By Rita Mingo
Calgary Herald

Offensive linemen were predicted to be a commodity in Tuesday night’s 2015 CFL draft and the Calgary Stampeders managed to snag a talented one themselves.

Picking at No. 9, the Stamps snapped up Karl Lavoie from the Laval University Rouge et Or, the sixth O-lineman to be taken in the first round.

“It’s incredible,” said a delighted Lavoie in a phone interview. “It’s what I wanted the most has happened.

“It was a very, very, very long day. Waiting for 8 p.m. was long to reach. I was very nervous today.”

“I’m very pleased he was still available,” said Stamps’ head coach/general manager John Hufnagel. “We definitely had him ranked in the pack with all the other offensive linemen that have been drafted previous to our selection. Karl is very athletic offensive lineman, very versatile. He’s played all the positions on the offensive line throughout his career. We’re looking at him as a guard-tackle candidate.”

A three-time conference all-star and two-time all-Canadian out of the football factory that is Laval, Lavoie is the second top pick by the Stamps to be taken from the frequent national champions, as last year they grabbed Pierre Lavertu. The two players, former teammates with the Rouge et Or, will be reunited.

“I’m very excited to play with him,” Lavoie said of Lavertu, projected to be the Stamps’ starting centre in his second season. “He’s a very close friend, he’s one of my best buddies. We’re looking forward to camp and very proud to be together again.”

Lavoie didn’t make it to the prospects’ combine in Toronto earlier this spring because of an injury, but had a workout in Montreal last week and clearly impressed the Stamps.

“He’s got his weight up from 280 to 295, he’s almost six-four,” Hufnagel described. “So I’m very pleased. I think he’ll come in and compete very hard.”

Lavoie joins a club that continuously adds Canadian gems to its O-line, an area that also lost a couple of key individuals in the off-season.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that we build our football team and our foundation is with our offensive line and you can’t have too many of them,” acknowledged Hufnagel.

The fact that Lavoie comes from a perennially strong program in Laval means he has a winning tradition behind him, always a good trait to have for any young player and a boon to the confidence factor.

“It definitely equates in the evaluation process,” Hufnagel admitted. “You watch him play football and you watch him on run blocks and the movement of his feet, his pass protection, his versatility. All those types of things allowed us to make a very comfortable selection.

“I’m very pleased with Karl and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do anything (trade up),” added Hufnagel, “and one of the offensive lineman including Karl would be available to us and that’s what happened.”

Lavoie will come to rookie camp at the end of May with a clear indication of what’s expected from him and of what he expects from himself.

“I think I have to work hard,” he pointed out, “and I have to improve my play, my footwork, my hand placement. And I want to fit in the team and help them win again.

“I think I’ll bring some hard work, a good work ethic. I’ll do what they ask me to do.”

>> Stamps TV: Calgary selects Karl Lavoie