Kyle Beach

Kyle Beach (born January 13, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Considered a top National Hockey League (NHL) prospect, he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Beach never played in the NHL, however, only spending time with minor league affiliates in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2008 to 2014. In 2021, Beach came forward that he was sexually assaulted by a Blackhawks coach during their 2010 Stanley Cup championship season and filed legal action against the team for failing to intervene.

Kyle Beach
Beach in training camp with the Chicago Blackhawks in September 2010
Born (1990-01-13) January 13, 1990
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Right
Played for HV71
EC Red Bull Salzburg
Graz 99ers
EC VSV
DVTK Jegesmedvék
NHL Draft 11th overall, 2008
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2009–2022

Playing career

Beach is a power forward who played a tough, physical game accompanied by offensive skill. After his first season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), he was named the league's Rookie of the Year.[1] His aggressive play led to multiple concussions and a sports hernia while playing for the Everett Silvertips.[2] After being named the 2006–07 WHL Rookie of the Year, Beach was projected to be a top five pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.[3] Later in his WHL career, Beach bounced around, spending time with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Spokane Chiefs.[4]

Beach made his professional debut with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the end of the 2008–09 season.[5] Until the start of the 2013–14 season, Beach had spent his entire professional career with the IceHogs. During the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run, Beach was called up to the Blackhawks' practice squad.[3] When HV71, of the Swedish Elite League ran into injury trouble, Beach joined the club for three weeks, appearing in seven games.[4] On December 6, 2013, Beach was traded to the New York Rangers for Brandon Mashinter.[6] He was assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, following the trade.[4]

In August 2014, Beach signed a tryout contract with EC Salzburg through the end of September.[7][8]

After nine games with Salzburg in his second season with the club, Beach opted to terminate his contract and return to North America in signing a contract on November 25, 2015, with the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL.[9] After seven scoreless games with the club, Beach opted to rejoin the Austrian Hockey League with Graz 99ers on December 18, 2015.

In the 2016–17 season, Beach enjoyed his most productive season as a professional, compiling 30 goals and 45 points in 54 games with the 99ers. However, after a short playoff-run, his contract with the 99ers was not renewed, resulting in his release as a free agent.[10]

On March 17, 2017, as a free agent, Beach continued his tenure in the EBEL, agreeing to a two-year contract with EC VSV.[11]

On May 10, 2022, Beach announced his retirement.[12]

Personal life

His younger brother is NHL referee Cody Beach, who was born August 8, 1992. Cody was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and played as a prospect of the Blues in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves.[13] His cousin is Rich Harden, a former Major League Baseball pitcher.[1] As a child, his favorite player was Jarome Iginla.

Sexual assault allegations against former Blackhawks video coach
Further information: 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal
Beach, third from the left, celebrating with his teammates in Chicago after winning the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

On May 13, 2021, an unnamed former player filed a lawsuit alleging a prolonged sexual assault at the hands of then-video coach Brad Aldrich during an off-ice incident during the Chicago Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship run. A subsequent investigation focused on two players, one of whom was referred to as "John Doe 1".

According to the investigation, on May 23, 2010, Blackhawks executives held a meeting about the sexual assault claims and decided they would not address them until after the Stanley Cup Playoffs.[14] The matter was not discussed again, and on June 14, 2010, five days after Chicago won the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks human resources director gave Aldrich the option to resign or face termination if John Doe 1's claims turned out to be true. Aldrich chose to resign and was permitted to participate in postseason celebrations, according to the investigation findings.[15]

In October 2021, Beach gave an interview on SportsCentre confirming that he was John Doe 1, and spoke about his experiences with the Blackhawks organization after the fact.[16][17] Since his interview confirming his identity as John Doe 1, he has received an outpouring of support all across the world for the bravery he has shown, including tweets in support from Hayley Wickenheiser, Aly Raisman, Adam van Koeverden, and Robin Lehner.

