Elmira native Johnny Beecher’s NHL dream became reality Wednesday night when he made his debut with the Boston Bruins.
Beecher, 22, took the opening faceoff for the Bruins in a 3-1 season-opening victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden in Boston. David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins, including an empty-net goal with 57 seconds remaining.
While he didn’t register his first NHL point, Beecher had an otherwise full stat line following a strong camp that earned him a roster spot at center.
The 6-foot-3, 216-pound Beecher won six of 11 faceoffs and was called for a boarding penalty that led to a five-minute fighting penalty after squaring off with Jason Dickinson. Dickinson was given a 10-minute misconduct and instigating penalty along with five minutes for fighting.
Beecher had one shot in 10 minutes, 41 seconds of ice time that encompassed 13 shifts.
Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, scored for the Blackhawks. He lost the opening faceoff to Beecher.
The Bruins are coming off an NHL-record regular season in which they compiled 135 points with a record of 65 wins, 12 losses and 5 overtime losses. They lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Beecher’s background
Beecher was a student Elmira High School as a freshman, starring in soccer for the Express, before attending Connecticut’s Salisbury School as a sophomore to focus on hockey. He graduated from Northville High School in Michigan, where he was part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
From 2018: Elmira’s Johnny Beecher pursuing dream as part of USA under-17 team
He was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the Bruins in 2019, then played three seasons at the University of Michigan. Beecher helped the Wolverines to the Frozen Four in 2022.
Beecher played nine games for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League following his junior season at Michigan, than spent the entire 2022-23 season with Providence.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Johnny Beecher makes NHL debut with Boston Bruins
