With dozens of top-tier CHL players leaving for the NCAA this summer, Utah Mammoth forward Cole Beaudoin will be left behind. His CHL experience no longer disqualifies him from college hockey, but the fact that he already signed his entry-level NHL contract does.
That leaves Beaudoin in a tricky situation. The competition he’ll face in the OHL will be a step down from what it was last year, which probably won’t progress his development as much as he or the Mammoth would like.
Having just turned 19, Beaudoin is not eligible to play in the AHL for another year. That means his only options are the OHL, the NHL and, if he really wants to get creative, European pro leagues.
Could Cole Beaudoin play in the NHL in 2025-26?
At training camp in 2024, just months after being drafted, Beaudoin seemed like a dark horse candidate to make the team. He had initially been scheduled to practice with the top group some days and the bottom group other days, but when the coaching staff saw how well he fit in with the big guys, they kept him there.
When he showed up for development camp in July 2025, he seemed bigger, stronger and more mature. It’s clear that a point-per-game OHL season, a deep playoff run and plenty of hard work in the gym has done nothing but help him.
Of course, development camp observations don’t carry much weight — the competition there is mainly teenagers who will never actually get to play in the NHL. But if Beaudoin has another strong training camp, maybe there’s a roster spot with his name on it.
That phrase, “with his name on it,” might seem like an overused idiom, but in this case it could be taken literally. Utah’s management has overloaded the defense group with bodies in case of injury, but they barely have enough forwards to fill a roster.
Is it possible that they’re intentionally reserving a spot for a big, young, promising center?
On the other hand, Barrie Colts captain Beau Jelsma has committed to Providence College in the NCAA, meaning Beaudoin could potentially don the “C” for the first time in his junior career. General manager Bill Armstrong has stated in the past that Beaudoin could someday be a captain in the NHL, so doing it in the OHL first would be a logical step.
Beaudoin’s goal, as it should be, is to make the Mammoth roster out of training camp.
“I want to be a big part of this team, so I want to come in and prove myself and show that I’m worthy of being on that team,” he said at the conclusion of development camp.
A physical force
Utah’s scouting staff felt so strongly that Beaudoin was their guy that they persuaded Armstrong to trade up and ensure they could pick him. He hadn’t gotten a ton of media attention before the draft, causing some people to scratch their heads, but it’s since become obvious what they saw in him.
“His work ethic jumps off the charts,” said Lee Stempniak, Utah’s director of player development. “He’s always been strong, but you can tell he’s putting work in at the gym to turn that strength into ‘hockey strength,’ as we call it. He’s got a nonstop motor. He just never gives up.”
That’s evidenced by his seventh-place positioning on the all-time bench press leaderboard at the NHL combine (since they started recording it in 2018).
When making the jump from junior to pro, most players note the physicality as one of the biggest adjustments. Beaudoin is only 19 years old, but if he were to make the NHL this year, he’d be able to hold his own in front of the net and in the corners.
Those are the areas where Beaudoin excels: He’s rarely the guy to dangle through the entire opposition and score on a pretty deke. Instead, he parks himself in front of the net and battles for positioning, where he can deflect pucks and pick up rebounds.
He won’t end up on many SportsCenter top 10 reels, but his goals will count for just as many points as the pretty ones.
“It’s just working hard and playing my game, not changing a single thing about how I am off the ice, how I am on the ice,” Beaudoin said of his mindset as he tries to push for a roster spot.
He said that since this time last year, his skating has come a long way. He feels faster and more powerful.
Where would Cole Beaudoin fit in the Utah Mammoth lineup?
Having shipped Josh Doan out in the JJ Peterka trade, Beaudoin seems like a prime candidate to fill the third-line wing spot that’s now open.
Mammoth fans will remember that toward the end of the season, Doan, along with Jack McBain and Lawson Crouse, formed a high-energy, high-physicality checking line. Beaudoin’s style of play matches that perfectly.
Although Beaudoin is a natural center, it’s often wise to start young guys out on the wing to get them used to the pace of NHL hockey. As the season progresses, if the coaching staff feels that Beaudoin is ready, they could swap him with McBain.