Marty had a lengthy discourse on Beck. He said the management know exactly what they are getting and he flat out earned it his call up.
But the game and Beck’s performance shows the stark difference between the pace of play in the AHL and the NHL. In the AHL, Beck is a dominant skater whose comparative explosive acceleration allows him to create time and separation for himself. Last night, Beck’s skating, while adequate, was far from dominant.
As he gets older and stronger and gains more confidence Beck will become faster both in his skating and his ability to process the game. If that growth starts to manifest itself before Heineman’s return then Beck’s here to stay. If the game continues to be a notch too fast for him, I can see the Canadiens calling up Tuch who is easily their best skater in Laval.
The gap between the NHL and every other league is as wide as the Grand Canyon and is a gap that very few players can traverse successfully. Its a point that should be remembered when the discussion turns to Demidov who some here are already regarding as a generational talent. Let’s see how he fares playing against the best players in the world before we anoint him as our saviour.
Bottom line, even in this short snippet, Beck showed that he could skate with NHL players. Now let’s see if he can take the next step and become a factor on the ice.
In my reports of our prospects in Laval games, I use the phrase: ‘he was noticeable’ to praise a player’s level of play. Last night, Beck was not noticeable. But is was his third game in three days. He received a last moment notice of his call up to the Canadiens. It’s not surprising he wasn’t noticeable. Let’s all see how he does over the next few games before we make any judgments as to whether he’s ready to play in the Show.
