LAKELAND - St. Paul's Nicolas Beaudoin started playing the 2021-22 hockey season 45 minutes from home, after successfully making his way through camp with the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs. But at just 16 years old when the regular season started, Beaudoin ended up returning to his hometown to play out much of the season with the Jr. B Canadiens.
Beaudoin says coming home has proven to be a positive, and he continues to keep in contact with the Pontiacs' organization - aiming to return to the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) team for the 2022/23 season, and continuing to push his hockey career to the next level.
Earlier this month, as Beaudoin was spending time with his brothers playing board games, he received a text message congratulating him on an impressive achievement, proving that the move to play out the season with the Canadiens in the North Eastern Alberta Jr. B Hockey League (NEAJBHL) was a good one.
Now 17 years old and in his last year of high school, Beaudoin's impressive play on the ice, and his hard work off the ice have paid off and he's been recognized with the NEAJBHL's Rookie of the Year Award.
“I was like, oh wow!” says Beaudoin, speaking to the night he found out he had been named Rookie of the Year. When he came to the Canadiens, he was focused on making an impact with the team, and says he is honoured to receive the award.
Throughout the season, Beaudoin has been focused on getting "bigger and stronger and faster." A bonus to coming back to play with the Canadiens has been the opportunity to finish his last year of high school at home, and also play school sports on the side.
While hockey trumps all other sports, Beaudoin is an athlete who enjoys keeping active. This year, has been part of the volleyball and basketball teams at St. Paul Regional High School.
Coming into the hockey season, Beaudoin says his focus every game has been helping his team get the two points. And while he was not focused on grabbing a spot on the scoring leader board, he did.
After 24 games played, Beaudoin tallied 37 points - a combination of 16 goals and 21 assists - putting him in ninth place overall in the league.
Looking back, Beaudoin says the 2021/22 season has been a lot of fun, and he's been able to play with many of his friends. After an unexpected season cut short due to the pandemic more than a year ago, Beaudoin says it's been nice to "finish what we started."
“The team’s looking really strong and we’re ready for playoffs," he adds.
Support
While his teammates and family have been a constant support and it's been great playing in front of his hometown crowd, Beaudoin points to a few specific people who have helped him along the way.
He says his oldest brother has been an inspiration to him throughout his hockey career. After watching his brother play for the Pontiacs as a junior hockey player in the early 2000s, and seeing him go on to play college hockey, the youngest Beaudoin is hoping to follow in his big brother's footsteps.
"My brother has a huge influence on me. And I want to follow his footsteps and make it to that college level.”
When the pandemic hit, and opportunities to continue to train were hard to come by, Beaudoin decided to pack his bags and travel south to spend time with his brother in Calgary.
"I went to Calgary when COVID hit and I kept training with my older brother," explains Beaudoin.
Another positive impact over the course of the season for Beaudoin has been the support and knowledge of Canadiens' head coach Shawn Germain.
Beaudoin describes Germain as a coach who is always wanting to help everyone on the team get to the next level.
“He's amazing, he knows what it takes to get to the next level."
And those good feelings are clearly mutual, with Germain saying the St. Paul team was "very fortunate to have Nic for as long as we did this season."
"He obviously had success with the Pontiacs early in the season, and we were thrilled to see that. We see nothing but bright things in his future hockey career and we are happy to have been a small part of that development," says Germain.
The coach describes Beaudoin as a very offensively gifted player who is "trustworthy in all three zones."
"His ability to see the ice and find his teammates is what sets him apart. Adding him to our full-time roster was really a turning point in our season," adds Germain.
Of course, Beaudoin wouldn't have achieved the level of success without a solid group behind him. He says his teammates, who are also very committed to the team, have been another highlight of the season.
Simply put, "We want to bring home a title this year," says Beaudoin.
The St. Paul Canadiens are expected to begin playoffs this week.
Other recipients of the NEAJBHL awards include:
MVP and top scorer - Kobe Charchun, Killam Wheat Kings
Best defenceman - Noah Cook, Cold Lake Ice
Top goaltender - Vaughn Holbeche, Wainwright Bisons
Coach of the Year - Ryan Earl, Vermilion Tigers