The Silver Stick was an excellent opportunity to catch the trio of Americans on my 2024 OHL Draft rankings in an environment I was more familiar with. Seeing them against American teams will have to do for most of my viewings, but seeing them on the same ice as many Ontario skaters is very helpful. During my viewings, I always found Edwards was in the right spots all over the ice. Whether providing support in the defensive zone or being a passing option, Beckham always supported the play well and made things easy for the Little Caesars. He was almost always in the right spot to receive a pass and then move it up the ice to be a flow-through man who aided in transporting the puck up the ice effectively. In terms of physical tools, Edwards is a powerful skater who is very balanced and sturdy on his skates, which allows him to excel in transition and be challenging to dispossess. He often successfully entered the offensive zone with control and connected on passes to teammates in scoring positions. There were flashes of displaying high-end skill, navigating to the middle of the ice around defenders' sticks to access the slot area for dangerous chances. I'd like to see him flex these skills slightly more, as given his tools, I think he's capable of being much more impactful as a puck carrier and chance creator.

Another new addition to Little Caesars is Ontario native Beckham Edwards, and he also looked like he quickly acclimated to the Michigan club’s brand of hockey. He was moving the puck very well, quickly, and picking out intelligent passes to get the offense to transition up ice seamlessly. He saw the ice well and was patient on the puck, waiting for seams to open up and not just forcing plays. There were signs that he could really set the tempo for the offense, but only just flashes in this game. He made a superb defensive play laying out to block a shot on what was a surefire goal facing a gaping net, he was quick to react and selflessly put his body on the line to prevent his side going down further.

I watched Beckham a while back to get a sense of his game, but the USHL Fall Classic was my first true viewing of one of the top Ontario-born forwards. I thought he played well, but it wasn't a "jaw-dropping" performance like I may have (potentially unfairly) expected. What stood out immediately was his powerful and efficient stride. A few strides were all he needed to propel himself by a defender and cleanly through the neutral zone, racking up plenty of controlled zone entries in the process. While carrying the puck, he was more than capable of maneuvering the puck around defender's stick checks and efforts to dispossess him. It wasn't necessarily the flashy dangle, but plenty of intelligent, swift puck touches to navigate around obstacles and advance play into the dangerous parts of the ice. I always noted Edwards to be persistent on the forecheck, applying pressure to defenders and forcing multiple turnovers throughout this game. Like his constant pressure, another recurring theme was his clever offensive positioning. He was always hovering around the net, looking to be open for passes, trying to pounce on loose pucks or rebounds, and scoring a goal off a scramble play through his positioning around the net. Beckham tallied a second goal late in the third, ripping a powerplay goal high over the goalie's shoulder from the wing position on the umbrella. It was a solid first impression, but I certainly still need a few more viewings to be confident about his positioning amongst the top Ontario skaters in advance of my first 2024 OHL Draft list.

One of the forwards on Maroon that showed some signs of breaking through was Beckham Edwards. He played with good speed down the sides and was eager to take his man on and try to win 1v1 battles to create an odd man situation. He earned himself good shooting lanes with his speed and once he felt he had a step on his man and he was able to get a shot towards goal then that was exactly what he did. He fired the puck with good power and a couple attempts threatened but just missed the target. His play was especially effective off the rush as his speed and heads up plays allowed him to excel at making split second decisions.