Habs put premium on puck-movers like Beaudin

Leading up to the NHL Entry Draft on June 22-23 in Dallas, we’re taking a look at players who might be selected by the Montreal Canadiens.

The team has five selections in the first two rounds, including the No. 3 overall pick.

NICOLAS BEAUDIN, DEFENCEMAN

Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 172 pounds

NHL Central Scouting Rank: No. 31 among North American skaters. What the scouts are saying: He’s one of those players who has benefitted from the changing style of play in the NHL. Smaller defencemen like Beaudin can succeed with intelligence and puck-moving skills.

Scouts rate Beaudin as one of the best passers in the draft, whether it’s moving the puck out of his zone or joining the rush and being part of a tick-tack-toe play at the other end of the ice.

He led the Drummondville Voltigeurs in scoring with 69 points, including 12 goals, and he added 11 points in 20 playoff games.

Those points total suggests that he would be a welcome addition on the Canadiens’ power play, but he lacks the requisite high-powered shot.

Beaudin would be a first-rounder if he was a better skater. He has an effortless stride, which gives him the ability to elude checkers when moving out of his zone, but he lacks power in his stride and has trouble skating backward. As a result, he doesn’t close the gap well on defence and he can get caught when he ventures too far into the offensive zone.

He has shown some improvement in his skating and scouts believe he’ll continue to improve as he gets stronger.

Why the Canadiens would be interested: Montreal puts a premium on puck-movers and Beaudin would be a left-handed shot on a team that’s stronger on the right side. He has a champion in the organization because his junior coach in Drummondville, Dominique Ducharme, was recently added to Claude Julien’s coaching staff.