Hendrix Lapierre: 2024 Annual Review And Forecast


We continue our annual prospect review and forecast series with Hendrix Lapierre, center for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). (You can access all our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.)

VITALS

Lapierre, 22, is a 6’-0”, 180 lb forward from Gatineau, Quebec. He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract on October 27, 2020, for an average annual value of $925,000. With two years of entry-level slides, he will be a restricted-free agent in the summer of 2025.

CAREER SUMMARY

After playing in the Quebec Midget AAA League during the 2017-18 season, Lapierre was the first overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL draft.

In his first season with the Saguenéens, 2018-19, he recorded 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 48 games. His production was enough to lead all first-year QMJHL players in points per game and he won the Michel Bergeron Trophy for the league’s offensive rookie of the year.

In February 2019, Lapierre suffered what appeared to be a concussion and was forced to miss nearly a month. He returned to the Saguenéens for the last seven games of the regular season and participated in the playoffs, where he scored three goals and recorded two assists in four games.

During the summer of 2019, he represented Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he scored three goals and recorded eight assists for 11 points in five games, ultimately catching the eyes of Capitals scouts.

Expectations for Lapierre were high for the 2019-20 season. The Saguenéens assembled a star-studded roster that was expected to contend for the Memorial Cup and Lapierre was expected to be their top center. He posted 13 points in his first 13 games of the season but then had an awkward collision on October 23 against the Rimouski Océanic.

After the game, he was diagnosed with what was believed to be his second concussion. The symptoms soon subsided, and he returned to the lineup less than two weeks later. But then Lapierre took an open-ice hit on November 21, and this time, the concussion symptoms did not go away. He had headaches and was sensitive to light and sound. He had trouble focusing on schoolwork and feared his season was over.

Lapierre began skating again in January but still felt something was wrong. He still had headaches, but it was mostly in the morning and they would go away in 10 minutes, which was not typical of concussions. So, the family sought other medical opinions, specifically Dr. Daniel Dyrek. In February, he had X-rays and MRI’s done.

While the imaging was relatively clear, Dr. Dyrek noticed two vertebrae that were out of place. It appeared the overarching issue was a cervical issue rather than concussions. Dr. Dyrek figured the second and third injuries were the aggravation of an old spinal issue, rather than repeated concussions. Hence, Lapierre got to work to heal his spine and strengthen the nearby muscles. He was nearly ready to return in March when the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

The Capitals selected Lapierre with their first-round pick (#22 overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on October 6, 2020.

Lapiere had a challenging 2020-21 campaign, which included more than 60 days of quarantine time (isolation) due to the Covid pandemic. He did manage to participate in Team Canada’s training camp prior to the World Juniors in December but was cut from the team. He also participated in the Capitals’ Covid-abbreviated training camp in January (each camp required a week of quarantine before participating and returning to Canada).

Lapierre scored eight goals and 23 assists in 21 regular season games for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. He was fourth on his team in goals and first on his team in assists. He ranked 89th in the QMJHL in goals and 21st in the league in assists. Lapierre began to heat up in the postseason, adding five goals and seven assists in nine postseason games.

Lapierre was then traded from Chicoutimi to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL on June 23, 2021.

Lapierre’s 2021-22 campaign began with a solid prospect development camp and main training camp and was ultimately awarded a spot on the Capitals opening night roster. He would score a goal in six games with Washington before being re-assigned to Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL.

Lapierre was invited to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2022 World Junior Championship team, but once again, was cut from the team. He would return to Acadie-Bathurst to have a fairly decent second half of the season but missed games late in the season due two different lower body injuries. Lapierre finished the season with 21 goals and 30 assists in 40 games played. He finished the season with a 1.28 points per game percentage, good for 21st overall in the QMJHL, and 4th on the Titan roster. He recorded 150 shots for a 14.0% shooting percentage.

The 2022-23 season was a season of ups and downs for Lapierre, very typical for any AHL rookie. He began the season with an excellent points scoring rate, averaging a goal every three games and averaging 2.6 shots per game in the first 25 games of the season. He hit the “rookie wall” in the next 25 games, dropping his shot rate to 1.2 shots per game and 0.12 goals per game.

Lapierre was a healthy scratch for a couple of games in February, but it ultimately helped him for the remainder of the season. After a fast start, he was somewhat quiet in the postseason but did score in the decisive game 7 of the Calder Cup final. More importantly Lapierre played in a lot of games this past season, something he was lacking on his resume due to injuries and the Covid pandemic.

The 2023-24 season was notable in that he started the season with the Bears, was recalled by the Capitals on three different occasions and, after his final callup, did not return to the Bears until after the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs. He starred in the playoffs as the Bears won the Calder Cup for their second consecutive season.

Lapierre ended up playing more than twice as many games with the Capitals as he did for the Bears. His regular season statistics for the Bears were 5 goals and 12 assists in 21 games. For the Capitals, he scored 8 goals and recorded 14 assists in 51 games.

During the playoffs for the Capitals, he scored 1 goal and recorded 1 assist in 4 games. For the Bears’ run to the Calder Cup, he played in 20 playoff games where he scored 7 goals and recorded 15 assists as he won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the Calder Cup playoffs.

2023-2024 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS

The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Hendrix Lapierre for the 2023-2024 season. You can find all our monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

OCTOBER

The second-year pivot remained in the third-line center role he occupied last season. This season so far his wingers have been Pierrick Dube and Ivan Miroshnichenko and the trio has been effective. Lapierre posted three assists during October. Two of those assists were the primary helpers on Miroshnichenko’s goals. The native of Gatineau, Quebec has been given more responsibility defensively this season as he has been deployed on the penalty kill.