On November 23, 2021, Beach's attorney, Susan Loggans, confirmed that Beach and the Chicago Blackhawks would agree to mediation of the lawsuit via a mutually agreed upon third-party mediator, after Loggans’ court motion requesting that the lawsuit be allowed to progress to the discovery stage was denied by a judge.[18] Mediation was held on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Everett Silvertips WHL 4 2 1 3 4 9 1 3 4 31
2006–07 Everett Silvertips WHL 65 29 32 61 196 11 5 6 11 19
2007–08 Everett Silvertips WHL 60 27 33 60 222 4 0 0 0 4
2008–09 Everett Silvertips WHL 30 9 21 30 106 — — — — —
2008–09 Lethbridge Hurricanes WHL 24 15 18 33 59 10 1 1 2 31
2008–09 Rockford IceHogs AHL 2 0 0 0 15 1 0 0 0 0
2009–10 Spokane Chiefs WHL 68 52 34 86 186 7 7 2 9 19
2009–10 Rockford IceHogs AHL 4 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 3 6
2010–11 Rockford IceHogs AHL 71 16 20 36 163 — — — — —
2011–12 Rockford IceHogs AHL 19 5 5 10 30 — — — — —
2012–13 Rockford IceHogs AHL 66 16 10 26 204 — — — — —
2013–14 HV71 SHL 7 2 1 3 35 — — — — —
2013–14 Rockford IceHogs AHL 7 4 0 4 10 — — — — —
2013–14 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 39 2 5 7 58 — — — — —
2014–15 EC Red Bull Salzburg EBEL 53 12 13 25 109 13 10 3 13 31
2015–16 EC Red Bull Salzburg EBEL 9 1 0 1 31 — — — — —
2015–16 Missouri Mavericks ECHL 7 0 0 0 14 — — — — —
2015–16 Graz 99ers EBEL 21 10 4 14 56 — — — — —
2016–17 Graz 99ers EBEL 54 30 15 45 123 4 0 1 1 8
2017–18 EC VSV EBEL 44 9 13 22 84 — — — — —
2018–19 Tölzer Löwen DEL2 34 14 29 43 64 — — — — —
2019–20 DVTK Jegesmedvék SVK 47 15 12 27 104 — — — — —
2020–21 TecArt Black Dragons GerObL 36 31 29 60 48 — — — — —
2021–22 TecArt Black Dragons GerObL 32 27 23 50 56 — — — — —
AHL totals 208 43 40 83 480 5 3 0 3 6
EBEL totals 181 62 45 107 403 17 10 4 14 39

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Canada IH18 4th 4 0 1 1 14
Junior totals 4 0 1 1 14

References
  1. "Beach, Kyle". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  2. "Hawks gamble with top pick Kyle Beach". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  3. "Kyle Beach: John Doe". TSN. October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  4. "Kyle Beach hockey statistics". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  5. "Kyle Beach, Rangers". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  6. "Rangers acquire Beach in trade with Blackhawks". The Sports Network. December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  7. "Kyle Beach". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  8. "The news of the EBEL clubs at a glance". Laola1.at. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  9. "Mavs Sign First Round NHL Draft Pick: Kyle Beach". www.missourimavericks.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  10. "Squad decision for 2017-18". Graz 99ers (in German). March 15, 2017. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  11. "Kyle Beach comes to Villach". EC VSV (in German). March 17, 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  12. "#KADERNEWS - 10.05.2022 - TecArt Black Dragons Erfurt". black-dragons-erfurt.de (in German). May 10, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  13. "Cody Beach player profile". Eliteprospects.com. May 4, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  14. "Chicago Blackhawks Brad Aldrich timeline - TSN.ca". TSN. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  15. "Report to the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team Regarding the Organization's Response to Allegations of Sexual Misconduct by a Former Coach" (PDF). Jenner & Block. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  16. "Kyle Beach: John Doe - TSN.ca". TSN. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  17. "'I am a survivor': Kyle Beach comes forward as 'John Doe' in Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  18. Ben Pope (November 23, 2021). "Kyle Beach agrees to mediation with Blackhawks; settlement talks back on". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
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