Silvertips glad to have Beach back

LYNNWOOD — The Everett Silvertips’ top gun is swooping back into town.

Winger Kyle Beach, Everett’s headline performer, is returning to the Tips after being reassigned by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Beach made a quick detour to his home in Kelowna, B.C., on Monday, and is expected to be back in Everett and practicing with the team Wednesday. He’s slated to return to the lineup in Everett’s next game Friday at home against Seattle.

“It’s great,” Everett captain Zack Dailey said following Monday’s practice at the Lynnwood Ice Center. “Getting a player back of that caliber is really exciting. He’s one of our leaders, an assistant captain, so any time you get a player like that back he’s going to strengthen your lineup.”

The 18-year-old Beach, Everett’s leading returning scorer and the Tips record holder for career penalty minutes, was part of Chicago’s penultimate round of cuts on the eve of the Blackhawks’ Friday season opener. Beach, taken 11th overall in this year’s NHL draft, did not sign a contract with Chicago.

“It’s good to get him back, he’s a big part of this team,” Everett coach John Becanic said.

“We knew he had to be signed by (Monday),” Becanic added. “We knew it was going to go right down to the end. We thought he might even have played in some games. But they would have had to have signed him, and I think the money was a little tight under their salary cap.”

Beach was in the mix for making Chicago’s team this season. His 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame was deemed suitable for the NHL at his tender age.

He was given his opportunity during the preseason. Beach appeared in five of Chicago’s eight exhibition games. Skating an average of about nine minutes each game — typical fourth-line ice time — he tallied one assist, 14 penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating. Those penalty minutes included a pair of fights with Minnesota defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron. Chicago finished 4-0-1-0 with Beach in the lineup, 1-1-1-0 without.

However, the Blackhawks decided Beach needed another year of seasoning in juniors, and the Tips are thrilled to oblige — though they would have been happy had Beach made it, too.

“I was rooting for him to make it,” Dailey said. “He’s a good friend of mine and any time you see a friend make it big it’s great. But I was anxious to see whether he was coming back or not. I’m definitely happy to have him back, but I definitely would have been happy for him if he stayed there.”

Said Becanic: “It’s kind of bittersweet for him. One breath you’re flying first class and living the life of a pro player, then you’re coming back to ride the buses. But he seemed to have a great attitude on the phone. I think that’s the most important thing, what kind of attitude he comes back with, and right now it seems to be real positive.”

Getting Beach back is a major boost for the Tips, who are 2-3-1-0 in his absence. With Everett losing so much offense from last season’s team, Beach was being counted on to be the offensive focal point. Had Beach, who had 27 goals and 33 assists last season, stuck with the Blackhawks, the Tips would have been left with a gaping hole they may not have been able to fill.

“He brings goal scoring, which we’ve been lacking,” Dailey said. “He brings energy, hits, it’s going to be a big difference. He’s the type of player who can spark the whole team.”

Slap shots: Everett defenseman Graham Potuer suffered a concussion in Friday’s 5-0 loss at Spokane and is considered doubtful for Friday. Spokane’s Mitch Wahl, who received a roughing penalty on the hit, was suspended by the league for a period yet to be determined. … Everett left wing Tyler Parker received a one-game suspension from the league for his kneeing major penalty and game misconduct from that same game. … Everett right wing Matt Ius, who missed the past three games because of a concussion, has been cleared to return. So has right wing Cameron Abney, who sat out two games with a shoulder injury.

Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog