“I’m really excited to join the New York Rangers and can’t wait to see the fans,” Lafreniere said. “I heard a lot of good things about the fans and about the building (Madison Square Garden), so I’m really excited to arrive in New York in the next couple months, maybe. I hope we’re going to have a good season. I’m really honored.”
The left wing led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 77 assists and 112 points for Rimouski and for the second straight season was voted QMJHL MVP, QMJHL Personality of the Year and Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year.
The Rangers won the No. 1 pick in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on Aug. 10.
“I think just throwing on a Rangers jersey … it’s pretty amazing,” Lafreniere said. “Growing up, you dream of being drafted in the NHL, and just being able to have an NHL jersey, and especially the New York jersey … it’s unreal for me.”
The draft was rescheduled from June due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. It was conducted virtually for the first time, with each team selecting from its draft room in its city and Commissioner Gary Bettman based at NHL Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Rounds 2-7 will be Wednesday (11:30 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN1).
Center Quinton Byfield was picked No. 2 by the Los Angeles Kings, the highest-selected Black player in NHL history. Forward Evander Kane (2009 NHL Draft, Atlanta Thrashers) and defenseman Seth Jones (2013 NHL Draft, Nashville Predators) each were chosen with the No. 4 pick.
“[Being the first Black player chosen] is something super positive,” Byfield said. “I just want to continue to spread positivity and awareness to that subject.”
Byfield scored 82 points (32 goals, 50 assists) in 45 games with Sudbury in the Ontario Hockey League this season.
“I don’t get too nervous, but I was pretty nervous and excited for this moment you’ve been waiting for all your life,” Byfield said. “Just celebrating with my family right now is something super-special.
“I was definitely anxious, and to hear my name being called was definitely a big relief off my shoulders. I can’t wait to go to Los Angeles now.”
Forward Tim Stuetzle was chosen No. 3 by the Ottawa Senators, who also selected defenseman Jake Sanderson at No. 5.
Stuetzle scored 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 41 games this season for Adler Mannheim of Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany’s top professional men’s league. He is the highest-selected NHL draft pick born and trained in Germany since forward Leon Draisaitl was selected No. 3 by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2014 NHL Draft.
“It’s a big honor to be [picked] by the Ottawa Senators,” Stuetzle said. “But, in the end, I want to make the team. This was my first step right now. I want to make the team as soon as possible and try to show my best every day.”
Sanderson was the first of two United States-born players picked; center Brendan Brisson was drafted No. 29 by the Vegas Golden Knights. There were 11 U.S.-born players selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
There were 19 Canada-born players selected Tuesday, the most in the first round since 2003 (19).
Iaroslav Askarov became the highest-drafted Russia-born goalie in NHL history and the fifth to be selected in the first round.
“I’m full of emotions right now,” Askarov said. “I feel joy and happiness and still can’t understand what just happened. Every kid has dreams and goals, and I was one of them. When I started to play hockey, I was dreaming about the NHL, and today is the first step to make it real.”
Germany-born Lukas Reichel, a forward for Eisbaren Berlin (DEL), was picked No. 17 by the Chicago Blackhawks. Prior to this year, five players born and trained in Germany had been selected in the first round but never more than one in any year.
“It’s very good for German hockey,” Stuetzle said. “What [Draisaitl] did (voted NHL MVP this season), like I’ve said before, it’s unbelievable. Many kids look up to him.”
Forward Lucas Raymond was picked No. 4 by the Detroit Red Wings. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale was picked No. 6 by the Anaheim Ducks, forward Alexander Holtz was picked No. 7 by the New Jersey Devils, forward Jack Quinn was picked No. 8 by the Buffalo Sabres, center Marco Rossi was picked No. 9 by the Minnesota Wild, and forward Cole Perfetti was picked No. 10 by the Winnipeg Jets.
The Rangers were 18th in the NHL standings this season and were the first team to finish that low and have the No. 1 pick since the 1994 NHL Draft, when the Florida Panthers finished 16th (Ed Jovanovski). New York was the first team to participate in the postseason and have the No. 1 pick since the 1983 NHL Draft (Minnesota North Stars, Brian Lawton).
This was the 19th time a team picked No. 1 and No. 2 in consecutive NHL Drafts. The Rangers selected forward Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft, after the Devils selected center Jack Hughes at No. 1.
