A surprise addition to the Montreal Canadiens' lineup soon? Very encouraging words for Owen Beck

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David St-Jean
July 17, 2023 (4:10 PM)

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On January 28th, following numerous injuries within the Canadiens organization, Kent Hughes called up young prospect Owen Beck. Beck, who was playing for the Peterborough Petes in the OHL, played 9 minutes and 48 seconds in his first NHL game.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft ended his junior season with an impressive 66 points in 60 games. He added 16 points in 20 games to help the Petes win the Ontario Hockey League championship. The 19-year-old's journey has impressed many within the Montreal Canadiens organization.

In early June, Francis Bouillon, a player development coach for the Canadiens, had nothing but praise for Beck. After closely following him during the Petes' run in the Memorial Cup, Bouillon was unanimous in his belief that Beck will be an NHL player.

"I followed Owen Beck more this year, and he's a guy who, in my opinion, is very close to the National League." - Francis Bouillon

These sentiments seem to be shared by the Canadiens' Director of Player Development, Rob Ramage. In an interview with Stu Cowan of The Gazette, Ramage also had high praise for Owen Beck.

"Complete player. Very intelligent, reliable, consistent. Coaches love him. He's a coach's dream. He's a leader. Very, very serious, conscientious. This guy is going to play." - Rob Ramage

It will be interesting to see how Beck progresses in his third season in junior hockey. He will need to elevate his game and maintain consistency, as he had some challenging moments during the playoffs despite putting up good numbers. There were times when he was virtually invisible on the ice.

However, it's understandable considering his busy last season. In addition to being traded from the Mississauga Steelheads to the Peterborough Petes during the campaign, he also participated in the Canadiens' training camp, the World Junior Championship, and the Memorial Cup.

A summer of rest will do him good!

Based on the recent comments from Ramage and Bouillon, it is not out of the question that we could witness a surprise with Beck joining the Canadiens as early as next season or, at the very least, playing games with the team.