I had barely taken my seat in the Bell Centre when the Montreal Canadiens quickly made face-off specialist Owen Beck the very first selection outside the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. With that pick, they had managed to fill an organizational hole, that of an NHL-projectable two-way centreman, which most had already noticed. A hole that had seen most draft outlets project Shane Wright as Montreal’s choice at first overall.
The fact that they now instead took Beck with pick 33 meant that they now had chosen two wingers and a reliable centre with their first three selections.