Toggle sidebar

C/LW Matthew Beniers - Univ. of Michigan, NCAA (2021, 2nd, SEA)

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
NHL Dude 120 said:
Do you think he’s a first line or 2nd line C center? Bob McKenzie said he projects as a #2C.
Click to expand...

Championship caliber 2C. The question is, is that what you are looking at picking in the top 3 like some project him to go?

I don't hate Beniers, but I still wonder if he's someone you want to take with that high a pick. Although if you are a team with an already elite or future elite 1C and need a 2C maybe he works for you. (Buffalo if they decide to keep Eichel)
 
Juxtaposer said:
In what world is scoring over a point per game as a freshman in the NCAA not scoring much??
Click to expand...

might be the fact he also has 2 other top 10 prospects as teammates right now. Is he still a ppg guy without Johnson and Powers as teammates linemates? his upside is a number 2 centreman and he's one of the top 3 prospects then that really speaks for this draft wow... but we'll see.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Luckylarry
lawrence said:
might be the fact he also has 2 other top 10 prospects as teammates right now. Is he still a ppg guy without Johnson and Powers as teammates linemates? his upside is a number 2 centreman and he's one of the top 3 prospects then that really speaks for this draft wow... but we'll see.
Click to expand...
Speaks more to the evaluation skills of the internet
 
lawrence said:
might be the fact he also has 2 other top 10 prospects as teammates right now. Is he still a ppg guy without Johnson and Powers as teammates linemates? his upside is a number 2 centreman and he's one of the top 3 prospects then that really speaks for this draft wow... but we'll see.
Click to expand...

Most highly-touted NCAA prospects play on good teams with good teammates. Only a handful of schools have the pulling power to bring in players projected in the upper first round, and they're usually going to have a pretty good roster in place. Michigan is kind of unique in that it's freshman class is doing so much of the heavy lifting, which should be encouraging for these prospects if anything.

Personally I'd say that, between Beniers and Johnson, Beniers drives the line with his faceoffs, zone entries, forechecking, puck carrying, and general combativeness. In that sense, I'd say that Johnson benefits more from Beniers than the inverse. But they're really both just great prospects in their own right, I wouldn't worry about a Frk next to Mackinnon and Drouin situation here.

As far as the 2C upside goes, I'm not sure I'd limit him to that. I think he has 1C upside in the vein of guys like Ryan O'Reilly or Sean Couturier, although I don't think either player is a perfect comparison to Beniers stylistically. If he goes top 3 and ends up a good, all-situations 2C, I think that's a fine pick honestly. People overvalue high firsts in my opinion, outside of a McDavid/Eichel year it's pretty rare that the top 5 is littered with can't-miss 1C prospects. I think it's only every three or fours years or so that the first overall is a clear-cut franchise center prospect. Beniers is not that, but he's still a great prospect in his own right.

If folks are curious to what extent Beniers/Johnson/Power benefit from each other, I'd just recommend watching some Michigan replays this year. I think they're available on B1G+.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sergei Shirokov, Martinez and BondraTime
lawrence said:
might be the fact he also has 2 other top 10 prospects as teammates right now. Is he still a ppg guy without Johnson and Powers as teammates linemates? his upside is a number 2 centreman and he's one of the top 3 prospects then that really speaks for this draft wow... but we'll see.
Click to expand...

Sure, those are legit concerns about Beniers. I’m just responding to the claim that he’s not scoring much.
 
lawrence said:
might be the fact he also has 2 other top 10 prospects as teammates right now. Is he still a ppg guy without Johnson and Powers as teammates linemates? his upside is a number 2 centreman and he's one of the top 3 prospects then that really speaks for this draft wow... but we'll see.
Click to expand...

Johnson is a really good NHL prospect, but he's not a dominant NCAA player as an 18 year old. Most top 25 college teams will have at least one or two upperclassman that are as good as him on their top line right now. Just on the wolverines, Bordeleau has been more effective than him this year
 
Saying he is a championship caliber 2C is not a knock. Mike Richards in his prime was a guy who you probably weren't winning a cup with as your 1C but he made the perfect 2C on a great team. There was actually a shift tonight where Beniers looked a lot like prime MR, he won a board battle in his own zone and carried the puck through the neutral zone and was able to get a scoring chance, it wasn't beautiful like a Stutzle carrying the puck, but it was effective. Also Beniers is a bit bigger than MR was, about two inches and probably ends up playing about 15-20 lbs heavier in the NHL.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
I think there are valid offensive concerns. He has tunnel vision handling the puck. I don’t see him as a top six level passer of the puck. I also don’t see any standout offensive skill.
Click to expand...

