When the Montreal Canadiens made the 122^nd selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and tabbed Charles Hudon as the newest member of the Habs organization, it could have been seen as a team taking a flyer on a guy who grew up in their backyard.

Well, not exactly their backyard. According to google maps it is a five hour drive from Hudon’s hometown of Alma to the Bell Centre in Montreal, but the Habs could have been accused of focusing on the province of Quebec.

Fast forward two and a half years, and no one is going to complain about the decision to make Charles Hudon a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Hudon had no problem putting up points in his lengthy QMJHL career, but his small stature led some to question how well that part of his game would translate to the professional level. After 27 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs this season, Hudon leads the American Hockey League in scoring with 30 points.

Not only has his offensive game taken off at the AHL level, Hudon is also taking on much more responsibility than he did in Junior as he switched positions to play center for Hamilton.

Listed at 5’10” and 184 pounds, it was Hudon’s hockey sense and safe, defensive play that led to him making Team Canada at the past two World Junior Hockey Championships. Hudon was injured in an exhibition game two years ago after making the final roster, but suited up in last year’s tournament in Malmo, Sweden.

Though Hudon was known for his two way and defensive play in the QMJHL, he also piled up an impressive number of points in his four year Junior career. In 235 games split between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Baie Comeau Drakkar, hudon scored 104 goals, added 169 assists for 273 points.

Hudon had his best QMJHL season last year when he scored 76 points in 57 games, split between Chicoutimi and Baie Comeau. He also chipped in 22 points in 21 postseason games, before ultimately falling to the Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL final.

Still, though he had a great season a year ago, switching positions and making the jump to the AHL should have resulted in a bit of a transition year for the 20 year old. However, nearing the midway point of the season, Hudon is tied for the team lead in goals with nine, leads the Bulldogs in assists and points, also leads the team in power play goals, and is first overall in league scoring.

Thanks to Hudon’s great play, the Bulldogs are in a playoff spot after missing the AHL postseason for the last three years. Their chances of ending that drought are greatly increased with Hudon in the lineup this season.

However, if Hudon keeps up this pace, the Bulldogs may have to push for the postseason without him as he could find himself in a Montreal Canadiens sweater very soon.