Maveric Lamoureux was about to go to sleep in his Tucson apartment when he got the call. It was the call every hockey player is hoping for when they get drafted or signed by an NHL team. It’s something every player has worked for their whole life, including Lamoureux—the chance to be on an NHL roster and potentially play your first NHL game.
Each player that makes it to the NHL has a unique and interesting story on how they managed to play in the best hockey league in the world. That is no different with Lamoureux who despite being drafted in the first round has gone through his share of challenges.
Early Adversity
The first notable thing about Lamoureux is how tall he is. Standing at 6-foot-7, the native of Laval, QC is exactly what NHL teams love. Bulky and tall. With that frame, there was no chance that he wasn’t going to get looked at by NHL scouts.
Playing with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Lamoureux scored seven points in 24 games in his first year in juniors. It would be a sample of what he would produce in the following season which ended up being his first full season with the Voltigeurs. He produced 24 points in 54 games, which is impressive for a defenseman. It attracted the eyes of the Arizona Coyotes who had three first-round draft picks in the upcoming 2022 Draft.
After selecting Logan Cooley third overall and Conor Geekie 11th overall, the Coyotes were up again with the 29th overall pick after swapping first-round picks with the Edmonton Oilers. They took Lamoureux with that pick, which many regarded as a high reach. However, after grabbing two highly offensive centers with their two prior picks, it wasn’t seen as a problem.
Before the beginning of the 2022-23 season, it was revealed Lamoureux had suffered a torn labrum and needed to have surgery to repair it and also take out pieces of bone. For the defenseman, it was a long process to get back to 100% but he was able to come back and put up 19 points in 35 games. In the playoffs, he had six points in nine games.
The 2023-24 season was a big one for Lamoureux as he returned for his fourth season with the Voltigeurs and put up an outstanding 33 points in 39 games. He was also chosen to represent Team Canada in the World Juniors where he averaged around 24 minutes a night. For reference, Utah’s number one defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is averaging 26 minutes. He also led the team in…
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