7 Things to Know About Oilers’ Top Draft Pick Tommy Lafreniere

Being initially underestimated is nothing new for Lafreniere. Consider that he wasn’t selected until the eighth round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, when the Blazers took Lafreniere with the 173^rd overall pick, and didn’t even make his major junior regular-season debut until late in the 2023-24 WHL season, when he wound up playing nine games with Kamloops in 2023-24, notching two goals and two assists.  

“We like his path,” Oilers Director of Amateur Scouting Rick Pracey said on Saturday about Lafreniere. “He had to take the long way.”

Pracey continued, “He was part of our efficiency model of a rookie player in the CHL. We like his production. He had to work his way up the lineup. He’s a skilled forward, makes plays, has a good stick, so we think he’s going to take off offensively. He played on a sort of bubble team lower in the standings, so we think the team’s going to improve. We think he’s going to be a significant part of it.”

He Received WHL Honours

After delivering incredible performances on back-to-back nights, Lafreniere was named WHL Rookie of the Week for the week ending Jan. 12, 2025.

In a 5-4 overtime victory for Kamloops against the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 10, Lafreniere scored twice, including the game-tying goal late in the third period, and picked up an assist. He was named First Star of the Game for his heroics.

The next night, Lafreniere had three apples as Kamloops knocked off the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars by a score of 6-3. He was once again named First Star of the Game.

He’s Drawn Nick Suzuki Comparisons

In an interview earlier this year, Lafreniere said that he thinks he plays like Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Tampa Bay Lighting centre Brayden Point: “Guys with strong hockey IQ and playmaking ability.”

Lafreniere is not alone in that belief. Referring to the Blazers forward, a Central Division NHL Scout told Daily Faceoff: “Think of a smaller Nick Suzuki.”

One of the better two-way forwards in the NHL, Suzuki has recorded 138 goals and 237 assists in 455 career regular-season games, all with the Habs. Just 25 years old, he’s already played in three NHL All-Star Games.

He Moved Across the Country

While he was born in Montreal, Lafreniere spent most of his childhood in Whistler, B.C. His family then moved back to Montreal, before Lafreniere returned to B.C., enrolling at the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford for the 2021-22 season.

Lafreniere attended Yale Academy for three years. He was named Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) U18 Most Valuable Player for the 2023-24 season after racking up 27 goals and 31 assists in 30 games played.

He’s Played in Edmonton

As a member of the BC Junior Canucks, Lafreniere played in the 2017 Brick Invitational Tournament at the Ice Palace in West Edmonton Mall.

Lafreniere scored two goals and added two assists at the 2017 Brick Invitational, helping his team reach the championship game, where the Junior Canucks came up just short, losing 6-5 in overtime to the Toronto Bulldogs.

One of the top tournaments in North America for nine- and ten-year-old players, the Brick Invitational has featured numerous future NHLers since its inception in 1990, including current Oilers star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

His Sister Is an Elite Skier

Lafreniere’s older sister Kaila is a member of the ski team at the University of Utah, where she recently wrapped up her sophomore year.

Kaila had a successful 2024-25 season, competing in both slalom and giant slalom in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA). After placing top 10 in eight of her 13 starts, including her first collegiate victory at the Montana State Invitational, Kaila was selected to the All-RMISA Second Team.

He’s Part of a Small Club

Lafreniere is only the seventh Blazers player to be selected by the Oilers in the NHL Draft. The last time Edmonton selected anyone from Kamloops was in 2004, when the Oilers took three Blazers: netminder Devan Dubnyk (14^th overall), along with defencemen Roman Tesliuk (44^th overall) and Max Gordichuk (177^th overall).

The Oilers have also drafted goalie Darryl Reaugh (42^nd overall in 1984) as well as blueliners Todd Carnelley (41^st overall in 1985) and Ron Shudra (63^rd overall in 1986) from Kamloops.

Of the prior Kamloops-to-Edmonton draftees, just three – Dubnyk, Reaugh, and Shudra – went on to play in the NHL. The Oilers hope that Lafreniere will one day become No. 4.