The Canadian left wing has enjoyed his month in Dunedin so much he is thinking about extending his stay.
He came over with his partner Athena Loukas and the couple have been charmed by their new surrounds.
But the newly minted 26-year-old — he celebrated his birthday yesterday — will not be doing any sightseeing this weekend.
The Thunder are hosting back-to-back games against the Swarm and the home team badly need a breakthrough win.
They have been competitive but have not been able to squeeze out a win against who shape as the two best teams in the league.
They followed back-to-back losses to the Stampede with a 6-1 and a 6-4 loss to the Swarm in Botany in May, but Beckstead believes his side has made the necessary improvements.
"Obviously we haven’t got the results we’ve wanted but we’ve been right in every game," he said.
"If you look at the games we’ve played it has been against two of the more experienced teams. But we are competing really hard and, going forward, I think we’ve dealt with a lot of the issues that we were having on the ice."
The systems and structures the team had put in place took some time to bed in, Beckstead explained.
"But I think everyone is starting to pull in the same direction now, so I’m excited to see what product we put out on the ice this weekend."
The key, Beckstead said, was to play an up-tempo game.
"We’ve got to play into what works for us. The Swarm are an older team ... and we tend to be a younger team.
"I think we skate better than them and we can carry the pace of play better with our legs. We’ve just got to rely on what works best for us."
Beckstead grew up in Morrisburg, Ontario. It is small village of about 2400 people.
Beckstead’s father built a ice rink in the backyard and that is where he honed his hockey skills along his older brother Marc.
The pair played professionally in France last year for Caen.
"It was amazing getting to play professional hockey with my brother. We are super close and, with him being three years older, we never got the opportunity to play together.
"So when we were both offered a contract by the same club it was a no-brainer. He has always been my role model so it was really nice to see how he carried himself day in and day out as a professional athlete.
"I learned a lot from that and also there were a lot of laughs."
It was his first professional gig. The Thunder made contact towards the end of his stint in France and he was keen to keep himself busy during the off season in Europe.
"It is a great way to stay on the ice and keep playing hockey ... and explore the world.
"It is an absolutely beautiful country here. When my partner and I arrived we were thinking it might only be a four-month thing and we’d go back and get a contract to play professionally.
"But honestly, I think we are going to settle down here for a little bit.
"Everything has fallen into place for us."