Flash20 said:
Next Jonathan Toews
Click to expand...

I agree, that is the most valid comparison. Production-wise, in their draft year, very similar, although I'd argue Beniers made more of an impact on his WJC in his draft year than Toews did. I really don't understand the questioning of his upside. A ppg in your draft year in the NCAA is ridiculously good, as is being the #2 center on a gold medal winning WJC team. I mean, most draft eligibles can't even crack Team US or Team Canada, let alone be a pivotal player. His puck possession, zone entries and chances generated at the WJC were terrific.

From an upside perspective, if it is relative to being a #1 overall, I do understand the idea in that context. If you are taking him #1 overall perhaps that is the concern re upside in that he is not a Matthews, Mackinnon or McDavid talent, and not an Eichel either. But to me, there is clear #1 center upside with Toews like production in the 60-70 point range for a sustained period of time while driving the play at both ends. I think who ever grabs him at in the top 5 will be very happy.
 
DrSense said:
I agree, that is the most valid comparison. Production-wise, in their draft year, very similar, although I'd argue Beniers made more of an impact on his WJC in his draft year than Toews did. I really don't understand the questioning of his upside. A ppg in your draft year in the NCAA is ridiculously good, as is being the #2 center on a gold medal winning WJC team. I mean, most draft eligibles can't even crack Team US or Team Canada, let alone be a pivotal player. His puck possession, zone entries and chances generated at the WJC were terrific.

From an upside perspective, if it is relative to being a #1 overall, I do understand the idea in that context. If you are taking him #1 overall perhaps that is the concern re upside in that he is not a Matthews, Mackinnon or McDavid talent, and not an Eichel either. But to me, there is clear #1 center upside with Toews like production in the 60-70 point range for a sustained period of time while driving the play at both ends. I think who ever grabs him at in the top 5 will be very happy.
Click to expand...

Pretty spot on. Beniers isn't the high end scorer like those you mentioned or even a Hughes or Lafreniere but he is a sound two way player who can play in all situations at a high level. To me he is like a Patrice Bergeron.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OgeeOgelthorpe
Gopher13 said:
Pretty spot on. Beniers isn't the high end scorer like those you mentioned or even a Hughes or Lafreniere but he is a sound two way player who can play in all situations at a high level. To me he is like a Patrice Bergeron.
Click to expand...

If you're scaling Beniers I think we can look at his comparables like this.

High end of development: Bergeron, Toews
Meets expectations: ROR, Philly version of Mike Richards
Low end of development: Dylan Larkin, Ryan Kesler, Brayden Schenn

In a year that's looking light on high end talent I'd take this pick in the top 3. And if Detroit wins the lottery I'd flip a coin on whether they get Owen Power or Matt Benier.
 
You can only draft who is available. This is not a strong year so Beniers probably goes high and is judged at a different level then the player he is. Will be a coach’s dream and the type of player every team wants but not necessarily with a top 3 pick.
 
  • Like
Reactions: QJL
I think there's an inherent danger with marking Beniers down as a yearly Selke contender. It reminds me a lot of the discussion that penciled Sanderson in as one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL. The defensive part of the game is a lot harder to pencil someone in as NHL elite when they are still a draft-eligible prospect. It's much easier for the offensive side of the game. The defensive side of the game puts a much bigger emphasis on intangibles, hockey sense, intricacies of the game that are much harder to measure.

This isn't to suggest Beniers can't be a yearly Selke contender. He might, but even the guys who are now yearly Selke contenders weren't good enough to be penciled in for that when they were draft eligible. Otherwise, you aren't drafting Bergeron or ROR in the second round. When you draft Beniers in the spot you do, you have to prepare for the possibility he's merely above-average defensively. Can he justify his draft slot if he never becomes better than above-average defensively?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jc17, Realgud, MNRube and 1 other person
OgeeOgelthorpe said:
If you're scaling Beniers I think we can look at his comparables like this.

High end of development: Bergeron, Toews
Meets expectations: ROR, Philly version of Mike Richards
Low end of development: Dylan Larkin, Ryan Kesler, Brayden Schenn

In a year that's looking light on high end talent I'd take this pick in the top 3. And if Detroit wins the lottery I'd flip a coin on whether they get Owen Power or Matt Benier.
Click to expand...

I’d be shocked if Beniers came close to ROR, Larkin, or Kelser.

I see a peak matching last season’s Anthony Cirelli.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom