Article: How Does Adam Beckman Fit In With the Wild?

[Luke Sims]

View full article

[Velgey]

Is Bill Guerin going to be busy this year and next?

The Wild have a deep prospect pool, filled with players, like Beckman, on the cusp of possibly being ready to join the big club. There isn't room for them, absent injuries, trades, or demotions for established NHLers. No way does BG want his next wave of prospects to wither on the vine in Iowa. I also doubt he wants to trade too many of them in favor of keeping players like Johannson and Maroon gainfully employed. MoJo and Maroon are great, but they are not the future of the team. I imagine once the season gets underway, BG is going to be working the phones. Hopefully he's securing future picks to keep the prospect pipeline healthy.

On a related note, having 11 of 12 forward positions filled with established players despite a $15 million dead cap is pretty good work by BG. If only that wasn't there, just imagine some of the players the Wild could have been in contention for acquiring...

[vonlonster67]

Beckman was all that and more and one of the last to go down to IA two years ago as he showed some flash in camp and was very comfortable around the team. He had a lot of people talking.

That did not translate too well to IA later and he went into a drought, played on the fourth line and took some lumps. It was a good maturation year. 

Last year he came to camp in better physical and mental shape. Bigger, stronger, faster, same shooting mindset, but in a leadership role at prospects camp. His year in IA and in his call ups were improved and impressive. 

This year I expect to see Beck take the reigns to his career. It's time, and he has the path to the next step. We could use the size, he's willing to bang the boards also. It wouldn't surprise me if Rossi gets the first opportunity on the 3rd line and if he fails Beck will be there to save the day. I know either way we're gonna see his FLASH this season.

[Pewterschmidt]

At age 22 the clock is beginning to tick for Beckman.  Does he grow into an nhl’r this season, or does it become clear that he’s an AHL journeyman. 

Your move bro

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

Beckman has showed up every single time he was called up for the Wild. Looking at articles about Army and prospects, he sure seems to take the coaches requests to heart and makes good strides toward them.

One of my (oft aired) complaints is we are letting players like Beckman and Walker wither on the vine down in IA. We are too fond of backfilling with vets and rarely give our kids a shot at the show.

These are the guys we should be focusing on giving time to get their feet under them if we want to make a run in Kap's contract time and I just don't see them getting it. The constant win now attitude is passing up a huge opportunity to get our prospects a taste. Guerin's fondness for veterans won't serve us well in 2-3 years when we need these kids ready and up to speed.

Beckman's last 15 AHL games he had 14pts, he is a shoot-first prospect in a system full of playmakers. He fits well with our identity and plays a physical two way game. There is zero reason we shouldn't be giving him 10-20 NHL games this year, even if it means a carousel of prospects filling that 12th spot all getting their shot. I hope BG leaves room for the kids to come up soon as we are quickly running out of runway.  

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

15 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

At age 22 the clock is beginning to tick for Beckman.  Does he grow into an nhl’r this season, or does it become clear that he’s an AHL journeyman. 

Your move bro

He got 9 games playing under 10 mins a night. Had one goal which was called back and has been very sound defensively. He's moving bud there's just no room for him.

[vonlonster67]

38 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

He got 9 games playing under 10 mins a night. Had one goal which was called back and has been very sound defensively. He's moving bud there's just no room for him.

Good point Goose, it is too bad he is jammed up, but he just didn't show enough so the Wild resigned JoJo because he had such great chemistry with Boldy and EEK. 

JoJo has had some injury issues prior in his last stint with the Wild and with Washington and I could see it happen again. Beck would be the perfect/bigger size fit with Boldy and EEK and I feel a match made in heaven on the short term side. Boldy and him had minimal ties in IA, but played together with Rossi.

If DE wasn't our coach I would hope for some line flexibility with those four players (Boldy, Rossi, Beckman and EEK) it may create some "D" problems for the opposition if you threw out multiple mixes of that line.

Here's to dreaming!!!  

💭💭💭💭

😎

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by vonlonster67

[TCMooch]

1 hour ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

He got 9 games playing under 10 mins a night. Had one goal which was called back and has been very sound defensively. He's moving bud there's just no room for him.

If he was truly that good, the team would happily make room for him.

[Tony Abbott]

2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

At age 22 the clock is beginning to tick for Beckman.  Does he grow into an nhl’r this season, or does it become clear that he’s an AHL journeyman. 

Your move bro

We gotta stop saying this about dudes this young.

[MNCountryLife]

24 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

We gotta stop saying this about dudes this young.

I agree.  I've seen quite a few players struggle when younger but stick with it and have very productive careers.

[vonlonster67]

48 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

We gotta stop saying this about dudes this young.

Agreed, especially if they have not been given a legitimate chance to prove themselves with the big club!

[vonlonster67]

22 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

I agree.  I've seen quite a few players struggle when younger but stick with it and have very productive careers.

Does anyone remember the cloud that hung over EEK for the first few years? One thing, he improved with opportunity each year and is genuine, mature and dedicated.

