Kristopher Beech (born February 5, 1981) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Beech was born in Salmon Arm,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, but grew up in Sicamous, British Columbia.

Playing career

Beech was drafted 7th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

. At the time he was playing for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Beech was traded to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

in July 2001 with Michal Sivek, Ross Lupaschuk, and future considerations for Jaromir Jagr and Frantisek Kucera. Beech appeared in 79 games for the Penguins, recording 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points. Disappointed with his development, the Penguins traded Beech on September 9, 2005 to the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

for a conditional draft pick. Beech returned to the Capitals organization on March 9, 2006, having been traded, along with a first-round pick, for defenseman Brendan Witt. He was sent down to the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

to join their AHL playoff campaign and helped them to a Calder Cup victory against the Milwaukee Admirals. On January 10, 2008, Beech was claimed off waivers from Columbus by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

. However, on January 23, 2008, after just four games with the Canucks in which he recorded one goal and one assist, Beech was subsequently placed on waivers and claimed by the

. Before playing a single game with Washington, Beech was once again placed on waivers, which led to him being re-acquired by the

, Beech's fourth team in the month of January. On October 10, 2008, Beech signed a one-year contract with the Swedish Elitserien team HV71. He joined his new team three days later. On April 28, 2009, Beech was re-signed to a two-year contract extension with HV71. Prior to the 2009–10 season on September 4, 2009, Beech signed a six-week loan contract with HC Genève-Servette. In his eight games with Genève-Servette, he scored two goals. On October 14, 2009, Beech was returned to HV71. On May 25, 2011, the Finnish club Lukko Rauma announced that Beech signed a one-year contract with the team. Upon completion of the season with Lukko, Beech was again on the move within Europe signing a one-year contract with Czech team HC Pardubice on June 25, 2012. During the 2012–13 season, on December 4, 2012, Beech transferred to join AIK of the Elitserien for the remainder of the season. In the 2013–14 season, Beech moved to Germany to play in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with the Straubing Tigers. He scored 24 points in 36 games, before opting to transfer to the Austrian EBEL league with the Vienna Capitals for their playoff run. On July 3, 2014, Beech decided to remain in the EBEL, signing a one-year contract with HC TWK Innsbruck. On July 2, 2015, Beech signed a one-year contract with Northern Irish club, the Belfast Giants of the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

Personal

During the offseason, Beech is a guest instructor at the Sicamous Hockey School, located in Sicamous, British Columbia. Since 2017, Beech has worked with various hockey teams and organizations, including the Vancouver Giants and

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south distributary, arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond, British Columbia, R ...

's Delta Hockey Academy, as a mindfulness training coach. Beech founded Aimability, a performance and health network, in 2017.

Career statistics

Awards

* 1998-99: Played in CHL Top Prospects Game * 1998-99: Ed Chynoweth Cup winner, Calgary Hitmen (WHL) * 2003-04: Team MVP,

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...

(AHL) * 2004-05: Team MVP,

(AHL) * 2005-06: Calder Cup winner,

(AHL) * 2008-09: Playoff silver medal, HV71 (SEL) * 2009-10: Swedish Champion, HV71 (SEL)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beech, Kris 1981 births AIK IF players Belfast Giants players Calgary Hitmen players Canadian ice hockey centres Columbus Blue Jackets players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Genève-Servette HC players HC Dynamo Pardubice players Hershey Bears players HV71 players Ice hockey people from British Columbia HC TWK Innsbruck players Living people Lukko players Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators players NHL first-round draft picks People from Salmon Arm Pittsburgh Penguins players Straubing Tigers players Syracuse Crunch players Vancouver Canucks players Vienna Capitals players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland