Adam Beckman
2018-19 Team: Spokane Chiefs (#34)
Date of Birth: May 10, 2001
Place of Birth: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 168 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Centre
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2019 first-year eligible
Rankings
- The Hockey Writers (Pike’s Picks): 76th (final)
- Future Considerations: 68th (final)
- ISS: outside of first round (April)
- Bob McKenzie: outside of top 15 (April; draft lottery update)
- Craig Button: outside of top 93 (March)
Within the Western Hockey League, rookie forward Brayden Tracey made the jump to the Dub and pushed his way into the periphery of the first round conversation with some gaudy offensive numbers. Fellow rookie forward Adam Beckman may not have had such showy scoring totals, but he could be a very good value proposition early in the 2019 NHL Draft.
A fifth round pick by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, the thought was that maybe Beckman would mature and translate his raw talent into some consistency on the ice. He spent the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons in the Saskatchewan midget ranks, progressing from being a solid scorer in his first season to being the circuit’s top player in his second.
Beckman came into Spokane to begin the 2018-19 season with some questions about how his offense would translate. He ended up having six fewer points than Kootenay ICE forward Peyton Krebs and one fewer point than Kelowna Rockets forward Nolan Foote. Compared to WHL forwards his age, Beckman was sixth in points, fourth in goals, fourth in even strength points and second in goals.
2023 NHL DRAFT GUIDE
100+ Prospect Profiles
Draft Rankings
Mock Drafts
Top Prospects Lists
The challenge for scouts regarding Beckman is trying to project him. He’s progressed a ton over the past three seasons – transforming from a really raw midget prospect into a pretty consistent offensive contributor in the WHL. But he only has one season in major junior and given that small sample size (relative to other WHL draft prospects) is figuring out if his game has another gear left to explore, or if his development is close to topping out.
Because of that uncertainty, Beckman is a player that could potentially be found as late as the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. If a team believes that he can continue to develop, and is willing to be patient and help him along, a player of his size and finishing ability could be tremendously valuable organizational depth (if not more).
Adam Beckman – NHL Draft Projection
Based on forecasts and rankings, Beckman is likely to be selected sometime between the middle of the second round and the end of the third round.
Quotables
“The one thing about Adam is he’s got great offensive instincts and he showed that last season (in Battlefords)… You don’t always know if it’s gonna translate in the Western (Hockey) League at a higher level, but his instincts are that good. He seems to know where the net is … and over the last month and a half he’s really shown confidence in his play-making ability as well.” – Dan Lambert, Spokane Chiefs head coach (in April 2019)
Strengths
- Plays with a lot of pace, particularly on the forecheck.
- Strong finisher, particularly in the area right around the net.
- Effective distributor of the puck in the offensive zone.
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- Will need to add some muscle to withstand the physical battles at higher levels of hockey.
- Needs to continue to develop his game away from the puck, particularly his positioning in the defensive zone.
Other 2019 NHL Draft Profiles
NHL Potential
Beckman projects as a middle six center at the NHL level. If he can fill out physically and keep developing his two-way game, there’s a better chance of him getting to the upward half of that trajectory. If he keeps progressing, his game could resemble Ryan Dzingel’s.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 1/5, Reward – 3.5/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense 7.5/10, Defense 7/10
Awards/Achievements
Beckman was named the top forward in the SMHL in 2017-18.