Identity line for hockey Islanders
Elliott-Beauregard-Gallant giving Charlottetown Islanders an energy boost
Speed, grit and tenacity.
The trio of Zac Beauregard, Keiran Gallant and Drew Elliott bring that and much more to the Charlottetown Islanders. They may not get the praise that comes with multi-point games, but their value is undisputable inside the locker room.
“I thought they were just outstanding all night,” head coach Jim Hulton said after the Islanders' 6-0 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Feb. 5. “It’s a trio that goes out and gets after it on the forecheck and plays a real tough, grinding, pain-in-the-butt game and that’s what we’ve been missing. I thought we had a little too much polish in our game and not enough sandpaper.”
The third line was the team’s most consistent last week and often was employed to start a game or period.
“It makes me feel good,” Elliott said of having the coaches’ trust. “It gives you a bit of confidence too, and makes you want to go even harder.”
The line’s job was simple: establish the forecheck that has been a staple of the team’s success in recent years.
“We all know what needs to be done, are willing to put the work in and I think we just play well together,” said Gallant, an 18-year-old Covehead native. “We all play a similar game and it just kind of works.”
Beauregard, who turns 20 on Feb. 20, is in his third season with the Islanders and is the elder statesman on the line. He is an agitator, who knew from Day 1 there was a role for him on the team if he was willing to play it. It wasn’t a hard sell.
“It’s been the way I’ve played since I started playing hockey,” he said. “I’m here to (tick) off people and get under their skin. I really took that role and right now I’m just enjoying it as much as I can and I will never, ever change that role for anything else.”
Beauregard was picked in the 10th round of the 2017 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft. The following year, the Isles struck gold late again with Gallant in the 13th round.
“We didn't take the easy path to get here,” Beauregard said.
The Repentigny, Que., native is a five-foot-six, 155pound centre, while Gallant is a five-foot-nine, 155-pound winger. But it was Gallant who swung momentum in a game Feb. 6 by dropping the mitts with Cape Breton’s 20-year-old defender Nathan Larose, who is listed as six-foot-two and 194 pounds.
“You want your team to have the puck to be able to generate offence,” Gallant said.
“If someone is bigger than me, it doesn’t matter their size, I’m going to battle them for the puck and do whatever I need to (do) to help the team out.”
And it was Beauregard who got under Jarrett Baker’s skin in the dying seconds of the contest while being the net-front presence as Charlottetown
pushed for the equalizer. Baker, the Eagles’ 20-year-old captain, is listed as six foot and 206 pounds.
It shows while small in stature, the two play with lots of heart.
“Keiran and Beau are the two smallest guys, probably by height and weight, on our team, but they’re the ballsiest guys,” Hulton said. “It’s proof positive that it’s not how big you are, it’s how much you really want it. It’s willpower at that point.”
Elliott, a five-foot-11, 190-pound winger, was a second-round pick of the BaieComeau Drakkar in 2019. The Musquash, N.B., native who turns 18 on April 4, was traded to the Islanders in December 2019 for forward Xavier Fortin.
“He’s very similar to us as well, he’s a little bit bigger,” Gallant said of Elliott. “He’s not afraid to get in the corners either. He’s got a wicked shot, and if we can get him the puck, it’s a big plus for us.”
It was Elliott who opened Friday’s game with a big hit in front of the Halifax bench.
“It is a different environment, playing with (a limited number of) fans, but we do have to find some energy in the building,” he said. “We were saying to each other, we have to bring some energy to the boys, and we’ll start it right off this first shift here.”
Thomas Casey began his
Isles career by using his speed to provide energy on the fourth line. He now finds himself on the top line but recognizes the importance of the Beauregard line.
“They’re three hardworking guys and they’d do anything for the team to win. It’s been fun to watch,” he said. “I’m looking forward to coming down the stretch and seeing them do that in the playoffs because that’s exactly how playoff hockey is.”