“Owen Beck is a better player in the NHL than in the AHL”

Jonathan Di Gregorio
“Owen Beck is a better player in the NHL than in the AHL”
Credit: Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images

Although the Canadiens still need to sign Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach (as well as defenseman Arber Xhekaj), we have a good idea of which forwards are likely to be in the lineup to start the season.

However, with twelve forwards currently under contract, the Habs will have to call up at least one player from Laval to serve as the team's thirteenth forward if the situation doesn't change by the start of the upcoming season.

We could therefore see a battle for that spot at the upcoming training camps, and the two leading candidates are Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck.

Both are now 22 years old and must take the next step in their development.

This is especially true for Owen Beck, who will already be attending his fourth training camp with the Habs.

In addition, he has already played 28 games in the NHL, including 15 last year, where he performed well with a +4 plus/minus rating even though he scored only one goal.

Marco D'Amico discussed the Habs prospect's situation on BPM Sports, and in his view, the young forward is a better player in the NHL than in the AHL.

He makes his case by explaining that the AHL is a slower, more physical league—one that's harder for certain types of players to navigate—compared to the NHL, which is faster and allows talent to shine more.

Let's not forget that Beck is a right-handed center, and while he isn't the solution to the Habs' second-line center problem, he could add some depth at that position on the third or fourth line

You can never have too many centers on a team.

Beck could also replace a player like Kirby Dach if the organization decided to trade him.

In short, I also get the impression that Beck has reached the point where it would be better for him to develop on a third or fourth line in the NHL than in Laval, and it will be up to him to show at the next training camp that he's ready to join the big club.


In Brief

– A special guest for Josh Gorges.

– A great honor for Dylan Cease.

– Solid two-run hit.

– Victory for the Tempo.

– Silver for Canada.

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