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Capitals Prospects

Hendrix Lapierre Hitting Stride In Hershey At Perfect Time For Capitals

Published

1 year ago

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Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals forward Hendrix Lapierre took all of the necessary steps this offseason to ensure he was ready for a pro transition, putting on muscle, fine-tuning his skills and working on improving his skating. Due to a lack of vacancies on the opening night roster and a so-so training camp, he started the year with the Hershey Bears. And so far, he has made the most of his opportunity in his rookie AHL campaign.

Lapierre is mainly centering the third line in Hershey, working with the likes of Ethen Frank and Shane Gersich. There, he has been finding his game and confidence, and has made a major impact. He has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 12 games, tying him with Mike Vecchione for the team lead in scoring. The 20-year-old is currently on a four-game point streak and has goals in back-to-back games, which made him one of the AHL’s Three Stars of the Night on Sunday.

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Beyond the scoresheet, Lapierre looks comfortable playing at the pro level. He has great speed and has taken steps to improve his skating. His positioning has also gotten better, along with his hustle and battle at both ends of the ice. Watching him, he’s able to make quick, crafty plays on the fly, take good care of the puck and get to those high-danger areas. He also has a wicked shot, and he has become more confident in his scoring ability. All of that has him on pace for 60 points in his freshman AHL campaign.

It’s a good sign for the struggling Capitals, who are battling several injuries and aren’t playing up to expectations. The forward lines haven’t seen a lot of chemistry or spark this season and taking that, the aging core and several pending free agents into account, having a player like Lapierre developing on the right track is a great sign.

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