The London Knights were heavily favoured to win the Memorial Cup last night, especially since they had eliminated the host team, the Saginaw Spirit, on their way to the Ontario Hockey League championship. The Knights had also booked their place in the final right away by beating everyone in the round-robin stage, but no tournament is played on paper or based on previous results. You’ve got to be the best team on the day, and last night, London just wasn’t. They gave Saginaw a good scare, but the host team’s game-winning goal with 22 seconds to go sealed their fate. It wasn’t the game-winning goal scorer that stole the show though, it was Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Owen Beck.
Beck Shoves Aside Both the Knights and Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan
The Spirit came out of the gate like a bull in a rodeo, fast and furious. Taken by surprise, Dale Hunter’s men could only watch as the Spirit flew around on the ice. Acquired by Saginaw at the start of the year, Beck scored the game’s first goal after just over nine minutes of play. By then, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) champions looked shell-shocked.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens’ prospect was on absolute fire, so much so that he obliterated Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Easton Cowan. It’s not like Beck is all that big, but those three centimetres he had on Cowan seemed like three feet when he bulldozed him over.
Not content with his accomplishments yet though, Beck kept going and with less than a minute left in the first period, he scored his second of the game with a one-timer on the power play, putting his team up by two goals. Which at that point, must have felt like a punch in the gut.
Beck Is More Than Just Points
Beck didn’t find the back of the net or get an assist for the rest of the game, but he didn’t stop contributing until the final buzzer rang. When the Canadiens drafted him at the beginning of the second round in the 2022 Draft, we were told that he was a great hockey player and a faceoff wizard. If anyone doubted it, last night’s final should have convinced them it was true.
Related: Canadiens’ Prospect Owen Beck Getting Another Shot at the Memorial Cup
Last night, Beck took 24 faceoffs and won 19, for an impressive 80% success rate. Matyas Sapovaliv, the second player who took the most faceoffs for the Spirit after Beck won 13 of his 21 duels, for a success rate of just 62%. Beck won so many faceoffs that the Knights hardly ever had the puck, which explains why they only had six shots on goal at the start of the third frame.
Beck’s awareness in the faceoff circle allowed him to open the scoring last night. After the puck bounced around a bit in front of both teams’ wingers, he skated towards it and took a screened shot which Michael Simpson never saw coming.
Beck Was Named Memorial Cup Tournament MVP
For his performance not only in the final but in the whole tournament, Beck was awarded the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup’s most valuable player. In five games played, the center scored three goals and added two assists. Furthermore, he stepped up when his team most needed him to. When they needed a leader to get up and take them over the finish line, Beck was there.
Over the years, some very successful NHL players have been awarded the Memorial Cup MVP trophy: Mitch Marner, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Huberdeau, Taylor Hall (twice), Corey Perry and Scott Niedermayer all claimed it. It’s no guarantee of success but it’s certainly not a bad sign.
What’s Next for Beck?
As Beck will still be 20 when the puck drops on the next OHL season, he could actually play one last junior season, but it would be shocking to see the Canadiens send him back. In the 2022-23 season he won the league’s championship with the Peterborough Petes, and this last season, he became a Memorial Cup champion. It just doesn’t feel like he’s got much left to learn or prove at that level.
After his first training camp, general manager Kent Hughes was so impressed with the youngster that he immediately signed him to an entry-level contract, just a few months after drafting him. The contract has been sliding since then, but it shouldn’t be this year. I’m not saying Beck will make the NHL right away, but he should definitely be starting his first professional season in 2024-25.
Don’t expect Beck to be in the Canadiens’ top six, either. When he was drafted, his floor was projected as a third-line center and I believe that’s exactly what he’ll be on a contending team. He’ll be able to fill in on occasion when there are too many injuries, however. His 81 points on the season with Peterborough and Saginaw do not scream top-six potential, especially since the difficulty level goes up quite a bit when you take the plunge to the pros.
Still, I believe it’s realistic to pencil Beck in as the Canadiens’ third-line center sooner rather than later. He would be an upgrade on Jake Evans, who could fit quite nicely on the fourth line. Beck’s evolution will be one of the interesting stories to follow at the next training camp and wherever he lands, he should be a lot of fun to watch for Montreal’s (or Laval’s) fans.
