Nathan Beaulieu

[Bjorn Le]

Svoboda!! Really?! Well, I'll respect your opinion/observation...it's been awhile since Svoboda played but I've seen some old clips of Svoboda on CBC, and...everyone just seemed a lot slower back then!! (Svoboda looked smooth -good skater- but not as fast/flashy/entertaining/skilled as Subban,imo).
Desjardins (is a rightie, not that it matters that much!)...I wouldn't mind this comparison at all. Desjardins was a solid offensive/defensive dman (nothing flashy, not overly physical but physical enough from what I remember...solid dman).


Beaulieu comparisons: I like jmelm's fair, non-biased comparisons (from this thread) of Beaulieu...
Keith Yandle
Whitney
Brian Campbell with better defense and 3 inches taller -- that's an elite, arguably top 12-15 defensemen in the league.


Other Beaulieu comparisons: PK Subban, Mike Green, Brian Campbell... I believe jmelm's comparisons/observations are more realistic...although if Beaulieu had a bit of PK in him I wouldn't be against that! For me there's only one PK Subban and for defence I'd take PK over Green and Campbell anyday, imo.

Those are very, very high end comparisons. You're a Habs fan so no doubt you want to hear that, but realistically he's not going to turn out that way. How many draft picks turn out to be #1 defensemen. Doubt he'll ever be more than a #3 or 4 on a contending team. The only thing exceptional thing about his game was his skating and he wasn't the best skating defensemen from that draft anyway. That screams Trevor Daley to me (Exceptional skater, better then Beaulieu, but offense never translated from junior because it simply wasn't good enough)

 

[Grant McCagg]

Beaulieu is not an "elite skater", in fact that was the biggest knock against him with many scouts.

Going forward he is certainly above average skating wise, but his backward skating and pivots are average at best at this point, and why there are still some questions about his defensive game. Mind you there were big improvements over the past year.

Not a knock against the folks on here saying he's a fantastic skater..when he going forward, especially with the puck, he is certainly effective, but there's much more to skating than going forward when you're a dman.

 

[Mathradio]

Yandle, Whitney or a more responsible Campbell would summarize his playing style when he is going to hit his prime rather than what he would become himself.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Beaulieu is not an "elite skater", in fact that was the biggest knock against him with many scouts.

Going forward he is certainly above average skating wise, but his backward skating and pivots are average at best at this point, and why there are still some questions about his defensive game. Mind you there were big improvements over the past year.

Not a knock against the folks on here saying he's a fantastic skater..when he going forward, especially with the puck, he is certainly effective, but there's much more to skating than going forward when you're a dman.

What? You're the guy who did TSNs list right? Because on TSN numerous times they said Beaulieu was an "elite" skater. Button and McGuire both said it, they said it when they interviewed him after he got picked by the Habs. Not saying I don't believe you but there was definitely a lot of people that said it that just weren't fans.

 

[Han Solo]

@Prophet of Glennie. Stop hating on Beaulieu.. you have since the day he's been ranked in the top 30 for the draft

 

[Bjorn Le]

@Prophet of Glennie. Stop hating on Beaulieu.. you have since the day he's been ranked in the top 30 for the draft

I could hate on him a lot more if you want me too. Seems you do because I haven't been hating on him in this thread (Unless you think me saying that he won't be an elite defensemen is hating on him )

 

[NewHabsEra*]

Great comparison, although I disagree with the 2nd sentance.


But think about this: Brian Campbell with better defense and 3 inches taller -- that's an elite, arguably top 12-15 defensemen in the league.

Is there any particular reason you're so, so high on Bealieu? Usually when posters are this high on a prospect their either a fan of their junior team or a fan of their pro team. You appear to be neither. I think you're getting way ahead of yourself, if Bealieu projects to be who you say he does then he would have been a top three pick, not 17th.

First Beaulieu isnt close as fast as Subban or Campbell, he is a very smooth and fluid skater but is just not as much powerful to rush the puck like those guys.. Second, as you say Bruinsfan, Beaulieu is pretty raw and needs to keep improving his overall game, he is still not an offensive machine like Gormley or defensively very solid already.. That Beaulieu pick could pay alot for us Habs fans if he keeps improving, his celling is very high but thats a pick that could also bust at this point.. Personally I think Beaulieu lacks some edge and fire in his game at time, a bit like Ron Hainsey but at a lesser extend..

 

[GM17*]

He is an elite skater, doesn't mean he's an elite player, but by all accounts his skating is elite.

 

[reffree]

What? You're the guy who did TSNs list right? Because on TSN numerous times they said Beaulieu was an "elite" skater. Button and McGuire both said it, they said it when they interviewed him after he got picked by the Habs. Not saying I don't believe you but there was definitely a lot of people that said it that just weren't fans.

