Washington Capitals: Hendrix Lapierre Assigned to Junior, A Deeper Look

Hendrix Lapierre was assigned back to junior where he will join the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Washington Capitals announced Wednesday morning. Lapierre recorded one goal in six appearances for the Capitals this season.

After earning his spot on the Capitals opening night roster, Hendrix Lapierre only managed to appear in 6 of 12 games with the Capitals this season. With many injury troubles, the Capitals have experimented with many rookies throughout the lineup this season, Lapierre being one of them. So after such a great training camp and open spots in the lineup due to injuries, why did Hendrix Lapierre not become a regular on this Capitals team?

For players 19 years of age or younger who are on entry-level contracts, they are allowed to play 9 games or fewer without there entry-level deal kicking in. The Capitals have stretched out the 19 year-old Lapierre’s time in Washington providing him professional experience, keeping him under the 10 game mark this season, and avoiding burning a year on his entry-level deal which seemed ideal for the Capitals. With injured players returning and older rookies to step in and fill the voids, it makes complete sense for the Capitals to have kept him under that 10 game mark and send him back down to junior.

So what does this mean for Hendrix Lapierre? Lapierre will join the Titan for a short period of time before being expected to join the Team Canada World Junior Camp sometime within the next month. Hendrix Lapierre is a probable for Team Canada for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Alberta this winter. Should Lapierre make the team, it would be his first time representing his country since the U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2019, where he helped Team Canada to a silver medal and was second in tournament scoring with 11 points in 5 games.

The Capitals 2020 first round pick should have a great opportunity with Team Canada, to gain lots of exposure and obtain a big boost in confidence and development in the international tournament. After World Juniors, Lapierre would then return back to Acadie-Bathurst, as re-joins a very promising Titan team. With Lapierre’s help, Acadie-Bathurst has a chance at making a very deep playoff run in their quest to the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada’s most prestigious junior hockey tournament.

Lapierre recorded 31 points in 21 games last year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and should be expected to dominate again this season. The former QMJHL first overall pick and offensive rookie of the year should receive an abundance of playing time and opportunity, which would be ideal for his development , and is exactly what the Capitals organization would want. An aging Capitals squad could absolutely use a young and talented player like Lapierre on the team full time next year, so saving a year on his contract and letting him develop in junior may pay off down the road.

Hendrix has been solid with the Capitals and as showed many flashes of his exquisite puck handling skills this season. Lapierre is confident and gives 100 percent every time he steps foot on the ice. He has absolutely earned every opportunity he has had with Capitals this season and has  seemed to be a very well liked guy to his Capitals teammates. He has brought Capitals management and fans something very exciting to look forward to for the near future, and we should all be eager to watch him play as a consistent regular for the Capitals someday.