The New York Rangers were able to secure their fourth straight win on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. In the win, it was a special moment for one of the top prospects for the Rangers, who got to make his NHL Debut.
While New York has been playing some really good hockey coming out of the gate, the team did see their starting fourth-line center, Joe Veleno, go on injured reserve on Tuesday after suffering a lower-body injury in the win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night.
Depth at the center position isn't considered a strength of the organization, and that was something that they tried to address in the offseason. When the Rangers elected to trade Vincent Trocheck to the Mammoth, they got Sean Durzi to help with the second pair of their blueline. Furthermore, they also added former first-round pick Cole Beaudoin.
Due to Beaudoin playing well in the AHL to start the season, it was the young center who got the call-up. In tradition, he led the Rangers out for warmups before making his debut.
In his debut, Beaudoin might not have been able to get on the point sheet, but he played well on both ends of the ice in just under 10 minutes of playing time.
Making a debut is a major accomplishment, and after the game, Beaudoin spoke after the game with Rangers On SI about what it meant to him.
"Obviously this is something I've worked for as a little kid. This is a dream come true. Playing my first NHL game and just all the hours put into this, and all the coaching staff, my parents, my brothers, just pushing me, helping me get to this point.
Fortunately, despite it being on short notice, Beaudoin's family was in attendance. Also, with the added pressure of this being a rivalry game against the Islanders, the young center was certainly thrown into the fire. While there were some nerves for Beaudoin, as expected, he handled it with poise.
"Obviously, there's excitement, a little bit of nerves, but just going out there and having fun, having a smile on my face, and going out there and enjoying it, playing with those guys"
Beaudoin played with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaroslav Chmelar in the debut, and credit to Bjorkstrand for having a great game with two goals.
Now, with there not being a concrete timetable on Veleno's return , this will be a massive opportunity for Beaudoin to show the coaching staff what he can do and perhaps force their hand for him to stay.
He will certainly bring a good two-way game to the fourth line and, if given the chance, will be able to help generate some offense as well. Overall, it was a memorable debut for Beaudoin, and it will be exciting to see what he can do from here.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as Cole Beaudoin Is Giving NY Rangers Another Reason to Believe Future is Bright .
