Anthony Beauvillier (born June 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Quebec, Beauvillier played for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for three seasons. Following the 2014–15 season, he was selected to play in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and named to the 2014–15 QMJHL Second All-Star Team. He was eventually drafted by the New York Islanders with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft. After Beauvillier and the Cataractes fell to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in Game 5 of the 2016 President's Cup Final, Beauvillier turned professional with the Islanders organization and made his debut during the 2016–17 season. In January 2023, Beauvillier was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, where he spent parts of two seasons before subsequently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Beauvillier has also represented Canada internationally, including at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. Internationally, Beauvillier has represented Canada at both the junior and senior levels. He won a gold medal at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and finished 4th at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
Early life Beauvillier was born on June 8, 1997, in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada. Although he grew up in Quebec, Beauvillier was a fan of the Boston Bruins, and specifically Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. As he grew up speaking French, Beauvillier did not speak much English until he moved to Long Island to play for the New York Islanders.
Playing career
Amateur Growing up in Quebec, Beauvillier played in the 2009 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Montreal Canadiens minor ice hockey team. He then played with the Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois in the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League until 2013. During the 2012–13 season, had led the league in scoring with 39 goals in 41 games and received their MVP award. Following his dominant season, Beauvillier was drafted second overall by the Shawinigan Cataractes in the first round of the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) entry draft. Beauvillier immediately joined the Cataractes for his rookie season during the 2013–14 season. The Cataractes began the season maintaining a 0–6–1 record through their first seven games, becoming the only club in the league to go without a win. Beauvillier scored his first major junior goal in a 4–1 loss to the Gatineau Olympiques on September 28, 2013. By November 6, the Cataractes held a 3–15–2 record. They continued to improve as the season continued and despite holding a 20–39–9 in March, they clinched the final playoff position for the QMJHL playoffs. Beauvillier finished with nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points through 64 games.
Beauvillier returned to the Cataractes for the 2014–15 season, where he experienced a breakout sophomore campaign. He began the season by tallying five points over two games to be named the QMJHL Second Star of the Week for the week ending on November 2. Beauvillier quickly surpassed his rookie points total as he accumulated 57 points through 42 games to rank ninth in league scoring. As a result of his outstanding play, he was selected to play in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he led Team Cherry as captain. Following the announcement, he was honoured as the QMJHL's first star of the week for the week ending on January 15. He received this honour after he scored two goals and seven assists across three games. He was also recognized as the CHL Player of the Week. At the time of the honour, he had improved to 31 goals and 25 assists for 66 points through 45 games. After competing in the Top Prospects Game, Beauvillier and the Cataractes participated in the QMJHL's inaugural Winter Classic against the Victoriaville Tigres. During the Top Prospects Game, Beauvillier tallied one goal and three assists before picking up two goals and four assists throughout two outdoor games. During the Cataractes' 4–2 win over the Tigres, Beauvillier tallied his 100th career point in the QMJHL as he helped on all four goals. He subsequently finished the month as the QMJHL's Second Star of January as he accumulated 25 points through 11 games. Beauvillier's play earned him extra attention from hockey scouts and he was ranked 33rd amongst all North American players eligible for the 2015 NHL entry draft by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He was also named to the 2014–15 QMJHL Second All-Star Team. Beauvillier subsequently finished his sophomore season with 42 goals and 52 assists while being used in both offensive and defensive situations.
Beauvillier was eventually drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL entry draft. Following the draft, he replaced Félix-Antoine Bergeron as captain of the Cataractes. Upon returning from Team Canada's training camp, Beauvillier scored seven goals and eight assists through his first seven games of the 2015–16 season. Through his first nine games, he recorded eight goals and 10 assists for 14 points. His play earned him second star of the week honours for the period extending from October 12 to 18, 2015. On October 23, 2015, Beauvillier was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Islanders. Following the signing, he tallied three more goals and one more assist for 25 points through 12 games. As his scoring prowess continued through early November, the Shawinigan never lost a game when he scored a goal. On November 16, Beauvillier was suspended for four games after delivering a hit to the head of Blainville-Boisbriand Armada defenceman Nathanael Halbert. At the time of the suspension, he had accumulated 16 goals and 18 assists through 17 games. His playing success earned him recognition from Team Canada and he was invited to their camp prior to the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. At the time of the selection, Beauvillier had accumulated 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points through 17 games. He was eventually named to Team Canada's final roster alongside fellow Islanders prospect Mathew Barzal. Upon returning from the tournament, Beauvillier continued to produce and he finished the regular season with 40 goals and 39 assists for 79 points through 74 games.
