Breaking: Wilds’ top prospect sign a blockbuster deal with Devils worth $894,167.
Graeme Clarke was traded to the Minnesota Wild in late June in exchange for left wing Adam Beckman, who was acquired by the New Jersey Devils. Top prospects for their respective teams, these two players were only five choices apart in the 2019 NHL Draft. Despite being the Utica Comets’ top goal scorer in 2023–24, Clarke failed to score in the three NHL games in which he was called up to play. Beckman, however, has played in 23 NHL games, giving him a lot more experience.
If Beckman can secure a seat on the team for the 2024–25 campaign, he might prove to be a valuable asset to the Devils. He has the size and strength to give the Devils additional physicality, which they lacked in the previous campaign, at 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds.
The 2019 NHL Draft saw Beckman chosen 75th overall in the third round. On October 30, 2021, he played in his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins and recorded his first NHL assist. He appeared in 23 games across three seasons with the Wild, averaging 9:24 minutes of ice time in the previous campaign. Although Beckman’s time with the Iowa Wild was promising, joining the Devils will allow him to launch his NHL career. The youthful forward may have the opportunity to grow into a seasoned NHL player and establish consistency if he can hold down a bench seat for the Devils.
Handle the Demons
Devils general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald and associate GM Dan MacKinnon revealed Beckman’s one-year contract signing on Monday, July 15. The agreement is for $125,000 in the American Hockey League (AHL) and $775,000 in the National Hockey League (NHL), with a $150,000 guarantee. Fitzgerald may have been trying to acquire a bigger and stronger player on hand with this two-way contract. Adding more players who can strengthen the Devils’ fourth line is crucial, even with their impressive front line roster. It is possible to make sure that the Devils are a consistent, competitive team going into the 2024–25 season by rearranging line combinations from the bottom up.
Beckman agreed to a three-year, $2.775 million entry-level deal in March 2020, with a $894,167 cap hit. Recalling Beckman’s Wild career, he participated in 11 games in 2023–2024. He had ten shots on goal, 13 blocked shots, and two assists over seven contests. Though it will take time to see if he can sustain himself as an NHL player, he deserves the chance to establish himself as a member of the Devils’ team.
The AHL Success of Beckman
Beckman participated in 181 games over his four seasons with the Iowa Wild. He received a total of 108 points throughout this period. His most productive season was 2022–2023–a season in which he recorded 24 goals and 12 assists. Even though he lost a few points in 2023–24, he still finished with 33 points. In addition, he recorded two different scoring runs of five games, and he was selected as the alternate captain for the 2023–24 campaign. A new beginning with the Devils might be just what Beckman needs to have a breakthrough campaign.
After playing a spell in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Beckman was selected by the Spokane Chiefs with the 96th pick overall in the 2016 draft. He scored 62 points in his Chiefs first season and went on to create a record for the longest goal streak in 2020, spanning 10 games. As the WHL’s best scorer at the end of the 2019–20 season, Beckman was also awarded the Bobby Clarke Trophy. He was added to the Western Conference First All-Star Team and won the WHL Western Conference Player of the Year award in the same season.
