The 21-year-old is coming off a wild year with the AHL's Hershey Bears and wants to return to the NHL after getting a taste of it two seasons ago.d
Washington Capitals prospect Hendrix Lapierre's rookie season with the AHL's Hershey Bears was a winding road with the biggest learning curve yet -- and he's thankful for it.
The 21-year-old caught up with RDS to discuss his first year in the pros, which was a bit of a roller coaster but ended with a Calder Cup championship.
"It's been full of ups and downs for me, personally. For sure, some moments were easier than others. I've come out of it an absolute winner," Lapierre said in the interview, as translated by DeepL.
Lapierre finished the season with 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 60 games while navigating hot streaks and a couple of healthy scratches to press reset midway through the year. He came back stronger, and in 20 playoff games, his three goals and three assists came at clutch times to help lead his team to the title.
That includes his game-tying goal in Game 7 of the Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds to force overtime and ultimately, lead to the victory. He felt no panic in that game, but knew that goal would be one that went down in history.
"It's probably the best moment of my career so far," Lapierre added. "Sure, my goal was fun, but that was all the work of the year, all the work of the playoffs. The ups and downs. All of it. It was crazy."
Looking back at the season as a whole, the Quebec native admitted that his rookie campaign was mentally challenging at times, as the expectations he set for himself led to some extra weight on his shoulders.
"As a forward, you try to bring offense. Sometimes that didn't work so well. I watch videos with the coaches, and we try to learn from them. Of course, there may be a little pressure I put on myself," Lapierre explained. "Not necessarily because I'm a first-round pick, but because I know what I can do. I know that if I bring my best hockey every night, good things will happen. I just have to find a way to do that."
Going into his fourth training camp with the Capitals, Lapierre is training hard and preparing to impress the way he did in 2021-22 to win a roster spot. He scored his first career goal in his NHL debut and had gotten six games before returning to juniors.
In the end, the 6-foot, 185-pound center plans to push hard for a roster spot and prove to new Washington head coach Spencer Carbery that he can be an impact player with the big club.
"I saw what [those NHL] guys were doing on a daily basis; it helped me a lot. Of course, getting a taste of it two years ago makes you want to go back because you know what it's like," Lapierre said of making the Capitals.
"I don't think it's a negative if I go back to the American League, but I definitely want to stay up there. And I'm going to do everything I can during camp to show that I want to stay up there," he added. "I know that with the work I put in every day, good things will happen."