Beau Akey

June 2023 – Akey was selected 56th overall by the Oilers. Pat Quinn

December 2022 – Akey is a very fluid-skating right-handed defenseman who looks closer to 6-2 on the ice than his listed 6-0. He is quite lanky as of now, but his frame will be a big one once he fills out. He is a good pre-scanner, which makes him effective on retrievals, and his scanning with the puck on his stick is also a strength. When the play is in front of him, he sees all of his options and picks the right one most of the time. His puck skills are also quite good, and his offensive instincts have flashed this season, but they aren’t given the opportunity to truly shine as Barrie’s system keeps him stapled to the blueline during most offensive zone possessions. Defensively, he keeps a tight gap and is focused on protecting the slot with a consistently active stick, but his defensive processing speed is a bit inconsistent, and he can get caught puck-watching, especially in multi-variable situations. Overall, Akey is a similar tier of player as fellow OHL blueliners Cam Allen and Hunter Brzustewicz and looks like a mid-second or early third-round pick at this point in the season. Sebastian High