F Adam Benák - Youngstown Phantoms, USHL (2025 Draft)

[martygod12]

Damn why does he always end up in a shit team lol? Last year he was in Plzen which was utter terrible in the first half of the season, now Phantoms are almost last in the league with only 2 goals scored per game.

 

[Voodoozz]

That backhand pass.

 

[martygod12]

Last three games without points, dejavu from last season lol? Amazing Hlinkas, then go to play for a shit club and periodicaly fading through the season and finish it with terrible U18 WCH?

I sincerely hope not, but its scary how similar it is so far

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Last three games without points, dejavu from last season lol? Amazing Hlinkas, then go to play for a shit club and periodicaly fading through the season and finish it with terrible U18 WCH?

I sincerely hope not, but its scray how similar it is so far

Benak has difficultly managing the size and physicality of the league. He has the ability to make great plays out there, but he gets knocked off the puck quite a lot. The USHL is a physical league and he absolutely struggles with that.

With his play style, I’m not sure if he’ll be able to overcome the deficit in his size to play professional hockey in North America. Don’t get me wrong, his team is not good, but I just haven’t seen a player I would touch in the first round out of him.

 

[OilersFanatics505]

Benak has difficultly managing the size and physicality of the league. He has the ability to make great plays out there, but he gets knocked off the puck quite a lot. The USHL is a physical league and he absolutely struggles with that.

With his play style, I’m not sure if he’ll be able to overcome the deficit in his size to play professional hockey in North America. Don’t get me wrong, his team is not good, but I just haven’t seen a player I would touch in the first round out of him.

I wouldn’t touch him until the 3rd round at best. Probably 5th if this pace continues. He has the talent but will get demolished in the NHL.

 

[jtechkid]

issue with him he will not play center in the nhl and doesn’t look like has tools to play the wall very effective - like somebody pointed out Swanson at fargo last year completely demolished ushl and went in the last round . benak great player for age group but risk/ reward no chance first round

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I’m sure he’ll start scoring better at some point. But I think first round is pretty much over, and now he just has to focus on making sure he gets drafted and improving his game.

He’s shown some areas he’ll need to improve on to make the NHL. He can make it at his height, but a player as skilled as him should be playing better and what @MichaelFarrell suggests will go a long way towards whether he succeeds or busts.

Not easy for a 17 year old kid to move to a new country. That’s another challenge, and might be contributing to some of the struggles.

 

[Bonin21]

Since CHL players will be able to play college hockey, I wonder if he'll be able to if he wants to next season after playing Pro in Europe. Time to get rid of that rule.

 

[JadedRandom]

Benak has difficultly managing the size and physicality of the league. He has the ability to make great plays out there, but he gets knocked off the puck quite a lot. The USHL is a physical league and he absolutely struggles with that.

With his play style, I’m not sure if he’ll be able to overcome the deficit in his size to play professional hockey in North America. Don’t get me wrong, his team is not good, but I just haven’t seen a player I would touch in the first round out of him.

I agree.

I just don't see the size/smarts/skill combo in Benak's game to project well as a small offensive player in the NHL. He is certainly no Cameron Schmidt in that aspect.

So yeah, Benak is interesting as a prospect, but I don't think he should be a consideration for an NHL team until at minimum the late second-round.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I agree.

I just don't see the size/smarts/skill combo in Benak's game to project well as a small offensive player in the NHL. He is certainly no Cameron Schmidt in that aspect.

So yeah, Benak is interesting as a prospect, but I don't think he should be a consideration for an NHL team until at minimum the late second-round.

Schmidt won't be under consideration until that territory either.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Schmidt won't be under consideration until that territory either.

You’re probably correct. But, Schmidt is a top 15 talent. Schmidt is a true offensive threat every time he steps on the ice and his deficiency in size doesn’t hinder his game one bit. Schmidt’s skill and play style is able to compensate. To me Schmidt is a lot like DeBrincat.

