Balancing hockey and academics 'worth every minute' for Beck

MONTREAL -- Owen Beck's most recent transcript from Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School is a thing of beauty… because it's practically perfect.

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One look at his Grade 12 results, and you know exactly why the Mississauga Steelheads center earned both OHL and CHL Scholastic Player of Year honors this past season.
According to a May 17 press release
to announce the OHL's Bobby Smith Trophy recipient, Beck "carried a heavy course load that included Math & Data Management (99%), Advanced Functions (96%), World Religions (95%), Kinesiology (94%), Chemistry (93%) and English (90%), resulting in an overall average of over 94%."
And he achieved those outstanding grades while learning the ropes as a rookie, too.
Talk about a youngster with a good head on his shoulders...
"The biggest thing for me has been my time management. Coming to Mississauga after a full year off hockey, and then having a very busy high school schedule, it takes a lot to kind of balance your schedule and manage your time to get all the homework in, assignments done, and still be on the ice and in the gym as much as possible working on your craft," said Beck, shortly after being selected 33rd overall last month at the Bell Centre. "It's taken a lot of work, but it's built a solid foundation for me and it's worth every minute."

The 18-year-old Port Hope, ON native was a force at the rink as well with 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) and a plus-17 differential in 68 regular-season games.
He also won an impressive 60.6 percent of his draws and steadily solidified his standing as one of the League's top faceoff men.
"I think the Canadiens saw a lot of good things on both sides of the ice. I can provide offense for a team. I have good characteristics like my skating and my shot that will translate well to the NHL, and just being able to shut down an opposing team's top line is a very valuable asset to have in a player," explained Beck. "We talked about school and how I'm pretty good there. Those smarts I believe translate onto the ice pretty well. Making reads and having that hockey IQ is an asset of mine and a skill that I have."
Beck was the 10th-ranked North American skater in Central Scouting's final rankings heading into the Draft, so he definitely had a shot at being a first-round pick.
He was naturally disappointed when that didn't happen, of course, but things quickly took a turn for the better on the morning of Friday, July 8 minutes after the event resumed.
"I wasn't expecting it to be that quick. It was a bit of a shock. I was trying to keep my phone out of my hands, and I hadn't even gotten it out of my hands yet before my name was called. It was a great feeling and a huge relief," said Beck, when asked about being the first player off the board on Day 2. "I actually remember asking some people in a hotel room at the Combine - 'Would you rather go the last pick of the first round or the first pick of the second?' - and nobody really gave me an answer. It was kind of one of those questions that was just thrown out there, but I can tell you it's a pretty good feeling being picked where I was picked."

The Canadiens were thrilled to secure Beck's services for the future.
Director of Player Personnel and Amateur Scouting, Martin Lapointe, spoke glowingly about the assets and qualities he brings to the team's prospect pool.
"Owen Beck is a 200-foot player. He plays the right way. He's a student of the game. He's a good student at school. He gets A's in school and he does "A" things on the ice, and it reflects in his play. Everything is detail-oriented," said Lapointe. "He's been the best faceoff guy in the OHL, competes, can skate, can make plays, supports his defensemen really well, and he's below the puck all the time. He just plays the right way."
The former NHLer and two-time Stanley Cup champion then took his praise one step further.
"When [co-director of amateur scouting] Nick Bobrov was mentioning what type of guys that we were trying to get, it's guys playing the right way like Owen Beck," added Lapointe. "He's a good kid. He's very mature. We're happy that we drafted him."