Five days before his 19th birthday, left winger Alexis Lafreniere received a nice present: The New York Rangers selected him with the top overall pick in the NHL draft on Tuesday.
"It's a big honor for me," Lafreniere said. "Obviously, the New York Rangers are a big organization with a lot of history and a lot of great players. So for me, it's a big honor and I'm really excited to join this team."
Lafreniere was viewed as the certain No. 1 overall pick after leading the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in assists (77) and points (112) for Rimouski Oceanic last season. He was selected the QMJHL's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, this time posting 2.15 points per game, the best average in a top Canadian junior league since Connor McDavid's rate of 2.50 per game in 2014-15.
The Rangers never previously selected first overall in the draft since the current format was established in 1979. They chose Andre Veilleux with the No. 1 overall pick in 1965.
New York finished the 2019-20 season with a 37-28-5 record, the 79 points ranking next-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers still made the expanded Eastern Conference playoffs but were swept in three games in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
1. New York Rangers, LW Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
2. Los Angeles Kings, C Quinton Byfield, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
3. Ottawa Senators, LW Tim Stuetzle, Adler Mannheim (Germany)
4. Detroit Red Wings, LW Lucas Raymond, Frolunda HC (Sweden)
5. Ottawa Senators, D Jake Sanderson, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
6. Anaheim Ducks, D Jamie Drysdale, Erie Otters (OHL)
7. New Jersey Devils, RW Alexander Holtz, Djurgarden IF (Sweden)
8. Buffalo Sabres, RW Jack Quinn, Ottawa 67's (OHL)
9. Minnesota Wild, C Marco Rossi, Ottawa 67's (OHL)
10. Winnipeg Jets, C Cole Perfetti, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
11. Nashville Predators, G Yaroslav Askarov, SKA-Neva (Russia)
12. Florida Panthers, C Anton Lundell HIFK (Finland)
13. Carolina Hurricanes, C Seth Jarvis, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
14. Edmonton Oilers, C Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten)
15. Toronto Maple Leafs, C Rodion Amirov, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia)
16. Montreal Canadiens, D Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
17. Chicago Blackhawks, LW Lukas Reichel, Eisbaren Berlin (Germany)
18. New Jersey Devils, C Dawson Mercer, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
19. New York Rangers, D Braden Schneider, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
20. New Jersey Devils, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia)
21. Columbus Blue Jackets, RW Yegor Chinakhov Omsk 2 (Russia)
22. Washington Capitals, C Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
23. Philadelphia Flyers, RW Tyson Foerster, Barrie Colts (OHL)
24. Calgary Flames, C Connor Zary, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
25. Colorado Avalanche, D Justin Barron, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
26. St. Louis Blues, LW Jake Neighbours, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
27. Anaheim Ducks, RW Jacob Perreault, Sarnia Sting (OHL)
28. Ottawa Senators, C Ridly Greig, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
29. Vegas Golden Knights, C Brendan Brisson, Chicago Steel (USHL)
30. Dallas Stars, C Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
31. San Jose Sharks, RW Ozzy Wiesblatt, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
--Field Level Media