There was a lot of roster turnover for the Washington Capitals in the 2024 offseason. Some new faces have joined the team like forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and defenseman Jakob Chychrun; while others have found their way out like Nick Jensen and Beck Malenstyn. For the forward group, players like Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane are looking to click on their new team, while younger talents like 22-year-old Hendrix Lapierre are trying to become a regular addition to the NHL roster.
Lapierre was drafted by the Capitals in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He previously grew his game in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for parts of three seasons, as well as one with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. While with Chicoutimi, he posted 45 points in 48 games for 2018-19 (13 goals and 32 assists), 17 points in 19 games for 2019-20 (two goals and 15 assists) and produced 31 points in his final season in 2020-21 (eight goals and 23 assists in 21 games). Lapierre’s lone campaign with the Titan had him put up 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points in 41 games. Additionally, Lapierre played in a total of 21 postseason QMJHL games between the Sagueneens and the Titan. In that span, he totaled 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points.
The Capitals gave Lapierre a taste of NHL experience during the 2021-22 campaign. He suited up for six games, where he scored his first goal in the league against the New York Rangers during his debut on October 13, 2021. After that, he was sent back to the QMJHL to play for Acadie-Bathurst.
Gaining Championship Experience in Hershey
Lapierre made his American Hockey League (AHL) debut with the Capitals’ affiliate Hershey Bears during the 2022-23 season. In 60 regular season games, he tallied 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points. That was good enough to finish with the sixth best point stats. Michael Sgarbossa led the way for the Bears with 58 points (21 goals and 37 assists) followed by Michael Vecchione (55 points), Ethen Frank (49 points), Mason Morelli (41 points), and Connor McMichael (39 points). It was a deep lineup for Hershey, and they finished the 2022-23 campaign with a regular season record of 44-19-9. Bears head coach Todd Nelson knew how to put his players in position for success, and that continued as Hershey kept winning in the postseason and won the 2023 Calder Cup championship against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Lapierre during the 2023 AHL playoffs tallied three goals and three assists for six points in 20 postseason games.
The 2023-24 hockey season saw less of Lapierre with Hershey and more with the Capitals gaining NHL experience. He suited up for 51 regular-season games for the Capitals and accrued eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in that span. He also got some playoff experience in, as he played in all four games in Washington’s series versus the Rangers. Lapierre scored a goal and provided an assist in that series. When he was in the AHL, he notched 17 points in 21 games (five goals and 12 assists) for the Bears. He also appeared in another 20 AHL playoff games, as Hershey repeated as Calder Cup champions in 2024. Lapierre’s offense grew more this time around in the postseason, as he got seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points.
Fighting for a Capitals Roster Spot
Lapierre has yet to play a full NHL season with the Capitals. That could change come 2024-25. A lot of players want to make names for themselves though, including the NHL players that former Washington general manager Brian MacLellan brought in. Dubois is looking to have a bounce back campaign after a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023-24. Mangiapane is going to try to make an impact after being acquired from the Calgary Flames. Connor McMichael just re-signed with Washington on July 1 with a two-year extension, and he will be doing what he can to try and make the most out of that contract so that he can get a longer deal for his next one. He just played in his first full NHL campaign with Washington last season and accumulated 33 points in 80 games (18 goals and 15 assists).
There are only so many roster spots available and it will be up to Lapierre to clinch one of those positions and hold onto it. He has benefited from spending more than half of last season on the Capitals and should have a great idea for what it takes to stay in the lineup. He still has a lot of growing to do in his game, but he can take that next step forward for the club by making the opening night squad and staying on the ice as much as he can for 82 regular-season games and however many more they could have in the playoffs.
