John Beecher (ice hockey)

John Beecher (born April 5, 2001) is an American ice hockey forward for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 30th overall by the Bruins in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He played college ice hockey for the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 2019 to 2022.

Early life
Beecher was born on April 5, 2001, in Elmira, New York to parents Bill and Natasha. Although his parents were collegiate athletes, they did not play ice hockey. His father played lacrosse and golf at Elmira College while his mother ran track and cross-country at Union College. Beecher began ice skating when he was six years old after spending the summer playing roller hockey and immediately made the local travel team. Beyond ice hockey, Beecher also played soccer, football, baseball, and lacrosse. Beecher and his older brother Bryce played together until 2015 when his brother had to get his hips replaced due to him being born with congenital hip dysplasia.

Collegiate
Beecher was drafted 30th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, but committed to play for the University of Michigan during the 2019–20 season. He was suspended one game for headbutting on February 3, 2020. Despite this, Beecher had a solid freshmen season with Michigan, scoring nine goals and seven assists. However, both the 2020 Big Ten tournament and the 2020 NCAA tournament were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the season early.

Beecher started off the 2020–21 season where he left off, scoring four goals and four assists in 16 games. However, on February 28, 2021, it was revealed that Beecher had undergone shoulder surgery for a lingering injury and would miss the rest of the season.

Fully recovered from his injury, Beecher would play a full junior season at Michigan. However, he was unable to build upon his successful freshman year, scoring only six goals and nine assists for 15 points. He would, however, get his first taste of both Big Ten and NCAA tournament action. He would help Michigan win the 2022 Big Ten tournament, securing an auto-bid in the 2022 NCAA tournament, where Michigan would reach the Frozen Four before falling to the eventual champions Denver Pioneers.

Boston Bruins
On April 13, 2022, Beecher decided to forgo his senior season at Michigan, and signed an amateur tryout contract with the Bruins' AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. He contributed with 5 points through the remaining 9 regular season games, and made 2 post-season appearances with 1 point for Providence.

On May 16, 2022, Beecher was signed to a three-year, entry-level deal with the Boston Bruins.

Beecher impressed in training camp, and earned himself a spot on the NHL roster to start the 2023–24 season for the Bruins. He would register his first NHL point with an assist on a Brad Marchand goal against the San Jose Sharks. On November 6, 2023, Beecher scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Incidentally, Bruins rookie defensemen Mason Lohrei, who had played college hockey at Ohio State University, regarded as one of Michigan's rivals, scored his first NHL goal a few minutes after Beecher. On January 20, 2024, Beecher was sent down to Providence. Beecher was called up back to the Bruins for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. He made his playoff debut in Game 1 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and on his first playoff shift, scored his first playoff goal and point, opening the scoring for the series.