The Ottawa Senators announced today that they are loaning 19-year-old forward Curtis Lazar to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships. Lazar, the teams first round pick in 2013, made the Senators out of training camp this year. He has one goal and six assists with the Senators this season. The first goal of his NHL career came on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres.
The #Sens have agreed to loan forward @CurtisLazar95 to Team Canada to participate in the World Junior Hockey Championship. #GoodLuckCurtis
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 18, 2014
Lazar was part of Team Canada’s entry in the World Juniors last year, scoring 3 goals and 7 points for the team. He also led the Edmonton Oil Kings to the 2014 WHL Championship and Memorial Cup. Lazar is a versatile player who can play both right wing and center. Team Canada management reportedly sees Lazar as a right wing and will try him on a line with Nic Petan and Connor McDavid to start the tournament.
This add is a big boost to Canada’s lineup. Here is the scouting report on Lazar from before the season.
Top Ottawa Senators Prospects
Top Prospect Curtis Lazar, Centre
Born Feb 2 1995 — Vernon, BC
Height 6.00 — Weight 189 — Shoots Right
Selected by Ottawa Senators round 1 #17 overall 2013 NHL Entry Draft
It was a near perfect season for Lazar. He again led the Oil Kings to one of the best records in the WHL, and through the playoffs to a second WHL title in his career. He and the Oil Kings topped it all off by winning the Memorial Cup, and getting revenge for the 2012 tournament. Lazar’s clutch goal in the third overtime of the Semi-Final against Val D’Or was one of many big plays he made for the Oil Kings on their journey. Along the way he was also a key member of Canada’s National Junior team scoring 3 goals and 7 points in 7 games.
At his best Lazar has great quickness and outstanding acceleration. He is able to use his quick and powerful stride to go wide on defence, and if he manages to get a step on them he puts it into another gear and drives the net hard. Lazar also uses his ability to change gears quickly to confuse defenders and coupled with very good agility, he is extremely dangerous off the rush. Lazar has good balance on his skates and effectively fights through checks and protects the puck, making him dangerous off the cycle.
Lazar is a pure goal scorer. He has an outstanding wrist shot and pro-level release which he uses to beat goalies. He also has an excellent slap shot. Add to this arsenal, the soft hands to finish plays in close and the quick hand eye co-ordination to make delections and pounce on rebounds and you can see why he had so many goals this season. Lazar also plays a rugged game and is willing to hit on the forecheck or battle along the boards, or in the cycle game. He’s not afraid to play in the dirty areas of the ice, be it in the corners or in front of the net. He could stand to be a little bit stronger and add some upper body mass in order to continue to play his style in the pros, but this is a concern for most junior players. Lazar also could be a bit more of a playmaker, as he does show good vision and passing skill at times, but doesn’t do it often enough.
Defensively, Lazar is amongst the best checking forwards in the draft. His two way game is excellent, as are his face-off skills. He plays his rugged game in all three zones, and uses his quick feet to keep himself in position and be hard on the back check. He helps out defenders down low and contains his man to the outside well, cutting down the shooting and passing lanes. He has a quick stick and intercepts a lot of passes, and is willing to block shots for his team. This well developed defensive game will serve him well on his transition to pro hockey.
Lazar is a tweener in that there isn’t much more for him to do in the WHL, but he may not be ready for the NHL and is not eligible for the AHL. This makes things tough on Brian Murray, but I expect to see Lazar back in Edmonton for one more year and again playing a key role at the World Juniors.
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