Canadiens Prospect Owen Beck Involved In OHL Trade

Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck is once again on the move in the Ontario Hockey League.

The 2022 second-round pick is expected to be traded from the Peterborough Petes to the Memorial Saginaw Spirit. This comes on the heels of another Petes trade which saw them send defenceman Konnor Smith and forward Sam McCue to the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for two players and a draft pick. Peterborough had defied the odds early in the season, but have faded down the stretch, winning just two of their last 10 games.

The Ontario Hockey League’s trade deadline is January 10, which explains the uptick in trade activity in recent days. This will be the second consecutive year Beck has been traded shortly after returning from playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.

The Habs prospect has scored 16 and 14 assists in 25 games for the Petes this season, all the while maintaining the stalwart brand of defence that earned him an early entry-level contract with the Canadiens.

In addition to being a 200-foot player, the cerebral centre has an impressive 63.3 percent faceoff efficiency, making him one of the best players outside the NHL when it comes to taking the draw.

OHL – Sounds like the Saginaw Spirit are getting Owen Beck (MTL) from the Peterborough Petes. Deal not completely done yet but headed in that direction.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) January 4, 2024

The Saginaw Spirit are currently ranked second in the West Division with a 22-10-0-1 record and have won eight of their last 10 games. Their scoring leaders skew rather young, with defenceman Zayne Parekh, 17, leading the team thanks to his 13 goals and 32 assists. 16-year-old Michael Misa is second in scoring, with 17 goals and 22 assists.

Beck will surely improve their centre depth, while also providing some much-needed leadership to a Memorial Cup host team that has received surprising results from inexperienced players. He’s a player that’s very easy to coach, acting as a stabilizing factor when the game is on the line.

All Montreal Canadiens prospect statistics (all situations) via the Ontario Hockey League.