As Beauvillier and the Shawinigan Cataractes qualified for the 2016 QMJHL playoffs, they faced off against the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the first round. After losing the opening game, Beauvillier recorded five points to lift the Cataractes over the Phoenix to the second round against the Charlottetown Islanders. In the second round, Beauvillier scored nine points to advance to the semi-finals in six games. In the semi-finals, Beauvillier and the Shawinigan Cataractes eliminated the Saint John Sea Dogs in five games. He subsequently received the Cataractes' Offensive Player of the Year for his regular season and postseason scoring totals. Upon reaching the President's Cup Final, Beauvillier tallied 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points through 21 games. Although he set career-highs in the postseason with 30 points, Beauvillier and the Shawinigan Cataractes fell to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in Game 5 of the President's Cup Final.
New York Islanders
Following the Cataractes elimination, Beauvillier joined the New York Islanders mini-camp in June 2016. His efforts during the mini-camp earned him invites to participate in their rookie camp and training camp. While competing with the Islanders in the 2016–17 preseason, Beauvillier earned praise from head coach Jack Capuano for his puck moving abilities, offensive instincts, and professionalism. Beauvillier and Barzal were eventually named to the Islanders' opening night roster for the 2016–17 season, resulting in Beauvillier becoming the youngest player on the roster at the age of 19. Due to his age, Beauvillier was too young to be assigned to the Islanders American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. As such, he could only be assigned to Shawinigan if he was cut from the roster. Beauvillier made his NHL debut in their season opener on October 13, 2016, against the New York Rangers. Although the Islanders lost 5–3, he played 10:52 minutes of ice time and tallied his first NHL point, an assist. His first NHL goal came shortly after in a 3–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on October 18. He subsequently became the youngest Islander since Nino Niederreiter to score a goal and the first player in Islander history to score his first NHL goal against a goaltender making their NHL debut. He accumulated one goal and four assists for five points through his first five NHL games.
After playing in his 10th NHL game, and thus burning the first year of his contract, coach Jack Capuano explained that he kept Beauvillier in the lineup because "he's played extremely well for us all season as a young player. He's done a great job and continues to play with pace and continues to do the things he's done since training camp to earn a spot on our roster." Although he began the season strong, Beauvillier was made a healthy scratch for numerous games throughout the months of November and December. He played in four of the Islanders' first six December games and averaged about 12 minutes of ice time. His scratches continued into January as he was scratch for five games before skating on January 13, where he recorded an assist and three shots on net while maintaining a plus-minus rating of +2. Due to the Islanders lacklustre performance, assistant general manager Doug Weight was named interim head coach midway through the 2016–17 season. Beauvillier ended the season with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points through 66 games as the Islanders failed to qualify for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Following his rookie season, the Islanders officially named Doug Weight as their head coach. Beauvillier again made the Islanders' opening night roster to begin the 2017–18 season. At the age of 20, he was again the youngest player on the team and one of three players 21 or younger on the Islanders roster. Beauvillier began his sophomore season on a much slower pace than his rookie season. Through his first 32 games, Beauvillier had four goals and three assists. After suffering an injury during a game against the Dallas Stars on November 10, Beauvillier missed one game to recover before rejoining the lineup. Due to his decreased production, Beauvillier was reassigned to the Islanders AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for conditioning. He played two games with the Sound Tigers, recording two goals, and was recalled on January 7 for a game against the New Jersey Devils as an emergency replacement for Josh Bailey. After scoring a goal in the 5–4 shootout win, he returned to the AHL while the Islanders were on their five-day break. Beauvillier returned to the Islander's lineup full-time following their break and immediately contributed to the lineup by scoring eight goals in his next seven games. Beauvillier continued to produce as the season continued and earned a spot on the Islanders' second line alongside Jordan Eberle and Barzal. He finished the season with 21 goals, becoming the second Islanders player aged 20 or younger to break the 20-goal plateau.