Alexis Lafreniere Earns Recognition Producing for NY Rangers

Alexis Lafreniere has been dominating for the New York Rangers on the ice.

Oct 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) celebrates after scoring a third goal for a hat trick in the third period against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering the 2026-27 NHL regular season, expectations were rising for forward Alexis Lafreniere.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, he hasn’t quite lived up to the lofty standards that come with being selected in that spot. He has been a solid, albeit not spectacular, performer on the ice, a key part of the team’s success.

However, if the Rangers wanted to take that next step and get back into the playoff picture, Lafreniere needed to start producing at a higher level. There were flashes of that breakout near the end of the 2025-26 season when he got placed on a line with Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad.

Head coach Mike Sullivan decided to keep that trio together to begin this season, and the results have been fantastic. So much so, Lafreniere recently received some national recognition for his performance on the ice.

Alexis Lafreniere receives Three Stars of the Week honor

Oct 11, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal in the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by NHL Public Relations on X, the emerging New York star was named one of the Three Stars of the Week presented by Geico. Lafreniere was the third star, with Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger being the second star and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews being the first star.

It is quite an honor for the Rangers standout forward to receive, one that he earned with some big performances. He stuffed the stat sheet in three games against the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks, helping New York to a 2-1-0 record last week.

Auston Matthews, Jake Oettinger and Alexis Lafrenière named “Three Stars” for the week ending Oct. 11.

3 Stars of the Week presented by @GEICO#NHLStats: https://t.co/McH5zEby64 pic.twitter.com/8WvUQ9jRN6

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 12, 2026

Against the Islanders on Oct. 6, Lafreniere notched the third hat trick of his career. As someone whom Sullivan is trusting to play more in defense-first situations, such as a 6-on-5 situation near the end of the game, Lafreniere took full advantage by finding the back of the empty net twice.

It was a four-point performance for him, recording an assist on one of the two goals Oliver Bjorkstrand scored.

In a 3-1 loss to the Capitals, in which starting goalie Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending lower-body injury, Lafreniere scored the only goal for his team in the contest.

OUI OUI LAFFY 🙌

With 5️⃣ goals and 2️⃣ assists in 3️⃣ games played, Alexis Lafrenière has been named the @NHL’s Third Star of the Week! pic.twitter.com/4mkHHzDGlS

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 12, 2026

Against the Canucks on Oct. 11, New York had a strong bounce-back performance, winning 6-2. Lafreniere recorded a multi-point game for the second time in three contests, scoring one goal and handing out one assist, which came 27 seconds into the game when Tye Kartye scored.

His five goals and eight total points on the season both lead the Rangers. This is the exact kind of start the team was hoping to see from Lafreniere, who also has a plus/minus ratio of +4, making a positive impact whenever he is on the ice.