The Hershey Bears repeated as Calder Cup champions on Monday night and a big reason why was because of their majorly talented, first-line centerman. Hendrix Lapierre recorded 22 points (7g, 15a) in the 20 games it took the Bears to reach the AHL’s mountaintop and claim the league’s top prize again.
During the postgame festivities, Lapierre was awarded the AHL’s Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Calder Cup Playoffs’ MVP. The league has awarded the trophy since the 1983-84 season and Lapierre is the eighth recipient in Bears franchise history. Hunter Shepard won the award last year.
20 games, 22 points, 1 MVP.
American Hockey League Vice President of Hockey Operations Hayley Moore presents the Jack A. Butterfield trophy to Hendrix Lapierre as the #CalderCup Playoffs Most Valuable Player 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cfuEcmHm3k
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) June 25, 2024
He was presented the trophy on ice by AHL President and CEO, Scott Howson and VP of Hockey Operations, Hayley Moore. The major individual honor is the first of Lapierre’s young professional career.
Lapierre tallied an assist on Pierrick Dubé’s power-play goal that tied Game 6 1-1 at the 5:51 mark of the first period and later scored his own goal with just 36 seconds remaining in the first frame.
The second-year pro finishes the 2024 AHL playoffs as the league leader in overall scoring with 22 points (7g, 15a) from 20 games. With his two-point night, he tied Josef Marha (1996-97) for the sixth-most points by a Bears player in a single postseason.
Lapierre led Hershey with eight multi-point games in the playoffs. He is the 16th Bear in franchise history to lead the AHL postseason in scoring, and the first since Alexandre Giroux (15g, 13a) and Chris Bourque (7g, 20a) did so in 2010.
The Quebec-born forward split the 2023-24 season between the Capitals in the NHL and the Bears in the AHL. During the regular season, he recorded 22 points (8g, 14a) in 51 games for the Capitals and chipped in 17 points (5g, 12a) in 21 games for the Bears.
Lapierre is expected to be a full-time graduate to the NHL next season which is also the last year of the entry-level contract he signed with Washington in 2020. This Calder Cup victory is the second of his career after he recorded six points (3g, 3a) in 20 playoff games for the Bears last season.
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