DURHAM, N.H. — It didn’t take very long to notice 18-year-old John Beecher out on the ice Friday night.
Sure enough, all of the attributes tagged on his scouting report — the ones that made him a first-round pick of the Bruins back in June — were easy to spot whenever he hopped over the boards at UNH’s Whittemore Center.
The speed? As advertised — with the Michigan freshman using his wheels to both push the puck through the neutral zone while hemming Wildcat skaters in their own zone with a suffocating forecheck.
The size? Hard to miss — with the 6-foot-3, 209-pound pivot serving as the Wolverines’ go-to netfront option on the man advantage, screening UNH netminder Mike Robinson while fighting for space down low.
But for Michigan head coach Mel Pearson, the tangible traits that are easy to spot on a Beecher shift are far from the only reason why the youngster is already handling top-line duties with the Wolverines.
Plenty of what makes Beecher great simply can’t be taught or refined. It’s what makes Beecher a rare find, even coming from an uber-talented pool of prospects on the U.S. National Team Development Program.
And it should make the Bruins very excited about what’s to come from the promising pivot.
“He wants to do the right thing, he wants to win. He wants to be a good teammate,” Pearson said. “The size, the skill, strength, speed. Anybody can see that. But you can’t (see) the intangibles."
The Wolverines made their only trek east to take on Hockey East competition this weekend — arriving in Durham on a sour note. A Michigan lineup featuring seven NHL draft picks had fallen into a rut, winless in its previous seven games.
For Beecher — who was part of a 2018-19 USNTDP club that featured an absurd eight players selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft — such adversity rarely presented itself to a team rolling out the likes of Jack Hughes, Cole Caulfield, Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, Cam York and Spencer Knight night in, night out.
But the B’s prospect took the initiative to help Michigan snap its losing skid on Friday, tallying a pair of goals in what was ultimately a 4-1 victory for the Wolverines — UNH’s first loss in its own barn this season.
“How competitive he is,” Pearson said when asked what has stood out the most about Beecher’s game. “It’s been hard on all of us, the last little bit. ... It’s tough, it’s competitive. He won a lot last year. He’s coming into a new program and it’s different. I think that’s his biggest thing, is his competitiveness."
Beecher’s solid frame has translated well to the college ranks already. At one point, while carrying the puck into center ice, Beecher was lined up by UNH forward Joe Sacco — the son of the Bruins’ assistant coach.
Sacco’s check connected right in Beecher’s center of gravity — but the Michigan center remained on his skates. Even with his wheels, Beecher has primarily functioned as Pearson’s go-to option down low on the man advantage.
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It was in that spot that Beecher put his club on the board at 12:54 in the first period — deflecting a slot shot from Michigan captain Will Lockwood and tipping the rebound home for his third fourth tally of the season.
Still, even if Beecher has been able to use his physical tools to his advantage up in the college ranks, it’s been far from an easy transition for the Elmira, New York native.
“I think it’s just the physicality,” Beecher said of the most daunting adjustment that he’s had to make since arriving in Ann Arbor. “You’ve got guys that are 23, 24 years old. You're playing against some grown men out there. Going into the corners there, you’ve really got to battle and be prepared for that.”
Whereas Beecher was primarily tabbed as the US U-18 team’s third-line center last season, the speedy freshman hasn’t had the luxury of getting eased into the lineup with the Wolverines. Rather, it’s been a baptism by fire, with the forward primarily earning top-six minutes.
Even amid the expected road bumps that come with a freshman campaign, Beecher has also solidified himself into Pearson’s circle of trust thanks to his solid, two-way game. In particular, he has proven himself more than capable at the faceoff dot, winning 54.9% of his draws so far this year — while also handling shifts during 6v5 situations at the end of games. Once again, Beecher delivered in that area on Friday, delivering the final dagger against the Wildcats with an empty-net tally in the third period.
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When Boston selected Beecher in the tail end of the first round back in June, plenty of questions were raised. Some had to do with the amount of center depth already present in the Bruins' pipeline. Others focused their criticism on Beecher's offensive ceiling at the next level, even though he rarely earned top-six minutes with last year with the NTDP.
So far, those concerns regarding Beecher's game haven't manifested for Pearson and his staff. Beecher might not be ready to make the jump to the pro ranks in 2020, but as Michigan's head coach reiterated once again on Saturday night — underrate the freshman at your own risk.
“He’s playing against other team’s top players,” Pearson said. “To throw him in that situation is not fair. But hockey is not fair. But I think he can handle it.”
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- 1,462 goals were scored at even strength in regulation/overtime — the most at the quarter mark of a season in 27 years.
- 529 different skaters have scored at least one goal, amounting to 72.0% of all skaters– the highest such percentage since 1993-94.
- 140 comeback wins of any kind, amounting to nearly half of all games (44%).
- 45 multi-goal comeback wins, second-most in NHL history behind last season (48 of 317 games played).