Beck Malenstyn 2016 NHL Draft Profile

Player: Beck Malenstyn

Team: Calgary Hitmen(WHL)

Position: Center/Left Wing

Height: 6'2  Weight: 192 lbs.

Shoots: Left

Stats: 70 games, 8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points, +/-0

Final NHL Central Scouting rank: 73rd among North American skaters

What I Like:

-Toughness

Malenstyn is a hard worker that uses his strong frame. He fights through contact to make plays offensively and finishes all of his checks defensively. He's not going to get out-worked and out-muscled by anybody. He battles along the boards and in front of the net.

-Smart defensively

Malenstyn plays a reliable two-way game. He's not a blazing skater, but he makes up for that by not getting too greedy on the offensive end and staying responsible.

What I Don't Like:

-Little offensive creativity

Malenstyn is definitely not a skill player. He had a limited point total with Calgary this year, and didn't show much offensive flair at the World U18s. The offense he does generate comes from being willing to get into dirty areas of the ice and fight for position. But he's not a player that is going to create a lot of offense all by himself for himself or teammates.

Draft Projection:

This is one spot where there's a big disparity between how NHL Central Scouting sees things and I see things. Central Scouting is relatively high on him, placing in about the third round. I just don't see enough upside to go that high. If we were ranking the best players to help you win a game today, maybe I'd feel differently. But in the long run, I don't see much that Malenstyn is going to give a team that couldn't easily be found elsewhere. I'd hold off on Malenstyn until the fourth, maybe fifth round when the talent really begins to drop off. But I could see a team falling in love with a good ole western Canadian boy and selecting him closer to where Central Scouting has him ranked.

Pro Projection:

Malenstyn is likely your prototypical third or fourth line grinder. He'll give you solid two-way hockey in limited minutes every night, but likely never contributes much as a scorer. He has potential as a checking line shutdown forward, though it's iffy whether his skating will hold up against elite top line talent. Put in the right role, he's definitely the type of player that can do the little things that make the difference between winning and losing, he's just not going to be doing the big things that make the difference between winning and losing.