1909
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Prospect Info: Owen Beck
- Thread starter Adam Michaels
- Start date
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- Jun 24, 2012
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Doesn’t Beck have 2 years of eligibility left in the OHL?
I can see another year of development in the OHL but he strikes me as someone who is fairly advanced already and is likely to make the jump to the NHL in a year’s time and never look back.
26Mats
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- Jun 23, 2018
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I could see that.
I suspect he'll have more trouble this preseason when the lineups get deeper with NHL vets. But I'm looking forward to seeing - maybe he won't.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
That's what I expect as well. Under different circumstances he could have made it, but we have too many NHL forwards to manage.
dinodebino
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- Sep 27, 2017
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Needs another season. He’s still light a bit. And he needs to excel at a good pace in the CHL first. Another season in the OHL won’t hurt him. Give him another game or two and then send him back.
- Jun 24, 2012
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Why not let him play for the balance of preseason games and send him back after that? He’s done nothing so far to not deserve it. What an intriguing talent.
dinodebino
Registered User
- Sep 27, 2017
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Let’s see next game when teams start doing cuts and keeping better competition. Kid is 18, is very intelligent, great reads, but he ain’t ready yet. He needs to dominate his age group, which he really hasn’t done yet.
- Jun 24, 2012
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I figured that this was a good time to give extended looks to players who have shown promise as it’s not a season where the team is expected to be competitive.
It’s not as if Beck would be stealing away time from an elite talent. We all know there will be excess deadwood on this team when the final roster is announced, so might as well let high upside prospects like Beck get the most of their NHL experience.
Habs
Jake Evans will steal your wife
- Feb 28, 2002
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dinodebino
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- Sep 27, 2017
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Caufield has a distinct talent. He’s a sniper. It’s a unique and rare talent. Beck is a package without one distinct talent. Caufield is special. Beck is intriguing but still very green. Needs more milleage in the O. But that’s just my opinion.
Kudo Shinichi
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- Apr 20, 2012
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He would benefit 100% more by going back to the ohl than playing in the NHL this year.
- Jun 24, 2012
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Beck to me is an advanced 2-way center, mature beyond his years and who displays sound judgment in a multitude of game situations. He doesn’t have Caufield’s release or as lethal a shot but he shows promise at many facets of the game.
One distinct talent? He’s the best faceoff man in the OHL at only 18 years old. His other talents are evolving so we’ll have to wait a tad longer to see them in full bloom but there is a lot to like under the hood.
BenchBrawl
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- Jul 26, 2010
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To me, he should stay in MTL as long as possible. He looks like the type who excels even more if he plays with pros, than the kind to dominate singlehandedly in junior. He has that mastery of the ping-pong-ishness you find in the pro more than in junior.
SlafySZN
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- May 21, 2022
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Yes but he won’t develop his offensive game by playing on a NHL 3rd line.
Same thing as with Guhle, he would’ve been ok playing 3rd pair minutes last season but they sent him back and developed his offensive game he wouldn’t have the chance to by playing in the NHL.
26Mats
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- Jun 23, 2018
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Probably. That's why they have preseason and training camp, to determine those things...
BenchBrawl
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- Jul 26, 2010
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I was arguing the opposite. I think he may blossom more offensively playing in the pros and learning more deeply how to navigate in that tic-tac-toe-ness you don't find in junior. He seems tailor-made for the pro game.
Maybe I'm wrong. Probably, there's no absolute answer.
No point playing him as a winger. He needs to project as a C.
He is probably not ahead of any of:
Suzuki
Dvorak
Evans
Dach
I think if he continues his current level of play, The Habs should sign him to an ELC to reward him for his camp, then send him back to the OHL for one year (to start). Should one of the Cs ahead of him be injured, let him play up to 9 games and see how he does. If an injury is longer term, and neither Monahan nor Mesar is able to handle the 4C role, there could be a decision to make if the 9 games produce, for example, 6 points and great faceoff and defensive stats.
Ultimately, barring a big surprise, I think he will play his 18 yo season in the OHL, and might make an even bigger push for the team next year. To me he is like a late first round pick with a mature game. A Suzuki with maybe a bit less offence.
Very happy we got him at 33.
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Legend123
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- Jul 3, 2016
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I partially disagree with the bolded part.
Defencemen and forwards are different.
Most NHL top-6 forwards did indeed start on the 3rd or 4th line REGARDLESS of what their results were playing at a lower level, be it Junior or AHL. Lecavalier, Stamkos and Tavares all started on a third line.
My reason for sending Beck back to the AHL is not that it is not possible to develop offence from an NHL 3rd line usage at first. Mr reason is that Beck is not our third best center yet, and probably not a standout 4th line guy who could slot in easily in the top-9.
If you are right that Beck won't develop his game on the 3rd line, it is because he is not yet good enough for that role, not because the role is incompatible with NHL progress. The role absolutely can be compatible.
No More Subban
GHG
- Apr 28, 2010
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I agree in principle, but he needs to be our third best center right now, and I doubt he is yet.
However, he should get more games and a decision be taken later on.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
He's not that light. 5'-11" and 190 lbs. That's solid for an 18 year old and he well ahead of others at the same age. Regardless, we need to allow him to play out his OHL career. Let him have a season or two of offensive dominance.
A huge part of being NHL ready is to be able to perform for 82 games, I doubt he can do that at at this point physically or mentally.
ChesterNimitz
governed by the principle of calculated risk
- Jul 4, 2002
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Well said. At most give him a few games at the NHL level and then let him hone his offensive skills in the OHL and then play an important role for Team Canada at the WJC.
