Introduction
Owen Beck had a whirlwind 2022-23 season. He showed great things in Montreal Canadiens training camp just a couple of months after getting drafted, was traded to his hometown team in the OHL, joined Team Canada partway through the World Juniors to win a gold medal, got a taste of the NHL days before turning 19, and won an OHL championship to propel his team to a Memorial Cup berth.
He was involved in everything during those OHL playoffs. By the end of his run, he had eight goals and eight assists, for 16 points through 22 games. The points weren’t the most notable thing about his performance, however. Unsurprisingly, where he really shone was in the faceoff dot, where he won 64.9% of his 419 faceoffs, an increase from the 58.6% winning percentage he had during the regular season.
Voting
I had Owen Beck at 13, a bit lower than some of our panellists. Five of the 12 votes were within the top 10, where he finds himself for the first time this summer.
T25U25 History
Jared Book
He rose four ranks since last year, which was among the largest rises within the bolstered pool of talent for this year’s project.
History of #10
| Year | #10 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Filip Mesar |
| 2021 | Sean Farrell |
| 2020 | Jake Evans |
| 2019 | Noah Juulsen |
| 2018 | Charlie Lindgren |
| 2017 | Jacob de la Rose |
| 2016 | Michael McCarron |
| 2015 | Michael McCarron |
| 2014 | Charles Hudon |
| 2013 | Charles Hudon |
| 2012 | Sebastian Collberg |
| 2011 | Jarred Tinordi |
| 2010 | Dustin Boyd |
Strengths
Beck is never going to be a player who will wow people. He isn’t flashy, and he isn’t spectacular, But he is efficient, and that helps teams win hockey games at every level he plays.
He is one of the best prospects in terms of exiting his own zone with control of the puck, and understand his role to a T. He is what a coach wants in a 200-foot player who plays hard on both sides on the ice. His game is tailored for the professional level.
Add up all of those elements, his ability in the faceoff circle, and his strong underlying numbers, and it is easy to understand why the Habs believe they have a solid prospect on their hands.
His abilities on the ice are led by a great hockey sense. He simply makes the right plays more often than not. His great transition play is not due to cheating; he’s a responsible player who gets his teammates involved in advancing the puck up the ice.
Weaknesses
In such a well-rounded prospect, one who does nearly all the little things right, there isn’t one major flaw. The reason why such a player wasn’t more highly regarded a year ago is simple: some people questioned his offensive upside. Only 51 points in his draft year were what prevented him from being a first-round pick, but his 41 points with the Mississauga Steelheads before his mid-season trade helped ease some of those concerns.
He still isn’t scoring at an incredible pace at the Junior level, despite all of his abilities pointing to a more prolific producer. Without seeing that side of his game develop, you would have to lower his potential projection to that of a bottom-six shutdown centre.
He has a decent shot, but not one goalies fear. His playmaking is inconsistent, but he carries the puck well into the opponent’s zone. His puck-control is slightly above average, but his offensive creativity is fairly simple, lacking in deception or complexity.
Recording just 49 penalty minutes through his first two full OHL campaigns, discipline became somewhat of an issue during his playoff run. He avoided a suspension for a hit to the head early in the OHL Final, but didn’t get away with a slewfoot later in the series, earning a two-game suspension that saw him miss the clinching game. He was cleared to play in the Memorial Cup opener despite having one match left on his sentence.
There was a clear desire for him to elevate his physical game when the contests grew in importance, but his toolkit won’t help a team if he’s watching the action from the penalty or press boxes.
Projection
Beck created plenty of incredible memories during the 2022-23 season. In total, he played in 91 games with four different teams and was part of two championship-winning squads. In previous years when the Canadiens were struggling to fill out the centre position in the NHL he may have been headed for a spot in Montreal, but he will probably be going back to the OHL for the 2023-24 season.
I believe that he is ready for professional hockey, but as a 19-year-old he is ineligible to play with the AHL’s Laval Rocket to take the next step in his development. At the very least, he will have a chance to gain confidence in his offence at a level he’s outgrown.
Barring a few trades to move bodies out of the lineup, there just won’t be room in the NHL for Beck, and the potential to have his entry-level contract slide another year is too valuable for a team with so many young players due new deals in the near future. But none of that is going to keep him from trying to wedge his way into the squad, which should make training camp and the pre-season matches very interesting in September.
Elite Prospects OHL scout Lauren Kelly joins Patrik Bexell to discuss Owen Beck.
Marc-Antoine Lévis
