Jeremy Lauzon – Defenseman – 52nd Overall 2015
Year-to-Date: 12 Games – Two Goals – Nine Assists – 11 Points – Six PIMs – Plus-6
While it’s easy to forget non-first round draft picks, Jeremy Lauzon has been exceptional since being drafted. Lauzon was taken after Brandon Carlo in the 2015 draft, and though they play different styles, they were both great selections.
Lauzon isn’t as big as Carlo, or as defensively sound, but that’s okay. He’s still 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, and he’s got tremendous offensive instincts. In today’s NHL, that’s a lethal combination. Mobile defensemen are the new trend in the NHL, and Lauzon fits that mold perfectly.
A fourth-year defender in the QMJHL, Lauzon has gotten better each and every year. In his first season, the Val-d’Or, Quebec native scored five goals and 16 points in 55 games. Just 16 at the time, Lauzon was still finding his way in the major-junior hockey world. In the following season, Lauzon was able to triple his goal total to 15 while also recording 36 points and a plus-12 rating in 60 games.
That impressive development in just his second season, as well as his improved defensive ability, earned him a spot in the Bruins prospect pool.
A Breakout Year
It was Lauzon’s first season following being drafted that really turned heads, however. The then 18-year-old found his stride, scoring 10 goals and 50 points in just 46 games. Even more impressive was his plus-40 rating that highlighted his positive influence on the team. Lauzon was a veteran on the team, and he played like it as well. Lauzon impressed in the postseason as well that season, scoring one goal and eight points in nine games. He did so while dealing with a laceration to his neck as well that cost him a few series.
This season, Lauzon is the captain of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He’s also continued to produce on both ends of the ice, scoring two goals and 11 points in 12 games. While Lauzon probably won’t make it to the NHL in the next year or two, there’s no denying he’s an impressive talent that has legitimate NHL potential.