Beydoun looks to fill the void left by Redmond’s early exit
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HOUGHTON -- The crowds who have inhabited the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena the last several seasons have been privy not just to the resurgence of the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey program under the careful tutelage of former head coach Mel Pearson, they have also seen a number of high-end goaltenders succeed at the collegiate level and even earn professional contracts for their efforts.
Over the last four seasons, Huskies fans have had the pleasure of seeing the likes of Pheonix Copley, Jamie Phillips, and Angus Redmond, who left school after his freshman year, all play well enough to earn NHL contracts while helping the Huskies to two NCAA appearances and one WCHA playoff title.
Those skates are large ones to fill for the next Huskies' goaltender. Incoming freshman Robbie Beydoun (pronounced Bay-dune) hopes he can do just that.
"Just having that track record of success really helped my decision to go there," said Beydoun. "Hopefully [I can] follow in the footsteps of those guys."
Growing up in the Plymouth area, Beydoun has been a rink rat for as long as he can remember, spending hours at what was formerly known as Compuware Arena, now the U.S.A. Hockey Arena, between his hockey and his sister's figure skating.
As he made the transition to junior hockey, Beydoun knew that his goal was to play college hockey, and with his decision to come to Michigan Tech this fall, he is ecstatic to do so in his home state, while also earning a degree in his chosen field. "I've always wanted to go into computer science, so it is a great fit for me there," said Beydoun. "It's always been a great hockey program, especially the past five years. I've always wanted to play college hockey in Michigan, after growing up going to the GLI."
The 6-foot Beydoun grew up in the famed Compuware system, one of the consistently top junior hockey programs both in the state of Michigan and in the country. The program has produced a number of NHL greats from Pat LaFontaine and Mike Modano to current stars such as Justin Williams and James Neal.
For Beydoun, getting the chance to play alongside top-end hockey players drove him to constantly improve his game to keep up with what his teammates were accomplishing. That drive manifested itself in his building confidence in playing the puck, something that can really help his defenders out.
"We had one of the best teams in the nation," said Beydoun. "Sometimes in AAA, there is quite a bit of a gap between the top teams and the lower end teams… Sometimes the only way for me to get into the game was playing the puck, so I think that is where it started for me."
Beydoun was a member of Compuware's U18 team when he got the call from the North American Hockey League's Michigan Warriors. With the Warriors, he saw action in 11 games, posting a 2.74 goals against average (GAA), with a .903 save percentage.
Playing for the Warriors gave the high school senior a chance to experience the transition to junior hockey quickly, which helped him prepare for his first full season with the United States Hockey League's Fargo Force the following season.
"It wasn't too big of a jump for me, it was more about adjustment to the junior lifestyle," said Beydoun. "Just being able to handle the schedule, which was a little bit different from AAA. I just had to learn how to play with some of those older guys, because I was used to playing with guys my age."
Knowing he was going to be backing up current Northern Michigan backup Mathias Israelsson in his first season with a Force team that also featured Penn State forward Denis Smirnov, Beydoun saw action in 19 contests, going 6-8-0 with a 2.93 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Injuries hampered his second season with the Force, and he only saw action in 21 games, going 8-4-1 with a 2.58 GAA.
Beydoun believed that, if given the opportunity, he could be a starter at the junior level, but he also felt the opportunity to do so might not happen in his third season with the Force, so he approached the coaching staff and asked if they could explore a trade to another USHL team. The staff settled on the Waterloo Black Hawks, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Getting the opportunity to work with former collegiate goaltender P.K. O'Handley was like a dream come true for Beydoun, but that does not mean that was by any means easy. The Black Hawks were a team in transition; five of their top six defenders were still in high school, which could have spelled doom for a guy looking to make his mark between the pipes.
Fortunately for all involved, Beydoun and his teammates gelled from the drop of the first faceoff of the season, and it showed immediately as he racked up four straight wins, including two by shutout.
"We ended up having really good chemistry," said Beydoun. "I just felt like I had a lot to prove. I always knew I was one of the best goalies in the league. I just wanted to prove that I could be the guy right away and we got off to a pretty good start and kept rolling through the season, for the most part."
From there, the Black Hawks played well, and Beydoun benefitted from the young defense in front of him. He appeared in 39 games, going 24-9-2-2. He posted a 2.22 GAA with a .919 save percentage. He also picked up three more shutouts during the course of the season, putting him on then-assistant coach Joe Shawhan's radar as the Huskies were looking for the right fit to replace graduating senior Matt Wintjes. With Shawhan taking over the helm of the Huskies, Beydoun is excited to play for the coach who believed in him.
"It's really nice," said Beydoun. "We built a really good relationship throughout the last year. Being comfortable with Coach Joe, I think that will help me be more relaxed."
While he does not possess the size of a Ben Bishop or a Pekka Rinne, Beydoun has to rely on his reflexes and his positioning to make up for what he lacks in height. This has led him to try to take pieces of the play of goaltenders such as Jonathan Quick and incorporate their tendencies into his game.
Getting to chance to play in his home state was really important to Beydoun, and getting the chance to play for a program that has produced a number of young goaltenders who are poised to make their mark in the NHL over the next few seasons also help make Michigan Tech the right fit for Beydoun. He will have every chance this season to step in and make an impact early.