Noah Beck (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
(1) Brain – Is Noah is a big long left shot defenseman who maintains tight gaps and reads line rushes very well. He has the ability to play both sides and does not wander in the defensive zone. He is at his best when he keeps it simple and goes with his first read, as are most defensemen.
(2) Vision & Poise – He sees the ice well and makes a very good first pass. He does not panic when under a hard forecheck and understands that he has to work hard to be an outlet for his partner on breakouts.
(3) Feet – A long fluid stride that allows him to retrieve pucks quickly. Although lanky, Noah has a hard first step that he uses to take way time and space while defending. While defending in the neutral zone he is quick laterally and has excellent agility.
(4) Compete & Effort – Noah works hard in all three zones.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is strong in front of his net and does a great job tying up the opposition’s stick while maintaining clear shooting lanes. While shutting down the cycle Noah is a physical presence without foolishly running around, getting out of position and exposing the dangerous ice. He uses his long reach to take away passing and shooting lanes.
(6) Release – Noah passes the puck quickly and does not dust the puck off before moving it. His hands are prepared and his first touch allows for quick smooth tape to tape pass. His snap shot is hard while walking the blueline and he hits the net.
(7) One Timer Ability – Although Noah runs the top of the umbrella on Fargo’s power play we have not seen him attempt many one timers from up top. We have seen him anticipate bouncing pucks up the wall and one time hard shots that ht the net.
(8) Body Language – He is engaged in the game from a physical and mental stand point.
(9) Special Teams Potential – The combination of Noah’s skating ability, long reach and anticipation make him a natural penalty killer. Combine that with how well he maintains shooting lanes and his ability to limit second scoring opportunities and we feel Noah will be a regular penalty killer in professional hockey.
(10) Intangibles – Noah rarely gets himself in trouble with the puck and when he does we feel it usually happens when he’s being asked to something that he won’t be asked to do as an NHL defensemen, meaning be a first unit power play guy who lugs the puck up the ice. Noah’s game has improved considerably over the past 2 seasons and we feel that he will continue to develop rapidly while playing at Clarkson University. We feel he will be a great 5th or 6th round selection who comes out of Clarkson ready to compete for NHL minutes.