Alexis Lafrenière
Rimouski Océanic selected Alexis Lafrenière with the top pick at the 2017 QMJHL Entry draft. This was the team’s first No. 1 pick since Sidney Crosby came into the league in 2003. Lafrenière entered the league at the age of 15 and went on to win Rookie of the Year after scoring 42 goals in 60 games.
The captain of Team Canada, Alexis Lafrenière, led his team to a gold medal at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 6-2 victory over Team Sweden. In the final game, he had two goals and one assist which resulted in a total of eleven points throughout the tournament. He was the second youngest player on the team, and some were surprised that the young forward was named captain.
In the championship game of the annual Hlinka Gretzky tournament, Canada faced off against Sweden in the under-18 Men’s competition. Expectations were high as Canada has won gold at the tournament 10 times in the last 11 years. Sweden scored just 42 seconds into the first period and then took an early 2-0 lead with another goal. Canada responded by choosing to replace their goalie, and then netting six unanswered goals. Canada went on to win gold, captained by the talented forward Alexis Lafrenière.