[Pewterschmidt]

3 hours ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

He got 9 games playing under 10 mins a night. Had one goal which was called back and has been very sound defensively. He's moving bud there's just no room for him.

I’m not hating on Beckman.  Not writing him off.  I’m just pointing out that he’s entering an age range where if he’s going to make it it should happen soon.  Players make their own opportunities.  This is not another “if Dean just gives him the right opportunities, he’d succeed” situation. 
and this team ain’t exactly the Gretzky era Oilers.  
Beckman and Rossi are now in the same bucket for me.  Get back to me when you can take a spot from existing nhl’r (Fred, Hartman, fuckin’ mojo, Foligno). Until then I don’t care what you’ve done in juniors/minors/euro 

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

1 hour ago, Tony Abbott said:

We gotta stop saying this about dudes this young.

Literally has played 12 games over two years @ 22 with the big club and some are looking to write him off already despite steady progression in IA. 

With the way people want to throw away prospects early (after 22 if not a star), we wouldn't have EEK, Hartman, Freddy, Mids, Goli or Maroon. Kap didn't play in the NHL until he was 23.

Most guys don't hit their peak until well after 25 and almost none are as good as they will get at 22.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

8 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I’m not hating on Beckman.  Not writing him off.  I’m just pointing out that he’s entering an age range where if he’s going to make it it should happen soon.  Players make their own opportunities.  This is not another “if Dean just gives him the right opportunities, he’d succeed” situation. 
and this team ain’t exactly the Gretzky era Oilers.  
Beckman and Rossi are now in the same bucket for me.  Get back to me when you can take a spot from existing nhl’r (Fred, Hartman, fuckin’ mojo, Foligno). Until then I don’t care what you’ve done in juniors/minors/euro 

How the heck do you get a shot in the NHL by your standards if it doesn't matter what you do in the A at least? How do you decide who gets the call up? 

 

Do you honestly think that 10 games is enough to judge the rest of someone's hockey career? That is buffoonery! Expecting someone to bump up to the hardest league in the world to play in and immediately dominate is utter malarky.

Edited August 31, 2023 by TheGoosesAreLooses

[vonlonster67]

1 minute ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

Literally has played 12 games over two years @ 22 with the big club and some are looking to write him off already despite steady progression in IA. 

With the way people want to throw away prospects early (after 22 if not a star), we wouldn't have EEK, Hartman, Freddy, Mids, Goli or Maroon. Kap didn't play in the NHL until he was 23.

Most guys don't hit their peak until well after 25 and almost none are as good as they will get at 22.

I would slide one caveat to all of this and its draft position. I believe GM's, coaches, scouts, fans, have an expectation of a top ten vs. 3rd/5th/Free Agent. 

It comes down to few variables and is not always black n white.

[vonlonster67]

1 minute ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

How the heck do you get a shot in the NHL by your standards if it doesn't matter what you do in the A at least? How do you decide who gets the call up? 

 

Do you honestly think that 10 games is enough to judge the rest of someone's hockey career? That is utter buffoonery! Expecting someone to bump up to the hardest league in the world to play in and immediately dominate is utter malarky.

I think Patrick understands the standard, but is expecting him to make the leap and not take a step back as there are so many more prospects pushing the guys in the system is why he said that. I agree 10 games is not enough.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

1 minute ago, vonlonster67 said:

I think Patrick understands the standard, but is expecting him to make the leap and not take a step back as there are so many more prospects pushing the guys in the system is why he said that. I agree 10 games is not enough.

I get that expectations in the big show are high and stats show, with Beckman specifically, he has been better even single year, in every league he has played. He has never stopped showing that progression, even in his call-ups at the end of the year.

Looking at his advanced stats, both his fenwick and corsi ratings are 52.8 and 55.4 respectively despite the fact he has seen 56.1% of his starts in the D zone, he had zero giveaways last year and three takeaways and 25 shot attempts in 9 games. When you look a little deeper than the pts on the page, it is hard to say he hasn't earned a look in his limited time in the NHL. Everything we have seen from him is better than our prized prospect Rossi when we look under the hood.

I may be a little invested and biased because he is a guy from Saskatoon like myself but the further I look, including the eye test, the more I wonder why we were playing someone like Greenway or Jost at all instead of promoting from within our own prospect pool.

[vonlonster67]

11 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

I get that expectations in the big show are high and stats show, with Beckman specifically, he has been better even single year, in every league he has played. He has never stopped showing that progression, even in his call-ups at the end of the year.

Looking at his advanced stats, both his fenwick and corsi ratings are 52.8 and 55.4 respectively despite the fact he has seen 56.1% of his starts in the D zone, he had zero giveaways last year and three takeaways and 25 shot attempts in 9 games. When you look a little deeper than the pts on the page, it is hard to say he hasn't earned a look in his limited time in the NHL. Everything we have seen from him is better than our prized prospect Rossi when we look under the hood.

I may be a little invested and biased because he is a guy from Saskatoon like myself but the further I look, including the eye test, the more I wonder why we were playing someone like Greenway or Jost at all instead of promoting from within our own prospect pool.

