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Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Owen Beck

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Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Owen Beck

Originally posted on The Sick Podcast | By Nick Lariviere | Last updated Aug 11, 2026 4:05 PM ET

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As we get into the dog days of summer and until training camp, thesickpodcast.com will profile Montreal Canadiens players based on their expected role for the 2026-27 NHL season.

Montreal Canadiens centre prospect Owen Beck could turn a lot of heads with a great training camp to sneak his way onto the NHL roster for the 2026-27 campaign. Will Beck be able to impress enough to get a spot on the opening-night roster?

As it stands, the Montreal Canadiens have 12 forwards who should be guaranteed a spot on the opening-night roster, leaving at least one spot available for the taking, as they will likely want to carry an extra forward in case of injuries. With that being said, Beck, who was among the top forwards with the Laval Rocket in the AHL last year, will have a prime opportunity to make the NHL out of camp if there are no other moves up front before now and the start of the regular season.

Even if he doesn’t make the NHL right out of camp, there is a good chance that he will get some time with the Montreal Canadiens at some point during the regular season. Injuries will occur, and Beck will almost certainly be the first call-up by the Canadiens unless he’s hurt himself. What that means is he will at the very least have some role with the Canadiens throughout the 2026-27 season.

Beck has played a total of 28 games (played one game as an emergency call-up in 2022-23) so far in his career, but no stint was as memorable as his 15 games last season when there were multiple injuries at forward. He proved that he can be a versatile bottom-six forward who can play centre or the wing right away for the Montreal Canadiens. However, due to a logjam at forward once everyone got healthy and the fact he didn’t need waivers, Beck was returned to the Rocket for the rest of the season.

Beck actually scored his first NHL goal on two different occasions over a span of a week against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first time, he sniped it past the netminder, but Josh Anderson turned out to be offside on the zone entry that led to Beck’s goal. About a week later, he would come flying down the left wing with the puck and sniped it once again for his first NHL goal, which would stand that time. It was a beautiful goal and one that will positively stick with the player forever.

The goal was Beck’s only point in the 15 games that he played, but he showed that he could be relied upon in defensive situations and helped create offence on the fourth line that didn’t always result in goals. He did the right things when he was up in the NHL, showing that he could fit, and there is no reason not to believe that if there are spots available at the NHL level, he can’t take one.

Beck won’t be expected to be a big scorer at the NHL level, as he is more of a bottom-six responsible two-way player, but it is evident that he has a great shot that could eventually lead him to be a 15-20 goal scorer for the Canadiens or another organization in the NHL. The fact that he has such a good shot is what may separate him from being used solely as a shutdown forward and could also get him power play time in the NHL someday. However, that season likely won’t be this upcoming season unless multiple key offensive players are out of the lineup. Still, it is nice to have his hard wrister as an option.

Where Beck excels most has always been in the faceoff dot, where he led the OHL in faceoff wins each season during his final three years of Junior hockey. He took that success from Junior and applied it to the pro game as well. Even though he took only 75 draws in the 2025-26 season at the NHL level, he won 44 of them for a faceoff percentage of 58.7%, which for a 21-year-old is incredible.

Eventually, Beck should take on the role of veteran forward Phillip Danault on both the penalty kill and as the centre on the team’s identity line, given his faceoff abilities as well as his amazing defensive hockey IQ. While he may never be able to be the playmaker that Danault was in his prime, he does have an advantage on the veteran in terms of physicality. Beck has slowly developed a reputation for being a very physical player when he needs to be, dating back to his time with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL.

With the Montreal Canadiens still looking to add a second-line forward to their lineup, there is the possibility that they trade in a package to get that bonafide top-six centre or winger. NHL-ready prospects like Beck that have the potential to be solid middle-six players whether it be centre or on the wing have value and he could be the type of piece that goes the other way in order for the Canadiens to get a deal done.

Despite the possibility of a trade, the likely scenario is that Beck remains in the Canadiens organization for the upcoming season and looks to take a big step in development.

After his NHL games have increased gradually every year since he turned pro, expect Beck to be given more opportunities to play in the NHL during the 2026-27 season. If there is one prospect at forward that makes the jump to the NHL for good, don’t be surprised if Beck is that player. He brings a little bit of everything that could allow him to fit wherever he is needed in the Montreal Canadiens lineup.

Do you think Beck will make the Montreal Canadiens out of training camp?

In case you missed it, check out yesterday’s role profile on defenseman Noah Dobson.

This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.

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