After a magic year where Colorado was able to ride the back of hot goaltending to push it's young upcoming team into a post season spot, the Avalanche once again find themselves out of the dance and taking a further step into the rebuild of their storied franchise. With their franchise player, Matt Duchene, in the fold, to go with their 2nd overall pick in this draft, Greg Sherman returns to the draft table. The eleventh overall pick lies solely in their position following the Erik Johnson trade.
"With the eleventh overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Colorado is proud to select, for the second time, from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League... Nathan Beaulieu."
A smart two-way defenseman with hockey roots, the Ontario-born, Maritimes raised, blueliner is the son of London Knights Assistant Coach, Jacques Beaulieu. While not quite as big as Dougie Hamilton, Nathan boasts enviable size at 6'3, 191 lbs.
Playing the bulk of his ice time with Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, Simon Depres, Beaulieu finished off his regular season with Saint John tallying 12 goals 33 assists in 65 games. Known as an offensive defenseman, with defensive ability, Beaulieu is a strong skater with excellent foot work. The Strathroy native really started turning heads at the Team Canada World Junior Evaluation Camp this past summer in Calgary.
Considered the best pure puck moving defenseman in the Q, Beaulieu is the guy you'll see leading the rush, and beginning the transition game for his team. The tools are there; size, skating and strength, to be a top four puck mover at the next level. And let's not kid ourselves, those types of players are highly valued.
Nathan plays with an edge every shift, whether trying to use his body or defending his teammates with fisticuffs. Defensively, Beaulieu uses his active stick to clog up passing lanes, though he'll never be considered the greatest defenseman in his own zone; he just won't be a liability.
His shot needs some work, especially his release time, but it isn't something a team will worry about too much going into the draft. Three full seasons in the Q will have him moving up to the AHL in a matter of a year, should he be ready.
To date in the post season, Beaulieu has continued his offensive prowess with two goals and 11 assists in 12 playoff games.
The only concern going forward with Beaulieu are his low numbers, playing on a strong Saint John team. When you consider the opposition he plays against on a nightly basis, a case can be made for the high upside Beaulieu shows.
A candidate to crack the Top 10, should a team really like him, there's no denying that Nathan Beaulieu is a legitimate prospect for a team looking to upgrade their back end.
Taken Previously...
1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Gabriel Landeskog
3. Jonathan Huberdeau
4. Dougie Hamilton
5. Adam Larsson
6. Sean Couturier
7. Ryan Strome
8. Ryan Murphy
9. Duncan Siemens
10. Mark McNeill
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NOTE: My apologies for the space between updates-- Easter and vacation caught up to me.
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