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DRAFT PROFILE | Alex Beaucage: Creative Offensive Winger With Size

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DRAFT PROFILE | Alex Beaucage: Smart, Creative Offensive Winger With Size, Prospect 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver

Alex Beaucage (photo courtesy of Ian Clermont – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA – Finding value in players selected after the first round is where scouting staffs prove their worth, and the group led by Trevor Timmins has done well for the Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher, Victor Mete and Artturi Lehkonen were all selected in the second round or much later and currently play key roles on the Habs roster.

If Timmins decides on a defender in the first round, the second round is where adding some offence on the wing would happen as the Canadiens hold two picks in the second round of the 2019 NHL draft.  At six-foot-two-inches, 192 pounds, right winger Alex Beaucage is one player who could fill that role.

Alex Beaucage, RW, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
July 25, 2001 | Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
6-2, 192 lbs. | Shoots Right |
2018-’19: 68 GP, 39 G, 40 A, 79 PTS

CSB: No. 64 (NA Skaters) | ISS: No. NR | THN: No. 93 | HP: No. NR  | FC: No. 72

While Alex Beaucage was born in Trois-Rivieres, he spent the first seven years of his youth in Germany where his dad, Marc, played for no fewer than five teams in the German pro league, DEL. But Marc would return to Trois-Rivieres for the 2008-09 season to play in the rough and tumble, LNAH league, giving Alex his first exposure to Quebec hockey.

Alex Beaucage played his junior career with Rouyn-Noranda, which has been one of the top programs in the CHL for several seasons. They’ve won two QMJHL championships in the last four seasons and have recently developed quality prospects such as Jeremy Lauzon, Philippe Myers, and Habs prospect and Memorial Cup MVP Joel Teasdale. Because of this, Beaucage was eased into his Major Junior career as a 16-year-old playing a secondary role where he was able to produce offensively while adjusting to his defensive responsibilities.

This past season, after a large growth spurt, Beaucage was added to Team Canada Black for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. His team lost in the quarter finals, but his three points in five games playing in a top six role provided him a boost in confidence. From there he was able to improve on his 13-goal rookie season by earning a top line role and scoring 39 goals, earning 79 points and having a point per game production level in the QMJHL playoffs for the President’s Champion Huskies.

As the QMJHL champions, Beaucage and the Huskies earned a spot in Halifax for the Memorial Cup tournament. He produced two points in five games for the Memorial Cup Champion Huskies, which was less than his expected output. However, he was implicated in every play on every shift. Beaucage used his frame to crash the crease and finish his checks, his speed to pressure the defence and his positioning to help play responsibly in all three zones.

Beaucage fits the mold of a quality two-way winger, something that the Canadiens like when drafting. He is a responsible defensive player who is able to play a physically defensive game to win puck battles and transition or position himself to cut off passing and shooting lanes. He is also a team player who is willing to sacrifice his body to block a great volume of shots, even in pre-season games. However, he does have occasional lapses in judgment in his own zone and he will need to improve defensively to be seen as more than a top nine player at the professional level.

Despite his defensive abilities, it is on the offence where Beaucage truly shines. He has a talent for finding the seams in any defence and exploiting them on the rush. Whenever he is on the ice, defenders must be aware of him with the puck on his stick as he can find ways to mask the release of his accurate shot. His good vision means that he is capable of making accurate passes in traffic while moving at top speed, placing the puck on their sticks with an accurate pass or moving it to areas that favour his line mates.

Beaucage also has an excellent work ethic and constantly gives his all on every shift. He uses his large frame to crash the net and is consistently one of the first on the back check when turnovers occur.

What will hold Beaucage back from the professional ranks will be his skating. His stride is unorthodox and his mobility and range are limited by his choppy technique in crossovers. This is the one major aspect of his game that will need additional work, but it is an area that NHL player development coaches have experience in guiding improvements for young prospects.

Adding a prospect who played in the QMJHL could placate the Quebec-based media but that aspect shouldn’t ever be part of the decision-making process when drafting players. With two second round selections at the draft, the Canadiens do have an opportunity to add a quality prospect from a top junior program.

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By Blain Potvin, Staff Writer. Edited by Cate Racher.
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