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Owen Beck (ice hockey)

Owen Beck (born February 3, 2004) is a Canadian junior ice hockey centre for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a prospect to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 33rd overall, by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Junior

Mississauga Steelheads (2021–23)

Beck joined Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League for the 2020–21 season but did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Making his debut the following season, he played 68 games and recorded 21 goals and 30 assists, ranking third on his team in scoring. At the end of the season, Beck was named to the league's Second All-Rookie Team. He also earned laurels for his academic performance at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School, receiving the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL's scholastic player of the year and then being named CHL Scholastic Player of the Year. As a result of his performance, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Beck tenth among North American skaters in advance of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Considered a potential selection late in the first round, he was ultimately taken by the Montreal Canadiens early into the second round. On October 4, 2022, Beck signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens.

Peterborough Petes (2023–24)

Returning to junior to continue development in his second season with the Steelheads for the 2022–23 season, Beck recorded 17 goals and 41 points in just 30 games before being traded to hometown club, the Peterborough Petes, on January 7, 2023. After just seven games with the Petes and with the Canadiens suffering an excess of injuries, Beck was unexpectedly recalled from the OHL on an emergency basis on January 27, 2023. He made his NHL debut in a road game versus the Ottawa Senators on January 28, before returning to junior.

Beck's point production declined during his first half-season with the Petes, which was attributed to both personal usage in a defense-oriented shutdown role as well as own struggles with the team's new expectations generated by the trade. He would later admit that "when things don't go your way right way with those expectations things can be tough on you mentally." Beck finished the regular season with 7 goals and 18 assists in 30 games with the Petes, before attracting praise for his performance during the foregoing's deep run during the OHL playoffs. Registering 6 goals and 7 assists during the first three rounds, Beck was also a key figure in the team's penalty killing, the second-best in the playoffs through that point. The Petes reached the OHL Finals against the London Knights, in what was considered an underdog success against several higher-ranked teams. Beck received a major penalty and game misconduct in Game 2 of the Finals after elbowing Knights forward Denver Barkey in the head, but was not suspended from subsequent games. He took a second major penalty in Game 5 for slew-footing defenceman Jackson Edward, and, as a result, was suspended for two games, the theoretical remainder of the series. In his absence, the Petes defeated the Knights in Game 6 to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup, the first championship for Peterborough since 2006. Beck was subsequently named to the OHL Third All-Star Team.

As Robertson Cup champions, the Petes qualified to the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops, facing the host Blazers, the Quebec Remparts, and the Seattle Thunderbirds. Initially, the second game of Beck's suspension was to apply to the team's round-robin game against the Thunderbirds. However, as the Memorial Cup fell under the jurisdiction of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, they reviewed the OHL's ruling and deemed that he would be able to play in the tournament, instead having to serve the second game if he returned to the OHL the following season. Beck recorded a primary assist on the Petes' overtime-winning goal to eliminate the Blazers and reach the tournament semi-final. The Petes were ultimately eliminated in the semi-final by the Thunderbirds.

Saginaw Spirit (2024)

With Peterborough beginning a rebuild as they entered the 2023–24 season, Beck continued to play for the team until rejoining Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Upon his return to the OHL, he was dealt to the Saginaw Spirit, who were to be the hosts of the 2024 Memorial Cup. Making his Spirit debut on January 10, 2024, he had two goals and four assists in a rout of the Windsor Spitfires, tying the Saginaw team record for most points in a single game. Collectively, Beck had 18 goals and 33 assists in 32 regular season games with the Spirit, before recording 14 points across 17 playoff games. The Spirit reached the playoff semi-finals, but were eliminated by the London Knights. Beck was named to the OHL's Third All-Star Team for a second time. Being one of two Spirit players to have participated in a previous Memorial Cup (alongside Jorian Donovan), he said that "to be in this tournament two years in a row is pretty special." On June 2, 2024, Saginaw defeated league rivals London 4–3 to capture the team's first Memorial Cup in history, with Beck registering two goals in the championship game to earn Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy honours as tournament MVP.

International play

Beck was invited to participate in the training camp for Team Canada for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, but was not selected for the initial roster. However, after forward Colton Dach was injured in Canada's final group stage game, Beck was called up to join the team during the knockout stage. Canada defeated Team Czechia in the gold medal game, with Beck managing one assist in three appearances. He called the experience "something that I'll never forget."

In December of 2023, Beck was invited to the junior national selection camp in advance of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was the lone returning member of the 2023 team to make the roster, and was named an alternate captain.