Lafreniere finalist for Michel Brière Trophy

Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic has been named finalists for the Michel Brière Trophy as Most Valuable Player, the QMJHL announced Tuesday.

Lafreniere, the consensus top pick for the 2020 NHL Draft, captured the award last season. He would be only the second back-to-back recipient after Sidney Crosby.

He is nominated for numerous awards this season, including the Paul-Dumont Trophy as Personality of the Year and the Michael-Bossy Trophy as the league’s top prospect heading into the draft. He also won the Jean-Béliveau Trophy as the league leader in points, collecting 112 points (35 goals, 77 assists) in 52 games.

After leading Team Canada to a gold medal in the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2019 Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year is the No. 1 ranked prospect heading into the draft, topping Future Considerations’ Spring ranking for the 2020 draft.

Xavier Simoneau of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, No. 92, was also nominated for the award, as was Sherbrooke Phoenix forward Felix Robert.

Simoneau is also a nominee for the Humanitarian of the Year Award after being the spokesman for the Centre-du-Québec Autism organization. After being undrafted in 2019, Simoneau led his team in scoring with 89 points (28 goals, 61 assists) in 61 games.