Over the next few weeks, The Win Column has ranked the Calgary Flames’ best prospects in advance of the 2022 NHL Draft. Next up in our prospect rankings is the 11th ranked prospect: Jack Beck.
Beck was drafted by the Flames in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft with the 168th overall selection. This was a draft that saw the team take a number of players throughout the seven rounds, with some having already been covered and yet to be covered on our prospect rankings.
Beck was ranked 82nd among North American skaters, and 192nd overall, during his draft year as a member of the Ottawa 67s. He was taken by his junior team in the second round of the OHL draft after spending his AAA years with the Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL.
Beck had a decent rookie campaign in 2019-20, scoring seven goals and netting 19 points in a 56 game campaign. The 17-year-old winger had the season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and even more unfortunately, he didn’t hit the ice in 2020-21 at all. Beck has been a question mark since he was drafted all the way up to this season.
Luckily, this season as a member of the 67s, Beck netted 22 goals and 44 points in just 36 games. His season was impacted significantly by injuries as he missed time with knee and kidney injuries.
That being said, it was still nice development for the now 19-year-old. He also put up three goals and four points in four playoff games for the 67s.
Beck’s strengths and weaknesses
Beck is another one of the Flames’ late round, sub six foot, potentially hidden gems. Due to his size, it should come as no surprise that Beck’s strengths come on the offensive end. His ability to play both sides of the wing, even with his left handed shot, makes him a perfect playmaker for whatever line he plays on.
That speed and playmaking ability combined with his offensive intelligence allows him to succeed at least on one end of the ice. Having a player that understands how to create scoring chances, and act on them, is something that is hard to teach.
That being said, due to his size and strong focus on one end of the ice, Beck isn’t as gifted on the defensive end. This often is the skill that junior players lack the most, so it comes as no surprise, but Beck will have some growth in this area as he transitions to the next level.
Beck’s on-ice results
As mentioned, Beck’s OHL numbers have trended in the right direction:
| Season | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 56 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 16 | 7 |
| 2020-21 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2021-22 | 36 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 15 | 5 |
Going from a 0.33 PPG player, Beck catapulted last season to a 1.22 PPG player which is a significant jump. He finished 25th overall in the OHL in terms of PPG this season. With 2020-21 being wiped out due to COVID-19, and most of his past season being cut short due to injury, there is no telling how high his ceiling could really be. At the beginning of this season, Beck was consistently near the top of the OHL in goals and points.
Beck did benefit from playing with some talented players like Jack Quinn, but an even goal and assist distribution leads me to believe that his contributions were almost equal in a sense.
Beck’s next steps
It’s going to be an exciting summer for Jack Beck, who earned himself an invite to Canada’s National Junior Team summer development camp:
The only Flames prospect to earn that honor must give him some sort of bragging rights.
Beck has not signed an entry-level contract with the Flames, and will be entering his 20-year-old season in major junior. Beck will almost surely return to the 67s for his overage season and continue trying to set career highs in the OHL. The 67s had just four drafted players this season, and Beck will be among the leaders on the team next season.
His focus for the next 12 months will be to impress at the World Junior camp and push to make the roster, take another big step in the OHL, and earn his ELC.
