Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury

Taylor Beck was money in the bank for the Guelph Storm last season. Now he has plenty of it himself.

The 19-year-old Storm winger signed a three-year contract with the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not announced.

“It’s definitely a load off my back. I wouldn’t have minded heading into the season and showing them I really wanted it, but I’m glad it’s done,” Beck said Thursday.

He and the rest of the Storm players have been rolling back into town this week in preparation for the beginning of training camp Tuesday.

“They tried to get me signed after last season, but I was totally prepared to come into this season and prove that I wanted to be part of their organization,” Beck said. “But them coming to me and wanting to sign me before this season, well, that’s even better.”

Beck was the Ontario Hockey League’s highest scoring right winger last season, scoring 39 goals and adding 54 assists, good enough for fourth in league scoring.

Nashville selected him in the third round of the 2009 entry draft and had until next June to sign him or Beck would have gone back into the NHL draft.

Beck becomes the third of the Storm’s big three to sign NHL contracts. Peter Holland had previously signed with the Anaheim Ducks and Michael Latta also signed with Nashville.

He said that having a contract out of the way clears the way for a season where the focus is purely on helping the Storm win, not on impressing Nashville.

“I maybe would have been squeezing the stick a little bit tighter if I needed that extra goal,” Beck said.

He and Latta head to rookie camp on Sept. 10 in Nashville. After playing in a rookie tournament in Florida, they hope to return to Nashville’s main camp.

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