Lukas Cormier

February 2024 – Cormier continues to round out his all-around game, making his NHL debut last month with the Golden Knights. The majority of his season has been spent back in the AHL, where he sits at 17 points through 39 games for a middle-of-the pack Henderson squad. Defensively, Cormier boasts a strong stick despite his limited reach at 5-11, which coupled with his offensive awareness makes him a threat both in transition and when he correctly picks his spots to pinch. There continues to be risk in his game, but with the deep defensive pool the Knights have, he should have the rest of this season and the beginning of next season at minimum to work on those flaws primarily with Henderson. Taylor Davis

June 2023 – The offensively minded defenseman stands out when assessing the future of Vegas’ defense corps, but it’s still fair to question the red flags attached to his game when evaluating Cormier’s future. After winning back-to-back QMJHL Defenseman of the Year awards with Charlottetown and representing Canada at the 2022 WJC, the Knights 2020 3rd rounder took his well rounded offensive toolkit pro this year with Henderson of the AHL. There, he finished fourth in points among AHL rookie defensemen with 35 in 62 games (one ahead of NJD’s Simon Nemec with Utica,) but struggled defensively at times when pressed. At his size, it’s improbable we see Cormier become the next Chris Pronger in regards to physicality or range, but his ability to make offense and facilitate it on the backend bodes well for his NHL future. It’ll likely be another few years until we see him make a regular impact at the next level, but keeper league GMs still might want to take their flier now. It’s easy to see a future with Cormier manning an NHL powerplay. Taylor Davis

November 2021 – A close second among QMJHL blueliners in points, goals, and assists this season, Cormier has ten goals and 15 assists in 20 contests, including nine points on the power play, ranks in the top ten with a plus/minus of +10, and sits in the top 15 with 18 PIM. Vegas’ third-round pick in 2020, the slightly undersized Charlottetown Islander at 5’10” 180 lbs. continues to look like a great bargain selection by VGK. We’ll see if his production continues as the 19-year-old’s career progresses, but his exceptionally smooth and speedy skating and deft puck skills offer a great deal of promise. Kevin Wickersham

October 2020 – Cormier was drafted 68th overall by the Golden Knights. Cormier is expected to spend two more years in the QMJHL before turning pro.  Jokke Nevalainen

October 2019 – Charlottetown Islanders left-handed defenseman Lukas Cormier is in a walking boot and will miss around a month of playing time, per Jason Malloy of The PEI Guardian. Cormier was off to a strong start before getting hurt. In 13 games played, the Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick native tallied four goals and eleven assists. Aside from his statistics, Cormier is an excellent skater. He shifts from backward to forwards well and deploys strong edges. Cormier loves getting involved in the offensive zone and fires strong wrist shots from the point. In the defensive and neutral zones, Cormier is seen often fighting for pucks. Unfortunately, he hurt himself as he was trying to block a shot. Hopefully, his injury does not deter Cormier from continuing to be aggressive in the defensive zone. In terms of fantasy upside, Cormier looks like he could round out into a solid top-four defenseman with top-two upside. Josh Tessler