On the Rise: Hendrix Lapierre
Matchup center in the making
While the Caps addressed their spotty blue line in the offseason by acquiring Jakob Chychrun and signing Matt Roy, another concern remains: motor.
The team’s forward corps, in particular, has been running on fumes since the Barry Trotz era. Last season was littered with passengers, and Washington’s first-round sweep at the hands of the Rangers served as a reminder that only showing up for the easy parts won’t win you many playoff games.
Hendrix Lapierre’s maturation should help in this regard. After gaining vital experience in 2023-24 (51 NHL games, 4 NHL playoff appearances, AHL playoff MVP), the young center is positioned to become a high-energy staple in the pros.
Here’s how the 2020 first-rounder can set the tone for his club.
Puck Pursuit
A shift or two is all it takes to notice Lapierre’s secret sauce. It isn’t phenomenal top speed (66th percentile among forwards). It’s the fact that he plays at his top speed with greater regularity than almost everyone else. His pace around the puck was a breath of fresh air in Washington and a large reason for his extended stint in The Show one year ago:
“His skating, he's done a way better job of utilizing that each and every night consistently,” head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters in March.
You wouldn’t expect a prospect of his pedigree to revel in the grind, but this one does. His feet churn in perpetuity and he digs for pucks like his career depends on it rather than hoping they’ll magically settle on his tape (WSH 29):
Although the 22-year-old is far from a bruiser, don’t mistake him for a fly-by pickpocket (e.g. Mitch Marner) either. He rejects shortcuts at every turn, burying his nose in the action and bearing down in 50/50 battles. Despite his 6’0”, 180-pound build, he wreaks havoc on retrievals and breakouts.
In tight quarters, Lapierre flashes his hockey sense and quick stick to wrestle underneath that of his counterpart. In roomier scenarios, he activates those feet, hustling to pin his shoulder inside his opponent’s before they reach the point of attack. He isn’t content with guiding a defenseman into the boards. He’s always looking for an angle on the puck or a way to knock them off their line.
Whether or not he emerges with possession, his primary directive is to gum up the works. And he’s quite effective at it. Think a…slightly less demented Brandon Hagel. Intimidating? Not really, but he’s irritating as hell.
A late-March tilt vs. the Hurricanes illustrated his value in puck pursuit:
As the F1 facing Martin Necas (CAR 88), Lapierre knows he must stop the speedy forward’s progress early, so he undercuts him behind the net to force him onto his forehand. Then he reads the self-bank pass, spins onto the Czech’s upper body to jar the puck loose and lays out to gift Alexander Alexeyev (WSH 27) a slot shot.
The angle, the tracking, the effort. A 1-on-1 confrontation with one of the league’s fastest skaters turns into a Grade A chance. Beautiful stuff.
Necas wasn’t Carolina’s lone victim that night. Brady Skjei (CAR 76) and Jordan Martinook (CAR 48) also suffered through a front-row seat to Lapierre’s hunger for the puck:
On this chip-and-chase sequence, he aims to slip between the two Canes defenders for a recovery. Their tag team slows him down in the NZ, and for most forecheckers, that would be that. Now watch their feet. Skjei and Martinook are in cruise control because they believe their mission is accomplished, whereas Lapierre is still chopping away like a madman.
Trying to power through Carolina’s obstruction is ultimately what reveals it to the officials. Man advantage, Washington.
Lapierre’s tempo became more and more evident as the season unfolded. He applied intense pressure on the opposition and provided a spark no matter where Carbery inserted him. That included the postseason, which was a disaster for the Caps but a brief coming-out party for the pivot:
Throughout that first-round series, Washington’s control over proceedings was at its strongest during his shifts. He was snatching pucks, dragging his team into the fight and draining the Rangers. He was among the few who went down swinging. Expect that trend to continue.
Lapierre’s vigor will be useful in the regular season, but in the spring, when each touch swells in import, he could become indispensable.
Defense
It’s no surprise that his pace and industry are just as impactful on the defensive side of the equation. When teams escape his initial strike (i.e. the forecheck), he tears across the ice in hopes of squashing your offense.
The NHL’s real-time data captured the amount of ground he covered in 2023-24:
Yeah…the 97th percentile is alright.
His motor can be seen in how ferociously he backchecks, how deeply he swings to offer low DZ support, how willingly he throws his body at pucks. In short, his game speed translates to availability. The coaching staff can rest easy knowing it will have bodies back when he’s on the ice.
Better yet, Lapierre couples that trait with good fundamentals. He has a habit of stick-lifting pretty much anyone in the vicinity on the off chance that a puck shakes free. Meanwhile, his hustle enables him to outnumber forwards in transition. On cycles, he can squeeze them along the wall without compromising his ability to smother point shots. At times, it feels as though he’s everywhere:
Even his stick work, which dampens release points and shot trajectories alike, stands out precisely because he lets his feet carry the mail. Instead of some lazy reach from distance, he won’t engage until he’s strolled right up to your doorstep.
Washington’s first-round series provided many examples of his defensive drive:
In the first clip, pay attention to Lapierre’s combination of patience and pace. Most backcheckers would alert Kaapo Kakko (NYR 24) to their presence with a stray tap or two, but Lapierre ensures that he’s zoomed into the winger’s hip pocket before springing his trap.
The second clip boils down to desire. After a pair of Caps defenders collide at the offensive blue line, Kakko believes he’s in alone on Charlie Lindgren. Lapierre closes the gap in a hurry to take the sting off his counterpart’s slapper.
On both occasions, the Finn has no idea what hit him. That gear comes out of nowhere.
Lapierre exhibited his fine puck tracking in Round 1 as well:
Dangle past the first defender? No problem. Lapierre passes his mark (Alexis Lafreniere, NYR 13) off to Trevor Van Riemsdyk (WSH 57), hones in on Alexander Wennberg (NYR 91) and denies the second inside pull. If reading the Swede like a book didn’t suffice, Lapierre’s stick check clears the zone and he wins the race to put the Blueshirts on their heels.
A pure coverage assignment in Game 4 demonstrates his threat recognition. After helping out down low, he identifies the sinking defenseman (K’Andre Miller, NYR 79), locates his platform and swallows it with his stick’s angle and forward pressure.
He’s out of range and then on you in a flash.
Despite occasional top-line deployment and his first-round draft status, Lapierre’s puck management leaves something to be desired. He probably isn’t a 1C. When you consider the arrival of Pierre-Luc Dubois as well, having Lapierre adopt a more defensive role is the logical move. His skill set is tailor-made for it.
He may lack Aleksander Barkov’s wingspan and Phillip Danault’s acumen, but who wouldn’t want a heart-and-soul center who can post 30+ points and break even in tough minutes? Ask the Tampa Bay Lightning if they miss Yanni Gourde.
Washington’s winger pool allows for that configuration too. Assuming he can hold off his back issues, T.J. Oshie would fit the bill of a two-way mentor. Newcomer Andrew Mangiapane would also slot in nicely. 6’6” tank Aliaksei Protas could hem opponents in and wear them down over time. Perhaps Brandon Duhaime could channel his inner Barclay Goodrow. The pieces are there for a disruptive trio.
By forming that matchup unit and pairing it with a Nic Dowd-anchored fourth line, the Caps would prime their bottom six for the postseason gauntlet.
From draft-year injuries to a string of promotions and demotions, it’s been a long road for Lapierre.
His solid playoff showings suggest he’s finally ready for a full-time gig. Further embracing a defensive bent—and packing on another 5-10 pounds of mass—would guarantee that he’s here to stay.
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