Beauvillier Excited to be Back in Business

The official return of the NHL has welcomed vivacious hockey smiles across the league. One grin in particular has been on display nonstop during Phase 2 workouts and Phase 3 training camp at Northwell Health Ice Center. And one thing is for certain; Anthony Beauvillier and his elated ear-to-ear beam are thrilled to be back in business.

The Isles' jovial winger has an infectious energy. He's even maintained the same junior hockey habit of always writing "Have Fun" on his stick as a reminder to enjoy the game. So as the Islanders were separated for four months and dispersed across the country -- and overseas -- for the duration of quarantine, Beauvillier retained his positive, carefree mindset while back home in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.

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"Quarantine has actually been kind of fun for me," Beauvillier said to reporters via Zoom on Sunday afternoon. "Just hanging out with the family; I haven't really had the chance to hang out with my family or stay with my parents for a really long time. It was nice to have home cooked dinners the whole time and watch movies with my dad and my mom."

"I moved into my place and my brother was staying with me, which was also nice," Beauvillier said. "[We spent most of our time together] working out, hanging out and cooking dinner. It's been a lot of family time for me during quarantine which is a lot of fun."

As much as Beauvillier enjoyed the ample time back home with his family, the 23-year-old was itching to reunite with his teammates and compete. Prior to the pause, Beauvillier was on pace to set a career-best season after already surpassing career highs in assists (21) and points (39).

Beauvillier worked his way into bigger situations, such as the power-play and earned the responsibility of being one of the three skaters consistently sent over the boards in overtime this season. When questioned during the season about his scoring success, Beauvillier attributed his performance to a boost in confidence after a summer of rigorous offseason training. Ahead of July's training camp, Beauvillier utilized the time off in quarantine to keep that momentum going.

"I was just working out in my basement," Beauvillier said. "The last month or two months of quarantine I was actually able to go to the gym which was quite nice to get back and get ready for the training camp."

As the Isles held their third scrimmage during training camp on Sunday afternoon, Beauvillier showcased his hustle as he scored two goals including one on the power play. He also struck iron a few different times for Team White.

Beauvillier's centerman for most of the season and periodically throughout training camp, Brock Nelson, concurred.

"He's highly skilled, he's quick," Nelson said via Zoom on Monday afternoon. "He's like a water bug out there all of the time, creating turnovers and making plays. He can do a little of everything which is nice. It's pretty easy to read off of him and be able to make some plays. Whenever I play with him, I just try to feed off of that and push the pace a little bit more to hang with him."

In a time that still feels out of the ordinary, the return of hockey has instilled a much-appreciated sense of normalcy in fans, coaches, staff and players alike. Beauvillier can attest to the liberating feeling.

"It's been a lot of fun just to see all of the guys and go to the rink," Beauvillier said. "It just feels normal for everyone just to go back to the rink and hang out with the boys."