The Cape Breton Eagles’ ray of hope

First overall pick Lavoie excited about future in Cape Breton

Sitting in the concourse of Centre 200 on Monday morning, Tomas Lavoie recalled the moment when he realized the Cape Breton Eagles wanted him to be part of their organization.

The first overall selection in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, Lavoie knew from the moment the team met with him near Montreal there was a connection between the two parties.

“The first thing they told me was that it wasn’t an interview, but a meeting and I knew that was good news for me,” said Lavoie with a French accent.

“The president of the team (Gerard Shaw) told me about the city and about the players who played here, and I knew from that moment on that I wanted to play my major junior hockey in Cape Breton – my mind was made up.”

On Monday, Lavoie received his wish of being part of the Eagles organization when the team used their first pick to take the Repentigny, Que., product first overall.

“It’s really special to be the first overall pick – I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t pass on it, I’m excited,” said Lavoie. “I’m enjoying this moment and I want to show the fans that I’m deserving of being the first pick.”

Lavoie, who knew a couple of weeks ago he was being picked by Cape Breton, admits there wasn’t one specific thing that sold him on being part of the Sydney-based organization, noting the entire package offered was appealing to him.

“I thought it would be fun to be part of the team and the city,” said Lavoie. “I’m looking forward to getting on the ice with the team in August and being part of this organization for the years to come.”

The 16-year-old Lavoie becomes only the third first overall pick in the Eagles’ 25year history in Cape Breton.

The Eagles selected forward James Sheppard with the top pick in 2004 and used their first selection in 2013 to pick forward Nicolas Roy, who refused to report to the club. Sheppard went on to play three seasons in Sydney.

While he understands the importance of being the top pick for fans, Lavoie doesn’t feel any pressure when it comes to expectations, especially next season.

“I think it’s business as usual here for me,” said Lavoie, who practised last week with former Eagle forward Matis Ouellet, who was traded on Saturday to Val-d’or.

“I’ll just do my job and I think things will be good for me. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself, I want to focus on what I have to do.

“I’m coming here with the mentality that I’m here to build up the team for the next couple of years and I’m here to help the team. I’m not here to have the team on my back – we have 20 players and it’s not on one, it’s on all 20 players as a team.”

A six-foot-three, 190pound defenceman, Lavoie considers himself to be a twoway player with upside both offensive and defensively.

“I know I can bring strong play in the defensive zone and I have a good hockey IQ and I can see the play before it happens,” said Lavoie. “I also think I can be good offensively and I hope to show that in this league.”

In May, Lavoie was ranked first overall on the QMJHL Central Scouting rankings list. He was among three forwards and goaltender ranked within the top five for the draft.

“I was excited when I saw the list, but I was really surprised,” said Lavoie. “It was fun to see, and I knew I had worked really hard for it, so I’m glad I was able to claim that ranking – I’m very happy.”

Last season, Lavoie appeared in 36 games with the Collège Esther-blondin Phénix of the Quebec Under-18 ‘AAA’ Hockey League, posting seven goals and 21 points. He had two goals and six points in six playoff games.

In recent weeks, some have labelled Lavoie to be the same style of player as New York Islanders defenceman Noah Dobson, who was taken sixth overall by current Eagles general manager Sylvain Couturier and the Acadie-bathurst Titan in 2016.

Lavoie, who played his minor hockey in Repentigny, doesn’t necessarily disagree with the assessment but considers himself to be more like Florida Panthers star Aaron Ekblad and Chicago Blackhawks blue-liner Seth Jones.

“They’re both two-way defencemen and they have big bodies,” said Lavoie, who lives about 25 minutes away from Montreal but is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

“I really think I play like those guys and I consider them to my idols.”

Lavoie and his family were in Cape Breton on Monday for the first overall selection.