Adam Benak is an 18-year-old left-shooting center from Plzen, Czechia, who is projected to be drafted around the middle of the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the 2024-25 season playing for the Youngstown Phantoms, where he scored 17 goals and 42 assists over 56 games. He also played for the Czechia U18 World Junior Championship team over four games with two goals and five assists.
Draft Position
#47 Inside The Rink
#39 TSN Bob McKenzie
#58 NHL Central Scouting North American Skaters
Diving Deeper
Hockey IQ
Adam Benak is a smaller player with very high skill, and he led his national team offensively throughout the four games he played with them. He demonstrates a great deal of determination, possesses elite stick-handling skills, and is a strong, quick skater who confidently battles larger, opposing players for the puck. Benak excels in straight, East/West skating with strong edge-work; he tends to skate through traffic with ease, utilizing his vision and playmaking skills to find teammates.
Areas to Improve
Like most younger prospects, Benak’s stature could hinder his chance of being drafted higher than the second round despite his skill. Aside from that, the few things he could work on are his overall defensive game and shooting, rather than passing to teammates.
Final Thoughts
Adam Benak could turn out to be a success story similar to Logan Stankoven or Conor Garland, but it will take hard work and determination. Improving his defensive game, honing in his offensive skill set and shooting the puck more will take him far in his career. However, he could certainly slot into an NHL team in the middle to bottom six with his current skill set.
ITR 49: For Real This Time – Inside The Rink
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