Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has been added to the roster for Team Canada’s World Junior Development Camp, scheduled to take place in St. John’s, Newfoundland during the first week of August. Beaulieu, who will be the only blue-liner eligible to be selected at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in attendance, will join his Sea Dogs teammate Simon Després at the elite camp, the first of two to be held in anticipation of selecting the team that will compete at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Beaulieu said on Friday from his hometown of Strathroy, ON. “When (Hockey Canada Head Scout) Al Murray called me to let me know I’ll be attending the August camp I was thrilled beyond words. I’m really looking forward to skating with the best junior players in Canada and hopefully I’ll do well and get a chance to attend December’s camp as well.”

Currently projected by several scouting sources to be a first round pick at next June’s NHL Entry Draft, Beaulieu is the youngest Sea Dog ever to take part in the Development Camp for Canada’s World Junior Team.

Originally selected by Saint John in the fourth round (68th overall) of the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, Beaulieu has appeared in 115 games for the Sea Dogs over the course of his two seasons with the club, tallying 14G-41A-55P-54PIM. In 2009-10, Beaulieu ranked fourth amongst all QMJHL rearguards with a plus/minus rating of +43, the best single-season mark by a defenseman in Sea Dogs history. The 17-year-old sophomore also finished 12th in the league in defensive scoring last season with 45 points (12G-33A).

This summer, Beaulieu is working out at the Power Play Training Centre in London, ON, a renowned athletic facility owned and operated by former NHL player Dave Gagner.

“I’ve been training really hard since the season ended,” says Beaulieu. “I’m about six-foot-three now and weigh around one-hundred-and-ninety pounds (the former Saint John AAA Vito’s star entered the 2009-10 season at 6’2”, 175 lbs.) and I’ve improved my strength and conditioning quite a bit.”

Beaulieu will have a busy August as he will be travelling to Toronto, ON to take part in the National Hockey League’s Research & Development Camp on the 18th and 19th of the month. Only the top 35-40 prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft have been invited to this exclusive camp, four of whom are members of the Sea Dogs (Nathan along with Zack Phillips, Tomas Jurco, and Jonathan Huberdeau). These four players will miss the first few days of Sea Dogs Training Camp, which gets underway on August 17 at Harbour Station.
 
“It’ll definitely be a busy stretch for me but I’m excited to be getting back on the ice,” says Beaulieu. “Hopefully everything will go well this next little while and I’ll be able to help the Sea Dogs have another great season when I return to Saint John.”