NHL Prospect Profile Raphael Lavoie

Statistics

Scout Quote

The Draft Analyst:

A puck-possessing machine with speed, size and excellent awareness in the offensive zone, Lavoie is a versatile forward who can wear many hats from start to finish. He owns an excellent shot, both for its quick release and also for its velocity, and Lavoie’s penchant for creating his own chances expands the ice for his linemates.

By keeping his feet moving while operating with his head on a swivel, Lavoie keeps opponents guessing and rarely do you see him make a telegraphed play that eventually traps him well beyond the location of the puck. He is a controlled and patient stickhandler who looks to incorporate the rest of his teammates into every cycle, and his keen vision and pass accuracy in tight spaces or off the rush allow him to play the role of playmaker with aplomb.

Lavoie is a very good skater with above-average straight line speed and enough agility to weave around or fake opponents out of position. He is extremely strong on his skates and can sustain shoves or checks from multiple angles during a cycle, using his long reach and wide stance to shield the puck.

He also is a capable player in his own end and pounces on pucks in a timely manner. Lavoie comes across as a smart player who is willing to make sacrifices for team success, such as taking a beating in front of the net or using his body to absorb punishment in order to keep a play alive. He can play center or wing, although he looks more comfortable on the flank as a primary shooting option.

AJ’s Thoughts

Lavoie is the kind of prospect I always warn teams against drafting every year because he’s such a boom or bust proposition. His talent is there when he wants it to be and questions about a player’s level of engagement this early in their career is always a major red flag.

Lavoie has supreme goal-scoring ability as he showed when he was leading Halifax back to the Memorial Cup and scoring nearly a goal-per-game along the way. That’s the ability that teams find so tantalizing and if he’s able to consistently tap into it, he’ll make his drafting team extremely happy.

If he succumbs to some of his lazier habits and doesn’t find his tryhard at the next level, he’ll be another in a long line of extremely talented players who couldn’t stick because their heart just wasn’t quite in it. Lavoie’s stock had really dropped throughout the season but his incredibly postseason run elevated back to where he should be on solid ground back in the first round. He remains a dice roll but it would be hard to ding any team for taking the chance on what could be the steal of the draft.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

Lavoie is a big body with legit goal-scoring ability. At the 16th pick, he’d be a hell of a home-run swing from a scouting staff that has historically erred more towards conservative tendencies. Part of me would love to see them going so bold, especially in a draft where they have another high selection in case this one burns out on them, but I also have such a hard time believing in prospects like this every year.

Anecdotally, their bust rate seems really high and Colorado definitely needs to continue on its picks in order to keep feeding this emerging machine. A safer prospect certainly wouldn’t have Lavoie’s upside, however, and he would immediately become the most intriguing pure goal-scoring prospect taken by the Avs in recent years.

Rankings

#27 Hockeyprospect.com
#11 Future Considerations
#14 Bob McKenzie