Center depth is an issue of concern for the New York Rangers going forward, and despite turning 20 in April and just joining the organization in July after a trade from Utah, Cole Beaudoin was pretty direct about his intention to be part of the solution to start the season.
New York is expected to start the season with some combination of Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, and Noah Laba down the middle for lines 1 through 3, and Joe Veleno was signed as a free agent to a deal that suggests the fourth line job is his to lose. That isn't deterring Beaudoin who is participating in Rangers rookie camp, and he had a lot to say when he met with the media on Friday.
Beaudoin has a clear focus
Via Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic:
"That's been my goal since I was an 18-year-old coming to my first NHL camp. I want to play in the NHL… I’m gonna push and play my game and lay it out there."
Cole Beaudoin says his goal is to make #NYR roster out of training camp:
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) September 11, 2026
“A 200-foot centerman that is super reliable in the D zone,” he said of how he’d describe his game. “Making sure that I have my guy, make sure I block shots, box out if that's on the PK. But then also I…
It is great to see Beaudoin being very confident and direct about his intentions, and to be honest, the opportunity is there for the taking. Beaudoin's long-term role, whether that be a top six or bottom-six center, is still to be determined. While it is true that the Rangers did bring in Veleno, there's a world in which Beaudoin shows that he's more NHL ready than previously expected, and he gets to a point where he pushes Laba down the depth chart.
Laba was a surprise story out of last year's camp, and he did quite well for himself at the NHL level last year. The biggest difference is that Laba was a newly turned 22 year old this time last year, and Beaudoin only turned 20 in April. That being said, Beaudoin is 6'2" and 212 pounds, and is someone that has heard the noise about his shortcoming, and is ready to prove them wrong.
Once again from The Athletic:
"People talk about a lot, but I think it's progressed a lot from stepping foot in the OHL to now. I think it's come a long way, just with the way I skate, how powerful I am, how fast I can get up and down the ice, track guys on the backcheck. I don't think it's talked about as much, and I'm glad. But obviously, I'm a hockey player. I'm going to continue to work on every single part of my game. If that's skating, if that's shooting, skills work, whatever that might be. I'm definitely going to continue to work on everything."
Mike Sullivan runs a tight ship, and players who have the most success in his system are the ones who can skate well, are willing to work hard, and have a firm attention to detail. Playing defense and being aggressive on the forecheck is something else that is important, and younger players are held to a higher standard to start. If Beaudoin ultimately does earn an opportunity, it will because he earned it.
Rangers are invested in Beaudoin, and may decide to take their time with him
There's still a good chance that he is sent to Hartford to start, because the Rangers want to see what he can do in the AHL first, and they also want to see how he reacts to not making the main squad. New York took a slow approach with Fillip Chytil, someone who was assigned to Hartford even after showing that he was too good for the AHL, and it worked out for him in the long run. The Rangers opened up a center spot when they dealt Vincent Trocheck, and that they targeted Beaudoin to be part of the return says a lot about how they feel about him and what he could do for the organization.
That Beaudoin finished his OHL career with 88 points in 54 regular season games and 29 points in 15 playoff games is quite impressive. He was also a quality contributor for Team Canada at the WJC tournament, and fans should be happy to see that he can perform under pressure.
The American Hockey League is a faster league with older and more experienced players, and with Jay Leach now behind the bench, it might prove to be the best place for Beaudoin to begin his Blueshirts journey. We ultimately will see how he looks in rookie camp, regular training camp, and the preseason, but fans should certainly be excited and impressed with his confidence, mindset, focus, and determination as players ramp up for the start of the regular season.
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