Prospect Profile: Beck Malenstyn

Beck Malenstyn has proven his worth with the Hershey Bears, which has recently led to his first call up with the Washington Capitals. With the fifth round, 145th overall pick in the 2016 NHL entry-level draft, the Capitals chose Malenstyn, who has been continuously working hard to advance his professional career. Prior to his AHL career, he played in the WHL for five seasons. He was apart of the Calgary Hitmen for the majority of his time in the WHL until he was traded to the Swift Current Broncos during his final season before joining the Bears. The first couple of years in the WHL looked slow for Malenstyn as he averaged about 13 points. An immense shift in his play occurred during his 2016-17 season, which should be highlighted because of the increase in offensive production. He scored a total of 32 goals while tallying 24 assists. After that remarkable season, the Caps decided to sign him to an entry-level, three-year contract that started in 2017. Following his signing into the NHL, he played his final season in the WHL, where he played a total of 68 games with a total of 40 points, and he helped the Broncos win the Chynoweth Cup. After a few productive years in the WHL, he was moved to the AHL for the 2018-19 season. 

Malenstyn’s first year in the AHL was pleasing. He exhibited an abundance of skills that were productive for the Bears and showed he had significant potential for the Capitals. One of the most notable features that were shown in Malenstyn’s rookie year with the Bears was his wide range of abilities. He played a total of 74 regular season games with 7 goals and 9 assists, while playing another 9 games and tallying 2 assists in the Calder Cup playoffs. His offensive production is expected since he is a forward, but he showed another side to his playing style, which made him stand out.  He has an ample amount of offensive talent, though his contribution to other aspects of the game should be highly focused on as well. 

Malenstyn demonstrates an aggressive style of play, which results in effective defensive help from him. His capability to battle for the puck, especially around the boards, leads to an immense help for the other forwards since it can set up potential scoring chances. Another significant factor of Malenstyn’s style of play is his powerful hits, and he’s definitely not afraid to drop his gloves. His competitive and assertive mindset allows him to make an substantial impact on the team without being one of the top forwards who produce all of the scoring. Overall, his defensive side in addition to his role as a forward is a major help for the Bears team, and makes him stand out within the organization. 

Malenstyn has played 18 games with the Bears this season and has tallied 3 goals along with 3 assists. However, as previously stated, his intelligence with the puck and his defense productivity stood out to the Capitals, who called him up on November 20th. Caps are facing a few injuries with their forwards, but nevertheless he earned his first NHL call up. Carl Hagelin and Nic Dowd both have injuries that may require weeks to recover, so Malenstyn has a prime opportunity to show his NHL worth. He has currently played two games with the Caps, with his first professional NHL game being on November 20th against the New York Rangers. He has not contributed a point yet, but the 21 year old has plenty of time for that in the future. He has already demonstrated his strong checks and made defensive contributions to the Caps’ fourth line, which is exactly what the organization is looking for. The young 200 pound forward is an important piece to the Caps’ future and he’s already proving his worth.