Read Beaulieu was a "bad" backward skater before the draft too. Some were even saying he was pivoting only one side. I doubt it's that bad, but I certainly read it wasn't good.

 

[Mr. Hab]

Those are very, very high end comparisons. You're a Habs fan so no doubt you want to hear that, but realistically he's not going to turn out that way. How many draft picks turn out to be #1 defensemen. Doubt he'll ever be more than a #3 or 4 on a contending team. The only thing exceptional thing about his game was his skating and he wasn't the best skating defensemen from that draft anyway. That screams Trevor Daley to me (Exceptional skater, better then Beaulieu, but offense never translated from junior because it simply wasn't good enough)

You, too?! I'm also very excited about Nathan Beaulieu!!

Can't wait to see him a Hab jersey!! (although I'm patient enough to wait so he can properly develop his game and mature properly).

Go Nathan Go!!

 

[habsjunkie2*]

You, too?! I'm also very excited about Nathan Beaulieu!!

Can't wait to see him a Hab jersey!! (although I'm patient enough to wait so he can properly develop his game and mature properly).

Go Nathan Go!!

I live in Saint John and have been to several Seadogs games over the years. I think Beaulieu has the potential to be a homerun, but some of the concerns glennie has are valid ones, he's not a generational talent or anything, but where he plays on our roster will depend more on the upward curve he's been on, and will need to develop. As it stands now he has a lot to work on, but from what I've seen, I fully expect him to get there.

 

[Grant McCagg]

What? You're the guy who did TSNs list right? Because on TSN numerous times they said Beaulieu was an "elite" skater. Button and McGuire both said it, they said it when they interviewed him after he got picked by the Habs. Not saying I don't believe you but there was definitely a lot of people that said it that just weren't fans.

I did TSN's profiles, and once again co-published McKeen's draft rankings. I also scouted for the Habs for a couple of years.

No disrespect to Button or McGuire, but neither of them worked as a scout last year, and weren't picking apart player's games like scouts are paid to do. Pierre may very well not have seen Beaulieu play before the Memorial Cup...and when he is doing the colour on a junior game he is predominantly watching the puck and not the players as that's his job..as I said..when he's moving forward he is a very effective skater, but when he's skating backwards or pivoting...there is work to do. He is not horrible, but nor is he elite in his backwards skating, and he can certainly be beat at times by speed as his pivots need refining. Pierre would not be scouting that part of his game, he'd be watching the play.
As much as I respect Pierre's hard work I don't consider him to be an authority on draft prospects as he doesn't have time to scout them during the regular season since he's following the NHL.

I think Nathan's backwards skating and pivots will come. He moves well laterally with the puck and skates forward with the puck very well, so it's not like he's slow footed. He's done some growing over the past couple of years and is a pretty big boy...it often takes bigger guys a little longer to round out their entire game in terms of mobility.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I did TSN's profiles, and once again co-published McKeen's draft rankings. I also scouted for the Habs for a couple of years.

No disrespect to Button or McGuire, but neither of them worked as a scout last year, and weren't picking apart player's games like scouts are paid to do. Pierre may very well not have seen Beaulieu play before the Memorial Cup...and when he is doing the colour on a junior game he is predominantly watching the puck and not the players as that's his job..as I said..when he's moving forward he is a very effective skater, but when he's skating backwards or pivoting...there is work to do. He is not horrible, but nor is he elite in his backwards skating, and he can certainly be beat at times by speed as his pivots need refining. Pierre would not be scouting that part of his game, he'd be watching the play.
As much as I respect Pierre's hard work I don't consider him to be an authority on draft prospects as he doesn't have time to scout them during the regular season since he's following the NHL.

I think Nathan's backwards skating and pivots will come. He moves well laterally with the puck and skates forward with the puck very well, so it's not like he's slow footed. He's done some growing over the past couple of years and is a pretty big boy...it often takes bigger guys a little longer to round out their entire game in terms of mobility.

I've read some of your reports (if this is actually you). Agreed on Pierre, as well.

You confirm your ID with HF yet? I'm sure you have, but just wanted to ask.

 

[Bjorn Le]

I did TSN's profiles, and once again co-published McKeen's draft rankings. I also scouted for the Habs for a couple of years.

No disrespect to Button or McGuire, but neither of them worked as a scout last year, and weren't picking apart player's games like scouts are paid to do. Pierre may very well not have seen Beaulieu play before the Memorial Cup...and when he is doing the colour on a junior game he is predominantly watching the puck and not the players as that's his job..as I said..when he's moving forward he is a very effective skater, but when he's skating backwards or pivoting...there is work to do. He is not horrible, but nor is he elite in his backwards skating, and he can certainly be beat at times by speed as his pivots need refining. Pierre would not be scouting that part of his game, he'd be watching the play.
As much as I respect Pierre's hard work I don't consider him to be an authority on draft prospects as he doesn't have time to scout them during the regular season since he's following the NHL.

