Tomas Lavoie | The next David Savard?

The first-overall label, even in junior hockey, can be a lot to bear. It essentially means that the player is seen, at 16, as the best of his year in a given territory. But not all young people of this age are able to manage this status.

It works well. Tomas Lavoie, drafted first overall in the QMJHL in 2022, seemed pretty fit.

“I didn’t put any pressure on myself,” says the great defender, met in the RDS studios on Tuesday evening. Obviously people have a lot of expectations with a first choice. But a defender takes longer to develop. This year, I’m still learning with Louis [Robitaille]. I may not meet the fans’ expectations, but I do my best. »

But the expectations are very real, confirms Robitaille, his head coach with the Cape Breton Eagles. “When you are chosen first overall, people expect an offensive guy like Cale Makar, who hits like Jacob Trouba, with Al Iafrate’s shot! says the hockey man on the line.

“So we tried to make it smaller with him. Brandon Carlo is an example for him. And David Savard is another,” continues Robitaille.

Lavoie is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, but with 19 points in 51 games this season, he doesn’t have the stats of a future Makar. The NHL Central Scouting, in its mid-season rankings, rated him 50^e North American hope. A rank which, for the moment, makes him a player likely to come out somewhere between 2^e and the 5^e round. Although with his build (6 ft 3 in, 220 lbs), he could well catch the eye of a team.

His case is a further reminder that first picks in junior are not born equal. Alexis Lafrenière was certainly requested at 1^er rank in the QMJHL and the NHL, the fact remains that most players will end up being selected later in the big league. Joshua Roy (1^er in 2019) is a good example; he waited until 150^e rank before hearing his name in 2021.

But these issues of selection rank hardly move Lavoie.

“It’s important to play well, but if I have a bad game, people aren’t going to rely on that alone. They’re going to watch my entire season. »

“It doesn’t matter where you get drafted anyway. The important thing is what you do at camp. If you are a 1^er choice and you arrive with a big head, the choice of 4^e tower can pass in front of you if he is mentally ready. »

Hard adaptation

It is an image of a mature young man in control of his emotions that Tomas Lavoie projects. With such a personality and the build of a guy who could break us in two, he doesn’t look 17.

Which is not to say that his career has been smooth sailing. He experienced quite a shock in the summer of 2022 when he left for Nova Scotia for the new stage of his life.

“A little guy from Repentigny who leaves his family at 16 is hard, especially the first two months,” he agrees. I was not bilingual. But I have a really good hostel family, the mother speaks a little French and it has become my second home. »

On the ice too, it was a shock. Playing for a young team plagued by injuries, he was thrust into the first pairing. At 16, he faced the best opposing elements, often three years older than him. Under these circumstances, he finished the season with a differential of -39, the worst in the QMJHL. Knowing that the opponent’s goals scored against him are one of the rare statistics he values, the context was important.

“We start in Halifax, I’m at -3. Then, another -3 in Bathurst, I played against [Riley] Kidney. You’re new to the league, you don’t know what to expect, and you’re thrown into the thick of things. At Christmas, I was already [-23]. After the matches, I looked at the stats. What do you want me to do with this? I would take the sheet, throw it away and think about the next match. »

So here he is at -8, a figure which reflects both his progress and that of his team, which is already one victory away from matching its harvest of 30 from last season.

The other statistic that Lavoie values: blocked shots. This is not officially compiled in the QMJHL, but it is nevertheless an aspect of the game that he values. This is also the specialty of the aforementioned David Savard, and it is therefore no coincidence that Robitaille, but also a recruiter consulted for this article, mentioned the Canadian’s number 58 as a comparison of playing style.

We ask Lavoie if one of the many sequences of Savard transforming into a human shield had an impact on him.

“The time he injured his arm,” he answers spontaneously. In addition, he had lost a blade of one skate and he got in front of the puck anyway. It’s not chic, blocking shots isn’t like having a goal and two assists. But he was doing it for the team, not for himself. »

Gignac, the inspiration

Tomas Lavoie and four other QMJHL prospects for the next draft (Alexis Bernier, Raoul Boilard, Spencer Gill and Maxim Massé) are on a media tour this week. Tuesday, they participated in RDS broadcasts and were interviewed by colleague Mario Langlois from 98.5 FM and by The Press. They will spend their Wednesday at the Bell Center, where they will attend the Canadiens’ morning practice, the game, and will be entitled to a meeting with Martin St-Louis and, of course, with a few players. Who is Lavoie most looking forward to meeting? “Brandon Gignac,” he responds straight away. Not the first response expected, but it says a lot about the respect inspired by someone who never stopped believing. “He comes from the same area as me, in Repentigny. I know his brother William, who works with the Pionniers de Lanaudière. Brandon is an inspiration. The whole town is proud of him. I hope to be the next guy from Repentigny to make it to the NHL. He never gave up and there he is playing up top. He deserves everything that happens to him. »