CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Charlottetown Islanders will look to slow down the top-ranked prospect for the 2020 NHL draft tonight in Charlottetown.
Alexis Lafreniere and his Rimouski Oceanic are here for a 7:30 p.m. date with the Isles in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) action at the Eastlink Centre.
Islanders head coach Jim Hulton said his players are looking forward to the challenge.
“This is a marquee guy. He’s probably going to be the first overall pick in the NHL draft,” he said before Thursday’s practice. “They want to prove their worth against the best.”
Entering Thursday’s game in Saint John, N.B., Lafreniere had only been kept off the scoresheet twice in the first 12 games of the season. He led the circuit with 27 assists and 39 points in 16 games.
The Islanders did get some good news with captain Brendon Clavelle being cleared to play after missing last week’s Quebec road trip with an upper body injury. He and Noah Laaouan are expected to see a lot of the Lafreniere-Cedric Pare-Dmitry Zavgorodniy line, who were the top three scorers in the league before Thursday’s play.
“It’s enormous to get him back,” Hulton said of Clavelle. “With this beast coming in tomorrow night in Rimouski you have to have your veterans, so guys like Clavelle, (Xavier) Bernard, Laaouan are going to be essential for us to have any success.”
The Islanders will have three 17-year-old defencemen in the lineup, but Clavelle likes his team’s chances.
“I think it’s about us. We’re a good defensive team and we have the best goalie in the league,” he said, referring to fifth-year netminder Matthew Welsh. “We have to be aware who we're on the ice with and that line, but, if we play our game, I think we can beat anybody in this league.”
Pare is an overage centre who started his junior career with the powerhouse Saint John Sea Dogs. He leads the league with 18 goals, a career high for the six-foot-four, 212-pound pivot.
Zavgorodniy, 19, is a five-foot-11, 189-pound Russian right-winger who was drafted by the Calgary Flames. He had 31 points through 16 games.
“They’re a beast,” Hulton said of the trio. “We’re going to attempt to limit them. I am not sure you’re ever going to completely shut them down.”
Pare and Lafreniere are big, skilled forwards, which is a rare combination in the QMJHL. In the past, teams would try to play physical with skilled players, but Hulton is stressing a different approach.
“To me, you just have to be positionally sound with smart sticks.”
While the Islanders don’t always employ a shutdown line, they will use one tonight in the form of Zac Beauregard, Brett Budgell and Drew Johnston.
“I’ll try my best,” Beauregard said. “I know what my role is and I think I am doing pretty well. It’s going to be a harder challenge (tonight) that’s for sure, but I think I am ready to accept that challenge.”
Beauregard grew up playing minor hockey against Lafreniere in Quebec. They were among the top players in their age group along Xavier Parent and Samuel Poulin, who now both play with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
“Every time I played against him my coaches always matched my line against him,” Beauregard said. “It’s still hard to play against him, he’s the best player in the league.”
Alexis Lafreniere
Who – An 18-year-old left-winger with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Rimouski Oceanic.
The latest – The six-foot-one, 203-pound Saint-Eustache, Que., native is in Charlottetown tonight to play the Islanders at 7:30 p.m.
The history – Lafreniere was selected first overall in the 2017 major junior draft.
Did you know – Lafreniere is the top-ranked prospect for the 2020 NHL draft. He wasn’t eligible for the 2019 draft because his birthday (Oct. 11) is after the Sept. 15 cutoff.
Statistics
Season GP G A Pts.
2017-18 60 42 38 80
2018-19 61 37 68 105
2019-20 16 12 27 39
History against the Islanders
2017-18
Jan. 4 in Charlottetown – Scoreless in Charlottetown 2-1 win.
Jan. 21 in Rimouski – Scoreless in Rimouski’s 3-1 win.
2018-19
Oct. 3 in Rimouski – Scoreless in Rimouski’s 4-2 win.
Oct. 20 in Charlottetown – one goal, two assists in Charlottetown’s 5-4 win.
Team records
Rimouski – 9-4-1-2.
Charlottetown – 10-3-3-0.
Injury update – Left-winger Liam Peyton is a game-day decision after jamming a thumb Sunday in Val-d’Or, Que.
