2020

Lapierre was ranked 13th among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting draft rankings, and he was selected 22nd overall by the Washington Capitals earlier this month. He is a very good skater, has a good hockey IQ, and defensively he's solid. Lapierre has the potential to be a top-six forward in the NHL one day.

The 18-year-old from Gatineau, Quebec has been playing in the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens the last few seasons. He was limited to only 19 games last season due to a few injuries. He suffered two concussions early in the 2019-20 season. One in October, then he returned for six games and suffered another one in November. As symptoms were persisting well into February of this year, Lapierre sought out for more information on what was going on. Following x-rays, and an MRI, doctors determined that he was suffering from a spinal injury, and that a few of the vertebrae were twisted and stuck. Doctors said it's possible the spinal injury is from his first concussion way back in February 2019, and that the injuries in October and November 2019 were a result of the vertebrae issue being re-aggravated, although they aren't 100% sure.

Lapierre is injury-free now, and currently is leading the Sagueneens in scoring with 8 points (3 G, 5 A) in four games.

In 71 regular season games with Chicoutimi, Lapierre has 70 points (18 G, 52 A), 28 penalty minutes, and is a +11. In 4 playoff games, he has 5 points (3 G, 2 A), 2 penalty minutes and is a +3.

Internationally, Lapierre has represented Canada once so far, and that was at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In 5 games, he put up 11 points (3 G, 8 A), 4 penalty minutes, and was a +9 as Canada got silver following a loss to Russia in the gold medal game. Lapierre finished second in tournament scoring, only one point behind teammate Cole Perfetti who finished with 12.

Source: Washington Capitals

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