There seem to have been two important events in the development and ascent of Alexis Lafrenière towards the status of elite hope: his entrenchment of the Laurentides team for the 2015 Quebec Games, as well as his almost inhuman the following summer. Besides, even his father Hugo still can’t explain what happened during this summer 2015 which seems to have transformed the Quebec hockey player.
Because, contrary to what has been said, Hugo Lafrenière assures him: his son did not work hard in training that summer. He did not change his routine or take “power skating” lessons.
“He didn’t want to do it,” said the father.
The summer of 2015 therefore did not go very differently from the others. Lafrenière again spent the summer season practicing his second passion: baseball, representing the Laurentian Red Sox at AA level.
However, when he returned to the ice in the fall, he was a completely transformed player.
“When we got to the first practice of the 2015-2016 season, Alexis had just finished playing baseball. When I saw him on the ice, I said to myself: he’s not my guy! He was twice as fast as before. For me, it is still a mystery of life. I can’t explain it. ”
Weakness become useful
Hugo Lafrenière then tries a hypothesis: what if his main weakness over the years had not, in the end, become his main ally?
“When he was younger, his biggest flaw, which kept him from being a dominant player, was his stroke. In my opinion, little Good Lord said to him: you may not be skating but, at least, you will see everything around you. Alexis, he saw everyone. The fact that he was slower forced him to work on his vision of the game, ”notes his father.
This vision of non-standard play, developed to compensate for his skating deficiencies, therefore became an even more formidable element of his game when he had his growth spurt in the summer of 2015.
“From there, he joined the average player his age with his stroke. This is where he became a dangerous player. ”
A gym fan
Over time, Alexis Lafrenière’s father saw his son become a follower of the gymnasium. He never skimped on efforts to be as dominant as possible.
“I remember stubbornly sticking with him to go to his annual doctor’s appointment because it came at the same time as his gym.”
Ramzi Abid, who has been working on the physical preparation of Lafrenière for several years with Stéphane Dubé, agrees.
“No one has ever questioned their work ethic. He always did extra after workouts and it still does today. ”
Look forward to the outcome
It was a long season for Alexis Lafrenière, but also for his whole family. Hugo Lafrenière does not hide it: he is anxious to know officially where his son will pursue his career.
The forward of the Rimouski Océanic has been hearing about his draft year for years. Just like her parents, by the way.
“I’ve been looking forward to being fixed for a while. Right now, you can’t control anything anywhere, at work as elsewhere. And humbly, there is nothing guaranteed in life. No matter the outcome of the lottery, what tells us that Alexis is going to come out first overall? ” wonders the father.
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