NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jérémy Lauzon

Get to Know Jérémy Lauzon

Date of Birth: 4-28-97
Place of Birth: Val-d’Or, QC, CAN
Ht: 6’2” Wt: 194 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
Team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)

Jeremy Lauzon was a second round pick for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft. He saw his production skyrocket between his rookie and draft seasons, corresponding to an increase in responsibilities. After finishing 2013-14 with only 16 points (5g, 11a) in 55 games, Lauzon put up over twice that many (15g, 21a) in 60 games during the 2014-15 season. His post-season performance in the Huskies’ 2013-14 season was impressive, notching 2 goals and 2 assists in 9 games. Unfortunately, his playoff appearance last season was limited to only one game.

Statistics

What Scouts See

Bill Placzek

Underrated Q dee-man who has excellent mobility, size and sufficient toughness to project to high levels.

Future Considerations

A solid, two-way, smooth skating defenseman. He is a very good skater, very mobile and can switch direction easily. He accelerates quickly, making him hard to contain when he has the puck along the walls. His feet help him evade pressure in the defensive zone and skate the puck out. In the offensive zone his skating helps him walk the blue line and offer various targets to his teammates, especially on the powerplay. He handles the puck well, controlling it and protecting it on the rush. Can deke the first forward coming at him easily. His passing skills are pretty good. His breakout passing is accurate, crisp and tape-to-tape. In the offensive zone his head is up to see his options and he makes good decisions with regards to distribution. Has a heavy point shot but passed it more often than he looked to get it on net himself. He can release a pretty dangerous wrist shot at full speed on the rush as well. He plays a physical but intelligent game, he won’t throw any useless hits that would pull him out of position. He angles opponents off to separate them from the puck before turning back up in transition. Defensively, his positioning is solid and keeps players to the outside, with his good skating and good pivots. He’s not beaten by speed often.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Lauzon is very much an offensive defenseman. His strengths lie in his skating, passing, and shooting abilities. He is both mobile and quick on his feet, making him a difficult target for opponents. His outlet pass is crisp and accurate, and he has a knack for finding the open seam for a clean cross-ice pass. He’s not afraid to pinch down low, especially on a quick transition out of the defensive zone. That can leave his teammates hanging at times, unfortunately. He has a tendency to disregard opposing players who are skating out of his d-zone in order to attack on the transition, looking far too much like a forward. He has a quick shot that finds the net more often than not, and with his quick release, can surprise the goaltender into letting up a big rebound or a goal.

He lacks physicality, though. While he doesn’t avoid battles in the corners or along the boards, he’s hesitant to put himself into the mix. He’d rather use his stick to break up the play or dislodge a puck than throw his body around. It’s surprising considering his size. He plays a lot smaller than he is. That said, he’s not afraid to drop the gloves when asked.

Highlights

NHL Potential

Lauzon has the skills to make a nice middle- to bottom-pairing defenseman on an NHL team. If he develops the physical side of his game, he could definitely be a solid 3-4 guy. He could use some more time growing his game in the Q, followed by some AHL games, before making the leap to the big leagues.

Expected Draft Position

Lauzon is finding himself on polar opposite sides of the draft rankings. Half of them put him as a high-second round pick, while others put him firmly in the middle- to low-end of the third. Given his size and offensive abilities, he should go somewhere in the 45-55 range. With development, he could round out his physical game and become a reliable two-way defenseman.

How Jeremy Lauzon Fits in Avalanche Organization

The Avs need top-tier defensemen, and Lauzon simply will never be that number 1 or 2 d-man in the NHL. While it’s never a bad thing to have solid defensive prospects in the ranks, the Avalanche have some nice guys in the system right now who project higher than Lauzon. If he drops to the third or fourth round, he would be worth consideration. However, he’s not the guy you want to take at 40.