Catching up with... Owen Beck

MONTREAL – No one has experienced junior hockey quite like Owen Beck in the last 15 months. 

The 19-year-old has appeared at two World Junior Championships, played for three different teams in the Ontario Hockey League – one of which he won an OHL Championship with – and booked his ticket to two Memorial Cups. 

Oh, and beyond all that, he made his NHL debut with the Canadiens on Jan. 29, 2023. 

The Canadiens content team spoke with the Habs prospect in January about a hectic couple of seasons, being traded to Saginaw earlier this year and more. 

This interview was originally conducted on Jan. 30, 2024. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.  

How would you put your last two seasons into words?  

They’ve been pretty incredible. So many of my childhood dreams have come true over these last two years. They happened a lot quicker, a lot sooner than I would have thought […] so the fact that I've been so fortunate to have had of all those experiences is awesome and I'm so grateful for it.

You were traded to a really good team in Saginaw this past January. How’re you settling in?   

All the guys are so competitive, and we're always demanding more from ourselves, from each other, holding each other to a higher standard and keeping each other accountable. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this group can do down the stretch. 

You’re set to play a big role for the Spirit down the stretch. What kind of leader would you say you are?  

I typically lead by example. I'm a bit of a driver in the sense that I'm really focused on goals and have pretty high expectations for myself and those around me. I try to hold myself to that standard every day and try to push the guys around me to compete at the same level. We’re all chasing a collective goal here and having come from Peterborough and won a championship last year, I understand what it takes to get there.

No matter what happens in the postseason, you’ll be playing in the Memorial Cup this year. Come playoff time, do you anticipate it being a challenge to block out that safety blanket?

When I was on the outside of Saginaw looking in, I would have said that it would be. But now, being here, being a part of this group and knowing these guys, I don't think any of them are focused on that entry ticket into the Memorial Cup. We all just want to win our way in and be a legit team at the tournament.

You’ve been in the Canadiens organization for some time. Since you were drafted, do you feel like you’ve grasped a better understanding of what it means to be Montreal Canadien?

The effect of the Canadiens fan base still reaches me. I know there's a lot of people following my development, following the things I do, always checking in. It’s pretty special. I don't think there's anywhere else that would compare to the passion and love the Canadiens organization and fanbase has for their players and their prospects.

What do you like to do during the season to get away from hockey sometimes?

I've been finding some time to play a little bit of guitar. I used to play when I was younger. Actually, when I was in Peterborough, I started taking horseback riding lessons, because I lived on a horse farm down there.