MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Like any OHL team, the Mississauga Steelheads enter the 2021-22 season with a good mixture of veterans and rookies. Among the latter is 17-year-old Owen Beck.

Originally from Port Hope, Ontario, Beck began his path to the major junior ranks in the Eastern AAA Hockey League with Quinte Red Devils from 2018 to 2020. He also had a stint in the Ontario Junior Hockey League with the Cobourg Cougars. The latter, unfortunately, was cut short due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, Beck had been vying for a spot in the OHL and he has just that this season, embarking on his rookie campaign with the Mississauga Steelheads, something he has looked forward to since signing with the club back in May.

“Owen plays the game hard every shift,” James Richmond, the Steelheads head coach, emphasized in May following Beck’s signing. “His hockey IQ and compete level will be a big addition to our hockey club. We would like to welcome Owen and his family to the Steelheads.”

Despite the eagerness of starting his OHL career, Beck had to endure months of uncertainty surrounding the next season. Thankfully, the league was given the green-light to have a full season. For Beck, it was full steam ahead.

In his first three games for the Steelheads, Beck, a center, had one goal to show for his efforts.

However, the 6-foot, 183-pound youngster had a big night on Friday, registering two assists in his team’s home opener against the Ottawa 67’s.

Following that game, I had a chance to speak with Beck about his transition to the OHL thus far and how he feels playing at the major-junior level.

“The transition’s been pretty smooth for me,” Beck said. “My teammates have been really helpful getting me adjusted to the league and just helping me practice and stuff like that with little things in my game. The OHL is just a much faster, stronger league than AAA or the OJHL. It’s a lot more physical. So, you’ve just got to be ready to play every night and that’s what our staff has helped me with. I’ve made a pretty smooth transition, I feel like.”

More specifically, I asked Beck about his new coach, James Richmond, his style, and how it has benefitted his game early on.

“I think J.R. has a great coaching style,” Beck noted. “He’s been a coach in the league for many years now and it’s worked for him, and it’s working for me.”

As for specific work he is working on with his new coach, Beck admits that there is some work to be done right off the bat with Richmond.

“He’s trying to help me get out of habits I got from minor hockey and kind of transition me into more of that OHL style of play,” explained the 17-year-old. “Again, that just made my transition smoother, all in all.”

While his hometown of Port Hope is just on the opposite side of Toronto, Mississauga is an entirely new atmosphere for Beck as a city and as a community.

I asked him how he likes his new community.

“It’s been great,” Beck beamed. “Everyone’s been super nice, fans are supportive and I couldn’t have asked for a better city to play in. I’m super excited to spend the next couple of years here.”

Just from speaking with him briefly, it was evident just how excited and eager Beck was, and is, for this season. That excitement and eagerness has also been evident on the ice.

On Friday night against the 67’s, Beck easily had his best showing in a Steelheads uniform thus far. Some of that could have contributed to the excitement of the club’s long-anticipated home opener, but in fairness, we must not discount the fact that Beck is, for all intents and purposes, a very exciting player to watch.

So far this season, including said home opener against Ottawa, Beck has been a factor at every part of the ice, rushing for loose pucks, creating plays and even dishing out a timely hit here and there.

There have certainly been moments where the Port Hope native has shown signs of over eagerness, but that comes with any new rookie. Overall, Beck shows promise to be one of the key standouts on the entire Steelheads roster, much less the club’s freshman corps.

He may not look like the most intimidating player on the ice, but Beck has a knack for keeping the opposition on its toes. Those two assists he registered against the 67’s were good examples as the youngster worked very hard to create opportunities on both goals for his club.

Be on the lookout for more of Beck this season. You’ll be glad you did.

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