C Raphael Lavoie - Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL (2019, 38th, EDM)

[cmcneil02]

Do tell.

I don’t recall Khovanov doing the bird flap in the first game? Or this from a Q rivalry between Lavoie and Khovanov?

Happened in their recent matchup which lead to overtime which Moncton won and Khovanov got the winning goal and over celebrated with the eagle and another celly after his goal. If was a big F you right back at him lol.

 

[cmcneil02]

Lavoies such a strange, interesting, but really good talent. I think he will be stuck in the AHL for a while until he gets in the NHL but once he gets there I think he'll start getting around 30-60 points a season in the NHL. He seems to have all the assets to his game but doesn't use them correctly at times. If he's indeed traded at the QMJHL deadline I expect a lot from him with his new team.

I definitely won't say he's gonna be a bust but I don't think he'll be anything special in the NHL. He'll probably have 3rd line minutes when he gets there and maybe moves to 2nd line when he's around 27-28. If stuck in the AHL I guarantee he's a 1st line player for the Condors in the future.

The mix of people calling him a steal and calling him a bust is unreal. But lets see what the future holds...!

 

[iCanada]

Lavoies such a strange, interesting, but really good talent. I think he will be stuck in the AHL for a while until he gets in the NHL but once he gets there I think he'll start getting around 30-60 points a season in the NHL. He seems to have all the assets to his game but doesn't use them correctly at times. If he's indeed traded at the QMJHL deadline I expect a lot from him with his new team.

I definitely won't say he's gonna be a bust but I don't think he'll be anything special in the NHL. He'll probably have 3rd line minutes when he gets there and maybe moves to 2nd line when he's around 27-28. If stuck in the AHL I guarantee he's a 1st line player for the Condors in the future.

The mix of people calling him a steal and calling him a bust is unreal. But lets see what the future holds...!

Idk, as an Oiler fan I'm quite optimistic. He's producing and coasting, apparently. Obviously I'd like to see him putting in the effort, but to me, I'd rather a guy coast and produce than go balls to the wall and get the same results. Means there is another level there to reach if he can find the intensity knob. Seems to me like he has certainly found that knob in a few big games, from the U18's, to the Playoffs, to the QMJHL Russia Super Series.

People said the same things about Draisaitl. "He is lazy and lacks pace." "He is a poor skater." "An inconsistent enigma." I guess where the comparison falls apart is people always called Drai a consummate professional off the ice, whereas there seems to be some smoke about Lavoie's attitude. Which, fair enough I suppose.

If anything, I think it bodes well for him going forward. I'm glad he isn't dominating a bunch of 17 year olds with some ridiculous advantage that wont translate. This is a kid with talent to spare and the ability to ratchet it up when he needs to. Everytime he's ever played on a stage large enough for me to watch him play from Western Canada he's been the best player on the ice.

Hard not to be optimistic when you look at the toolbox though.

 

[OiledUp]

Idk, as an Oiler fan I'm quite optimistic. He's producing and coasting, apparently. Obviously I'd like to see him putting in the effort, but to me, I'd rather a guy coast and produce than go balls to the wall and get the same results. Means there is another level there to reach if he can find the intensity knob. Seems to me like he has certainly found that knob in a few big games, from the U18's, to the Playoffs, to the QMJHL Russia Super Series.

People said the same things about Draisaitl. "He is lazy and lacks pace." "He is a poor skater." "An inconsistent enigma." I guess where the comparison falls apart is people always called Drai a consummate professional off the ice, whereas there seems to be some smoke about Lavoie's attitude. Which, fair enough I suppose.

If anything, I think it bodes well for him going forward. I'm glad he isn't dominating a bunch of 17 year olds with some ridiculous advantage that wont translate. This is a kid with talent to spare and the ability to ratchet it up when he needs to. Everytime he's ever played on a stage large enough for me to watch him play from Western Canada he's been the best player on the ice.

