""I think last year I came in and it was kind of like, 'All Right, you pretty much made this team already,'" he said Friday. "Then this year it was kind of like, 'All right, you've got something to prove. You have to find your way in, and you have to work your way in.'""
""So I feel like that was a little bit of a difference. But for sure that little, I wouldn't say maturity, but experience of learning from your mistakes, from what happened last year, I think that helps tremendously.""
Hendrix Lapierre entered camp determined to avoid repeating last season's setbacks after expecting to be a full-time NHL player following a 22-point, 51-game campaign and AHL 2024 playoff MVP performance. He struggled early this past season, made the team's Opening Night roster but produced a lackluster training camp and limited regular-season minutes, and was sent to the minors after the Capitals acquired Lars Eller. In the current preseason Lapierre leads the league with seven points in four games, including two three-point nights, and earned practice time at his natural center position. He attributes the change to needing to prove himself and learning from past mistakes.
Read at RMNB
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