Prospect Info: 2016 5th Round - 133rd overall - Maxime Lajoie (D, Swift Current Broncos)

[Icelevel]

Reconfirmed
This guy is good

 

[Burrowsaurus]

You still have Ceci in there. Common man.. put someone else in there. Even Wideman .. put Future Considerations in there lol

I like this

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Dude is awesome. Boy did we ever need someone to step up on the blue line.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

So young too, imagine when he's 25-26.

 

[coladin]

So young too, imagine when he's 25-26.

Had some shaky moments, but didn't break. Tremendous game

 

[L'Aveuglette]

I honestly have no idea where all of this is coming from.

There was no indication he had this offensive potential until training camp. His junior and AHL stats never hinted that he could be a sniper by any stretch of the imagination....

And yet here he is in the NHL, looking like a stud. It's like a switch went on in his head. It's mind-boggling(in the best way).

What a totally unexpected surprise.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I honestly have no idea where this is all coming from. There was no indication he had this offensive potential until training camp. His junior and AHL stats never hinted that he could be a sniper by any stretch of the imagination....

And yet here he is in the NHL, looking like a stud. It's like a switch went on in his head. It's mind-boggling(in the best way).

What a totally unexpected surprise.

Has there ever been a case like this with an offensive d-men? Sure there have been surprises, but there’s usually an indication somewhere in their development.

I need hope that this isn’t just a hot streak.

 

[Beville]

Hot streak or not, he’s still exceeding expectations.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Has there ever been a case like this with an offensive d-men? Sure there have been surprises, but there’s usually an indication somewhere in their development.

I need hope that this isn’t just a hot streak.

He had a great 19 year old season in Swift Current. I think this is definitely a hot streak but he looks to have the skills to be a 40 point guy, maybe a bit more since defenders are tending to contribute more these days. He could have played last year in junior but they opted to bring him to Belleville. His low point totals last year (despite only being 20) probably speak more to how poorly the coaching staff used him. Kleinendorst is a pretty bad coach tbh. Guys like Jordan Murray and Pat Sieloff were probably getting a lot more opportunity than Lajoie.

 

[Steely Van]

As much as I like Pettersson for my Canucks, I find Lajoie's stats more impressive. He is not getting enough attention. If he was in Toronto Montreal or Vancouver he would be considered the favorite for the Calder right now.

 

[LeProspector]

I honestly have no idea where all of this is coming from.

There was no indication he had this offensive potential until training camp. His junior and AHL stats never hinted that he could be a sniper by any stretch of the imagination....

And yet here he is in the NHL, looking like a stud. It's like a switch went on in his head. It's mind-boggling(in the best way).

What a totally unexpected surprise.

I liked Lajoie, he had a great junior career but yeah although he was buried in Belleville last year he didn’t really do anything to wow me. I don’t know where this confidence has come from but I love it!

 

[mysens]

I liked Lajoie, he had a great junior career but yeah although he was buried in Belleville last year he didn’t really do anything to wow me. I don’t know where this confidence has come from but I love it!

I bet it's because he loves his coach this year, wants to thank PD for the opportunity and is enamored with the owner.

 

[Xspyrit]

I liked Lajoie at the rookie tournament in Laval but I found Wolanin more impressive, so just imagine

Chabot
Lajoie
Wolanin

That’s going to be exciting, particularly when it’s paired on the right side by :

DeMelo
Harpur
Wideman

 

[The Lewler]

The spots hes jumping into are indicative of a guy with good instincts.. so I don't know what to think.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

It's really early yet, but it feels like he's just a smart overall player. In a structured game like the NHL, he's just going to shine.

 

[Alex1234]

It's really early yet, but it feels like he's just a smart overall player. In a structured game like the NHL, he's just going to shine.

This
If anything GB teams are structured
Sometimes to excess but still
Maybe he needed that

 

[SensFactor]

High iq dman from what I've seen so far. He has the ability to win board battles and make plays better than some of our other vets.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

No doubt Lajoie has displayed some fantastic offensive instincts but what impresses me the most about him is his Dzone play. He is young and still growing his physical strength .. yet he battles , he has a really good stick, and he makes plays. He doesn't just panic and turn the puck over by sending it up the boards hoping one of his team mates will win another battle for it. He consistently tries to make a play to an open man with more time. He is eating up a lot of ice time against a variety of opponents.

20 years old.
4g 3a 7pts in 6gp 63.3 dZS% ATOI 20:28
Pretty amazing.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Leads the sens in shots and blocked shots too. What a guy.

 

[BonkTastic]

High iq dman from what I've seen so far.

I tend to agree.

Is this just a case where he always had the toolbox, but the tools were late to develop?

His positional play and awareness on the ice are very good. I can't figure out why his junior numbers weren't better of he were always this smart on the ice unless he's just a crazy late bloomer on the skills end of things.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

This is what Curtis Joe had to say about him in 2016. Pretty bang on.
"A competitive two-way defenceman that earns his ice time and strives to be a difference-maker. Excellent skating technique: naturally mobile and able to start and stop on a pin's head. Displays a deceptively accurate shot and is creative on the power play. Proficient playmaker and spots seams in traffic quickly. His habitually conservative style of play in his own end lets him make quick, high percentage decisions with and without the puck. Reacts to different pressure situations with poise and analyzes the situation very quickly to determine the right play to make. All-in-all, a versatile two-way defenceman that keeps his own game in check and plays to the extent of his capabilities. (Curtis Joe, EP 2016)"
Maxime Lajoie at eliteprospects.com

 

[thesensguy]

Wonder if he gets calder consideration further into the season?

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Is this good?

 

[coladin]

What is equally amazing and encouraging is his play away from the puck. I knew they were high on him when he was drafted, as i read somewhere that he had mono during his draft year or something like that, but even last year when they talked about players Dorion said how impressive Lajioe was (even though the stats didn't shot it).

Sometimes, when you get a chance you just have to make the most of it.

 

[NyQuil]

I've seen him get outmuscled around a bit.

But that's just natural given his age, size and status as a rookie.

Chabot seems to handle the physical play a bit better.