Back to the defenceman, we go with our 11th-ranked player: former Barrie Colt and 2023 second-round pick Beau Akey. This is a lot lower than I ever thought I’d have Akey since his draft day. I hoped the Oilers would use the pick they did on Akey, and I was ecstatic when it happened, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing since.

During his draft year, the right-shot defender scored 11 goals and finished with 47 points in 66 games. This was while Akey was playing behind Los Angeles Kings top prospect, Brandt Clarke. Clarke got all the power play minutes once he returned to Barrie, and a defenceman scoring at almost a two-point-a-game pace is hard to keep off the ice for any coach. Oilers fans and I included thought that was just the start for Akey; with Clarke gone to the professional level, our beloved second-rounder would get all the power play time, have a chance to be a real minute muncher, play against the best teams and players, etc.

Unfortunately, Akey only played in 14 games during the 2023-24 season (putting up nine points) due to a shoulder injury. After recovering from the surgery, the 173-pound blueliner put up 32 points in 52 games, which is a lower point-per-game pace than his excellent 2022-2023 season.

Now we fast-forward to Akey’s first professional season this year with the Bakersfield Condors. I still think Akey is trying to find his game a bit since the surgery, and he showed strong flashes this year down in the AHL. The point total doesn’t wow anybody, but playing in 42 professional games is what I focus on. The main concern with Akey for me is health and how much damage his frame can handle if he doesn’t add on weight. Let’s go over the main strength of Akey, and it hasn’t changed since his draft day: the mobile blueliner continuously shows excellent skating mechanics.

Even in his first pro season, the mobility stood out nearly every game. Akey shows off great stride length and excellent posture and uses his crossovers effectively, especially when in transition, where he uses his linear crossovers very well, showing off strong edge work. The first clip is a great example of using the “sliding” technique, and Akey has it in his arsenal when hovering the blue line. The second two clips show off the raw speed and pull-away ability from forecheckers, it will always help him with his retrievals, and that’s the next area I want to bring up. Some of the most critical areas I look at when evaluating a defenceman are how you defend your blue line and how good your retrievals are.

Not only does he get to the puck first more often than not because of his skating ability, but I find Akey’s retrievals have more to do with his hockey sense than his skating. In the first clip above, Akey is under pressure from two forecheckers. With no fear, Akey picks up the puck along the wall and makes a simple pass for the breakout. The next two clips are better examples of the 21-year-old prospect having to use his mind over his feet.

They both start with shoulder checks; Akey recognizes where pressure is coming from and where his teammates are. Step one is done, and the next issue is how to protect the puck to generate a clean exit. In the second clip, the Condors’ defender uses his body to create early contact and keep the forechecker on his back. The third retrieval is a bit different because there is no time to create contact, so we have to deceive the forechecker, and Akey does exactly that by opening up like he is going to use the net before stopping up. Both clips end the exact same way; however, it is the six-foot-tall defenceman finding his teammate surveying the middle of the ice. Akey’s retrievals are impressive and he has no fear in holding the puck to make the right play, but I’m worried about him struggling to protect the puck against NHL competition with how slender he is. If he can do it, how much damage can he take before an injury occurs? I could be overthinking this, but I do believe it is a concern.

For a player with only 10 points in 42 games, I sure do have a lot of great offensive clips, and this is an area of Akey’s game that continues to come with confidence. Akey will never put up massive numbers, but when the puck is on his stick, it doesn’t die. It reminds me of Mattias Ekholm a bit, in the sense that Ekholm will never dangle an opposing player, but the puck isn’t going to die on his stick. That’s the type of feeling I get when seeing Akey with the puck.

There is nothing complicated about how the smooth skating Condor creates offence. It’s all about movement, throwing the odd fake at an opponent, and taking what the defence is giving you. Akey could have a big jump in points next year, and I would completely understand it. The young professional is excellent at getting the puck into the right areas, but struggles to finish his own chance, or his teammates aren’t finishing either. The one picky part I would have to say is that on these downhill drives, I’d love to see a pass like in the first clip, I found that Akey is only looking for the shot, but that’s not a massive issue. The play will hardly ever die on Akey’s stick. Will he dance you like Cale Makar? No, but he will be looking for the next play as soon as that puck touches his stick.

One of Akey’s strengths in his draft year was his ability to defend the blue line and stick to wingers. That is still a massive part of him, and I just want to show two clips quickly.

See, it’s still there, and I think defending will be a massive positive in Akey’s game if he makes it to the NHL. Right now, the main goal is to stay healthy this season and to get a full season in. I don’t see Akey getting any NHL time until maybe the 2028-29 season, but it could be longer due to all the lost development time due to his shoulder injury. I project Akey as a good two-way bottom-pair defender in the future, but he will lean more defensively.

As I said, though, the offence will not die on his stick, and right now, it seems like he is more than fine with inviting some extra pressure on to open a passing lane. As I said at the start, my main worry is the slight build Akey has and it being three years since he was drafted with little movement on the scale. Beau should have an excellent chance this year to make himself an everyday impact player for the Condors this season, and I believe he can do it.