Montreal Canadiens prospect Nathan Beaulieu, and his father Jacques Beaulieu, the former head coach and general manager of the Sarnia Sting have both pled guilty to charges of assault. They will each recieve conditional discharges and nine months of probation.
The charges reportedly stem from a fight that occured at a private party in London in April.
Pat Ducharme, the pair’s lawyer, told CTV News that the sentence will not be an impediment to Nathan’s hockey career.
“That means that there is no conviction registered,” Ducharme said. “The court accepts their taking responsibility for it, but instead of convicting the accused they gave each of them a discharge.”
Nathan, 20, was Montreal’s first round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry draft. He spent most of last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL where he scored 31 points in 67 games, tying for the team lead in scoring. He also played 6 games for the Canadiens in the NHL picking up two assists in the process.
Shortly after being charged, Jacques Beaulieu was relieved of his duties as head coach and general manager of the Sarnia Sting in the OHL. Beaulieu, led the team to a playoff spot this season and was a finalist for OHL coach of the year honours. At the time, Sting Co-Owner Rob Cicarelli said that the release was not related to the assault charges, andwas also not related to the team’s on-ice performance.
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