Class Leader – Winnipeg Free Press

To hear him tell it, Tyden Lafournez spent six years in self-improvement.

And if you're looking to meet a hockey player with a remarkable sense of self-worth, even though he's only 15 years old, Lafournaze is your guy.

“It really changed when I was nine years old,” explains Lafournais, who won the Winnipeg AAA U15 Hockey League scoring title with 126 points, including 66 goals, in 32 games with the Winnipeg Bruins Gold during the 2023-24 season. “I noticed that my skating was weaker than the other guys.

“I was a little slow. I was a bigger guy and I felt I needed to change. So I started training with Testify (Performance gym) at the Rink Training Center. When I went for my first assessment they said I had weakness in my glutes and ankles. So for the first year and a half, I would go twice a week, every week, and work out to get stronger, so I think I'm where I am today.”

The 6-0, 150-pound Lafournaise has turned himself into one of the top 2009-born prospects in Manitoba for the Western Hockey League draft scheduled for Thursday.

“He's just a phenomenal player,” says his coach Chris McColm.

“I've never coached a player like Tyden before. You hear him compared to Jonathan Toews and talked about. In fact, he is very creative and innovative. He wants to try new things. He wanted to do something, whether it was on the power play or on breaks or things like that. He just wanted to do different things. He is a very mature boy.”

Lafournaze's status was confirmed at the league's recent awards night, where he took home MVP, offensive player of the year and player of the year.

A memory from his nine-year-old life inspires him to this day.

“Tyden is the total deal.”– Coach Chris McColm

“I was in the first round of this brick-and-mortar tournament, and when you think you're the best guy and you're cut in the first round, it's tough for you,” Lafournese says. “I just thought something had to change.”

Lafournaze, who also attends Churchill Hockey Academy, has doubled his scoring total since his 13-year-old season at the AAA U15 level.

“Tyden is the total deal,” McColm says. “He can distribute the puck, he can make plays and he's a great skater. He has all the little skills.”

While Lafournaze has a shot at becoming the first local player selected on Thursday, at least two other Manitoba players — Winnipeg Thrashers White center Prabh Bhathal and Rink Hockey Academy defenseman Graham Pickering — could also earn the honor.

Pickering, the younger brother of Pittsburgh Penguins first-round draft pick Owen Pickering and Colgate University blueliner Avery Pickering, has the speed and puck-moving skills that WHL teams love. He's also a solid hitter, a much-needed trait among defenders.

Pickering's only real knock is his size. But at 5-8, 148 pounds, he's two inches bigger and 15 pounds heavier than Owen, who was selected by the Swift Current Broncos in the ninth round of the 2019 draft. Owen eventually grew eight inches and added 54 pounds.

At 5-9, Avery is one of the tallest defensemen in NCAA women's hockey, so it looks like Graham may have growth spurts.

“I wouldn't be against it, but it's out of my control,” says Graeme. “Whatever I am, I'll be fine with it.”

When it comes to the on-ice stuff, he's gotten high marks after transferring from the Eastman Selects AAA U15 team to the all-star RHA team, which plays in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League. In 27 games, he had seven goals, 36 points and 47 penalties.

“Pickering is really, really smart,” says Joel Henderson, director of scouting for Puck Prep, whose youngest Pickering is ranked as the 11th best prospect in Canada West. “He analyzes transitions and he's probably one of my most mature players in all leagues this year.

“He's determined and has defensive instincts as well. I think all the things that he does without rushing, all of his habits, when he's 6-foot, they're going to be even better.”

Graeme says he has benefited from RHA's wide range of intensive training on and off the ice.

“Probably the biggest difference is my confidence,” he says. “I didn't know what to expect going into the CSSHL when I started the year. But once I realized what it was, I started to gain more confidence and make more plays. I felt like I was a better player.”

And Bhathal has a scoring gift that just keeps on giving.

As a 13-year-old, he had 46 goals and 73 points in 34 games, but that game was a great taste of the 2023-24 season, when he had 83 goals and 119 points in 32 games. His league-leading goal totals included 14 on the power play and nine game-winners.

“He scores in a variety of ways,” Thrashers White head coach Vince Khoury said of Bhathal's versatility and attention to detail.