I think Nathan's backwards skating and pivots will come. He moves well laterally with the puck and skates forward with the puck very well, so it's not like he's slow footed. He's done some growing over the past couple of years and is a pretty big boy...it often takes bigger guys a little longer to round out their entire game in terms of mobility.

Alright thanks. I thought Button did scouting for TSN as well but maybes he's just starting to do it now.

 

[Felkov]

Imo a good comparison would be a Left handed Kris Letang

 

[WreckItRask]

Bruins fans were very scared the morning of draft day when the rumor was Beaulieu was the Bruins' guy at 9th overall. I've heard a lot of Bealieu being a tweener in that he may not be quite good offensively to be an offensive defenseman in the NHL and he may not be quite good enough defensively to be a defensive defenseman in the NHL. He has a very good all around skill set its just a matter of developing the skills he does have to the point of being a productive NHLer.

Count me among those B's fans petrified that they were going to draft Beaulieu. I was very vocal here leading up to the draft that I just don't think he's nearly as good as some wanted to believe, and I desperately wanted the Bruins to pass on him. Way too much one hand on the stick defense for this guy, way too many bad turnovers, and just not good enough defensively in my opinion.

Here's my thing...when it looked like the Bruins were going to take him, I desperately wanted to fall in love with his game, and I just couldn't make myself do it.

 

[seafoam]

Defenseman are difficult to put a label on. Who knew Weber would become as elite as he is or Travis Hamonic developing on such a rapid pace.

 

[Mr. Hab]

I did TSN's profiles, and once again co-published McKeen's draft rankings. I also scouted for the Habs for a couple of years.

No disrespect to Button or McGuire, but neither of them worked as a scout last year, and weren't picking apart player's games like scouts are paid to do. Pierre may very well not have seen Beaulieu play before the Memorial Cup...and when he is doing the colour on a junior game he is predominantly watching the puck and not the players as that's his job..as I said..when he's moving forward he is a very effective skater, but when he's skating backwards or pivoting...there is work to do. He is not horrible, but nor is he elite in his backwards skating, and he can certainly be beat at times by speed as his pivots need refining. Pierre would not be scouting that part of his game, he'd be watching the play.
As much as I respect Pierre's hard work I don't consider him to be an authority on draft prospects as he doesn't have time to scout them during the regular season since he's following the NHL.

I think Nathan's backwards skating and pivots will come. He moves well laterally with the puck and skates forward with the puck very well, so it's not like he's slow footed. He's done some growing over the past couple of years and is a pretty big boy...it often takes bigger guys a little longer to round out their entire game in terms of mobility.

Thank-you for your feedback. Always good to know this and that from a person who has watched Nathan Beaulieu...live.

Wish I had the chance...didn't see Nathan play live yet, but saw Louis Leblanc (play for the Junior de/of Montreal) and Michael Bournival . I was impressed by Leblanc's gritty style and fast skating and willingness to go into the corners. Bournival...saw only a bit of him but was impressed by his fast/smooth skating.

Most of everything I've read from people who have actually watched Nathan Beaulieu play live has impressed me. Nothing wrong with a Hab fan (or two!) being excited about their prospects.

Cheers!

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

PK Subban was chosen in the 2nd Round.
IMO, Subban should have been selected TOP 5 overall or TOP 8 overall that draft year (2007).
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2007e.html

I'll trust ''jmelm'' (sounds like a professional scout,imo) who has seen Beaulieu play in many games and has no bias VS the opinion of ''bruinsfan46''. Thank-you very much.


Beaulieu may one day prove that he could/should have been selected in the TOP 9 or TOP 10 of the 2011 Draft (instead of 17th). Time will tell... and I'm sure ''bruinsfan46'' will be ecstatic for the Habs and Beaulieu if he does become a successful NHL dman one day.

Most professional scouts I know of scout a player 4 or 5 times max, seeing a player more then that tends to create biases or leads to nit picking.

 

[Grant McCagg]

Most professional scouts I know of scout a player 4 or 5 times max, seeing a player more then that tends to create biases or leads to nit picking.

Most scouts saw Saint John many more times than four or five times last year. Many saw them that often in the Memorial Cup tournament alone. Let's not forget that they had four high-end prospects. I'd venture to guess that many scouts saw Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Portland and SJ 6+ times last year.

Montreal's head scout saw Saint John at least a dozen times last year....IMO you can't see them too often....nothing wrong with nit picking..you want to be sure about a player, especially in the first round.

