Alexis Lafreniere was raring to go on Thursday.
Rejoining Canada's lineup for the quarterfinal against Slovakia after missing the final two games of the group stage with a knee injury, Lafreniere's energy was clear from the first shift when the Rimouski Oceanic forward dished out a big hit.
A budding 18-year-old superstar who is widely expected to be the first overall selection in this summer's NHL draft, Lafreniere isn't exactly known for being overly physical. But he just couldn't help himself.
MORE: Keep tabs on Team Canada's schedule, scores
"[It was] just to get into the game a little bit," Lafreniere told TSN after Thursday's contest, a 6-1 victory. "[After] two games off it was just to get into the game and I think that worked pretty well. I was skating pretty good after."
The hit set the tone for Lafreniere's entire game, as he was causing fits to the Slovaks all over the ice. And while he wasn't expected to be a physical presence for his team, his eagerness to help out wherever needed came as no surprise to Lafreniere's teammates and coach.
"He's in the leader group and he leads by example and, you know, he makes good plays," Canada head coach Dale Hunter told TSN of his star player. "He's an unselfish player. You'd like to see him shoot more sometimes, but he did tonight and he scored. He's one of those players that's a joy to coach."
Lafreniere got himself on the scoresheet within minutes of his return, finding Barrett Hayton alone in front for the game's opening goal.
Lafreniere ➡️ Hayton
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) January 2, 2020
Canada’s up 1-0 over Slovakia.pic.twitter.com/It0LicfMz5
He followed that up with a seeing-eye goal through a crowd to cap off a dominant second period in which the Canadians scored four times and crushed any Slovak hopes of stealing a result.
Lafreniere uses the Force* to make this puck see its way through a crowd to put Canada up 5-0.
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) January 2, 2020
(*Unconfirmed)pic.twitter.com/hOPDZNxGh1
As much as it was a positive for Canada to get back its talisman just as the games ramp up in importance, Lafreniere credited his teammates for keeping things going during his absence and playing well as a unit against a tricky Slovakian team that was a bit unlucky not to get on the board during the opening stages of Thursday's game.
"I think we're getting better every game," the Saint-Eustache, Que., native said. "I think the guys are really working together. We work as a team and it's showed out there, we played really good."
Despite the Canadians showing improvement during every game since the 6-0 drubbing by Russia on Dec. 28 in which Lafreniere was injured, he stressed that while confidence is "pretty high," there's still work to be done if the team wants to capture the first gold medal of the new decade.
"We need to enjoy the win [against Slovakia] a little bit, but stay on [the] ball because we have a good opponent, for sure, in the semis," he said.
Canada will take on Finland in the semifinal on Saturday.