“He can beat them from the side, he can get it down the goal line and he can take the opportunity to shoot it off the keeper's square or over his shoulder. He can take it off the snap, get up to top speed, get past the defender and put it in.”

Last season, Bhathal added a physical dimension to his game.

“He can rip shots – I think he has the best shot – but he can also make them in traffic,” Khoury said. “He's very good at protecting the puck and finding space. He can score any way he can score.”

Bhathal's size — he's 6-2, 183 pounds and still growing — is another trait that has scouts buzzing.

“By the time he gets to the Western League in two years… I have no doubt he'll be close to 6-4, and by the time he's 18, his frame will support 230 or 235… He'll be a little Dub.”

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Top 10 Made in Manitoba

Here are some of the province's top 2009-born prospects for Thursday's WHL draft:

1. Tyden Lafournaise, C, Winnipeg U15 AAA Bruins Gold

Born: Winnipeg

Height: 6-0; Weight: 152 lbs

Joel Henderson says: “It reminds me of Conner Roulette. If all goes well, he can score a point per game or more at the WHL level.”

2. Graeme Pickering, RD, Rink Hockey Academy U15 Preparation

Born: St. Adolf

Height: 5-9; Weight: 146 lbs

Brad Purdy says: “He has a good shot. It is very deceptive and protects well. He's not a big guy, but if you follow the trend for (brother) Owen and his sister (Avery), they're both big defenders, and I don't see why he wouldn't be.”

3. Prabh Bhathal, C, Winnipeg Thrashers White U15 AAA

Born: Winnipeg

Height: 6-2; Weight: 183 lbs

Joel Henderson says: “He's a really good shooter, and not only that, but he uses his opportunities well. He's really committed to second and third chances… But he's got to be nimble. If he's really explosive in his swings, we're talking about the easiest top-five pick in the draft.”

4. Ludovic Perrea, C, Winnipeg U15 AAA Bruins Brown

Born: Winnipeg

Height: 5-7; Weight: 155 lbs

Joel Henderson says: “If you're smaller, you have to be incredibly disciplined. You have to be willing to go to tackles and win pucks, and he does both. His size doesn't bother me because he's very brave and he fights through checks and fights through stick fights.”

5. Asher Gingras, C, Eastman U15 AAA picks

Born: Steinbach

Height: 5-11; Weight: 150 lbs

Joel Henderson says: “He is very direct and very strong. He likes to go to the shooting lanes… He's looking for space to be a shooter, to be powerful and to go into space.”

6. Drayden Uhryna, F, Rink Hockey Academy U15 Prep

Born: Winnipeg

Height: 6-0; Weight: 164 lbs

Brad Purdy says: “He has all the tools. He has the ability to be that type of player at the next level. It is big and heavy. It has a bullet attached to it and it's physical. He protects the puck very well.”

7. William Picklick, C, Eastman U15 AAA picks

Born: Mitchell

Height: 5-9; Weight: 150 lbs

Joel Henderson says: “I like how well-rounded he is. He's not as naturally fast or as long as some of the other guys in the draft, but he's so smart and so strong.”

8. Madden Tymchak, LD, Rink Hockey Academy U15 training

Born: St. Adolf

Height: 6-0; Weight: 150 lbs

Brad Purdy says: “He's a Scott Stevens type. His timing on hits up the middle has been incredible at this level. He caught a lot of guys with his head down and being a bigger player, he always got a penalty for that, because when a guy hits a little guy at that level, it's got to be a penalty, right? He's a tough guy with a lot of sandpaper.”

9. Cohen Levko, C, Rink Hockey Academy U15 prep

Born: Sanford

Height: 5-11; Weight: 171 lbs

Brad Purdy says: “Another rebound guy. The way he plays, he's from the 70's and 80's in the NHL. He's just a physical player. Skates well and he's got a great shot for a 14-year-old.”

10. Anthony Bedard, F, Rink Hockey Academy U15 Prep

Born: Winnipeg

Height: 5-8; Weight: 155 lbs

Brad Purdy says: “He is a skilled forward who loves the ice and scores goals. He skates well and is solid defensively. A fantastic boy.”