Habs prospect Owen Beck ready to share wisdom at Canada's world junior selection camp

Owen Beck got a taste of the big stage in Halifax.

The centre was cut by Canada heading into last year's world junior hockey championship on home soil before being summoned ahead of the medal round as an injury replacement.

The 33rd pick at the 2022 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens all of a sudden found himself in the middle of the action.

Three games later, there was a gold medal hanging from his neck.

Fast-forward less than 12 months and the 19-year-old is the only returnee at the country's selection camp of 30 players looking to make the roster for the 2024 tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"There's always ups and downs, but you've got to remain pretty steady," Beck said Sunday of what he learned from his surprise recall. "Don't get too high or too low. Just make sure you're always ready.

"Duty can call whenever."

Canada's hopefuls are in this suburb just west of Toronto going through two practice days and a pair of exhibition games before the final roster is announced Wednesday evening.

Letang, who got the nod behind the bench for Canada after two world junior tournaments as an assistant, said Beck is an important part of set-up that will be largely walking into the unknown on the international stage at this level.

"He can talk about the intensity in the games, the importance of the little details," Letang said. "We touched on that a little bit in our one-on-one meeting. He'll be fine portraying that, but I think they all know what they're getting into.

"It's become such a tradition and such a huge tournament across Canada."

Beck, who has 16 goals and 30 points in 25 games for his hometown Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League in 2023-24, has the gold medal hanging in his bedroom.

"Always looking at it,"