New Jersey Devils' Draft Target Profile: Adam Benák

The first part of a series deep-diving potential second-round targets for the New Jersey Devils.

In my last piece, I wrote about how the Devils shouldn’t have draft picks in the first three rounds for the foreseeable future and should instead spend those future assets on acquiring NHL-ready, impact pieces that can help the team now. They’re an aspiring Cup contender, and there’s no sense in having to wait for prospects to bloom into being ready for the big leagues if they can chip away at their current needs and round out their roster by trading draft picks away.

With that said, though, there is a chance the Devils keep one or both of their second-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft. I’ve been spending some time scouting a few names that I think would be worthwhile investments in the latter half of the round. The Devils are in possession of their own second (~50th Overall) and Winnipeg’s second (~64th Overall). The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is creeping up, with the Devils’ selections being on Saturday, June 28.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to deep-dive into potential targets the Devils could have on their draft boards and what I think of them. To start it off, I’m going to delve into one of my favorite 2025 eligible prospects, Adam Benák. The 5’7 center is a legitimate game-breaking talent who, though originally projected to go in the latter half of the first round, has slipped a bit by virtue of his size. Draft pundits have him ranked around the #45 slot, with rankings having him anywhere from #32 overall (Recruit Scouting) to the 58th-ranked North American skater (NHL Central).

Me, personally? I’d have him in the mid-first round — I think he’s that good. His toolkit is elite, and he’s as hardworking as Logan Stankoven is. He’s going to be a stud, there’s no doubt in my mind.

With all that said, let’s deep-dive Benák’s toolkit:

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Statistical Profile

Outside of his toolkit, Benák’s statistical profile is pretty immaculate, particularly when it comes to high-stakes tournaments, where he has absolutely carried the Czechian National Team. In the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he holds the all-time points record with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) across 10 games. Second-place all-time has just 15 points — it’s not even close.

Benák, a rookie in the USHL this season, led his team in points, with 59 in 56 games. He was awarded a nomination to the USHL Second All-Star Team and was a finalist for USHL Rookie of the Year.

via Byron Bader (www.HockeyProspecting.com)

It’s a pretty pristine repertoire for a player now projected for the second round. As per Byron Bader’s model, Benák has a 22% chance to become a star player — one who averages more than 0.7 points per game. His size neuters his NHLer probability on the model, but it’s encouraging to see that his star probability and NHLer probability are quite close in value — the ideology there is that if he makes it to the show despite his size, he’s probably going to be a legit point-producer.

I’m of the opinion that he’s going to will himself to the big leagues by proxy of his phenomenal tools, which I can’t wait to delve into.

Skating

Benák has the skating one would expect out of a highly-touted, 5’7 forward. He’s explosive from a standstill, reaching his top speed in just a few strides. His straight-line speed is much faster than his peers, being able to motor right past defenders skating backwards without much of a fight. His edges, too, are unsurprisingly strong.

With his skating, Benák can beat defenders one-on-one without much of a problem. He can, and has, taken on multiple defenders and blown right by them en route to a scoring chance. He’s surprisingly sturdy on his feet, too, using power moves on occasion to create high-danger opportunities for himself or his teammates.

Shooting

I think Benák’s shot is actually a bit underrated, or at the very least underutilized. Benák relies more on his otherworldly playmaking abilities (which I’ll get into shortly), instead opting to thread pucks to high-danger areas of the ice rather than getting a shot off himself.

Benák has a quick release, and he can change the angle of approach on his shots with ease, fooling goaltenders at a higher level than his goal production would have you believe. His one-timer isn’t particularly impressive, but he won’t need to use that in his game very much as more of a facilitator than a sniper.

I do want to see Benák use his shot more, as I believe it will only add to his deadliness as a playmaker if goalies and defenses are also hyper-aware of the threat of the shot. It’s a small adjustment to make in the grand scheme of things, and one that will go a long way in making him that game-breaking offensive talent he can be.

Puck Skills

Benák’s hands, while not his greatest attribute, are still quite good. His lateral movement with the puck on his stick is superb, with a wide array of dekes to go along with it.

More impressive than the dekes themselves are his ability to pull them out when operating at full speed. Benák has a great sense of the amount of space he takes up and has around him, and uses moves accordingly. Toe drags in tight space, threading pucks through defenders’ legs — it all works out for him because of his awareness of the flow of play.

