Originally Posted by Sandman
Draft Thoughts:
Jan.10th: In the 2024-25 season, the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks were swept 4-0 in the Conference Quarterfinal by the Sherwood Park Crusaders, after posting the 5th-best regular-season record (out of 21 teams) in the league; their goal-differential of +20 came as a result of scoring the 5th-least amount of goals (161), while allowing the 3rd-least goals-against (141). The Siverbacks' top defenseman was 16 year-old Ben MacBeath (pronounced Mac-BETH), who was tied for 9th-overall in scoring by D, with 34 points in 53 games, and led his team's blueline in scoring by 19 points. When Central Scouting put out their Preliminary Rankings for the 2026 Draft, they rated MacBeath as a "B"- denoting a possible second, or third-round draft-choice, possibly because MacBeath was the highest scoring U-17 defenseman in the BCHL by 12 points, on a team that didn't score much. While he was drafted in the 7th-round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft by Kelowna, he has spent his entire rookie season in that league with his hometown Calgary Hitmen, after a trade in May of 2025 that sent Carson Wetsch to the Rockets. His transition to the WHL has had some growing pains this season, as he started the campaign with 8 points in his first 15 games with the Hitmen, but it would seem that he is catching on lately, with 12 points in his last 10 tilts- for 6 goals and 27 points in 35 games. Those numbers prorate to 53 points over a 68-game season, and as he did in his D-minus-1 year, he's putting up those stats on a rather weak offensive team, as while the Hitmen are 7th in the standings, they are 14th in goals-for (out of 23 teams), and he leads their blueline by 8 points.
Though he doesn't employ much physicality, and doesn't display a mean edge, MacBeath (6'2",184lbs) is a well-developed rush-defender and seems to specialize in separating man from puck in the defensive zone with clever stickwork, expert angling, and tight gap-control. He is hyper-aware in his own zone, and quick to close on attackers to limit time and space, but is highly disruptive in knocking down passes, filling lanes, and checking sticks. When he gains control of the puck, he is proficient in making safe and accurate outlets with poise. In the other end of the ice, he activates quite often and gets pucks on-net with good frequency. He exhibits high IQ and vision, with acute passing-skill, to exert his abilities as a playmaker (he sits 18th in scoring by D in the 'Dub, 6th for U-18 defensemen), and walks the line with shiftiness and deception to open lanes. Macbeath has good speed, but even better edges and agility to pivot on a dime, transition seamlessly, and surf laterally with quickness. He is a very smart two-way defenseman, and can contribute in any situation, as well as both sides of special teams, but I don't see him as having any high-end skills or traits, and he perhaps isn't elite in any area; he is however, very well-rounded and extremely dependable- perhaps like TJ Brodie, stylistically. Adding another layer of physicality wouldn't hurt, but he is still a hard-worker with good compete.
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