“We haven’t felt this kind of response since Sidney,” the Oceanic owner Alex Tanguay said. “It’s a different kind of response, obviously with the social media and stuff, but you can definitely feel a vibe around him. In December and January, he was the youngest player to compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation world junior championship, for players 20 and younger. In part because of injuries to other players, Lafreniere became the ninth youngest to compete for Canada at the annual holiday tournament, behind names like Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, Eric Lindros and, of course, Crosby. After a third-period benching against Switzerland in group play, Lafreniere encountered the first real adversity of his young career.

Source: New York Times March 20, 2019 17:26 UTC