Lafreniere unfazed by draft uncertainty: 'It's still an honor'

Projected No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere isn't letting his journey to the NHL be ruined by the league's decision to postpone the 2020 draft.

The NHL announced Wednesday the draft won't take place as scheduled due to coronavirus concerns. However, the uncertainty isn't bothering Lafreniere.

"You know, for sure, it would be a little bit different," Lafreniere told TSN's Frank Seravalli. "I think it's still an honor to get drafted by an NHL team. It's really special.

"Maybe it's going to be different, we don't know yet. But day by day, we'll see what happens."

The 18-year-old winger put up 112 points in 52 games this season with the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic and earned a gold medal and tournament MVP honors at the world juniors.

Lafreniere admitted it was difficult to hear the QMJHL canceled its season, ultimately cutting short his junior career before the playoffs.

"For sure, it was tough news for me. We all understand and it's serious," he said. "It's a little bit sad that the season came to an end quickly like this. We had a great team this year and we believed we could do something special.

"It went by really quick. It's sad that I won't get to play with these guys again, but it's hockey and you've got to move on at some point."

Lafreniere spent three seasons with Rimouski, tallying 297 points in 173 games.

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