By Paul Osborne, Guelph Tribune It has been an eventful summer for Guelph Storm right-winger Taylor Beck.  At the moment he is in Nashville, Tennessee coming off the Predators annual rookie development camp.  But on August 3rd he is heading to St. John’s, Newfoundland to join 40 other skaters at Team Canada’s World Junior Summer Evaluation Camp.

“It was a relief to get the call” said Beck from Nashville.  “It was a relief that all my hard work from the past year was recognized and it put me one step closer to a childhood dream to play for the team and do absolutely everything I can at the camp to make it.  I want to be on the team no matter what.”

Beck has approached this summer as one of the most important in his young life.  With 39 goals and 93 points in 61 games last season, Beck is coming off a breakout season that saw him move among the elite in the Ontario Hockey League.  He finished tied for fourth in scoring behind only Tyler Seguin, Taylor Hall and fifth year player, Luke Pither.

“I think (Team Canada) likes my aggressiveness on the forecheck and my ability to get goals and assists” said the Niagara Falls native.  “But at the same time I can throw my weight around and play a solid two-way game.  They never look for one dimensional players.”

It’s the defensive side of the game that Beck will be concentrating on as he prepares for the camp and during the first half of the regular season.  He has proven he can score goals but at times he cheats a little looking for that breakaway pass.

“If I become a better two-way player I know the points will come” he said.  “I’m working extremely hard at home this summer.  I have a great trainer and I’ve done a ton of speed work with running and working in the weight room.  I’ve also been on the ice doing skill work and power skating.”

Although he is young he does have a sense of what it means to make this team.

“All you have to do is look down the rosters of past teams and see names like Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos and further back Wayne Gretzky” said the third round pick of the Predators.  “I still remember sitting home every Boxing Day with my family and watching that tournament.”

And he even admits to peaking at the roster of players invited and thinks he sees an opening.  The top right-winger has to be Seguin but in all likelihood he’ll be playing with the Boston Bruins come Christmas and that leaves things a little more open.

“I have looked at the roster to be honest” Beck said with a laugh.  “I think they like me for my scoring and how hard I play.  They’ve invited a lot of role players so the door is kind of open for me in a scoring role.”

That will make the start to his Guelph season even more important as Team Canada officials don’t make their selections until early December.

“I’m really excited about (the Storm)” he said.  “We have a talented group coming back and we have several draft picks so hopefully we can (trade) those to pick-up a few other good players.  We have a veteran corps of players coming back who will be moving on next year so it’s a ‘now or never’ kind of time for us.”

A great start to the Storm season will go a long way to securing Beck his dream position with Team Canada.

From the Land of Oz….How could two teams as talented and The Netherlands and Spain deliver such a boring World Cup final?  As superb announcer John Helm said very late in the second half … “perhaps a football game will break out soon.”