Johnny Beecher watch might be on as Bruins 2019 1st-round pick finishes junior season at Michigan

Johnny Beecher had first dibs.

With Michigan holding onto the top seed in the Frozen Four, the Wolverines had the honor of using the Bruins’ locker room at TD Garden for the tournament — a major upgrade from other dreary offerings handed out to visiting clubs.

And as the lone Bruins draft pick currently draped in maize and blue, Beecher was able to pick his stall in a room that he hopes to call home for years to come.  And if it were up to his teammates, Beecher shouldn’t be going anywhere — even after the Wolverines’ season came to a close on Thursday night.  

“I think he should be not moving his stall once we leave this weekend,” senior Mike Pastujov said Wednesday. “I think he should stick around for a bit.”

It’s a scenario that could play out very soon for both Beecher and the Bruins. 

With the Wolverines’ season ending in overtime at the hands of Denver on Thursday, Beecher now finds himself at a pivotal crossroads — with the Bruins ideally looking to ink him to an entry-level deal in order to avoid the risk of the 2019 first-round pick walking in August 2023 as a collegiate free agent.

Even though Beecher and Michigan fell just one goal short of a national championship appearance, the B’s prospect’s individual success has not coincided with the strides made by his club. 

Drafted 30th overall as a big-bodied, fleet-footed center whose offensive ceiling could be tapped into with guaranteed top-six minutes, Beecher has struggled to gain much traction in the O-zone during his three seasons at Ann Arbor. 

Granted, a slew of injuries (season-ending shoulder surgery as a sophomore, broken thumb earlier this year) have also halted Beecher’s development in the collegiate ranks. Still, as a junior on an (absolutely loaded) young Michigan roster, posting just 15 points over 34 games still feels a bit underwhelming — finishing below his career-high of 16 points over 31 games as a freshman.

But Beecher’s value, in the eyes of his teammates, goes beyond his baseline stats. Perhaps that’s not exactly the picture you want to paint for a first-round pick, but Beecher’s snarl and speed do present an interesting skillset — one that could be utilized a bit more effectively in a pro game that embraces more of that sandpaper style. 

“I mean, Johnny brings size, a great attitude, just being a great guy all the time,” Pastujov said. “It's obvious that he's not having the points streak or goal streak that he wants. You don't see him pouting about it. He's one of the hardest-working guys in the game. I think he brought this year a big physical aspect to his game. Guys are scared to line up across from him. I think that's going to help him out once he plays in the next level.”

For Michigan coach Mel Pearson, Beecher has had to augment his game over his three seasons in the program — going from a top-six regular to the club’s two-way stalwart in a 3C role as more and more top draft picks like Hingham’s Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson joined the roster. 

”We really didn't get him until the second half of the year,” Pearson said of Beecher and his injuries back in the fall. “That's when we made our push. A lot of the reason is Johnny anchored a line. He's used his speed. The numbers maybe aren't as high as you'd like them to be. But he's not playing on one of our power play units right now. So guys get a lot of points on the power play.

"So I wouldn't be overly concerned with the stats. It's what he brings to our team. And what he brings is speed, physicality, he's got good size, great on faceoffs. He's more taken a defensive role on the penalty kill and done a great job there. But he's really given us another line in his game, added to our depth. His development has been good. He's continued to grow not only as a player on the ice but off the ice and matured. You can see that now.

"Maybe last year I might have to calm him down on the bench a little bit. The other day I found him calming our coaches down on the bench. It's a reversal. He's really grown in many areas. He's still young. He's got a lot of good hockey in front of him.”

Thursday’s loss to Denver stood as an example of how Beecher can positively impact a game, even without landing on the scoresheet. On a game marked more by defense than the high-octane scoring that was expected to play out on the Garden ice, Beecher was effective — winning 10 of his 14 faceoff opportunities while connecting on a couple of heavy checks. 

In some respects, Beecher reminds me a bit of a suped-up, prickly Sean Kuraly — capable of pushing the pace and landing welts on the forecheck, while also reliable enough to be handed a steady dose of D-zone starts. I’ll say again, a suped-up Sean Kuraly may not be what you’re looking for in a first-round pick, especially when you look at the B’s long-term plans at center and a dearth of top-six talent.

But I’ll add that there’s still plenty of value in what Beecher brings — and if the Bruins can roll out a bottom-six forward corps anchored by the likes of Charlie Coyle (3C), Trent Frederic (3LW), Marc McLaughlin (4LW/4RW) and Beecher (4C?) for the foreseeable future, that’s a pretty hefty chunk of the depth chart accounted for.

Beecher’s time with Michigan hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. But don’t be so quick to write off the young forward and what role he could play on this Bruins team in the coming years. 

“He's a pro frame,” Michigan senior captain Jimmy Lambert said of Beecher. “We all love him in the locker room. He's a pretty infectious guy. He's pretty funny. He carries that onto the ice, he's a leader. He's going to be successful here in Boston in the future.”