Cole Beaudoin’s power game has earned him plenty of attention over his junior career with the Barrie Colts.
On Friday afternoon, the OHL recognized the Colts’ centre for also playing the game the right way.
The Utah Mammoth top prospect, who posted a career-best 33 goals and 56 assists for 89 points in 54 games, has been named the winner of the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player for the 2025-26 season.
The Colts’ co-captain, who has also been nominated this season for the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s most outstanding player, collected just 29 penalty minutes this season.
“It’s always an honour to win a major award like this,” said Beaudoin, who turns 20-years-old later this month. “I take pride in playing a hard, power forward game. I think it’s me wanting to be on the ice and wanting to help my team as much as possible and staying out of the box.
“I take pride in finishing checks, playing hard up and down the ice and playing a reliable 200-foot game.”
The Kanata native, who helped lead Canada to a third-place finish at the 2026 World Junior Championships in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, was among five players nominated for the award.
Other finalists included Flint's Jimmy Lombardi, Kingston's Kieren Dervin, Peterborough's Adam Novotny, and Sarnia's Jack Van Volsen.
“Cole has made our organization proud every night,” said Colts general manager Marty Williamson. “He brings 100 per cent effort and leadership to this team. Over the past four years, we’ve had the opportunity to watch his growth, and this season has been especially remarkable for both Cole and the Colts.
“He plays between the lines, and the whistle blows, he stops, and he deserves a lot of credit. We’re proud to have him here.”
The six-foot-two, 211-pound forward was drafted by the Colts 10th overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection and has posted 91 goals and 131 assists in 236 games over four seasons in Barrie.
Beaudoin, who was selected 24th overall by Utah in the 2024 NHL Draft, finished the 2025-26 season with an average of 1.65 points per game, the third-highest production rate in the OHL.
Relied upon in all situations by Barrie, he also won 55.4 per cent of his faceoffs. In a recent Eastern Conference coaches poll, Beaudoin ranked first in four different categories (best on faceoffs, best defensive forward, best penalty killer, and hardest worker).
Beaudoin is just the second Colt in franchise history to take home the William Hanley Trophy.
Centre Evan Vierling won the award in 2022-23 after racking up 35 goals and 60 assists for 95 points in 60 games, while recording a mere 12 penalty minutes.
The William Hanley Trophy is awarded each year based on a selection by the league’s 20 General Managers. It is named in honour of William Hanley, former Secretary-Manager of the Ontario Hockey Association for over 25 years.