I buy into that ....all day long and believe that is why Greenway and Jost got traded. Good news, now we have two from Saskatoon in Beck and Heidt!! 

[Protec]

I wanna see a young guy or new players displace a roster player. Impress us with irrefutable proof you belong more than a veteran.

[vonlonster67]

38 minutes ago, Protec said:

I wanna see a young guy or new players displace a roster player. Impress us with irrefutable proof you belong more than a veteran.

The only players that have done that so far are KK, Boldy, Dewey and Dewey2 (Shaw) to that standard.

Faber and Gus are next this year.

Rossi and Beckman are prospects with all the potential to show you proof. So time is still on our side for now,

[mnfaninnc]

There's a lot of complaining about blocking the prospects and giving them a chance. I believe we should be getting some of the prospects experience, but I have a hard time in giving them a slot. 

Maybe it just seems like semantics, but these guys have to earn a slot, earn an opportunity, and do so in a fashion where they never give it up. So far, productions stats say they haven't come far enough. 

So, what now? Is Evason going to actually look in their direction? They'll need to be extremely impressive to gain just his interest. It can be a little frustrating, but an established guy is an established guy and a rookie is a rookie. Established guys get more trust.

Now, to stroll a mile in Evason's shoes, he has already proven that he can take a rag tag bunch of guys and make them playoff invitees. He's going to need a reason to look at prospects who won't necessarily get him back to the playoffs to try and win that 1st series in his life. Dean's going to trust the guys who he's already been in battle with. For him, it's only about winning. This is where his job is now, winning.

This is one reason why I have little understanding as to why some of these younger kids haven't bulked up more. Do they not realize just how strong these NHLers are? Even with their cup of coffee callups, has it not occurred to them that they need far more strength than they've got? Maybe their weights are not accurate, but a guy like Beckman needs to come in ripped at 210, and not be some skinny string bean at 175. Has he been there the last couple of years? No. He plays a physical game for the A, but not the NHL. 

And, that established guy has already bulked up. That means in camp, Beckman has got to win board battles, win bodychecks, win shots/chances, and win in goals. Tie or close to a tie goes to the established guy. Beckman's got to TAKE IT! And he's got to take it in very limited reps. All these young guys must do that.

When we discussed Faber, many were saying "small sample size." Did he really not just take a spot? He earned that 1st playoff start and every start after that. He showed he could be trusted even if he made mistakes he could recover. That is what Beckman needs to do this year, and Rossi too. There small sample sizes had better show production. And, with both Beckman and Rossi, it seems like if they can just get that 1st goal, the floodgates will open.

[Quebec1648]

9 hours ago, Velgey said:

Is Bill Guerin going to be busy this year and next?

The Wild have a deep prospect pool, filled with players, like Beckman, on the cusp of possibly being ready to join the big club. There isn't room for them, absent injuries, trades, or demotions for established NHLers. No way does BG want his next wave of prospects to wither on the vine in Iowa. I also doubt he wants to trade too many of them in favor of keeping players like Johannson and Maroon gainfully employed. MoJo and Maroon are great, but they are not the future of the team. I imagine once the season gets underway, BG is going to be working the phones. Hopefully he's securing future picks to keep the prospect pipeline healthy.

On a related note, having 11 of 12 forward positions filled with established players despite a $15 million dead cap is pretty good work by BG. If only that wasn't there, just imagine some of the players the Wild could have been in contention for acquiring...

Guerin just resigned MOJO and traded for Maroon, so I don't see him working to trade them. Maybe if the team struggles, but otherwise, I would expect them to play here all year. Given the depth of the prospect pool, I expect some prospects / youngsters like Shaw, Walker or Beckman might get traded.

[Velgey]

11 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

For him [Evason], it's only about winning. This is where his job is now, winning.

I think you're probably right about this being Evason's perspective, but I think it's the wrong approach for this coming season and next with the dead cap. The Wild aren't winning the Cup, probably aren't even a realistic threat to reach the WCF while missing out on $15 million. So focusing on nothing else but winning is missing a great opportunity to develop the prospects that are ready to take the next step and learn in the NHL.

Will Beckman, Walker, or Shaw make some mistakes that Johannson or Maroon wouldn't? Probably yes. Will those mistakes result in some extra loses over the course of the season. Also probably yes. But so what? If the Wild aren't going to be competitive for the ultimate prize, then it is a mistake to act like a team where winning this year is all that matters.

I'm not suggesting the Wild tank or adopt an attitutde of winning doesn't matter. I'm suggesting that Evason should be prioritizing identifying and developing the prospects that reached the point where more time in the AHL is not useful. Get those players in the lineup and then try like hell to win with them getting necessary experience.

[Velgey]

10 hours ago, Quebec1648 said:

Given the depth of the prospect pool, I expect some prospects / youngsters like Shaw, Walker or Beckman might get traded.

I hope not. Why mortgage the future for the present team that is stuck as a one-and-done playoff team?