2025 NHL Draft Profile: Quinn Beauchesne

I like to mix things up when it comes to choosing players to profile for the draft. I do have my own types that I like more than others. Then there are the types that I think are more likely to be picked by the Leafs even if I don't necessarily like them as much. But there are other types that I don't quite like the most and don't necessarily fit what Toronto seems to like, but still seem interesting.

I like to both challenge myself to write about these different types of prospects, but also it hopefully helps everyone on the site who reads these to see a player they like and can set their hearts on.

So let's talk about a guy who is of a type I have a hard time reading as a projectable prospect, but who I like a fair bit, Quinn Beauchesne.

THE BASICS: STATS AND CONTEXT

• Position: Right-shot defenseman
• League(s): OHL
• Height: 6'0"
• Weight: 187 lbs
• Birthdate: March 1st, 2007

Here are his draft rankings, as of writing this:

• Bob McKenzie: 73rd
• Corey Pronman: Not ranked
• Will Scouch: 34th
• Elite Prospects: 91st
• Scott Wheeler: Not ranked
• Dobber Prospects: Not ranked
• FC Hockey: 124th
• McKeen's Hockey: 87th
• HockeyProspect.com: Not ranked

Beauchesne was drafted into the OHL by Guelph at 14th overall in 2023, so he's had a bit of hype for a couple of years now. At the time, he was 5'10" and 151 lbs. That season he was a 15 year old in an U18 AAA league, and leading it in points per game among all defensemen by a healthy margin, including over players who were 1-3 years older than him.

Last year, Beauchesne made his OHL debut and had a respectable 7 points in 33 games for Guelph. This year, he had 24 points in 49 games which is good for 5th among U18 defensemen in points per game. His role did increase through the year. He started behind Cam Allen, NHL draft pick and a top junior defenseman in the league, before he was traded to London. Then Beauchesne got more minutes in all situations for Guelph.

It's worth putting Beauchesne's stats into context as well. I'd say he could have gotten more points if he wasn't on the 2nd worst team in the league on one of the league's lowest scoring offenses. But he was the top offensive defenseman on the team despite being 17 years old, and despite being their 2nd or 3rd option on the power play for most of the season. I haven't specifically counted, but I believe a high percentage of his points were goals or primary assists as well.

Another thing I keep in mind is that Beauchesne also played, and won, on some good teams in noteworthy roles. He made the gold medal winner's roster, Team Canada, at the Hlinka tournament in the summer. There he had 3 points in 5 games as a mid-pair option. He played for Team CHL in the two game showcase series vs the top American junior players where they pretty easily won both games. To cap off the year, he was on Canada's top pair for the gold medal winning team at the World U18 Championship, where he had 4 points in 7 games. He was playing in all situations too.

So while Beauchesne may not be a top offensive defenseman in his age group in any situation, he very much has a positive impact on that part of the game whether he's a top option on a bad team, a top option on a good team, or a lower option on a good team. In all these situations he produces at a high, but not elite level. In all these situations, he earns more of a role.

THE GOOD: SKATING, INTELLIGENCE, TWO-WAY POTENTIAL

I've made no illusions over the last couple of years that I don't really care that much about point production from defensemen. Despite that, and despite the fact that Beauchesne appears to fit that type at first glance, I still like him a fair bit. The reason why is because, from what I've watched myself and scouting reports I've read on him, he has some real potential as a two-way defenseman. He's not just a glass cannon who only does good things in the offensive zone.

More than a couple of scouts have marked him as a player who brings a valuable physical and shutdown element to the ice. He is able to use physicality to shut down the other team's offensive play, thanks also to his mobility. He has some upside with his defensive range as a result of his skating, where he can cover a lot of ice and then engage physically when needed. I've seen his defensive play style described as "modern", with a focus on simply shutting down play and moving the puck positively. These are the kinds of things I want in a defensive prospect. If he was just a glass cannon with limited impact and projection as a defenseman, he wouldn't have played such a high role on a strong Canadian roster at the Hlinka and World U18's – the latter of which he was also named an alternate captain, which speaks to the high regard coaches have for this all around play and leadership on the ice in all situations.

Let's talk more about his skating, which is a definite plus tool for Beauchesne's game. Scouts seem to generally consider him an agile and powerful skater with quick feet and explosive acceleration, which allows him to cover a lot of ice even if he's just an average size without a huge reach. I've seen him show off some very nice straight-line and backward skating speeds to, at worst, keep up with even the quickest opponents he faced.

More importantly, Beauchesne's transitions starting from his breakouts have shown a lot of improvement over the season thanks in large part to his skating. He has evolved his "hockey IQ", vision and anticipation. Putting it together, this helps him read and feel where the checks are coming from, know where his teammates are or will be, use his agility to evade or shed a defender to create enough time and space so he can make that first pass that starts a controlled breakout. That's what I love to see.

The most advanced skills Beauchesne already has, however, is definitely his offensive game and the upside that holds for projecting his game to the pros. He can score goals with a good, hard and accurate shot, but it's not something he relies on too much and he won't just settle for blasting it from the blueline. He shows a good instinct for activating off the point or using his speed to jump into the play. He joins the offensive rush, pinches effectively, and shows a consistent ability to create opportunities in the offensive zone.

More important to me is that Beauchesne has a pretty high-end ability as a passer and playmaker. He is able to connect with shot-passes and stretch passes pretty consistently, he can see the passing lanes and thread the needle. With his agility, he can keep defenders in front of him off balance to buy his teammates more time to get open, and wait for more dangerous passing lanes to open. His offensive game showed the most positive trends when it was already his biggest strength, but what's happened is he's developed a more well-rounded offensive game that shows signs of being more pro-ready in terms of what pro systems will ask him to do.

THE FLAWS: LIMITED PROJECTION

This is the big problem with players like Beauchesne, and it's what I struggle with the most when it comes to players like him. Average or small sized defensemen whose biggest strengths come on the offensive side of things, who have some projection not yet realized in other areas of the game, don't have a high hit rate in recent drafts. While I think Beauchesne has the skating and the brain to make up for just being an average sized defenseman, he has issues in his game and holes to fix.

I'll start with his defensive consistency. While I see potential, he has consistency issues. To be fair to him, most defensemen his age have this same problem, and he also played on a bad team where he had to defend a lot. However, that is an observation and not an excuse. He can be prone to mistakes in his coverage or decision making off the puck, and he can make turnovers under pressure in his own zone when trying to get the puck out. He has a tendency to chase the play in the defensive zone, I think relying too much on his mobility to make defensive plays. The problem is he'll leave his coverage and leave a wide open area on the ice for opponents. Additionally, he has a bit of an Easton Cowan problem in having poor discipline at random moments and taking unnecessary penalties, something that is somewhat excused for his age but also something he needs to mature out of.

Related to that, and another bigger problem when projecting his game to the NHL, is that Beauchesne already at times can appear physically overmatched. He has a high level of skating and at least above average smarts as a defenseman, consistency issues mentioned above aside, but there is some uncertainty regarding his NHL projection in being able to execute plays against competition much bigger and stronger than juniors. Then the question becomes, does he have other abilities at a high enough level to make up for that, and/or can he get strong enough with an average sized frame to be able to make physicality more of a non-issue?

A smaller, more nit picking issue is that Beauchesne as a puck handler can also be inconsistent, which leads to frustrating turnovers. His breakout passes have also been described as hit-or-miss when he's dealing with pressure in his face. This is something I think improved over the season, but it will need to continue improving. While his overall skating has positive attributes, his initial acceleration and transitions aren't always clean, which has the biggest impact on his ability to defend against speed and get to dumped in pucks first.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

I view Beauchesne as something like a Rasmus Sandin or Travis Dermott – an average sized defenseman who is a good skater and is pretty smart, but the question of how well he'll manage the NHL is up in the air. He doesn't have the same level of overall refinement that Sandin did, but does have a bit more size and I think will be a better skater. He also doesn't have the same refined two-way game that Dermott did, but is already a more reliable puck mover and offensive defenseman.

Sandin has been able to make his game work in the NHL at a pretty high level – he's averaged around 19 or 20 minutes per game with Washington, who were one of the best teams in the regular season this year. I don't think anyone will say that Sandin is one of the top defensemen in the league, but he's become a valuable piece on a good team. Dermott's career didn't reach the same heights, though he also wasn't as high of a draft pick, but he's played more than 300 games in the NHL which is good for a second-round pick.

I'm still not sure where I land on defensemen of this rough type, size, and draft range. I almost included Chase Reid in my profiles, who is an even better skater and offensive defenseman with much better tracking data and is ranked higher as a result, but he's is a bit smaller and I just don't like or trust his projection as much. Same thing with Henry Mews in last year's NHL draft, though he became one of the best offensive defensemen in the OHL this year.

Beauchesne may wind up as a third-round pick instead of a second, and I'd like that choice even more given the risk he would carry. I just trust that he can realize more of the potential he has than others like him this year (e.g., Reid). There's a chance he could grow another inch or two, since he's still been growing the past couple of years. He has been showing some continual improvement in numerous areas of his game this year.

While I do worry that Beauchesne can pick up some bad habits playing for a bad team, he doesn't show those same consistency and execution issues when he played for Canada on the international stage. His defensive game was more tight, he wasn't as prone to making turnovers, his decision making was better, and he didn't take as many dumb penalties. He was showing the kind of solid all-around game that I think he can realize at a higher level with time, physical growth and development. The difference between his game with Guelph vs Canada makes me think his issues in the OHL are at least partly from the environment he plays in. I did get the impression that he had a tendency to try and force things because he needs to be The Guy when no one else around him can.

But if he can be more of the guy that played for Canada this year, on a consistent basis as a top defenseman on a (hopefully) improved Guelph team next year, I can see him taking a significant leap forward in how impactful he looks. That's why I'd be okay with rolling the dice on him even with Toronto's second-round pick.

Thanks for reading!

I put a lot of work into my prospect articles here, both for the draft and Toronto's prospects. I do it as a fun hobby for me, and I'd probably do it in some capacity even if PPP completely ceased to exist. But if you like reading my work, some support would go a long way! I pay for a few streaming services (CHL, NCAA, USHL, the occasional TSN options for international tournaments that are broadcast) to be able to reliably watch these prospects in good quality streams. I also pay for some prospect-specific resources, such as tracking data and scouting reports from outlets like Elite Prospects, Future Considerations, McKeen's Hockey, The Athletic, and more.

Being able to get paid for this helps me dedicate more time and resources to it, rather than to second/third jobs. And whatever money I make here, a lot of I reinvest back into my prospect work through in those streaming and scouting services. Like I said, I'd be doing whatever I can afford for this anyway, so any financial help I get through this is greatly appreciated!