Major milestones: Byram, McTavish, Lapierre net first career NHL goals
Early action in the 2021-22 National Hockey League season continued Wednesday, culminating in a noteworthy night that produced three mantel-worthy pucks.
In all, the night saw a trio of Canadian Hockey League graduates secure their first-ever NHL goal – counting one player from each of the three CHL member leagues. The festivities began out west where Vancouver Giants graduate Bowen Byram, skating in his first full season with the Colorado Avalanche after seeing a 19-game trial run with the club a year ago, picked up his first NHL goal and third-ever pro point after stepping into a point shot that went top corner on Chicago Blackhawks netminder and Cape Breton Eagles graduate Marc-Andre Fleury.
We've seen that celly before! Congratulations on your first #NHL goal Bo!@WHLGiants | @TheWHL https://t.co/j7T38fhsa7
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 14, 2021
“It’s something you dream about for a long time and it’s also nice to get out of the way, get the pressure off,” Byram told Avalanche team reporter Callie Parmele following the 4-2 victory. “I think it was a fun game and we did a pretty good job out there.”
Originally chosen by Vancouver with the third pick in the 2016 WHL Draft, Byram skated part of four seasons with the club from 2016-20, highlighted by the 2018-19 campaign in which through 67 games he amassed 71 points – including 26 goals to lead all WHL blue-liners – before adding a chart-topping 26 points in the postseason to help the Giants advance to the 2019 Ed Chynoweth Cup Final. The memorable year then wrapped up with the native of Cranbrook, B.C., earning a spot on the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team before being chosen fourth overall by the Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft.
The night of firsts then continued in Southern California where Anaheim Ducks rookie and Peterborough Petes alumnus Mason McTavish rewrote the record books in his first-ever NHL game.
Lighting the lamp at the 13:20 mark of the opening frame, McTavish became the youngest player in Ducks’ franchise history to score a goal, doing so at the age of 18 years and 256 days. Not yet finished, the product of Carp, Ont., then added a helper on Windsor Spitfires graduate Adam Henrique’s second period goal, giving him a pair of points in his NHL debut, a mark outpaced by just two players since the Ducks set up shop in Anaheim in 1993.
Another first career #NHL goal. McTavish showing us why he's not with @PetesOHLhockey right now. https://t.co/sAd33zMBpS
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 14, 2021
“I couldn’t have dreamed it any better, to be honest,” McTavish told Ducks team reporter Matt Weller following the 4-1 takedown of the Winnipeg Jets. “With the big win and the goal, it’s definitely one I’ll never forget.”
Added Ducks head coach and fellow Petes graduate Dallas Eakins, “That is the fun part of being a coach. An 18-year-old kid comes in and he hangs around long enough to make your roster. He gets a little adversity thrown at him and he has a hell of a night.”
Making the immediate jump to the Ducks after being chosen third overall in the 2021 NHL Draft class, McTavish spent a single season with the Petes following his No. 5 pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Debuting with the club later that fall, McTavish ultimately finished sixth in team scoring with 42 points in 57 games, helping him to earn a spot on the OHL Second All-Rookie Team. With the league then shuttered for 2020-21, the dual citizen of Switzerland headed overseas where through 13 appearances with tier-two EHC Olten he picked up nine goals and two assists before later helping to guide the Great White North to a first-place finish at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, marking Canada’s first gold-medal win in eight years. In all, McTavish impressed throughout tournament action as he registered 11 points in seven games to finish tied for second in team scoring.
To complete the hat-trick of first-ever NHL goals on Wednesday, a longtime dream became a reality for Washington Capitals 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre who found the back of the cage in his NHL debut versus the New York Rangers.
Growing up idolizing Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin – who finished the night with four points – it was an unforgettable moment for Lapierre when he cashed in midway through the second period on a pretty set-up from veteran forward T.J. Oshie while his boyhood hero Ovechkin beamed from the bench.
Hendrix Lapierre with a no doubter for his first #NHL goal. Congratulations! https://t.co/vKBnnpmzwg
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 14, 2021
“Playing with ‘Osh’ is really easy; he sees the ice really well,” Lapierre told Capitals team reporter Mike Vogel after his team’s 5-1 win. “I knew when I called for the puck he was going to pass it to me, and I got lucky. I just put the puck at the net … It was just so fun. The crowd was incredible. For my first game, I don’t think I could have asked for a better one. And we got a great win, too, so it was really good.”
Added Ovechkin per The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, “Very happy for him. I told him before, ‘Just shoot the puck.’ I think he (had) a pretty good chance before that. He’s a talented kid, fun to watch, and obviously I hope he is going to have a great future.”
Originally chosen by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens with the top pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, Lapierre paid immediate dividends for the club as he concluded his first season with near point-per-game production that counted 13 goals and 32 assists through 48 appearances and was later presented with the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the QMJHL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In all, the native of Gatineau, Que., has spent the past three seasons in Chicoutimi, collecting 93 points through 88 appearances before an offseason move saw him shift to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. But in the meantime, and with the help of more performances like Wednesday night, Lapierre is looking to make his home in the American capital.