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Montreal Canadiens Prospect Profile: Charles Hudon

By Mat Germain

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AWH PROSPECT PROFILE: CHARLES HUDON

Welcome to a new focus that AWH will be taking on from now on, AWH Prospect Profiles. Within these articles, we will dig out as much data and knowledge as possible to bring you as much information as a fan can get about franchise prospects. Hopefully you enjoy reading these as much as we enjoy putting them together!

Sep 16, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon (75) skates with the puck during the second period against the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre. The Bruins beat the Canadiens 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

CHARLES HUDON

  • Born: 23rd of June, 1994 (20 years old) in Alma, Quebec
  • Height/Weight: 5’11” /180 lbs
  • Shoots: Left
  • Selected: in the 5th rd, 122nd overall in 2012
  • Twitter account: @kidhud_10
  • Twitter handle: “Repêché par les Canadiens de Montréal. Prospect for the Montreal Canadiens”
  • Played for: Saint-Eustache Vikings (QMAAA), Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), Baie Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL), Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
  • Wearing #10 for Hamilton

STATS

  • Available at Elite Prospects here.
  • 2014-15 in AHL:
    • First season in AHL
    • 75 GP, 19 G, 38 A, 57 Pts, 68 PIM, +5
    • Finished 22nd overall in AHL scoring

INTERESTING FACTS

  • Scored 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games while playing for Saint-Eustache
  • Drafted 6th overall in the 2010 QMJHL Draft
  • Made the QMJHL All-Rookie team, getting the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the process. Claude Giroux and Vincent Lecavalier both earned this award as well in the past, and Habs G prospect Zach Fucale won it in 2011-12.
  • Captain of Chicoutimi Sagueneens before traded to Baie-Comeau
  • Also made the AHL All-Rookie team, a feat achieved by a few Habs or ex-Habs you may know such as P.K. Subban, Lars Eller, Jaroslav Halak, Rene Bourque, Daniel Briere, and other notable NHL players such as Zdeno Chara, Ryan Strome, Ryan Callahan, Bobby Ryan, Jason Spezza, and Mike Green to name a few. Needless to say, it bodes well for his future.
  • Fred Poulin of Hockey Writers notes about Charles, “He likes to control the play in the offensive zone to create scoring opportunities for himself or his team-mates. His strong work ethic and his leadership skills are both perceived by scouts as important assets to Hudon.”
  • Won gold with Team Canada at Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament 2011-12
  • Played for Canada at the World junior Championships in 2013-14, finishing with 2 pts in 7 games
  • Made the AHL All-Star team
  • Finally, on the subject of mentors, Charles Tweeted the following:

REPORTS

Some scouts have consistently said that Charles Hudon needs to add muscle and weight to his frame before he can be successful in the NHL. I can’t imagine one scout not saying the exact same thing about David Desharnais or Brendan Gallagher, and they turned out all right. Some have also compared him to Tomas Plekanec:

The difference between them and Charles Hudon is that they are lightning quick, while he grades lower in speed department, not slow, just not fast.

The speed factor is fairly big in that if you’re not going to win battles to the puck using strength and size, you should be able to win them using speed. If not, you’ll forever be chasing the puck and will end up being ineffective as a forward.

The thing with that argument is that you can’t argue the success he’s had so far, and that I do believe many think he’s slower than he actually is. He knows how to score, he has great vision and great hands, and his hockey IQ seems to be fairly high. A natural leader with great work ethic, he makes the most of what skills and size he has.

There are reports that he doesn’t play as well without the puck as he does with it. That tends to be the case for many players and is something that some coaches try to micromanage way too much. In truth, this is one aspect of a player’s game that can be taught through video and analysis.

The other negative that seems to come through when analysts speak of Charles Hudon is that he has already had some fairly significant health issues, such as his recurring back injury. Speaking of the injury that kept him from playing for Team Canada, Hudon said:

"“It was so hard for me to come back to Canada with nothing hanging around my neck. Right now I’m taking things day by day; employing the same strategy that (Team Canada coach Brent) Sutter is using with our team. Take things one day at a time and don’t think about tomorrow.”"

The way I see it, there are always going to be injury issues when speaking of NHL players. I think that what he’s done so far to prove he can be healthy since that time is enough to settle questions about his health.

Back to the positive side of things, Kinse Janke of NHL.com said it best with this:

"“Told to always be prepared and at 100 percent in every situation, from practice to a Friday night game to a Tuesday morning game full of screaming kids, Hudon’s goal of one day reaching the NHL hasn’t interfered with the team-first mentality that’s caught the eye of his coaches.”"

Charles Hudon works hard, has offensive flair, and he’s been moved from wing to centre for good reason. The Montreal Canadiens want him to be responsible on both ends of the ice, and what better way to learn that than to play centre while learning the ropes in the AHL?

Charles Hudon Highlights

FINAL THOUGHTS

If healthy and if he gets an opportunity to play, there’s no reason Charles Hudon shouldn’t make an NHL roster in the near future. His ceiling could be somewhere near what we’ve seen out of David Desharnais thus far, from the mid 40 to 60 point range depending on the year. His floor is dependent on ice time and line mates.

He’s an intriguing prospect, one with high-energy and a scoring touch that Montreal would love to see in La Belle Province. There’s some work yet for him to do before his NHL career begins, but if he has a really strong camp before next season, there’s a chance he could make the roster and kick things off on the third or fourth line. How he adjusts to the speed of NHL play will determine how much success he can have. There’s no reason to believe that with his strong offensive abilities, work ethic, and determination, that he couldn’t eventually be on one the top 2 lines in Montreal. It would be quite a feat for someone drafted so late.

We wish him the best in making his NHL dreams come true.

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