Hard not to be optimistic when you look at the toolbox though.

It’ll probably come down to how he handles adversity. The step from juniors to pro is always a challenge but for the guys who are good enough to be a star at half speed and can sort of turn the dominance switch on and off at will it can be a shock when you flip the switch and nothing happens because some AHL no namer shuts you the hell down. At that point you either start working your derrière off to get yourself to a point where you can no longer be denied or you start pouting and eventually end up in a league where you can be the dominant player you’re comfortable being, like the italian league or something.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I think the key for Lavoie is going to be coaching. When he is motivated he straight up dominates. If you have a coach(assuming at the AHL level) next year that is able to bottle that and get him to put that kind of drive in most nights he is going to have a long NHL career. As it is you can tell pretty clearly on the ice when he cares and when he can't be bothered.

 

[Fourier]

Lavoies such a strange, interesting, but really good talent. I think he will be stuck in the AHL for a while until he gets in the NHL but once he gets there I think he'll start getting around 30-60 points a season in the NHL. He seems to have all the assets to his game but doesn't use them correctly at times. If he's indeed traded at the QMJHL deadline I expect a lot from him with his new team.

I definitely won't say he's gonna be a bust but I don't think he'll be anything special in the NHL. He'll probably have 3rd line minutes when he gets there and maybe moves to 2nd line when he's around 27-28. If stuck in the AHL I guarantee he's a 1st line player for the Condors in the future.

The mix of people calling him a steal and calling him a bust is unreal. But lets see what the future holds...!

If your 30-60 point prediction came true then he is a steal. The number of wingers who average even 30 points per season over a three year stretch is surprisingly small. In the neighborhood of about 80-90 or so per year. The number who even score 30 in a given year is around 100. At 45 you already have a very productive top 6 winger. For example the number of right wingers who put up at least 45 points in any of the years from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019 was in the low 80's. That means on average a team has slightly less than 1 RW doing so.

 

[Dempsey]

Even as an Oilers fan I'll hold my excitement until I see his game in the AHL. This whole "the drafting has been so much better the last couple years" that gets recycled every few years before the prospects actually pan out is....not going to fool me again.

 

[snipes]

I think the key for Lavoie is going to be coaching. When he is motivated he straight up dominates. If you have a coach(assuming at the AHL level) next year that is able to bottle that and get him to put that kind of drive in most nights he is going to have a long NHL career. As it is you can tell pretty clearly on the ice when he cares and when he can't be bothered.

Good post.

I agree, he’s a “big game” player that plays better in big situations. Motivation is what will be key.

Personally, I see Lavoie as Drai’s full time winger after a year in the AHL. Those two will destroy small D men or soft teams on the forecheck and cycle. Two skilled, big, and tough alpha males.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Even as an Oilers fan I'll hold my excitement until I see his game in the AHL. This whole "the drafting has been so much better the last couple years" that gets recycled every few years before the prospects actually pan out is....not going to fool me again.

I dunno, Bear jumped up and looks to be a fixture. Steal of a 5th rounder, but it took time. One of Jones or Lagesson takes Russell’s spot just as soon as we can move him. Benson and Yamamoto are playing really well and could be up as soon as Christmas, especially if our wingers continue to get nothing done.

draft classes are hard. You don’t really know how you did until about 5 years out, if not more.

 

[MMC]

 

[HockeyAddict]

Can anyone who's watched him play provide an update on his progression?

 

[MaxDummy]

Can anyone who's watched him play provide an update on his progression?

Saw him in Rouyn. Was absolutely invisible until his ENG. He then proceeded to make a middle finger to the crowd and tell clearly "you can all go f*** yourselves" but in french he continued to chirp a guy in the crowd for a good 2 minutes while on his bench, celebrating his goal, smiling, shouting insults it was amazing.

