The Arizona Coyotes have inked prospect Maveric Lamoureux to a three-year, entry-level contract, getting the first-round pick into the system right away. The young defenseman was selected 29th overall in this offseason’s draft.
General manager Bill Armstrong released the following statement:
We are very pleased to sign Maveric to an entry-level contract. He is a big, strong, physical defenseman who is a very good skater and has a good shot. We look forward to watching his development this season.
When Armstrong says that Lamoureux is big, he is underselling it a bit. The 18-year-old already stands 6’7″ and towers over most of his competition in the QMJHL, where he had 24 points in 54 games for the Drummondville Voltigeurs this season.
While he’s still very much a work-in-progress, the upside for a player like this is immense because of the way he skates. Lamoureux can move around the ice with ease, allowing him to use his huge reach advantage effectively and angle offensive players away from the front of the net.
Lamoureux was the third first-round pick the Coyotes had this year, following Logan Cooley (3rd overall) and Conor Geekie (11th). The former will be going to the University of Minnesota, while the latter has already signed his entry-level deal.