 

[Kevin Forbes]

Most scouts saw Saint John many more times than four or five times last year. Many saw them that often in the Memorial Cup tournament alone. Let's not forget that they had four high-end prospects. I'd venture to guess that many scouts saw Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Portland and SJ 6+ times last year.

Montreal's head scout saw Saint John at least a dozen times last year....IMO you can't see them too often....nothing wrong with nit picking..you want to be sure about a player, especially in the first round.

It's also worth noting that to block against the biases and so on that Jason is referring to, different members of the scouting staff will also see the same team/players and then compare their own opinions.

So in addition to Montreal's head scout, their Quebec/Atlantic Canada scout without a doubt saw Saint John play countless times, and it's likely that other members of their hockey operations, including their GM even took in a few games over the season.

First rounders aren't drafted simply because their bird-dog in Saint John says he's a solid player. That might be how it starts to bring in the rest of the crew, but there's always plenty of eyes on that player before anyone commits a top round pick to him.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Most scouts saw Saint John many more times than four or five times last year. Many saw them that often in the Memorial Cup tournament alone. Let's not forget that they had four high-end prospects. I'd venture to guess that many scouts saw Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Portland and SJ 6+ times last year.

Montreal's head scout saw Saint John at least a dozen times last year....IMO you can't see them too often....nothing wrong with nit picking..you want to be sure about a player, especially in the first round.

Well I suppose that makes sense, pretty hard to scout Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Jurco and Phillips all in the same game plus the oppositions draft prospects. I still think focusing on a player too much isn't the best idea, especially when you are comparing him to a player you only seen 3 times. As Kevin says below I see teams having their regional scouts along with head scouts see the same player in different occurrences to avoid this effect.

 

[Grant McCagg]

Well I suppose that makes sense, pretty hard to scout Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Jurco and Phillips all in the same game plus the oppositions draft prospects. I still think focusing on a player too much isn't the best idea, especially when you are comparing him to a player you only seen 3 times. As Kevin says below I see teams having their regional scouts along with head scouts see the same player in different occurrences to avoid this effect.

Most assuredly players targeted in the first couple of rounds are seen by various scouts in an organization. I have little doubt that Serge Boisvert and Frank Jay saw Saint John play numerous times as well.

Crossover scouts and head scouts don't go out of their way to see certain players repeatedly, that's for sure, because as you say, they can start to become a little too critical. I think that may have happened to Couturier to a certain extent. But when a club has multiple high-end prospects, and they advance to the Memorial Cup final, they are scouted extensively by several scouts on each team.

Pierre wasn't doing colour commentary during the Memorial Cup, I was mistaken to mention that, so he may have watched the players a little closer than I stated earlier, however SJ had several guys to look at, and given his comments about Beaulieu, I don't think he looked very closely at his skating without the puck. He has some work to do defensively, but he's big, a decent skater, and he plays with a bit of an edge. I think he'll be fine down the road..his puck skills are top notch.

 

[HuGo Sham]

PK Subban was chosen in the 2nd Round.
IMO, Subban should have been selected TOP 5 overall or TOP 8 overall that draft year (2007).
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2007e.html

I'll trust ''jmelm'' (sounds like a professional scout,imo) who has seen Beaulieu play in many games and has no bias VS the opinion of ''bruinsfan46''. Thank-you very much.


Beaulieu may one day prove that he could/should have been selected in the TOP 9 or TOP 10 of the 2011 Draft (instead of 17th). Time will tell... and I'm sure ''bruinsfan46'' will be ecstatic for the Habs and Beaulieu if he does become a successful NHL dman one day.

most of the alleged 'objective' *see negative* posts in the thread are from bruin and sen fans. what did you expect? lol

 

[HuGo Sham]

I did TSN's profiles, and once again co-published McKeen's draft rankings. I also scouted for the Habs for a couple of years.

No disrespect to Button or McGuire, but neither of them worked as a scout last year, and weren't picking apart player's games like scouts are paid to do. Pierre may very well not have seen Beaulieu play before the Memorial Cup...and when he is doing the colour on a junior game he is predominantly watching the puck and not the players as that's his job..as I said..when he's moving forward he is a very effective skater, but when he's skating backwards or pivoting...there is work to do. He is not horrible, but nor is he elite in his backwards skating, and he can certainly be beat at times by speed as his pivots need refining. Pierre would not be scouting that part of his game, he'd be watching the play.
As much as I respect Pierre's hard work I don't consider him to be an authority on draft prospects as he doesn't have time to scout them during the regular season since he's following the NHL.

I think Nathan's backwards skating and pivots will come. He moves well laterally with the puck and skates forward with the puck very well, so it's not like he's slow footed. He's done some growing over the past couple of years and is a pretty big boy...it often takes bigger guys a little longer to round out their entire game in terms of mobility.

and you're an authority who's opinion we should value and respect?