FUTURE WATCH: Lavoie leading the formation in Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Bakersfield Condors altered the direction of their season in December and forward Raphael Lavoie has been at the front of the formation ever since with an impressive second half to his third professional season.
The Condors had no lift under their wings at the Christmas break, owning a 10-14-1 record with two wins in their last 10 games, until they found a tailwind to ride over the final three-and-a-half months of the AHL regular season all the way to a Calder Cup Playoff berth with a 27-16-2 record over their last 45 games.
"We definitely had a lot of adversity at the start of the year and all through until almost Christmas I want to say, but we kept going at it," Lavoie said. "We kept working and the results are speaking for themselves about how it's getting much better for us."
For Lavoie, Bakersfield's turnaround since Christmas has coincided with a breakout stretch of 23 goals and 19 assists in 48 games for the 2019 Oilers second-round pick that isn't showing signs of stopping.
"It's always a good feeling when the team's doing well and you're also doing well," Lavoie added. "I feel like we've been progressing as a team. We've been starting to really bond together and click on the ice.
"I think [scoring goals] is just the result that's shown. That's why we're starting to score a lot more goals, and I'm part of that."

The Chambly, Que. product suffered a knee injury in late March during the 2021-22 AHL campaign that prevented him from participating in Oilers Main Camp and starting the Condors season on time before he made his return to the lineup on Nov. 2 in San Diego.
After a tempered start to his season with two goals and an assist in his first 13 games, Lavoie hasn't looked back.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound winger started peppering pucks at opposing netminders with his deadly release that saw him impress at the junior level as a first-shot scorer, leading the 2018-19 OHL Playoffs in scoring with 20 goals in 23 games for the Halifax Mooseheads and earning him his early second-round selection (38th overall) by Edmonton at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Lavoie posted 10 goals and 10 assists in 17 games between Jan. 20 and Feb. 2 following a nine-game pointless streak before scoring an incredible 10 goals with four assists in 10 games from Feb. 19 - March 15, including a Condors single-game record of
four goals in an 8-4 thumping of the San Diego Gulls
.
Lavoie recorded 184 shots on goal this AHL regular season that ranked 24th in the league despite fewer games played than a lot of the company above him, while finishing first in Condors goalscoring with 25 goals (seven on the power play) and third in points with 45 behind winger Seth Griffith and defenceman Can Dineen.

But above all, Lavoie has utilized his large frame more effectively this season to protect pucks, outwork opponents in front of the net and score more power-forward goals that come off physical-effort plays. A wicked shot can only get you so far at the professional level, and Lavoie has adjusted this season to scoring goals in plenty of different ways.
"Goalies are really good. You can't beat them from distance anymore, as I learned from playing," he said. "So you just got to get the puck to the paint and then you got to get some greasy ones. So that's what I've been trying to focus on -- getting in front of the net and just getting some goals that not necessarily you need to have a good shot for, you're just at the paint and you're creating chances like that."
As is often the case with young players trying to find their footing in the professional ranks, consistency and reliability in the defensive zone were major obstacles for Lavoie to overcome in order to deliver his best performance over the final 48 games of Bakersfield's season.
"There's a lot of video with the coaching staff showing me how to be reliable and how to earn your coach's confidence playing without the puck," Lavoie said.

There are many examples for Lavoie and the rest of the Oilers prospects to follow when it comes to consistency, including captain Brad Malone, Greg McKegg, Luke Esposito, Seth Griffith, Justin Bailey and Jason Demers, who've been veteran voices for a young Condors crop this season.
"You have to be reliable. Jason Demers played 700 games. His best currency is being reliable," Lavoie added. "People have to know what they're getting from you. You can't be on one night and off the other, so you have to be as reliable and as consistent as possible so people know what they're getting when you're on the ice."
Every improvement shown by Lavoie this season reinforces that his strong performance is more sustainable than some of the other flashes of success he's enjoyed over his 136 AHL games across three seasons.
The Condors begin a first-round, best-of-three Calder Cup Playoff matchup with the Abbotsford Canucks this week and Lavoie has his sights firmly set on continuing his strong regular season in the playoffs. It will be another important opportunity for Lavoie to showcase his NHL readiness heading into what will be an important summer for him as an unrestricted free agent and waivers-eligible player in 2023-24.
"That's not really my decision to make," he said about a potential to join the Oilers. "I'm just going out there doing the best I can to show what I have, and we'll see whatever happens."