The New York Rangers finally traded Vincent Trocheck on Wednesday after months of speculation, and the return was an interesting one which will help the team now and in the future. One of the more underrated pieces of the return, happens to be a center, and is a piece who has drawn rave reviews from prospects experts. It has been two years since Cole Beaudoin was drafted, and while he just turned 20, there’s still good reason for Blueshirts fans to be very optimistic.
Beaudoin gives Rangers another interesting center prospect with upside
This season Beaudoin was the captain of the Barrie Colts in the OHL and he finished with 33 goals and 55 assists for 88 points in 54 regular season games, and he added 10 goals, 19 assists, and 29 points in 15 playoff games.
This performance represents a notable improvement from the prior year, as he finished with 22 goals and 51 points in 52 regular season games, and 13 points in 16 playoff games respectively. While this was his fourth OHL season, and one he should have rightly dominated, it is encouraging to see how he grew to end his junior career.
Beaudoin is 6’2″ and 212 pounds, and has a reputation for being a fitness freak.
Earlier this year, NHL teams asked if a video of him lifting was fake. He beat his nearest teammate in a race by 30 seconds.
Meet Cole Beaudoin, the #2024NHLDraft’s fittest, strongest player — and one of its hardest-working.
“He’s a freak.”https://t.co/hT1qyjNS17 pic.twitter.com/phDRbHAksM
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) May 4, 2024
Cole Beaudoin is an absolute mutant (in the best way), but that return feels much more in line with Vincent Trocheck’s true value than the reported ask of three first-round-calibre assets at the Deadline.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) July 1, 2026
During his draft year, here’s what scouts were saying about Beaudoin.
“Beaudoin eats up the boards, grinds them, spins off opponents, drags the puck out of traffic, and gets it to the middle of the ice. There’s not a battle that he can’t win, even when at a numbers disadvantage. And he drives the net, creating chaos there, tipping shots, and getting open for tap-ins. His impact is felt in all three zones. When opponents try to escape with the puck, all they hear are his heavy boots slamming the ice to catch up to them. He crushes them on the boards, comes back around to lift their stick and gets possession back.”
This snippet should be music to the ears of Blueshirts fans, and the work ethic alone should eventually endear him to The Garden faithful.
Cole Beaudoin is a physical forward coming off a mega season with the Barrie Colts.
I also really liked him at the World Juniors. More of a middle-six guy, but someone who is extremely difficult to play against. Nice pickup for the Rangers.
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) July 1, 2026
Beaudoin scored three goals and added four assists for seven points in seven games during that tournament, and he also was an alternate captain which is a nice feather in his cap. What is also interesting about this trade is that it appears that Beaudoin is a better center prospect than Charlie Stramel, someone who the Minnesota Wild were dangling, and he’s also younger.
For anyone that wants to know why I’m not a fan of Stramel
Beaudoin isn’t perfect by any measures, but a year younger and much better trajectory https://t.co/9toclJIK6o pic.twitter.com/Z3n65bwt2G
— RangersMuse (@nyrangersmuse) July 1, 2026When can fans expect to see Beaudoin?
The Rangers’ center depth appears to be set with Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Noah Laba, and Joe Veleno, but there’s an outside chance he competes and wins a job in training camp. Laba was last season’s surprise story in training camp, and there wasn’t a ton of hype around him. At the time Laba was coming off a year in which he had 26 points in 29 games at Colorado College, and he followed that up with five points in 11 games during his ATO with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The rest has been history, and after a great rookie camp and preseason he appeared in 74 games this past season and had nine goals, 15 assists, and 24 points in 74 games. It is notable that Beaudoin has a better pedigree as a prospect, and there’s more hype around him as a first round pick. He may end up benefitting from some time with the Wolf Pack as their No. 1 center, but if he’s as good as the Rangers think he can be, he’ll end up on the main roster before you know it.
Beaudoin is a very exciting name, and that the Rangers got him as a secondary piece in the Trocheck trade is a major win. It remains to be seen if he will be as good as advertised, but there’s a lot to like based on his pre draft scouting, what he’s done since, and the opportunities that will be available going forward.
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