The Rangers had No. 1 pick for the second time; they selected forward Andre Veilleux in the 1965 NHL Draft.
Lafreniere was sitting beside his parents, Nathalie and Hugo, and sister, Lori-Jane, at home in Saint Eustache, Quebec, when the Rangers made the selection.
“We are 10 out of 10 with excitement, to be dead honest with you,” New York president John Davidson said. “These things just happen maybe once in a lifetime, it feels like. For us to have one of those once-in-a-lifetime types of picks, it’s almost dramatic. We’ve had our eyes on Alexis the whole time, but the good part for me, or great part, or wonderful part, was when he put that jersey on.
“When he put that jersey on, it just look like it fit him, it was perfect. He’s a pro already in a lot of ways.”
Lafreniere is the first Quebec-born player selected No. 1 since goalie Marc-Andre Fleury by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Draft. The last Quebec-born skater chosen No. 1 was center Vincent Lecavalier by the Lightning in the 1998 NHL Draft.
“I think it means a lot,” Lafreniere said. “It means a lot to me. Just being able to represent Quebec City … I think it’s something really special for me and I’m really excited to keep going and try to make them proud again.”
The Rangers moved up later in the first round in a trade with the Calgary Flames and selected defenseman Braden Schneider at No. 19. The Flames received the No. 22 pick and a third-round choice (No. 72), and then traded the No. 22 pick to the Capitals for the No. 24 pick (center Connor Zary) and a third-round choice (No. 80).
The Senators and Devils each had three picks in the first round. Ottawa, which selected center Ridly Greig with the No. 28 pick, have four picks in the second round and 12 selections in all.
New Jersey also drafted center Dawson Mercer at No. 18 and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin at No. 20.
The Rangers were one of the eight teams with a 12.5 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The pick was assigned in the First Phase of the lottery on June 26. New York was swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in their best-of-5 Qualifier series as part of the 24-team Return to Play Plan.
Yevgeni Ryabchikov, No. 21 in 1994 by the Boston Bruins; Semyon Varlamov, No. 23 in 2006 by the Washington Capitals; Andrei Vasilevskiy, No. 23 in 2012 by the Tampa Bay Lightning; and Ilya Samsonov, No. 22 in 2015 by Washington were the other Russia-born goalies selected in the first round.
2020 NHL DRAFT FIRST ROUND
1. New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere, F
2. Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield, C
3. Ottawa Senators: Tim Stuetzle, F
4. Detroit Red Wings: Luca Raymond, F
5. Ottawa Senators: Jake Sanderson, D
6. Anaheim Ducks: Jamie Drysdale, D
7. New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz, F
8. Buffalo Sabres: Jack Quinn, F
9. Minnesota Wild: Marco Rossi, C
10. Winnipeg Jets: Cole Perfetti, C
11. Nashville Predators: Iaroslav Askarov, G
12. Florida Panthers: Anton Lundell, C
13. Carolina Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis, C
14. Edmonton Oilers: Dylan Holloway, C
15. Toronto Maple Leafs: Rodion Amirov, F
16. Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle, D
17. Chicago Blackhawks: Lukas Reichel, F
18. New Jersey Devils: Dawson Mercer, C
19. New York Rangers: Braden Schneider, D
20. New Jersey Devils: Shakir Mukhamadullin, D
21. Columbus Blue Jackets: Yegor Chinakhov, F
22. Washington Capitals: Hendrix Lapierre, C
23. Philadelphia Flyers: Tyson Foerster, F
24. Calgary Flames: Connor Zary, C
25. Colorado Avalanche: Justin Barron, D
26. St. Louis Blues: Jake Neighbours, F
27. Anaheim Ducks: Jacob Perreault, F
28. Ottawa Senators: Ridly Greig, C
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Brendan Brisson, C
30. Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque, C
31. San Jose Sharks: Ozzy Wiesblatt, F
NOTES: pick No. 3 from Sharks; pick No. 13 from Maple Leafs; pick No. 15 from Pittsburgh Penguins; pick No. 18 from Arizona Coyotes; pick No. 19 from Flames; pick No. 20 from Vancouver Canucks via Tampa Bay Lightning; pick No. 22 from Flames via Rangers; pick No. 24 from Capitals; pick No. 27 from Boston Bruins; pick No. 28 from New York Islanders; pick No. 31 from Lightning
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
