Liam Beamish has stepped right into a significant role with the Fort Erie Meteors.
The 16-year-old Beamsville native is off to a strong start with four goals and 11 points in 14 games, good enough for second in team scoring.
“(It’s gone) pretty good, honestly,” Beamish said. “A lot of it is credited to the coaching staff. They’ve given me a good opportunity to have a big role with this team and showcase what I can do, not just offensively, but defensively. Also, the opportunities to play with great line mates and have the opportunity on the power play and PK (penalty kill).”
Beamish didn’t take long to get his feet wet at the junior B level, netting two goals in his first three games.
“We talk in here who drives lines and who doesn’t and he drives the play,” Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero said. “He’s a guy that players want to play with. The older guys, when we talk about who they want to play with, Beamish comes up a lot.
“We were looking for a centreman. Did I think he would be our No. 2 centre? No, but he’s earned it.”
Passero loves Beamish’s tenaciousness.
“He’s very heavy, he gets under sticks, he attacks pucks with the best of them but the biggest thing I see is he doesn’t shy away from contact and when he gets to the puck, he gets under guys and he gets it back. His retrieval game is some of the best I’ve seen,” Passero said.
Passero said it is a fine line coaching rookies when they make the jump from minor hockey to junior.
“You have to make sure they have to confidence to go out there and make plays but you also have to make sure you’re teaching them how to defend and play the game the right way. That’s not always easy. You have to give them a little leeway, but lean on them too,” he said.
Beamish captained and led the Niagara North Stars in scoring last season with 27 goals and 58 points. He was selected by the Sarnia Sting in the eighth round (151st overall) of the Ontario Hockey League draft.
“It was difficult, the first couple of games,” he Beamish said. “It’s a big step, U16 AAA to junior B. It’s going from playing against guys only your age to guys that can be four years older. It’s tough the first couple of games but once you get used to it, it’s just regular hockey.”
Beamish attended Sting camp for 48 hours and enjoyed his brief exposure to the OHL.
“It was a good experience, getting the first camp out of the way, lots of nerves and jitters, but they understood that,” he said. “It was a good culture and environment.”
Passero has no doubt Beamish will move up the hockey ladder.
“He’s a guy, I don’t know if in the near future, but we’ll see him at the next level,” Passero said. “He plays the game the right way and hard and that’s two things coming from 16-year-olds, doesn’t happen right away.”
Beamish is still undecided on his next move.
“We’re keeping it open now, seeing whatever opportunity comes to us and feels like the best fit for our family and my future in hockey is what we’re going to go with,” he said. “You don’t want to jump the gun. You want to weigh all your options available.”
The Meteors, who are off to a 10-4 start, are in Port Colborne Friday before playing host to the Sailors Saturday. The Meteors are holding a costume contest while in-game trick or treating will be held.
“We were a much more talented team last year, higher skill, and we were 9-5 to start. If you would have told us we would be 10-4 to start in August, we definitely would have taken it,” Passero said.