Probably still salty thst Rouyn won against him while he was in Halifax

 

[HockeyAddict]

Saw him in Rouyn. Was absolutely invisible until his ENG. He then proceeded to make a middle finger to the crowd and tell clearly "you can all go **** yourselves" but in french he continued to chirp a guy in the crowd for a good 2 minutes while on his bench, celebrating his goal, smiling, shouting insults it was amazing.

Probably still salty thst Rouyn won against him while he was in Halifax

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LOL, thanks for the update. I was at a game in Rouyn during last years playoffs and the fans loved chanting/yelling stuff @ the opposition so I can totally picture the above.

 

[Fixxer]

That's gold! LOL

 

[MMC]

 

[Freaky Styley]

Seems to have had a successful season. It's hard to evaluate him as a prospect because on his own you can say he has this or that ceiling, but if you factor in him potentially clicking with Drai or Mc it's much more difficult to determine.

 

[57special]

One of those players who you think is nothing, then you see him make a move or two that makes you think he will be everything.

Will he work hard enough to become a top 6 player, is the question.

 

[DinosaurBones]

In some ways reminds me of Grigorenko for some reason. Used his size, stride, and reach combined with his overall talent to dominate in the Q, BUT that hasn't prepared him in the least for the next step. Will need to learn and adapt. Will certainly be a tough road, but if he does it right I think he can be a legit player.

 

[nbwingsfan]

One of those players who you think is nothing, then you see him make a move or two that makes you think he will be everything.

Will he work hard enough to become a top 6 player, is the question.

Great description.

I think he will be a player who has success at the NHL level but will drive teams/fans crazy and be a scapegoat often as he just never puts together a consistent effort.

Can be the best player on the ice or look like one of the worst.

 

[EnglishJet]

Great description.

I think he will be a player who has success at the NHL level but will drive teams/fans crazy and be a scapegoat often as he just never puts together a consistent effort.

Can be the best player on the ice or look like one of the worst.

This. This. This.

When he wants, he can dominant a game. But when he turns that off he doesn't offer much else on the ice and looks like a passenger. It's infuriating as a fan.

 

[Tube Skates]

I think in two or three years when this kid fills out and his coordination issues subside he could turn into a serious weapon if he can keep pace with the speed at the next levels. I watched all of his games in Halifax and road games while he was with the Mooseheads. For those saying he didn’t put in a consistent effort are wrong. His effort was very consistent every game. Game in game out. People just wanted more. He needs to get desire to win board battles and know who to take in the corners and the angles to use his body better. Yes sometimes being in the stands was frustrating and made me scratch my head more than a handful of times every night questioning his decisions. Next thing you know he’s going bar down or post in or going wide past defencemen with a DS. Congrats to him on a well deserved ELC. I’m sure Edmonton would like to have a Laine type in their system. Something they really need

 

[nbwingsfan]

This. This. This.

When he wants, he can dominant a game. But when he turns that off he doesn't offer much else on the ice and looks like a passenger. It's infuriating as a fan.

I always compare him to Wojtek Wolski. Not in the sense that they play a similar game, but that Wolski put up pretty good numbers, usually ~50ish points and was even PPG during a short stint with Arizona in 09/10, but was loathed by his fab bases for how good he SHOULD be but never seemed to try half the time.

I see Lavoie having a similar impact. Of course that could easily change if he starts putting on the effort

 

[57special]

Similar to Latendresse?

 

[Fixxer]

Similar to Latendresse?

I wonder eh? Latendresse not rushed the way he did, maybe he turns out as a 20 goal scorer. He'd score about 16 and get close to 30 points in MTL. He was a scorer but put in a grinders role. He was not developped, like at all. He was taking it easy a bit much as well. He was great in Minnesota early on but he was damaged goods by then. Hope Lavoie gets a top 9 role with Edmonton down the line.

 

[57special]

Latendresse had bad injury problems, but also had the rep of being lackadaisical about staying in shape. Who knows what could've been if he stayed healthy? Nice hands for a big man, and could score. I think Lavoie is less gritty, and has better wheels.