Montreal Canadiens: Watch Owen Beck Score Hat Trick To Lead Improbable Comeback

The Montreal Canadiens first overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft was a bit of a controversial one and fans will continue to banter about who the team should have taken.

It is entirely possible that Juraj Slafkovsky continues to develop and turns out to be the correct choice in hindsight, but that will take years to decide. What is starting to become unquestioned is the Habs next handful of picks in that draft.

Lane Hutson was drafted 62nd overall and he appears to be an offensive defenseman that is capable of changing the fortunes of a franchise on his own. His ridiculous scoring output in college hockey has been unmatched and he continues to leave opponents shaking their heads at his terrific skating and scoring ability.

Filip Mesar was sent back to the OHL this season for a second stint with the Kitchener Rangers. It seems to be paying off as the late first round pick is piling up points and has one of the best points per game paces in the league.

Yet another top pick for the Habs that year was Owen Beck. He was taken with the first pick of the second round after a 51 point season with the Mississauga Steelheads. He was excellent in his first NHL training camp, nearly breaking camp with the big club after looking great in exhibition games, but he was ultimately returned to the OHL.

He scored a total of 24 goals and 66 points in 60 games last season with the Steelheads and Peterborough Petes, who picked him up at the trade deadline and he would go on to help them win an OHL championship.

Beck didn’t look quite as dominant at this year’s training camp and was sent back to the Petes. Known more as a defensive center than an offensive player, Beck was still expected to be an offensive force in his 19 year old season. Things got off to a slow start, as Beck had just one point in six games to start off, but he has caught fire offensively since then.

Following his slow start, Beck scored a hat trick on October 21st and then continued to score every night. He had 14 points in his next ten games and continued to add to that impressive total yesterday when his Petes took on the Oshawa Generals.

It looked bleak early on as the Petes fell behind 5-0, but Beck was instrumental in their incredible comeback as they won the game 6-5 in overtime.

Beck got the Petes on the board when he fired a wrist shot from the high slot and cleanly beat the Generals goalie. It was not the prettiest goal of his career, but it does show off a dandy wrist shot.

Beck’s second goal of the night was from about the same distance, but this time he ripped a one-timer on the power play. It is another impressive shot as it comes from quite a distance. With the Generals defense playing low in their own end on the penalty kill, Beck moved up high to open up a passing lane and made no mistake when the puck came to him.

Beck completed the hat trick in the third period, and pulled the Petes within one, when he pounced on a rebound on the power play. The initial shot came from the point and was tipped. The goalie stretched to kick the puck out but it landed right on Beck’s tape and he fired it into the wide open net.

The Canadiens prospect was not done yet, as he set up the overtime winner to seal the victory for his team. He came down the wing on a two-on-one and fed a perfect pass to his teammate after drawing the defender to him. The Petes captain elected to wrap around the net and then tucked in his own rebound to win the game and give Beck his fourth point of the night.

That gives Beck 18 points in his last 11 games after that sluggish offensive start to his season. Keep in mind, his defensive game is his greatest attribute, so it must be pretty near perfect to be better than this offensive side he possesses.

It is good to see him back on top of his game and after another showing at the World Juniors, and possibly another long playoff run, we should see him pushing for a lineup spot with the Canadiens next fall.

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