Rangers Score First Pick in the N.H.L. Draft

In a year when little has been conventional, the N.H.L.’s draft lottery was decided in two phases with more moving parts than a Swiss watch. The first draw had revealed the seven teams that will select in the second through eighth spots. Eight so-called “placeholder” selections represented the teams that had yet to compete in the postseason qualifying round.

Lafreniere cemented his standing as the top prospect over the course of the past two seasons, dominating Canadian junior hockey and at international events like the Gretzky-Hlinka Cup and Under-20 World Junior Championships. Where Lafreniere skated, hardware followed in the form of nearly every “Player of the Year” trophy for which he was eligible.

Lafreniere has eschewed comparisons to Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins star who was drafted first overall from the same junior team, Rimouski Oceanic. But Scotty Bowman, the nine-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and Montreal native — said he had little doubt as to Lafreniere’s place among the 2020 draft class.

“He’s much better than anybody else. There’s nobody close to him,” Bowman said earlier this year.

While Lafrenière may be a slightly less certain superstar than Crosby or the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid when they were prospects, he is widely regarded as a surefire first liner with pro-level poise. He is also a rare wing who can drive play in a manner usually reserved for centermen, much like the American wings Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau but, at 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, is bigger than either of those players.

Center Quinton Byfield and forward Tim Stutzle head up the rest of a talented group of forwards eligible to be drafted this year, while defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Jake Sanderson are generally considered the top rear guard prospects. The Russian goalie Yaroslav Askarov seems a mortal lock to be the first taken at his position.