2022 Allen Americans vs Cincinnati Cyclones

Beck Warm Off To Hot Start, Recalled To Rochester Americans

Beck Warm Off To Hot Start, Recalled To Rochester Americans

Beck Warm is off to a hot start for the Cincinnati Cyclones, earning Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month with a 4-0-0-1 record in five starts.

Nov 15, 2022 by Mike Ashmore
Beck Warm Off To Hot Start, Recalled To Rochester Americans

It's only fitting that Beck Warm is off to a hot start.

Surnames aside, the numbers certainly prove that as well, where the reigning Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month has posted a 4-0-0-1 record with a 1.76 goals against average and .943 save percentage in his first five starts with the Cincinnati Cyclones.

"It's gone really well, and the team's been playing really well," Warm told FloHockey via cell phone. "Obviously, a lot of us have had some long training camps with Buffalo and then down to (AHL Rochester) and then here in Cincy, so it's been a long time coming, and we were excited to get going.  

"Having a month and a half to settle into the season, summer skates can help, and you're with your goalie coach doing all that work, but just to be in game-like situations and be with teams for a month and a half before the season starts, it gives you that time to work out the kinks."

It doesn't seem there was much to work out to begin with for the 23-year native of Whistler, British Columbia. 

After a standout run in juniors with both the Tri-City Americans and Edmonton Oil Kings, the undrafted Warm burst onto the pro hockey scene with the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves during the 2020-2021 season, quickly earning a two-year, entry-level contract with the parent Carolina Hurricanes after a strong start with Chicago.

Following a solid rookie campaign, he somewhat surprisingly spent all but one game last year in the ECHL with the underperforming Norfolk Admirals, but he still put up strong numbers, which he knows helped make him a valuable commodity on the free agent market during the offseason.

He ultimately settled on an AHL deal with the Rochester Americans.

"It just came down to everything they were saying," Warm said. "They've brought in a ton of great people, and everything they said and everything that they've been doing the right way, it's just a great organization to be a part of."

Warm understands the uncertainties of elite hockey and how quickly things can change, but that it's also important to enjoy each stop along the way.

"You look at the past couple seasons in pro hockey in North America as well, and there's always things that happen and always injuries - and you never want that to happen - but it's hockey, and stuff happens, so you bide your time and wait for opportunities here and there," Warm said. "This organization has had some struggles in the past with injuries and them being a great organization with great people, they're all good reasons why I came."

As it turns out, that faith has paid off quicker than he may have anticipated.

The AHL's goaltender on their postseason Central Division All-Star Team for the 2020-2021 season, Warm was summoned back to the highest level of the minors Friday night, earning a call-up to the Americans.

Speaking earlier in the week before that happened, it's another opportunity to get to prove himself, something that's not uncommon to him, being undrafted and often overlooked due to being considered a smaller goaltender at 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.

"I've always had to prove myself, and I think at the end of the day, that's helped me a lot, because there's never a time where I'm able to be complacent," Warm said. "Sometimes, you're in situations where you think, 'Oh, I can just relax, and I'm in a good place here,' and I've never had that opportunity. I've always been the guy that has to prove himself every day and continually show I can do this. That's helped me a lot...opportunities always come, and I'm happy with how I've been playing and with what I've been doing down here."

While it's important to be focused on a successful future, that often comes with working hard every day. 

"There's times where you look ahead and look in the future and try to see where you're going to be at in two months or two years from now, but for me, it's staying in the moment and doing the best I can to give me the best opportunity at those next steps," Warm said.