Canadiens call up centre Owen Beck from junior Peterborough Petes

The Canadiens are starting to run out of players as a result of their growing injury list.

On Friday evening, the Canadiens announced that forward Owen Beck had been called up from the junior Peterborough Petes on an emergency basis and would join the team in Ottawa ahead of Saturday’s game against the Senators (7 p.m., CBC, SNE, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

After Saturday’s morning skate at the Canadian Tire Centre, head coach Martin St. Louis confirmed that the 18-year-old Beck will make his NHL debut against the Senators.

“It’s super-special,” Beck told reporters in Ottawa after taking part in the morning skate. “I’ve spent a lot of this (season) watching these guys on TV and to be here skating when them in a morning skate is really cool.”

The Port Hope, Ont., native said he had a large group of friends and family members who were trying to get to Ottawa to attend the game.

When asked if he was nervous, Beck said: “A little bit. But it helps that I’ve been here before, I’ve met the group a little bit. I’m somewhat familiar with how they play. I think the nerves are going to come later tonight.”

Montreal selected Beck with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) at last year’s NHL draft and he was impressive during the Canadiens’ rookie camp, training camp and in preseason games. At the end of training camp, the Canadiens signed Beck to a three-year, NHL entry-level contract.

In 37 junior games this season split between the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and the Petes, the 6-foot, 187-pound centre had 19-25-44 totals. Beck also played at the world junior championship this year, helping Canada win the gold medal with one assist in three games after being a late call-up because of injuries.

The Canadiens’ injury list now includes defencemen Joel Edmundson and Kaiden Guhle, along with forwards Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Sean Monahan, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Jonathan Drouin and Juraj Slafkovsky. Goalie Carey Price and forward Paul Byron have been on the long-term injured-reserve list since the start of the season.

Centres Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak underwent treatments Friday morning and did not participate in practice at the Bell Centre before the Canadiens took a train to Ottawa. All three of them did take part in Saturday’s morning skate in Ottawa.

Last season, Beck had 21-30-51 totals in 68 games with the Steelheads, finishing fifth among OHL rookies in scoring, and won 60.6 per cent of his faceoffs. He was ranked 10th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the draft and was also named the CHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year.

Beck had a 93 per cent grade average at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga. His grades included 96 per cent in advanced functions, 93 per cent in university chemistry, 94 per cent in kinesiology, 91 per cent in calculus and 93 per cent in university biology.

Peterborough acquired Beck from Mississauga in a trade this month after the conclusion of the world junior championship. Heading into the weekend, the Petes were in second place in the OHL East Division with a 24-17-3 record.

“Owen Beck is a 200-foot player,” Martin Lapointe, the Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting, along with Nick Bobrov, said after the NHL draft. “Plays the right way. He’s a student of the game. He’s a good student at school. He does good things on the ice. He’s got A’s at school, he does A things on the ice and it reflects on his play. Everything is detail-oriented. He’s been the best faceoff guy in the OHL. Competes, can skate, can make plays, supports his defencemen really well. He’s below the puck all the time. He just plays the right way.”

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