When I look at players like Benak and Mooney (both players I view as having similar issues), the risks associated with drafted them are astronomically higher than with Schmidt. Don’t get me wrong, I have some issues with Schmidt’s game, but you can see a path to professional success.

Frankly, I’m not sure if I see a path to the NHL at this point for Benak or Mooney at all.

 

[JadedRandom]

Schmidt won't be under consideration until that territory either.

I disagree. I think Schmidt has some elite tools in his arsenal that will preclude him from falling too far in the draft, which isn't the case for Benak in my opinion.

I have buddies that watch a lot of WHL, and they told me to pay attention to Schmidt given what they saw in early October. I did, and I came away absolutely mind-blown.

The level of toolset Cameron Schmidt displays is completely wild despite the diminutive frame. I genuinely think that with only average size he'd be a definite top-10 if not top-5 pick this year.

The simple fact of the matter is that Schmidt's skill level is through the roof, he skates for days, shoots extremely well, finds holes in coverages at a borderline-elite level, doesn't back down despite obvious size limitations, anticipates plays well...

Basically, it will be a mistake if Schmidt falls to the second-round. The same type of mistake that saw Stankoven and DeBrincat fall as wingers in their respective draft years.

But what I think will ultimately help Cameron Schmidt's case as a prospect, and preclude him from falling out of the first-round is the borderline-elite skating and escapability that he displays every game out there for the Giants.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

You’re probably correct. But, Schmidt is a top 15 talent. Schmidt is a true offensive threat every time he steps on the ice and his deficiency in size doesn’t hinder his game one bit. Schmidt’s skill and play style is able to compensate. To me Schmidt is a lot like DeBrincat.

When I look at players like Benak and Mooney (both players I view as having similar issues), the risks associated with drafted them are astronomically higher than with Schmidt. Don’t get me wrong, I have some issues with Schmidt’s game, but you can see a path to professional success.

Frankly, I’m not sure if I see a path to the NHL at this point for Benak or Mooney at all.

I'd rank them Schmidt, Mooney, Benak for now. Still only November 3rd, so maybe I'll change my mind.

Think Schmidt ends up a 2nd rounder. Mooney probably 3rd, but if he overcomes the injury and can put up good numbers 2nd isn't impossible. Benak is probably round 4 or 5 at this point. I think someone will take him, but if he doesn't get going soon he might challenge that and be pushed to 6th or 7th round.

Basically, it will be a mistake if Schmidt falls to the second-round. The same type of mistake that saw Stankoven and DeBrincat fall as wingers in their respective draft years.

And yet those players fell there. NHL teams don't have time for these types of players in the first round. Add Lane Hutson to the list. Seamus Casey. Plenty of others.

There are few exceptions. If you are shorter than 5'9 (potentially even shorter than 5'10), your chances of going in the first round are nearly zero. Your junior hockey accomplishments become nearly irrelevant, and NHL people think different from us fans.

I've learned this over the years. A lot of the small players I like go much later than I think they should.

 

[wetcoast]

I'd rank them Schmidt, Mooney, Benak for now. Still only November 3rd, so maybe I'll change my mind.

Think Schmidt ends up a 2nd rounder. Mooney probably 3rd, but if he overcomes the injury and can put up good numbers 2nd isn't impossible. Benak is probably round 4 or 5 at this point. I think someone will take him, but if he doesn't get going soon he might challenge that and be pushed to 6th or 7th round.


And yet those players fell there. NHL teams don't have time for these types of players in the first round. Add Lane Hutson to the list. Seamus Casey. Plenty of others.

There are few exceptions. If you are shorter than 5'9 (potentially even shorter than 5'10), your chances of going in the first round are nearly zero. Your junior hockey accomplishments become nearly irrelevant, and NHL people think different from us fans.

I've learned this over the years. A lot of the small players I like go much later than I think they should.

I gave you a like but don't entirely agree.

 

[LeProspector]

Crazy some people thought this guy was going first round. People can’t read draft trends. On top of that, he is struggling to produce offensively.

