Beau Akey got a reward for his great play at the YoungStars Tournament and his training camp: a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Then, the prized second-round pick was sent down to the Barrie Colts to play as their #1 defencemen. I believe that is a reward for him as well since, with no Brandt Clarke, Akey will now learn how to succeed with the pressures of being the go-to guy on defence. This will help him gain more experience and it will help a lot in his development.
Beau is ready to go
He has certainly not disappointed so far offensively. In the first five games with the Barrie Colts, Beau Akey has scored one goal and two assists. But, defensively, Akey has been a bit of a mixed bag. He’s only been an even rating overall. This is not a surprise. As mentioned, without Clarke, Akey has been given lots of responsibility.
He’s had three great games so far but also two okay games where he has gone -2 and -3. He had trouble boxing out forwards at times and he wasn’t as good in the corners when fighting for the puck. I’m not disappointed in these misplays because I expected them.
The first week for Beau Akey has gone as expected as he has been adjusting to becoming the #1 defenceman. After he gets comfortable in the role, I see him exploding on the offensive side, while also becoming more composed and calm on the defensive end.
Let’s see how he does onwards from here.
Akey’s stats
| GP | G | A | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Lastly, check out his appearance on the OHL Overtime podcast here. He comes on at the 10:25 mark.
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