According to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League website on Thursday, Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic has won the 2020 Michel Briere Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Lafreniere becomes only the second player ever to win the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy in back-to-back years. Canadian Olympic gold medalist Sidney Crosby of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia won the award while with the Oceanic in 2004 and 2005. Crosby, who won the gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, announced Lafreniere’s honour virtually.
Lafreniere led the QMJHL in scoring this season and was the only player in the league to reach the century mark in total points. He had 112 points, which was 13 more points than Moncton Wildcats forward Alexander Khovanov of Saratov, Russia, who was in second place with 99 points.
Lafreniere also led the QMJHL in assists with 77. He had 10 more assists than Khovanov, who had 67 helpers. In addition to his 77 assists and 112 points, Lafreniere had 35 goals, 50 penalty minutes, was a +41 with five power play goals and five game winning goals.
At the time of the coronavirus shutdown for the QMJHL, the Oceanic were in second place in the East Division with a record of 38 wins, 18 regulation losses, and eight losses in extra time for 84 points. Rimouski had the fourth best record in the league, as they were only behind the Sherbrooke Phoenix (106 points), the Wildcats (101 points), and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (96 points).
Lafreniere should also be considered the favourite to win the 2020 Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year. A native of Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Lafreniere was also the CHL Player of the Year in 2019.
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