Lapierre was recalled to Washington and played for the Capitals against San Jose on October 29. With Nicklas Backstrom announcing he is taking a leave of absence to deal with a lingering injury, Lapierre may have an opportunity to stick in the NHL for the foreseeable future.

NOVEMBER

Lapierre remained with the Capitals during November. On November 18, in a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, he assisted on first-period goals by Sonny Milano and Aliaksei Protas. During the third period, Milano sent in a streaking Lapierre on a breakaway, and he went top shelf on a backhand shot for his first goal of the season and third point of the night, which gave Washington a 4-2 lead at 13:23. Protas had the secondary assist. This goal was the game-winning goal as the Blue Jackets scored once more.

His goal and his two assists that game were his only points for November.

DECEMBER

Lapierre returned to Hershey on December 9 and played five games for the Chocolate and White before being recalled to Washington again. The second-year center made an impact in those five games, amassing five points.

Lapierre recorded three assists against Laval on December 16, his first AHL multi-point game for the season. He tallied a third-period goal in his first game back in the lineup and then struck shorthanded against Charlotte on December 10.

Lapierre’s play on the penalty kill was noticeably better than earlier in the season. He was more aggressive, and his reading of the play had improved. The Gatineau, Quebec native is also positionally strong.

Lapierre was called back up to Washington on December 19 and played in the last six games of the month for the Capitals. He scored a goal and had an assist against the New York Islanders on December 21 but has been held without a point in his last five contests.

JANUARY

Lapierre spent most of the month in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. He played in eight games for the Capitals and compiled a pair of assists.

The second-year center was reassigned to the Bears on January 23 and skated in Hershey’s last three games of the month. His lone point in those three games was the primary helper on Pierrick Dube’s power-play goal at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 27. Lapierre has yet to get back into a groove since being sent down.

FEBRUARY

Lapierre had a bit of an up-and-down month that saw him begin and finish strong with a little struggle in between. Following a pointless first game of February, the second-year center recorded consecutive two-assist games on the 3rd and 9th. Lapierre then had a two-game stretch where he was on the ice for five goals against and was not playing responsibly, defensively.

At this point, Washington needed to recall a player. To his credit, Lapierre took the decision to heart and picked up his play. In the very next game in Belleville on February 19, the Gatineau, Quebec native came out flying. He opened the scoring in the first period when his centering pass hit a Belleville defenseman and went in. Later in the period, the pivot wristed a shot past Mads Sogard for a shorthanded tally. Lapierre completed the natural hat trick early in the second frame when he redirected a Pierrick Dube shot by Sogard for a power play marker. Hershey’s game against Laval on February 21 was his last regular season game in Hershey.

His next chance in the NHL came shortly after. Lapierre played in the last two February games for Washington, scored two goals against Ottawa on February 26, and added another a night later in Detroit.

MARCH

Lapierre spent the entire month of March with the Capitals. On the first day of March, he recorded two assists during a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. On March 7, when the Capitals played the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road, he scored the Capitals’ fourth goal as they went on to win 6-0.  At 8:50 into the second period, Lapierre turned around in front of the net and wristed one through the five-hole of Jarry after Van Riemsdyk set him up from behind the cage.

He scored the Capitals’ first goal on a deflection in their next game on March 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The goal came at 7:01 in the first period and put the Capitals ahead 1-0 in a game they won 4-1.

He scored the Capitals fourth goal at 14:22 during the second period against the Calgary Flames on March 18.

His totals for the month were three goals and five assists.

APRIL

In April, he scored no more goals for the remainder of the regular season but recorded four assists.

During the Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, Lapierre recorded an assist on the Capitals’ third goal of Game 1, a power play goal by Tom Wilson which decreased the Rangers’ margin to 4-3. Unfortunately, it was the Capitals’ last goal that game.

During the fourth game, Lapierre scored at 7:48 in the second period to tie the game at 2-2. Unfortunately, the Rangers scored two unanswered goals as the Capitals lost 4-2 to complete the series sweep.

AHL POSTSEASON

The Capitals returned Lapierre to Hershey to help the Bears win their second consecutive Calder Cup.

During the Bears’ first-round series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he scored a goal in the first game, had both a goal and an assist in the second game, and recorded an assist in the fourth game.

In the Bears’ second-round series against the Hartford Wolves, he had two assists in the first game and contributed both a goal and an assist in the second round as the Bears swept the Wolves.

During the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Monsters, he scored a goal and recorded an assist in the first game. He had one assist in Game 2 and two assists in Game 3.  He had one assist in both Games 6 and 7, with his assist in Game 7 being a secondary assist on a power play goal by Pierrick Dube which put the Bears ahead 2-1. The Bears went on to win the game 3-2 in Overtime.

In the Calder Cup Final against Coachella Valley, he had two goals and recorded five assists including a goal and two assists in Game 4 and an assist on Pierrick Dube’s power-play goal that tied the score at 1-1 at 5:51 in the first period.

He then scored a goal of his own on a deflection with just 36 seasons to go in the first period which put the Bears ahead, 2-1, a lead they did not hold onto, but later went on to win 5-4 in Overtime to win the Calder Cup.

Lapierre was selected as the recipient of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs after leading the postseason in scoring with 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) in 20 games.

PLAYER FORECAST

Between the fact that Lapierre spent more time in Washington than in Hershey and the fact he excelled so greatly in the playoffs, he will likely not return to Hershey.

The question for him will likely be which line he would center for the Capitals or even whether he might move to wing as the Capitals have a logjam at center, with Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael, and Pierre-Luc DuBois on the team.

By Diane Doyle

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