Charles Hudon: Two Autographed Cards

The Montréal Canadiens and their prized prospect Charles Hudon got some bad news earlier today, when it was announced he had suffered a broken sternum in practice. He seemed to finally be ready to take over a permanent spot on the team, with 2 assists in 3 games at the NHL level and 14 points in 15 AHL games with the St. John's IceCaps, after three seasons in the minors that started with a Rookie Of The Year trophy and two second-place finishes among the team's top points producers.

Back when he was a teenager, he was a mainstay on Team Canada, as can be attested by these two cards that he signed last year from Upper Deck's 2014 Team Canada Juniors/Women set:

On the left is card #52 in the series, showing him wearing his country's white (home) uniform from the 2011 U-18 World Championship, while the card on the right is #108 in the collection, showing him in the red (away) uniform, from the 2014 World Juniors.

He autographed both in blue sharpie, adding both of his jersey numbers, 16 and 10 respectively, at the end. 10 has been his usual number for most of his career, but seeing as the Habs retired it for Guy Lafleur, Hudon currently wears #54 in the NHL.

Charles Hudon Autographed Card

I didn't post last weekend because I was on what was probably my last road trip of the hockey season, with two Hamilton Bulldogs games (Rochester and Toronto) and an OHL game as well (in Oshawa). I'll have more to report on that later, but first, I wanted to share a belated signed card from earlier this season, that I wanted to feature when he made the AHL's All-Star Game, but for some reason I passed on it.

Obviously, I'm talking about Charles Hudon, who I featured last year. He stands at 15 goals, 38 assists and 53 points in 68 games (with 62 penalty minutes) in his rookie season at the professional level, where he showed he could stand the rigors and toughness of pro play and perhaps just needs to work on his endurance to withstand the grind an 80-game schedule with consistency.

He was a point-per-game player up until the previously mentioned All-Star Game, and also was in Juniors, not just during the regular season, but also during the LHJMQ playoffs over four seasons. His effort level and determination reminds me a lot of Brendan Gallagher, although he probably isn't as quick; on the other hand, even though he's a few years younger than the Montréal Canadiens' trouble-maker, his defensive play and hockey sense might even be a tad superior.

Should the 5'10'' center and winger fail to develop into a second-line offensive threat at the NHL level (though his adaptation to the AHL suggests he'll be fine), his place on a third line is just about guaranteed.

Five years down the line, the Habs might have a very promising team, with Alex Galchenyuk on the first line, 40-goal man Max Pacioretty still in his prime, Nikita Scherbak another scoring threat, Hudon, Jacob De La Rose as a checking center, Gallagher and perhaps even Tomas Plekanec still around providing effort and leadership, perhaps Daniel Carr also making the team, and maybe grinders like Gabriel Dumont (I still believe) and Michaël Bournival to round out the bottom-six, and a defense comprised of P.K. Subban on the verge of turning 30, Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi and maybe even Greg Pateryn still on the team, and Zach Fucale manning the pipes. I mean, they're contenders now, and only a major meltdown will stop them from still being so even if the valuable warriors Andrei Markov, Tom Gilbert, Mike Weaver, Dale Weise and Brandon Prust retire with the team and fetch nothing in return (an honor I wish for Markov, Plekanec, Prust and Weise, at least).

I'd also like Devante Smith-Pelly and Eric Tangradi find their game again and enter the five-year plan.

As you can see, I very much see Hudon as an essential part of the Habs' future.

Which is why I was happy to have him sign this card in black sharpie:

It shows him wearing the Chicoutimi Saguenéens' classic white (home) uniform, from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set (it's card #44 in the collection). ITG no longer has the rights to produce AHL cards, so if I want one of him with the Bulldogs, I'll have to acquire some of Upper Deck's AHL cards (because having the monopoly on NHL cards wasn't enough). I used to love that aspect of H&P cards, the fact that Juniors and minor pro players were part of the same set.

Oh well, times change.

Charles Hudon Jersey Card

A fifth-round draft pick of the Montréal Canadiens (122nd overall), Charles Hudon is looking more and more like a steal. Sure, at 5'11'' and 178 pounds, he's a bit on the smallish side, but he plays big and can be compared to a better-rounded Brendan Gallagher... if he can avoid injuries, which isn't a given with his hard-nosed style of play.

At the Juniors level, he has really stepped up his game, going from a point-per-game player in his first three seasons in the LHJMQ to nearly doubling that this year. Being traded to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar has given him a chance to hope for the Memorial Cup, so he might end his Juniors career on a winning note, after being a part of the highly-touted edition of Team Canada that finished in 4th place this winter at the World Juniors.

I was extremely happy to receive this card in my trade with Dave last week:

It's from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set (card #M-17, part of the Game-Used Memorabilia sub-set, a Game Used Jersey - Black card, limited to 100). It shows him wearing the Chicoutimi Saguenéens' white (home) uniform; the Sags have one of the prettiest and most iconic hockey jerseys of all time (I'd rank them right behind the Habs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings - four of the Original Six - and ahead of Moscow's Central Red Army), and their current one is barely hindered by the damned Reebok piping. The swatch is dark blue, either from one of the stripes on the white jersey, or (more likely), from their dark (away) uniform: