Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has retired from professional hockey, as announced by the NHLPA.
Beaulieu, 32, was selected by the Canadiens with the 17th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played his first five NHL seasons with the Canadiens from 2012-13 to 2016-17, posting seven goals, 53 assists, 60 points, 152 penalty minutes, and a plus-19 rating in 225 games.
Congratulations to Nathan Beaulieu, who has officially announced his retirement from pro hockey 🏒⁰
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 23, 2025
Wishing the former first-round pick the best of luck in the future! pic.twitter.com/yYHEIxRy0j
Beaulieu's time with the Canadiens ended during the 2017 NHL off-season, as he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick. From there, he had stints with the Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, and Anaheim Ducks. In 471 career NHL games over 11 seasons, he had 12 goals, 86 assists, 98 points, and a minus-14 rating.
Beaulieu's last season in the NHL was in 2022-23 with the Ducks. He then played his final two professional seasons overseas. During the 2023-24 season, he played for Kloten HC of Switzerland's National League, where he had two assists and a minus-6 rating in 13 games. He then played eight games this past season with Barys Astana of the KHL, recording one assist, 12 penalty minutes, and a minus-5 rating. After being released by Barys Astana, he signed with HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia but did not play in a game for them due to injury trouble.
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Photo Credit: © Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images