Lafreniere could return to Canada's WJC select camp roster
Alexis Lafreniere was selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft earlier this month by the New York Rangers, but he could still be added to the 46 players invited to take part in Canada's national junior team selection camp. The camp takes place in Red Deer, Alberta at Westerner Park Centrium from November 16 to December 13.
The team is in the final step in picking the players that will represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. Quinton Byfield, Kirby Dach, and Bowen Byram were all invited back, even though all three players will likely find themselves on NHL rosters this upcoming season.
Lafreniere was voted the MVP and best forward at the 2020 WJC after he scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in five games, which led Canada to another World Junior Championship. The 19-year-old has already signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers, and he is expected to play in a top-9 role during his rookie season.
"Jeff Gorton [Rangers' GM] was certainly open-minded to the idea but hoping that his player would have the opportunity to join the NHL team in New York, as of now actually, to begin skating with the club," Hockey Canada Chief Executive Officer Tom Renney said. "I've indicated to him that I would circle back within about 10 days to see how things are sitting and what things look like for Lafreniere joining this camp and beyond.”
There are two dates that Lafreniere could join the team. One is in the bubble in Red Deer on November 16, and the second is in Edmonton on December 13.
The 2021 WJC will be held December 25, 2020 to January 5, 2021 at Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton without fans in a bubble similar to the one used for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| William Nylander | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alex Tuch | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Auston Matthews | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shane Wright | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bowen Byram | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Knies | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Andrew Mangiapane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Provorov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 55 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 79 | |
Capitals | 53 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 77 | |
Oilers | 53 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 70 | |
Stars | 53 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 69 | |
Hurricanes | 54 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 54 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 68 | |
Panthers | 55 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 67 | |
Maple Leafs | 53 | 32 | 19 | 2 | 66 | |
Wild | 54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 | |
Devils | 55 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 66 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||