Saturday, September 20, 2014

Nathan Beaulieu Jersey Card

Out of the three prospects battling for the 6th and 7th defenseman spots on the Montréal Canadiens, Nathan Beaulieu is the one with the most offensive upside, while Jarred Tinordi is the hulking tower and Greg Pateryn is the stable defensive guy.

He even played in 7 playoff games in the Habs' trip to the semi-finals, posting two assists while leading the rush on many occasions against the New York Rangers. His 4 total assists in 23 NHL games so far do not reflect his potential in any way: the 17th-overall pick in 2011 will be a 40-point man in the NHL for a long time. Perhaps not in the same category as Ryan McDonagh, but definitely as valuable as Ron Hainsey was for the better part of a decade.

He is a swift skater and nifty passer who has a decent shot and vision; he will manage the point on a first-unit powerplay within three years' time, the only question is whether that's with Montréal or elsewhere.

Unlike other prospects, however, his international experience isn't all that full of glory: one bronze meal at the World Juniors with Team Canada, and 3 meager assists in 11 total games of teenage hockey.

I figure I will be featuring a lot of his cards this coming season, so I might as well start with this 2013-14 SP Game-Used Edition card by Upper Deck (#RF-NB of the Rookie Fabrics sub-set), showing him wearing the Habs' classic red (home) uniform with a matching swatch from a photo shoot:


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