Charles Hudon has seen some recent success with the Colorado Eagles this season. Over the summer, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche after spending a year with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Hudon has seen several call-ups to the Avalanche in his short stint with the team, but has played most of the time with the Eagles. In fact, has become a force to be reckoned with, leading the team in points. The 5-foot 10-inch forward plays with a style that is more bruising than his frame would suggest. Hudon plays a heavy game, oftentimes coming out of the locker room wrapped in ice bags. I was able to catch up with Hudon last weekend to ask him about his recent success.
On February 24, Hudon scored his 150th career AHL goal. Most players have a goal that sticks out in their memory, but not Hudon.
“That last one, the last one was a good one. I try to have a short memory so I can try to resume the game. I tried to erase what I did and just move on, and the last one was a good one,” Hudon shared.
Hudon has been trading places with Jean-Luc Foudy as the team’s point leader (as well as playing on his wing). Hudon told us what it’s like playing with a young star in the making.
“We are having fun together. He’s a young kid and I try to get it so that I can give it to him. And sometimes, he’s the guy who just wants to do his own stuff and I respect that, but we have to have good chemistry. We don’t have to talk a lot,” he said.
Hudon was a teammate with Alex Galchenyuk in Montreal for a short time, so the two are somewhat familiar with playing on the same team with each other. He talks about playing alongside Galchenyuk and his injury situation.
“It’s good [he is back]. [It] was tough to see him at the camp leaving because of an injury, but seeing him back with us is a good plus. He is a magician with the puck and just starting to prove to himself that he can still play in the NHL. He has something little you need to work on like every single guy, but he is working hard on and off the ice. So that’s a good thing,” Hudon said of Galchenyuk.
Every player is always working to improve themselves or their game in some way. Hudon has looked at improving his leadership skills on the ice.
“I think every single guy has something to improve. I’m the old guy, but I just need to keep working on my pace on every single shift. So that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s weird to say that I’m the oldest guy in the team now, so it’s just I need to be more responsible in my d-zone and with my leadership,” He said.
Hudon is married and has a couple of little ones at home. It is no wonder that he enjoys spending all of his free time with his family.
“We take as much time as we can together and enjoy little things. I try to help my wife too. It’s always tough to be a hockey wife and just trying to help her as much as I can. But when we get time we just try to enjoy the weather,” Hudon said.
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