A few minutes with Matt Beca is all you need to comprehend his passion for hockey and his desire to continue playing the game after life at Clarkson University.

The undrafted 23-year-old senior is at crossroads in his career. He has five weekends remaining in his final regular season at Clarkson in upstate New York. There is interest from a few NHL teams, but what happens after his college days conclude remains a mystery.

"It's crazy how fast it's gone by," said the five-foot-10, 181-pound Beca, who leads the Golden Knights with 13 goals and 24 points in 24 games this season.

In the spirit of Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada, when we celebrate the game in not only Stratford, Ont., but around the country, we shouldn't overlook the hundreds of Canadians playing in Europe and in non-NHL locations in the United States.

Beca's story begins where he was raised in Mississauga, Ont. He had to be patient for his hockey scholarship. It wasn't until late in his fourth season in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League with the Oakville Blades that he received a break.

His coach with the Blades arranged a visit from Clarkson associate coach Greg Drechsel and there was mutual interest. It didn't hurt that when Beca inspected the Clarkson campus near Potsdam, N.Y., in February 2006, a former Golden Knights player was mentioned on national television.

Clarkson head coach George Roll couldn’t have planned it any better. When Beca stopped by the coach's office, the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team was competing in Turin. Erik Cole scored for the United States in a game against Russia, and the television announcer remarked, "That's Erik Cole, a Clarkson product."

Cole, Dave Taylor, Todd White, Craig Conroy and Willie Mitchell are among those who went to Clarkson and ended up in the NHL. Beca hopes to continue the tradition.

"I know there are a few [NHL] teams out there right now watching me, but I don't have any offers yet," Beca said, refusing to divulge the identity of the suitors. "My plan now is to finish the season as best I can and then we'll see what happens."

Beca's first return trip to Clarkson was for the Golden Knights alumni golf tournament in the summer before his freshman season. Roll introduced him to another incoming first-year player, Jeremiah Crowe, a defenceman from the Buffalo area. Beca and Crowe became fast friends and have roomed together for the past three years.

Crowe and Beca have engaged in several discussions on what lies on the hockey horizon after the season. "He's done with hockey," Beca said. "I obviously want to continue to play and I'll find somewhere."

Inspired by Islanders' Moulson

If there is an inspiration for Beca, it's Islanders 26-year-old forward Matt Moulson. In his first full-time NHL duty, Moulson has checked in with 19 goals in 53 games. Beca knows Moulson well. The two occasionally worked out last summer in the Toronto area. Beca also played lacrosse with Moulson’s younger brother Chris, a freshman at No. 8-ranked Cornell, the team Clarkson meets on Saturday.

"Definitely, [Matt Moulson] gives me hope," Beca said. "I've been told pretty much my whole career that I was too small, sort of like he has been. I watched how hard he worked out this summer. I feel I know what it takes."

Clarkson enjoyed better times in Beca's first two seasons, when the Golden Knights compiled 25- and 22-win years. This season, Clarkson has gone 5-16-3 with two more games this weekend. But individually, after a summertime pep talk from Roll, Beca has never been better. The business major has scored 13 goals and 24 points in 24 games to lead the green and gold in scoring.

He started the season on fire with five goals in four games, then slumped, but is on a roll again with five goals in his past seven outings.

“Matt Moulson is a pretty good comparison,” said Drechsel, a former Los Angeles Kings scout. “I remember watching him at Cornell. He was intially drafted by Pittsburgh and I was surprised they didn’t sign him because we always felt he was a good player.

“Matt Beca was an underappreciated player early on. He has skill and works hard. He’s our best player, but we’re not very good right now and as a result the opposition has been keying on him. He has the potential to play in the NHL. He’s one of those kids who if you play him with better players he really elavates his game.

“Matt [Beca] is a skilled, intelligent hockey player. We don’t have somebody who is a prolific scorer. In my opinion, if he was playing with somebody who could score you would notice Matt more because he is more of a setup guy.”

As his final season winds down, he has often reflected at his time at Clarkson. He remembers the adjustment arriving in the small town from the big city. He remembers how much time it took to feel comfortable before the locals recognized him downtown with a friendly wave or a good-luck handshake.

He remembers finding Sergi's, a family-owned Italian restaurant where he meets his teammates on Thursdays, and good times were had by all.

"It definitely was a big adjustment for the first little while coming from like the Toronto area, where there is lots to do and you can pretty much do anything you want at anytime," said Beca, who turns 24 on March 6.

"You come here and you're limited as to what you can do, like just basic restaurants. There are places up here that you haven’t heard of. But once you get used to that and get used to the lifestyle, it's pretty nice up here."