Home / News / Beck Malenstyn’s signature game in AHL comes after injury left his career in jepoardy: ‘You don’t take these moments for granted’

Beck Malenstyn’s signature game in AHL comes after injury left his career in jepoardy: ‘You don’t take these moments for granted’

By Ian Oland

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May 5, 2023 6:42 pm

HERSHEY, PA — The 2022-23 Hershey Bears are a deep team with plenty of talent. From first-round picks Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre to veteran AHL stars like Michael Sgarbossa and Sam Anas, the Bears have enough star power to challenge for its twelfth Calder Cup.

But there may be no player better suited for playoff hockey than Beck Malenstyn – a less-heralded checking-line forward. Malenstyn is a big, physical, shutdown winger, who plays a top-notch brand of defensive hockey both at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. Malenstyn also has a history of having some pop offensively, posting nearly a point per game during his final two seasons in junior hockey with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and Swift Current Broncos.

Thursday, during Hershey’s 6-2 series-winning victory, Malenstyn, 25, brought the Bears into the fight after a second consecutive subpar outing in the first period. With the Charlotte Checkers leading 2-0 and heavily out-shooting Hershey in Game Four, Malenstyn began finishing his checks in the offensive zone, which made a thunderous, echoing noise in a half-empty Giant Center.

Malenstyn’s biggest check of the period was on Anthony Bitetto which sent the Checkers’ defenseman hard into the end boards. The hit was so ferocious that it broke the Giant Center glass, causing a near five-minute delay in game action.

“Uhhhh,” Malenstyn said, smiling when I asked if he’s broken the glass before. “I think I’ve popped a few out before but that’s my first pro one, so I’ll take it.”

“Beck is a heavy player and he got the game going,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said, praising his player. “He was going through the body and all of a sudden their defensemen are looking over their shoulders a bit. He’s very tough to play against. He skates really well, he hits hard.”

From there, Hershey gradually found itself. Mason Morelli scored in the second period after a strong take to the net. Then, Hershey’s penalty kill, which Malenstyn leads along with Riley Sutter, took center stage. After Joe Snively received a curious slashing call, the Bears’ PK held off the Checkers from scoring, keeping the game 2-1. When Snively came out of the box, he forced a turnover in netural ice, springing Malenstyn on a breakaway with a diving poke of the puck. Beck beat Checkers’ goaltender Mack Guzda blocker side.

Malenstyn’s roar celebration was epic.

“It was just a lucky sequence at the end of it. Snives was able to come out of the box, create a turnover at the blue line, and just outmuscle them and sent me in alone,” Malenstyn said, crediting his teammate. “So I didn’t really have to do too much for that one.”

The Bears would go on to score four more times, including two tallies from Aliaksei Protas, to win 6-2 and advance to the Atlantic Division Final and Round 3 of 5 in the AHL postseason. After the game, players and coaches alike credited Malenstyn for spurring them to victory.

“I believe that hit from Beck Malenstyn brought us back to that game,” Protas said in the Bears’ media room with his arms crossed behind his back. “It was turning point. Great PK in the second and goal right away got us going. Great job. It hasn’t been good for us at home two games. Great thing we bounce back and got the win.”

Protas’ first goal of the night gave the Bears a 3-2 lead and would go on to be the game-winner.

The Belorussian forward was asked what was going through his mind and what his emotions were like after scoring.

“I was probably more fired up when we scored the second [goal] to be honest,” he said. “I saw the bench, it was unbelievable. It was like, so fun to watch when we scored the second and for sure when I scored the third too; it was unbelievable moment. I was so happy. We knew like now we gotta get going even more and now we just gotta keep building on it.”

For Malenstyn, the signature game came after two long-term injuries over the last three seasons, including an Achilles tendon tear in 2020 that ended his entire season and put a return at the same athletic level in doubt.

“You don’t take these moments for granted,” Malenstyn said. “Something can go wrong, one shift, and career’s over. So you treat every shift like it’s your last and you just enjoy the ride. And with the group we have in that room, it it makes it really enjoyable.”

The adversity has “made me a better person and a better player,” Malenstyn said. “I have a great support system with my wife and my family and teammates, coaches, training staff have all supported me along the way. Those things aren’t easy to come back from, but the people around me have made it a lot easier. It’s shown me that the work behind the scenes can pay off and when you come in, you just reset, you really appreciate being around the guys. This group did it together today and these are the moments that you miss, when you’re sitting at home on the couch with your foot up in the air. You long for these kind of moments to be in the fight with these kind of guys. No, I definitely think it’s helped me grow as a player and a person and really sets up well to just be selfless as part of a team.”

Protas, who spent time with Malenstyn with both Hershey and Washington, also saw his bottom-six teammate break his finger after making shot block in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights this past November.

The broken finger abruptly ended Malenstyn’s five-game NHL stint, and he would not return to the Capitals’ lineup until the final stretch of the season. In total, he played nine games for Washington in the 2022-23 campaign, scoring a goal and an assist over that span.

“I’m so happy he got this goal because most people don’t see the hard work that he puts in on the PK, how many blocks, how he sacrifices for the team, how much hard work he puts on the PK, and just doing the five-on-five [work],” Protas said. “His physicality and everything. How he works, most people don’t see it but I hope they can because he’s real hardworking player. One of the most hardworking players on our team. I was so happy for him he got this goal tonight.”

The Bears held Charlotte to seven total goals in the four-game series, giving up no more than two goals every game. The Checkers did not score on any of their four power-play opportunities at Giant Center and went 1 for 10 overall in the semifinal series.

“The kill, it can be a thankless job at times,” Malenstyn said. “We take a lot of pride in it, in that dressing room. Anytime that we’re able to do that and have it be effective in a series is huge.”

The Bears will now go on and play the winner of the Hartford Wolfpack and Providence Bruins semifinal series.

Headline photo: Hershey Bears

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