If tenacity and fearlessness are traits Bowman covets, Lafreniere is an excellent pick in the 3rd round. Though he is on the smaller size, at just 6-0, his combination of speed and endless fore-checking will more than make up for it. In his rookie season with the Kamloops Blazers, Lafreniere put up 24 goals and 56 points, placing him second among WHL rookies in goals, and third in points. Two main points of contention remain his lack of size and overall skating, which are two things the Oilers development system will need to address. The one thing you can’t teach is compete level, and Lafreniere has that in spades.

Selected 83rd overall, Tommy Lafreniere is now a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Lafreniere is a quick-witted two-way forward who uses his intelligence to be a pesky play disruptor. A smart player with strong timing, he stays on top of the play, surveying and jumping on vulnerable pucks. While not always physical on the puck, Lafreniere is adept at using deception to surprise carriers and strip pucks off them. He finished fourth on Kamloops in scoring in his first year there, though his minus-33 was second lowest on the team. However, this was a weaker team, and everyone on the roster was well into the negative. –

Final Rankings – The ceiling is low, but the certainty is high; Lafreniere plays an intelligent, disciplined, responsible game, allowing him to pester carriers and win battles all over the ice.—