Bean is a pure offensive-minded blueliner who is always pushing the offensive pace. He consistently uses his vision to spot teammates and transition the puck at an elite level. He emphasizes being a pass-first defender, although he has the elusiveness and speed to jump up in plays or lead a rush. Scouts like what he can do with his feet. He has a long, powerful skating stride which, on the surface, appears to be slightly clunky and sluggish, especially when accelerating, but he really is moving fast and covering a lot of ice. He resembles a bar of soap in his ability to avoid contact at will. He protects the puck very well and has nifty hands, highlighted by his illustrious passing skill. He processes plays very quickly and makes strong reads off the line to either pull up for a shot or to venture deep into the zone. Bean has a very accurate wrist shot that is consistently on net and he can also uncork a beauty of a one-timer. His shot off the line is usually on net and he makes quick adjustments to make sure that he is able to maximize its effectiveness. He has the puck a lot, but doesn’t get caught over-handling. He’s just as likely to rush the puck as he is to drop a dime of a breakout pass on a streaking teammate’s stick. He isn’t the most physical player or proficient defensively, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue because whenever he gets the puck, it is headed the other way in a hurry. The strength in his game outweighs the deficiencies. He reminds us a little of Erik Karlsson in that aspect. He always has the puck and is always moving forward, which limits the amount of time he has to spend defending.  (May 2016)