2016 Top 25 under 25: #13 J.C. Beaudin

Today’s look at the 2016 edition of BSN’s Top 25 Avalanche Under 25 lands us on number 13 on the list, forward Jean-Christophe (J.C.) Beaudin. The versatile Beaudin was part of a virtual three-way tie in our voting but fell just behind the players who landed at 11 and 12 on our list with an average ranking of 12.2 across seven ballots. His highest ranking was 11th with a low of 13th as the staff reached near consensus on Beaudin’s position.

Who is J.C. Beaudin?

The 6’1″, 181-pound Beaudin was selected in the third round, 71st overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015 NHL Draft. That particular Avalanche draft class is already showing extremely well as Beaudin is the second player on this list (Sergei Boikov is the first) from that class and the three players drafted before him are still to come.

Beaudin’s first post-draft season couldn’t have gone too much better. Given a leading role on the powerhouse Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Beaudin’s offensive production shot up from 53 points in 68 games to 82 points in 58 games, with 19 more in 17 playoff games. His leap from 14 to 33 goals scored is exactly what you want in a prospect after being drafted.

Everything about Beaudin provides a reason for excitement right now. Not only did his offense flourish, Beaudin moved from wing in his draft year to center last season and his two-way game remained solid. While not a flashy player, he’s solid in everything he does and has a very high hockey IQ.

His steadiness will be tested this upcoming season as the Huskies lost some firepower and Beaudin will become a focal point of the offense.

What is the future for J.C. Beaudin?

As mentioned above, Beaudin will become an even bigger part of the Huskies offense as the departures of Timo Meier, captain Francis Perron, and fellow Avalanche prospects A.J. Greer and Julien Nantel will put more pressure on Beaudin to reproduce the excellent statistical season he just had.

It will be a big test for the creative Beaudin as he approaches this season facing a new kind of pressure. How he responds will be very telling but barring disaster, there’s no reason not to believe the Avalanche will sign him to his entry-level contract and push for him to join the pro hockey ranks after next season.

Depending on how well the Huskies do this season, Beaudin could even make his AHL debut as soon as next April if the San Antonio Rampage are still playing when Rouyn-Noranda’s season ends.

While that might be jumping ahead a bit, it’s hard not to be too excited about what the future holds for Beaudin. Players of his ilk regularly find their way to the NHL and stick. It isn’t hard to envision a future Avalanche roster with the Huskies trio, Beaudin/Greer/Nantel, playing alongside fellow prospects J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen.

While the Avalanche made sure to lock up the remaining pieces of the current “core” in the NHL, J.C. Beaudin certainly projects to be one of the players to watch in the next big wave of prospects for the Avalanche.