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Scouts see a blue chip rearguard

"It's clutch time for these teams,'' the Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman said. "They invest a lot of money in a first-round pick, so they have to be sure about you. It's important for them to get to know you.''

Many NHL clubs got to know Beaulieu during the regular season and even more so after the Dogs won this year's Memorial Cup. He met with 27 of 30 teams at the NHL Combine in Toronto. The 18-year-old has also had extensive interviews recently with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild. Each of those teams brought him to their city for a visit, while the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars talked to him in London, Ont. He flew to Boston last weekend to meet with the Bruins.

"They're intense,'' Beaulieu said of the interviews. "Teams have a lot of different approaches. I have a lot of respect for all the organizations that have taken the time to get to know me. They treated me like a pro.''

And Beaulieu will be one soon enough. He had a breakout season as a 17-year-old and things have been a blur since. His puck-moving prowess and power-play presence were key factors in Saint John reaching the 2010 President's Cup final. And although the Dogs lost the six-game series to Moncton, Beaulieu made his mark and was invited to Canada's national junior development camp last summer. That honour came with some pressure coming into the 2010-11 campaign, but he made the most of his draft year, tallying 45 points and earning a berth on the Memorial Cup all-star team.

While Beaulieu was the Saint John's top-scoring rearguard in both the regular season and playoffs, he took as much pride in his defensive improvement. That helped him earn another invitation to the world junior development camp, which will be held later this summer in Edmonton.

Phoenix Coyotes director of amateur scouting Keith Gretzky notes Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant and associate coach and hockey operations director Mike Kelly have helped Beaulieu with his game away from the puck. The blue-liner's size - six-foot-two, 185 pounds - is also encouraging. The Coyotes are slated to pick 20th, but Beaulieu may not be available by then. He's ranked fifth on Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters.

"Anything can happen in the draft,'' Gretzky said. "We never thought we'd get (Brandon) Gormley (13th overall) in the draft last year. It's hard to find offensive defencemen who can skate and handle the puck the way (Beaulieu) does.

SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS SNIPPETS....: A Little Post Draft Reading....

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink has 'the heart of a lion,' says St. Louis scout Blair Nicholson. The Saint John native was drafted in the sixth round, 162nd overall, by the Blues during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn., Saturday. During an interview with a player, the Saint John Sea Dogs forward heard his name announced in the background. That's how he found out he'd been drafted by the St. Louis Blues. “In this league, you can never have too many good defensemen.” Those were the words of Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier after nabbing a defenseman in the first round for the fourth time in six years. As promised, Gauthier stuck with his “best player available” policy and jumped at the chance to snag Saint John Sea Dog Nathan Beaulieu when the All-Star blue-liner was still in the stands when No. 17 came around. “I slipped a little bit but we saw that last year, too. I don’t mind slipping when I end up in an organization like this,” shared Beaulieu, who was ranked fifth among all North American skaters heading into the Draft. “I couldn’t be happier right now and I can’t wait to get going. It’s been such a rollercoaster ride these past few months – you’ve been working for this for 18 years. I’m very happy with where I ended up and I can’t say enough great things about this organization." (Montreal Canadiens website) Link to read more...