Good news. Although the injury is not going to help his skating which is his biggest detriment.
On the other hand it won't really hurt it either, maybe unlike someone with much faster wheels. Beach's game was never based on his footspeed after all.
Give Beach a full year to develop in the AHL, see how it goes. He probably would've been the one called up instead of Brandon Bollig if not for his nagging shoulder injury. Good news is it won't really effect his skating at all, his style of play is more sandpaper-y and gritty than most. He's like a Bollig that's had no NHL experience. But I like what I've seen from Bollig thus far. Unfortunately, the times I've gone down to BMO I haven't been able to see him play... ah well. Hopefully he'll get to strut his stuff during training camp. And hopefully what's been said is true: he'll be back in a few weeks.
His skating was sufficient for his prior levels of play, currently it is not NHL proficient.
I haven't seen him play any of the times I've gone down to BMO and anytime they play the Wolves he's either scratched or injured. I haven't really gotten a chance to see him play, but I hear he's a good gritty player that can eat up some fourth-line minutes. But based on what people have been saying in this board I doubt his skating is fast enough for the Hawks' puck-possession style. Look where Brunette got with that philosophy.
...and neither Buff nor Brouwer were that great of hockey players until 23. Which would be next year for Beach, but now he is a year behind because of this injury.
He hurt his shoulder, all he could do is skate while injured.
PS.. Good for them, not every prospect turns to gold right away..
Clowe didn't play full time in NHL until 24..but age is the end all be all.. if your not in NHL by 22 you will never make it.
Beach would of had a chance to play this year if not for the injury.
You do realize how rare it is for a player that played minor hockey to become a pro, don't you?
Now do you also realize that every year that ticks by makes that reality even scarcer?
There is a window of time used to measure development, if one falls outside that window, the window remains open but only slightly.
Would you like to bet that a player makes the NHL if after being drafted, he makes significant strides every year thereafter or would you rather bet on a player plateauing a bit and hope they pick it up at age 24?
There is always an outlier that comes along but that's not where my money, nor NHL GM's, would be.
You do realize how rare it is for a player that played minor hockey to become a pro, don't you?
Now do you also realize that every year that ticks by makes that reality even scarcer?
There is a window of time used to measure development, if one falls outside that window, the window remains open but only slightly.
Would you like to bet that a player makes the NHL if after being drafted, he makes significant strides every year thereafter or would you rather bet on a player plateauing a bit and hope they pick it up at age 24?
There is always an outlier that comes along but that's not where my money, nor NHL GM's, would be.
Every one in the organization has said Beach is getting better and is maturing into the player they drafted. He still scored 16goals in his rookie pro season on one of the most offensively challenged teams in the league, getting 3rd line mins. (because his coach was an idiot as well as Beach not being as mature as he showed earlier this year)
Beach has the skill, the skating, and ability to play in the NHL, that's why he was going to be drafted in the 1st round, whether it was us or someone else.
To say he has failed, or will likely not make it, or that his skating won't improve is being ignorant and stupid.
Every one in the organization has said Beach is getting better and is maturing into the player they drafted. Would you think that the brass would publicly denegrate a possibly tradeable asset? He still scored 16goals in his rookie pro season on one of the most offensively challenged teams in the league, getting 3rd line mins. (because his coach was an idiot as well as Beach not being as mature as he showed earlier this year)
Beach has the skill, the skating, and ability to play in the NHL, that's why he was going to be drafted in the 1st round, whether it was us or someone else.
To say he has failed, or will likely not make it, or that his skating won't improve is being ignorant and stupid.
You are going on record to state that Beach's skating will not prevent him from being a productive NHLer? If so, you are taking a position directly opposite of the former skills/skating coach-Paul Vincent and many others.
I never said his skating can't improve, I have no evidence that it has improved. And to his growth of maturity based on 8 games. Do you really think he didn't have 8 game stretches where he was disciplined before? It's not tough to be disciplined and mature at the start of your 2nd pro year with all eyes on you. It gets tough when a some adversity comes your way throughout a long season, which was cut short due to injury.
