Utah HC sign Cole Beaudoin to three-year, entry-level contract

Utah HC has locked in another first-round pick as the team announced they have signed Cole Beaudoin to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Beaudoin’s contract carries a $975,000 cap hit and includes a $97,500 signing bonus. While the deal is signed, it’s very likely Beaudoin will make his way back to the Ontario Hockey League next season to play another year with the Barrie Colts. He was an assistant captain with the team last season and will once again be a big part of their leadership group.

Beaudoin, 18, has spent the past two seasons with the Colts. In 2023-24, Beaudoin posted 62 points in 67 games and developed his two-way game, and improved his skating throughout the campaign. Beaudoin would go on to add another five points in six playoff games against the Oshawa Generals in a very contested first-round series.

The native of Ottawa, ON is 6-foot-2, 209 pounds and brings the size Utah general manager Bill Armstrong craves from his young players. Beaudoin turned a ton of heads at the NHL Draft combine last month as he put on a show throughout many of the physical testing stations.

Our very own prospect analyst Steven Ellis has been high on Beaudoin for quite some time now and had him going a little bit later in the first round. Ellis had this to say on Beaudoin’s game leading up to the 2024 NHL Draft:

“Beaudoin was excellent at the U-18 World Championship, looking great as a bottom-six threat that did just about everything He just missed out on a point per game with Barrie this year, but between the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the U-18s and his strong play throughout the season, we’re looking at a multi-faceted scoring threat with size and a nice shot.”

Beaudoin will have a busy summer ahead of the 2024-25 Colts’ season, as he was recently named to Team Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase, along with fellow Utah first-rounder Tij Iginla, who Armstrong selected with the sixth overall pick. Both players have a great shot at being impact players for the Canadian squad.

As for the outlook heading into Utah’s training camp, look for Beaudoin to soak in the experience. If things go well, he could slip into a preseason game, however it’s much more likely after a small taste, he’ll make his way back to Barrie and try to set himself up for a dominant year of junior hockey.