10 Years of Steel – Luca DelBelBelluz and Owen Beck

Following their success at the Top Prospects Game, 10 Years of Steel will look at Luca DelBelBelluz and Owen Beck’s seasons thus far and how it has led them to become top prospects for the upcoming NHL Draft.

The Mississauga Steelheads have been led by their top two centremen, Luca DelBelBelluz and Owen Beck. This past week, the two of them attended the CHL/NHL Kubota Top Prospects Game in Kitchener, ON, where they competed in skills and fitness testing, as well as the Top Prospects Game on March 23. From the start of their OHL careers until now, each player has shown significant improvement that has led them to top-prospect status.

Luca DelBelBelluz joined the Steelheads through the OHL Priority Selection. He was drafted in the third round, 51st overall, from the Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA program. The Woodbridge native is in his second with the Steelheads, having been a part of the team in the shortened 2019-20 season. His rookie season saw him put up one goal and five assists for six points in 58 games.

During the Covid-19 pandemic cancelled season, DelBelBelluz was hard at work, improving his skills and honing his craft, in addition to putting on some weight in order to be better prepared for the next OHL season, which would be his NHL draft year.

In an interview with FC Hockey, he said “I ended up gaining 35 pounds” during the pandemic, raising his weight from about 150 pounds to his current weight of about 185. He also greatly improved his defensive game, and with that came more playing time. As a mainstay on the Trout’s penalty kill, he is tied for second on the team in shorthanded goals. 

Overall on the season, the centreman is tied for the team lead in points with 70 in 60 games played, and leads the team in assists with 41. In the most recent report released by NHL Central Scouting, he placed 11th among North American skaters. 

Owen Beck was the Steelheads’ second round pick, 29th overall, in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. With the 2020-21 OHL season being canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he was unable to make his OHL debut until this season, thus making it both his rookie season and his NHL draft year. 

During the year off, Beck was able to stay in shape and prepare for his freshman year with a combination of working out at home and working with a personal trainer in his hometown of Port Hope, ON. He was able to build up the strength and speed to be able to excel at the OHL level and make the transition from the Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA to the Steelheads as seamless as possible. 

Beck has shown he can play with a variety of players, which has lead to gaining the trust of Head Coach and GM James Richmond. The 18-year-old opened his campaign with a bang, scoring his first OHL goal in his first game, on October 9 against Kingston. He is currently third in the entire OHL in faceoff wins, showing his importance to the team in his rookie season. Beck has also been entrusted with taking numerous big faceoffs late in games and at critical moments. He is also currently tied for fifth in OHL rookie scoring with 46 points in 60 games. In the most recent NHL Central Scouting list, he was ranked 19th among North American skaters. 

Both DelBelBelluz and Beck have the opportunity to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft, something that has only happened once before in the history of the Steelheads franchise. Both these players are important parts of the Steelheads success this season and will continue to be in the seasons ahead. They will also look to lead the Steelheads on a deep postseason run, looking to improve upon the team’s best season in 2016-17. 

Playoff tickets will be available shortly! Be sure to watch the Steelheads’ social media pages @OHLSteelheads on Twitter and Instagram and @MississaugaSteelheads on Facebook for updates.