At this point, he is trending to be a late pick, or worse, undrafted.

 

[Voodoozz]

Crazy some people thought this guy was going first round. People can’t read draft trends. On top of that, he is struggling to produce offensively.

At this point, he is trending to be a late pick, or worse, undrafted.

There's like 50 reg. season games left lol. Also, a strong showing at the U18s/U20s can help Benak massively. My guess is a 3rd as of now, he's too much of a long term project to be drafted first round. But I'm fairly sure we'll see this kid in the show one day.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

There's like 50 reg. season games left lol. Also, a strong showing at the U18s/U20s can help Benak massively. My guess is a 3rd as of now, he's too much of a long term project to be drafted first round. But I'm fairly sure we'll see this kid in the show one day.

How can you be so sure? He’s struggling in a junior hockey league that the majority of top draft eligible prospects are averaging 1PPG+ in. Unless you think the adjustment to a new country is all it is, it would seem there are some serious hockey issues to work out for him and he’s not a guaranteed NHL type of player.

 

[jtechkid]

I watched last night game against Steel . It was tough because Steel defensively are flat out brutal . He has great feet but I still see third - fourth round pick is reality with him .

 

[Voodoozz]

How can you be so sure? He’s struggling in a junior hockey league that the majority of top draft eligible prospects are averaging 1PPG+ in. Unless you think the adjustment to a new country is all it is, it would seem there are some serious hockey issues to work out for him and he’s not a guaranteed NHL type of player.

It's just a guess. I don't think he'll be having a sniff at the NHL until like D+3 or D+4, but he has all the necessary qualities for a player of his height to be succesful in the long run. Some of them seem obvious: through the roof hockey IQ, elite puck skill, excellent skating and agility, high intensity while also being able to slow the game down, ability to fend of hits, pretty strong lower body for his age... But what really does it for me is his attitude towards the game, which is as good as you can get from a young player, a perfect kid to coach, which goes a long way in NA.

Is he there right now? Not even close. Can he get there in 4-5 years as a 22/23 yo pro with experience and strong enough body? With his qualities, I think he absolutely can.

 

[Czechboy]

It's going poorly for sure but I think us Czech guys have seen him look so good that we are assuming this is a slump of some sort. Awful timing obviously. After Galvas, I haven't thought he'd go in round 1 this year. Agree with Voodooz.. I think he gets drafted and eventually makes it. We are using the last 2 years of games we've seen him play. Others seem to be looking at his height and stats from the USHL. In fairness, I haven't seen one USHL game and won't see him till Xmas (if he makes the team) or U18's (where we always suck).

 

[martygod12]

Plus Phantoms are just terrible so far, last two games were probably first where they score some goals at least. Sure he should have been more productive after the Hlinka hype, but he is still most productive player on the team. That the team is bad and dont score is kinda beyond of what one player can do.

His size is restricting him surely, and I think USHL and Phantoms wasnt the right move for him, he should have go to CHL somewhere, or possibly Finland, Sweden.

But if he has a good WJC and U18 he will definitely be drafted no problem.

 

[jtechkid]

Agree - he need be on a high end loaded team for this year . in addition , phantoms had Morin leave and looks not a great team this year puts him in tough spot .

 

[Czechboy]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1858308503246442756

I wanted more obviously but he's not shitting the bed.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Since CHL players will be able to play college hockey, I wonder if he'll be able to if he wants to next season after playing Pro in Europe. Time to get rid of that rule.

He can play in the NCAA after playing European Pro IF he did not sign a pro contract and just played as an affiliate player. If so, the NCAA has recently allowed Tom Willander to play after serving a short suspension, but that's more of a spin of the wheel of discipline lol.

 

[Bonin21]

He can play in the NCAA after playing European Pro IF he did not sign a pro contract and just played as an affiliate player. If so, the NCAA has recently allowed Tom Willander to play after serving a short suspension, but that's more of a spin of the wheel of discipline lol.

Benak played 18 games though so can't imagine he gets any less punishment than Willander...