Faceoff Factor

Prospect Profiles - Kyle Beach and Zac Boychuk

Jesse Marshall | NHL Entry Draft

Jun 9, 11:00 PM | Hype this story!

Kyle Beach – C – Everett Silvertips (WHL) – 6’3 – 180lbs – Shoots R – Jan. 13, 1990 – Kelowna, BC

Off the ice, Kyle Beach is a well-spoken gentleman who seems mature beyond his years. On the ice, Kyle Beach is an animal despised by nearly every opponent he faces.

If you like old-time hockey, look no further. Beach can do it all. A constant agitating presence, Beach can stir the pot with the best of them and back it up to boot. He’ll take on virtually any contender, and when he exits the box, he’ll score a goal.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about Beach’s game. Just because he’s involved in nearly extra-curricular activity after the whistle doesn’t mean he’s one-dimensional in that sense. Beach’s skating isn’t a great eyesore and his hands are grossly underrated. His reach enables him to fight for the puck and his physical nature makes him very tough to beat in a one on one battle.

Beach plays great defense, at that. He is consistently responsible in his own end and can kill penalties effectively. He really enjoys the battle in the corners. As I said above, his hands and his scoring ability are grossly underrated. Beach is a top-notch center and plays with pride and loyalty. His size makes him a great threat in all facets of the game.

His off-ice demeanor and persona are what reassures scouts and team-rep’s that he isn’t a head case. Reportedly, he had a fantastic combine despite recovering from a sports-hernia surgery that plagued him throughout the last quarter of the year. His interview segments purportedly went really well and his head is screwed on right.

On the ice, he walks the line, but never crosses it.

2007/08 Regular Season Statistics: 60GP – 27G – 33A – 60Pts – -4 – 222PIM
2007/08 Playoff Statistics: 4GP – 0G – 0A – 4PIM

Zac Boychuk – C – Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) – 5’9 – 176lbs – Shoots L – Oct. 4 1989 – Airdrie, ALTA

Big things come in small packages. Don’t let the size fool you, Zac Boychuk is one of the toughest skaters to defend in the entire CHL.

First off, when you talk Boychuk, you need to start behind the scenes. He’s an absolute horse in the weight-room and his physique is uncontested among forwards this year.

On the ice, his heads up style and great playmaking abilities make him a dual threat. His speed is vicious and he creates space for his teammates with his forward style. If he isn’t driving to the net, he’s throwing a nice pass through a lane to an open teammate. Because of his strength and speed, Boychuk is hard to defend against and is even harder to bring to the ice. His elusive nature without the puck allows him to stealthily sneak into open areas and make plays that other players can’t.

This year, Boychuk listened to the coaching staff and steadily improved his responsibilities in his own end. The result was a few less points, but he’s a better player because of it. He created a lot of turnovers in his own zone and generated odd man rushes with his speed.

There’s room for Boychuk to grow into his frame. He’s still a young man. However, even if he doesn’t, he’s still a unique physical specimen and is still a top 10 pick in this years class. The ceiling on this kid is as high as they come.

2007-08 Regular Season Statistics: 61GP – 33G – 39A – 72Pts – +26 – 80PIM
007-08 Playoff Statistics: 18GP – 13G – 8A – 21Pts – 6PIM

Complete Ranking:

1. Steven Stamkos
2. Drew Doughty
3. Luke Schenn
4. Zach Bogosian
5. Alex Pietrangelo