Canadiens: 24 Thoughts on Owen Beck and Canada's Trouncing of Latvia
Owen Beck and Team Canada continued their quest for Gold at the World Juniors in Gothenburg Wednesday aginst Team Latvia. It was their second of four round-robin games. Latvia is certainly not on the level of Canada, but you don't want to take them lightly, because anyone can beat anyone at this tournament. Germany proved that with their win over Finalnd earlier today.
Having watched it live from Gothenburg, here are 24 thoughts on Beck and Team Canada’s game against Latvia.
First Period Thoughts
Beck and his line had a great first game of the tournament and were rewarded by getting to start the second one. This line has played very well thus far, and it will be interesting to see how they’re used as the tournament progresses. Will they see many tough matchups, particularly against Sweden and the US? They’re certainly capable of that.
The powerplay gets an early opportunity on a questionable call, and it takes all of five seconds for Conor Geekie (ARI) to pot his first goal of the tournament. It was an excellent shot, and it’s good to see some of the big guns get on the board early after a rough game #1, in my opinion. Geekie can really shoot the puck.
Beck just continues to win in the faceoff dot. I think faceoff percentage is a bit of a flawed stat because not every draw is the same, nor is it automatically a good or bad thing if you win or lose the draw, but when you consistently win them, it adds up. Beck is just money here. It’ll come in handy at some point.
Owen Beck is money in the faceoff circle. Don’t think he’s lost a draw tonight.
— Ryan Praught (@RyanPraught) December 27, 2023
Was 80% yesterday.
Macklin Celebrini looks like the best player on the ice every time he’s out there, regardless of who he’s playing with. He has two assists in the first and could have two or three more. Not that it was ever in doubt, but I can’t envision anyone else’s name being called first overall this summer.
The top line is starting to figure things out a little bit, with some sustained offensive zone time. Geekie’s goal must’ve gotten them going. This team isn’t as strong as last year’s, nor is it as top-heavy, but they still need the big guns to produce and play well. This is a much better start for the first line.
The second line still looks lost out there, and I think they’ve been Canada’s worst line. Obviously, these guys haven’t really played with each other, but I’m finding it more noticeable with this trio than anyone else. It’s hard to believe Matthew Poitras (BOS) has spent most of the year in the NHL because he hasn’t looked a level ahead of anyone so far. But it’s still early; I’m sure he and his line will figure it out.
Defensively, Canada has just smothered Latvia, with very few, if any, scoring chances. It’s only 2-0 Canada, but there is no sign of life from Latvia’s offence thus far as they search for their first of the tournament.
Being here in person is super cool, and I’m not the only Canadian here, not by a long shot. The rink is littered with red and white, and they are loud and proud. They even brought a giant Canadian flag. I’d like to know the story behind getting that thing on a plane.
I don’t know how they got it on the plane, but a giant Canadian flag is out in Sweden. pic.twitter.com/C9ujrTHiuT
— Ryan Praught (@RyanPraught) December 27, 2023
Second Period Thoughts
Canada starts the second period on a roll with two quick ones, with Owen Allard scoring his second of the tournament and Carson Rehkopf (SEA) adding his first. Canada has gotten some really good scoring out of their depth so far, and that’s a great sign. If the top-six can get it going, Canada will be a tough team to beat. Tougher than they already are.
Canada’s defence continues to hold, and Mathis Rousseau, in net again today, hasn’t been particularly busy. Nothing dangerous, with virtually everything from the perimeter. Just the way you want it.
I don’t know how long you can keep Celebrini on the fourth line. He’s clearly one of Canada’s best forwards. In fact, I’d say he’s the clear-cut best forward right now. He is getting powerplay time, but he should be playing top-line minutes. We’ll see if that continues for much longer.
Some cracks in the armour are starting to show as Latvia finishes the period with nine shots to Canada’s 11. I think I counted four of them on one shift where Canada’s top line was hemmed in their own zone, and Rousseau had to make a few big stops. I just haven’t been overly impressed by the big guns so far.
I have been impressed by Owen Beck, as he makes an excellent play to take a puck away and transition up the ice. He didn’t play a lot in the second, as there were so many Canadian powerplays, but I’ve found his game to be very good.
Beck isn’t going to blow you away with his offensive ability, but he’s a reliable 200-foot centre who can kill penalties and occasionally chip in offensively. He hasn’t registered any points himself yet, but his line has been very involved in the offence. For the role he’s being asked to fill, he’s serving it quite well.
It’s 5-0 after two periods, and Canada can start to look ahead to Germany on the 29th. Latvia has played hard, and there is some real talent on the roster, but they just can’t match up with Canada. Still, they’ve come a long way as a hockey nation, and I’ll be rooting for more improvements for them moving forward.
Third Period Thoughts
Some good sustained pressure from the second line sees it translate into a goal for Fraser Minten (TOR). Those are the kind of shifts I expected to see, especially against an opponent like Latvia, that have been too infrequent. And it wasn’t just a good shift because they scored. They had sustained pressure, good movement and a better feel for each other out there. Minten, who had just stepped on the ice, was just the beneficiary.
Beck shows off his hands a little bit with a nifty deke between his legs before making a great centring pass, but his winger couldn’t finish. I noticed Beck showing off some of his hand-eye coordination in warmups, and he put some of it on display there.
Canada pulling away now, much to the crowd’s delight. Latvia played hard, but the floodgates have opened, and everyone is getting in on the action. Perhaps that will get everyone a little bit more confident heading into what will be a tougher matchup than expected versus Germany.
The Germans upset Finland earlier today and will take on Sweden tomorrow. That will be no cakewalk for Canada, and they will have to be on their toes. Finland was 25-0 against Germany at the WJC before today. So, anything can happen once the teams get onto the ice.
Canada wins this one 10-0 and are now 2-0. Beck finishes with no points but another strong game serving his role. He had a shorthanded breakaway in the third but couldn’t cash in. He’s playing well, even if he isn’t setting the scoresheet on fire like Filip Mešár is, who picked up his third point of the tournament earlier today in Slovakia’s 3-0 win over Switzerland.
I’ll be there in person on the 31st to watch Lane Hutson and the Americans take on Mešár and the Slovaks, so make sure to stay tuned for my thoughts on that game as well.
Macklin Celebrini wins player of the game for Canada, as he should have, picking up five points in the win. He now leads all players in the tournament with six points through two games. A really impressive showing so far from the draft-eligible prospect. We can only hope he doesn’t end up in Chicago alongside Connor Bedard.
I also want to give a quick shoutout to the arena DJ, who played a ton of Canadian classics for the mostly Canadian crowd tonight. The atmosphere was pretty special for a game played thousands of miles from home. It was a party all night long and the vibe here so far in Sweden has been amazing. I figured there would be many Canadians here, but I’ve been blown away by just how many have shown up. Anything for hockey, though.
The DJ here is pulling out all the Canadian hits. Guy did his research.
— Ryan Praught (@RyanPraught) December 27, 2023