Hlavaj named Raymond-Lagacé Trophy recipient

Samuel Hlavaj of the Sherbrooke Phoenix was named recipient of the Raymond-Lagacé Trophy as Defensive Rookie of the Year, the QMJHL announced Wednesday.

He is the top-ranked QMJHL goaltender for the 2020 draft.

Hlavaj, who went unselected in the 2019 NHL Draft, won 33 of 39 starts and had a .915 save percentage and a QMJHL-best 2.25 goals against average. Hlavaj, originally selected in the first round (No. 27) of the 2019 CHL Import Draft, also had three shutouts.

“Hlavaj is an aggressive and very competitive netminder who showed great lateral movement and impressive agility,” Quebec-based FCHockey scout Andy Lehoux said. “He is not the most technical goaltender, but he has displayed great athleticism and combativeness to stop second chances. Hlavaj has also showed great puck-handling abilities to help his defensemen on the breakout and restart the attack quickly.”