Cole Beaudoin is the NHL's next sizeable centre with high-end vision — a player type we don't see often among today's prospects, but one that will certainly be valuable on draft day.
Barrie Colts centreman Cole Beaudoin hasn't been getting a ton of talk so far this season, but he will certainly be a sneaky find for whichever team takes him in the NHL Draft.
Beaudoin's vision is something to behold. He seems to have eyes in the back of his head, and regularly find his teammates through multiple sticks and bodies. His production is a result of his playmaking vision.
If his linemates are open, Beaudoin will find them.
His vision not only helps his passing, but it helps him find open areas around the net where he can finish. Beaudoin has high spatial awareness to recognize open space, and he is able to get a shot off quickly before his opponents can catch up to him.
His deep vision makes the players around him better, and he supports high-end talent quite well. At the next level, I could see Beaudoin being utilized as a supporting centre for high-end offensive creators.
Beaudoin also has an efficient two-hundred foot game, and possesses high defensive positional awareness. He plays on the Colts' penalty kill very often.
Another crucial element to his game — his size.
Beaudoin measures in at 6-foot-2 and 201-pounds as a seventeen-year-old in the OHL. There aren't many draft eligible players with this size who can see the ice as well as Beaudoin can.
He uses his frame to protect the puck. Beaudoin's low stance and leg strength makes him difficult to knock off of the puck, and he can make his high-vision plays while he is working to protect the puck.
However, the main concern for Beaudoin has been his skating. He isn't the quickest guy on the ice because of his size, but he isn't the prettiest skater either. His stride is shorter and choppier, but it has shown improvement.
Beaudoin has certainly gained a step in his skating this season, and it is clearly something he worked on over the offseason. The question is whether his skating can continue to trend upwards, and if it projects to be good enough for the professional level.
Given that he was able to gain a step in quickness over one offseason, Beaudoin definitely shows the potential to become a good enough skater at the NHL level.
His vision is too skilled to not translate to the next level — and combined with his size/strength — is a valuable combination. Beaudoin may begin on the wing at the professional level, but his mind and intelligence is that of a centreman.
He projects as a supporting middle-six centre, who assists/insolates high-end offensive players with his vision and passing. He will be able to pitch in some secondary offence individually, but his production will mostly come from finding his teammates with his playmaking. Beaudoin can also be relied upon in his own zone, and play on the penalty kill periodically.
Beaudoin may be a "project prospect" for the team that selects him this June in Vegas, but it will be a project they won't regret taking on.