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Thursday, July 12, 2001

By Edward G. Robinson III, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Jaromir Jagr was traded yesterday to the Washington Capitals for three inexperienced players.

The prospect at the top of the list is center Kris Beech, who spent most of this past season in the junior ranks. The other two are center Michal Sivek and defenseman Ross Lupaschuk.

	Kris Beech, the Capitals' first pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, played in four games last season but recorded no goals. In 40 games with Calgary of the WHL Beech had 22 goals and 44 assists. (Ryan Remiorz, AP photo)

That's right ... who?

Each player is 20 years old and has little or no experience in the NHL, playing mostly in the junior Western Hockey League. They were all taken by Washington in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, with Beech going seventh overall, Sivek 29th and Lupaschuk 34th.

With those three together, Patrick said with great emphasis yesterday, the organization acquired the best young players available. He added that one or two of them -- Beech, then Sivek, in order or likelihood -- could start next season with the Penguins.

"We got great value in this deal," Patrick said. "Time will show us that. But I can't convince people of that right now. All three of these guys are going to be big contributors here for a long time."

The player considered the best bet to contribute the quickest is Beech, a native of Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Without Beech, Patrick said there would have been no deal.

Beech is 6 feet 3, weighs 192 pounds, size the Penguins find attractive. In 40 games with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, he had 22 goals, 44 assists and 103 penalty minutes.

Injuries diminished his playing time, particularly a sore shoulder that kept him off the ice for a month near the end of the season. His finger also was broken and he missed time because of mononucleosis.

After returning for the WHL playoffs, he helped his team reach the second round, collecting two goals and eight assists in 10 games. He also spent four games with Washington during the regular season, going scoreless and recording two penalty minutes, then was invited to their taxi squad for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Patrick compared him to former Penguins center Ron Francis, now with the Carolina Hurricanes.

"We feel he can be that type of franchise player," Patrick said. "He's only 20 years old so you can't expect that from him today, but we feel that's what he's going to give us down the road."

Mark Stiles, the Hitmen's play-by-play announcer, said Beech is a skilled center who is good on faceoffs.

"He makes things happen when he's on the ice, there's no question," Stiles said. "He's big and strong and can shoot and can skate. Above all that, he's a very, very skilled hockey player."

Defenseman Ross Lupaschuk, in this 1999 photo from his stint with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders, finished his four years in that league with the Red Deer Rebels. (Mike Ridewood, AP photo)

Lupaschuk, 6-1, 212 pounds, was an effective two-way defenseman for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL, the team that won the Memorial Cup symbolic of Canada's junior championship. In 65 games, he had 28 goals and 37 assists. In the team's championship game, a 4-1 victory against Val-D'Or, he scored one goal and set up the other three.

Cam Moon, play-by-play announcer for Red Deer, said Lupaschuk is assertive and often jumps into the play to get a shot on goal. Last season, Moon said, Lupaschuk showed improvement on defense.

"I think Ross is a tremendously skilled defenseman," said Moon, adding that he's offensively talented because he's so physical at 6-1, 212 pounds. "Look at his numbers and you can see he has good strength, which puts some bite in his game. There's an edge to him."

Sivek, 6-3, 214 pounds, played 32 games against older professionals this past season with Sparta Praha in the Czech League, netting six goals and seven assists. He has a strong presence down the middle and is believed to have outstanding potential. Sivek was a teammate of Penguins center Milan Kraft with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL two years ago.