Owen Beck is fitting in with Laval, nicely

The Montreal Canadiens selected Owen Beck with the 33rd overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, and they hoped to add a top-nine centre to the fold.

It's only been 11 games, but the early signs are promising for the Port Hope, Ontario native. Beck wasn't a prolific point producer during his junior career, at just under a point per game, but he seems perfect for the professional game. The thing with Beck is that he does everything well, and while scoring goals isn't his strength, he does have a powerful and accurate shot.

I think Beck fits the mould of Philip Danault, but his offensive touch is a bit better than that of Danault. He is hard to play against, and never cheats for offence, creating turnovers with strong positioning and a smart stick. In transition, he can be a nightmare for the opposition, because he has real burner speed. I think he is an ideal third-line centre, but he is only 20 years old, and not even a quarter of the way through his rookie professional season, so he could prove me wrong.

I do think that Beck will be effective at five on-five, but look for him to be a big difference-maker on the penalty kill. I wouldn't be surprised if he was featured on the top penalty-killing unit for the Habs at one point during his career. Beck is a coach's darling, and while the start of his pro career is impressive, it shouldn't be too surprising when you consider how hard Beck works each shift.

Could he hold 30 goal NHL potential?

Beck's highest goal total of his career in the Ontario Hockey League came during the 2023-24 season. Split between the Peterborough Petes and Saginaw Spirit, Beck recorded 34 goals in 57 games. This was his fifth and final year of junior hockey, which indicates that he was as comfortable as he was going to get.

Still, I think that he could become a 20-25 goal scorer, perhaps not perennial, but I think that he will be able to score around that clip. I would love to see him add some of the grit of Brendan Gallagher's game, if so then he could become a huge problem for opponents. I like Beck's game a lot, and since he was drafted I always had a feeling that he would be a player who could have a long NHL career.

Where he plays in an NHL lineup all depends on him, and what level that he can reach. Realistically, I could see him playing no lower than an NHL fourth line, but I think he has the potential to play a middle-six centre role. So, 30 goals might be a bit of a stretch, but if he earns sustainable power play minutes and plays with some high-quality linemates, then he might just silence me.