Hockey Canada announced Sunday morning they have added Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck to their roster for the remainder of the 2023 World Junior Championship. He replaces forward Colton Dach, who will miss the team’s playoff games with an injury suffered yesterday against Sweden.
Beck, the 33rd overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, was one of the last cuts from Canada’s original Selection Camp roster for the tournament announced in early December. He’s dominating on both sides of the puck in the OHL this season, potting 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 30 games with the Mississauga Steelheads.
The Peterborough, Ontario-born Beck had an impressive training camp with the Canadiens, getting fans excited for a potential draft steal. Still 18 years old, this will be Beck’s debut for Canada’s national team at any level.
It’s the second time in recent memory that Canada has lost a Dach brother to injury. Kirby Dach, who was expected to be one of the most dominant players at the 2021 tournament, was injured in preliminary action and missed much of the following NHL season with Chicago.
His brother Colton remains a Blackhawks prospect after Kirby was traded to Montreal this summer, and he had two assists through four group-stage games for Canada. Hopefully, the captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets can resume his final season of junior hockey soon.
Canada’s 3-1-0 record in the group stage got them a second-place finish in Group A. They begin their push for gold tomorrow with a quarterfinal game against Slovakia.
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