Oh, yeah. And he can do this:

Playmaking & Hockey IQ

To me, this is the strongest part of Benák’s game by far. His smarts are off-the-charts good, and he consistently makes higher-level plays than any of his peers simply because he has the vision to make it work. No-look passes, plays from behind the net, passes through obscene amounts of traffic; you name it, and Benák can do it.

There are times — most times, to be honest — where you’re watching Benák play and it seems as though the game is happening in slow-motion for him. He’s constantly one or two steps ahead of everyone on the ice, identifying developing plays at a higher level than almost any prospect I’ve ever seen. When you’re operating at such a high level from a hockey IQ perspective, the game just comes easily to you, and that’s truer for Benák than 99% of players in the 2025 Draft.

The most impressive bit of business for Benák is his innate ability to get passes through in high-danger areas of the ice, particularly cross-crease passes from at or below the goal line. Even with coverage doubled up or tightly bound in front of the net, Benák’s passes make it through to their intended recipient. It’s incredible to watch, and it is the most game-breaking part of his play.

Without the puck on his stick, his IQ still remains quite high. Benák positions himself smartly, being able to pounce on free pucks and get into open space for his teammates to easily find him for a Grade A opportunity. He’s opportunistic to be sure, and it all stems from his brain.

Defensive Awareness

Benák’s defensive game is surprisingly mature for a player his size. His high work ethic bleeds into his two-way game, with that tenacity for the puck leading him to inherently push the play to the perimeter of the ice when he’s covering someone who has possession of the puck. His annoying-to-play-against nature is a boon defensively, with an active stick that oozes turnovers.

Benák’s skating ability also leads him to be an asset in recovery — when things go awry, you can count on him to recuperate the play. He truly took a step forward in accepting defensive responsibility and should be regarded as a two-way center more so than just someone who provides a spark when the puck is on his stick. His off-puck play is just as strong defensively as it is in the offensive zone, cutting off plays with smart positioning and an innate understanding of the best route to take in order to stymy the opposition from making the moves they want to make.

Physicality & Size

Obviously, as I’ve noted throughout the scouting report, Benák is quite small (5’7, ~165). There are plenty of examples of players around his height who have succeeded with flying colors in recent memory, though: Cole Caufield, Logan Stankoven, Lane Hutson, Yanni Gourde, Alex DeBrincat, Mats Zuccarello, Cam Atkinson, Jonathan Marchesseault, Brad Marchand, Jared Spurgeon… you get the point. What matters with players of that stature is their compete level and willingness to not only use their shiftiness to their advantage, but play a game bigger than they are. Benák is no exception to this rule.

Benák’s work ethic exceeds all expectations. Sure, he gets knocked off pucks a bit more than the average player, but he is tenacious enough to get the puck right back with a second, third, fourth, fifth effort. He’s incessant. He’s annoying. He’s sticky on the puck and in pursuit. He’s been on the record as saying, “You don’t have to be the biggest guy if you’re the hardest worker.”¹ Benák is exactly the kind of player you want on his team — he has to be that player to defy the odds and become an impact player in the NHL, which he will be.

In many ways, as I’ve mentioned, he’s similar to Logan Stankoven, who also dropped further than he should have by virtue of his size. Both he and Benák work like dogs to get the puck on their sticks on the forecheck, in defensive pursuit, after turnovers, etc. Whoever drafts Benák is going to love, more than anything else, his work ethic — size be damned.

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Adam Benák is one of my favorite players to watch play the sport from the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He’s electric in every sense of the word. His skill level is astronomical, with speed, agility, and playmaking chops better than most in the draft class. The only thing holding him back from being a surefire first-round pick is his size, and it’s going to cause him to slip way, way further down the rankings than he really should. Plus, that aspect of his game is neutralized by how hard a worker he is and how tenacious he plays the game.

I’ve previously dogged the Devils’ drafting for placing too high an emphasis on drafting for positional need instead of picking the best player available, but Benák proves to be the best of both worlds. He’s supremely talented, with some game-breaking ability and the statistical profile to back it up, all the while potentially filling the need the Devils have at center in their pipeline.

In my opinion, if he drops to 50th Overall and the Devils still have their selection, they should be all over it.

1. Scott Wheeler, “Why Adam Benák, one of the 2025 NHL Draft’s smallest prospects, could defy his size,” The Athletic (April 27, 2025).

The three videos sans sound and the video of Benák executing the Michigan are all via Czech Prospects (@CZprospects) on Twitter/X. The other two videos were clipped by me.