Adam Benák (born 10 April 2007) is a Czech ice hockey centre for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He is eligible for the 2025 NHL entry draft.
| Adam Benák | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93026.jpg) Benák with HC Škoda Plzeň in 2024 | |||
| Born |
10 April 2007 Plzeň, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 157 lb (71 kg; 11 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| USHL team Former teams |
Youngstown Phantoms HC Škoda Plzeň | ||
| NHL draft | Eligible 2025 | ||
Playing career
editBenák entered the Czech under-17 league at 14 years old in the 2021–22 season, scoring 36 goals and 81 points in 48 games before notching a championship-clinching overtime goal in game six of the finals against HC Sparta Praha. The following season, he played 12 under-17 matched and averaged two points per game before earning promotion to the under-20 league. In his first match at the junior level, against BK Mladá Boleslav, he recorded two goals and an assist. After 31 games in his rookie junior season, he had amassed 10 goals and 31 points.[1]
Benák made his professional debut at 16 years old in the 2023–24 season. He spent the preseason at the Czech Extraliga level before being sent back to juniors, where he recorded eight goals and 29 points in 29 games. By the end of the season, he had earned a full-time spot in the Extraliga.[1][2]
After being drafted by the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the fourth round of the 2024 USHL phase II draft, Benák announced he would move to the United States and join the Phantoms for the 2024–25 season.[2] In his debut with the Phantoms, a 4–3 overtime victory over the Tri-City Storm on 19 September 2024, he recorded two assists.[3]
As of August 2024[update], Benák is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft, though there are concerns about his diminutive height of 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m).[4][5]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Czech Republic
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
 |
2023 Slovakia/Czech Republic | |
| |
2024 Canada | |
Benák attended the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge with the Czech under-17 team. In the final match before their elimination, a 7–5 loss to Canada Black, Benák scored a Michigan goal with less than three minutes left in the game. The Czechs went winless at the event, losing five games in regulation and earning their lone standings point from an overtime loss.[6]
Representing the Czech Republic at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as a 16-year-old, one year younger than most of the competition, Benák totaled two goals and ten points over five games, breaking the record for points by an underage player (three) and points by a Czech player (seven). The Czechs made it to the finals before dropping 3–2 in overtime to Canada.[7]
Entering the 2024 World U18 Championship with high expectations, Benák did not live up to his hype.[8] In five games before a quarterfinal elimination at the hands of Slovakia, he tallied one goal and three points.[9][10]
The only returning Czech player the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Benák claimed the tournament's career scoring record with a hat-trick plus two assists for a five point performance against Germany in the second game of the event. He would finish his second Hlinka tournament second in scoring with four goals and 11 points, for a career total of six goals and 21 points. For the second straight year, the Czechs claimed silver with a loss to Canada in the finals.[11][12]
Personal life
editBenák is the son of former Czech Extraliga defenceman Václav Benák.[13] He first ice skated at two years old, and played youth hockey in Pardubice and Sokolov before moving to Plzeň in fifth grade.[1]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Škoda Plzeň | CZE U20 | 30 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | HC Škoda Plzeň | CZE U20 | 29 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | HC Škoda Plzeň | ELH | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Czech Extraliga totals | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Czech Republic | U17 | 7th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Czech Republic | HG18 | 
|
5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Czech Republic | U17 | 4th | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Czech Republic | U18 | 6th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Czech Republic | HG18 |
|
5 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 29 | 13 | 25 | 28 | 8 | ||||
References
edit- ^ a b c Štěrba, Jakub (19 May 2024). "Snad mi získané zkušenosti v příští sezóně pomůžou, přeje si Adam Benák" (in Czech). HC Škoda Plzeň. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b Sikes, Ryan (4 July 2024). "2025 NHL Draft Prospect Adam Benák Commits To Youngstown Phantoms For 2024-25 Season". The Hockey News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Sikes, Ryan (19 September 2024). "2024 USHL Fall Classic: Tri-City Storm vs. Youngstown Phantoms Standouts and Top Performers". The Hockey News. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Doerrie, Rachel (16 August 2024). "2025 NHL draft prospect watch list: Hagens, Misa, more". ESPN. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Punturi, Jacob (7 August 2024). "Top 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Shines at Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Schram, Carol (12 November 2022). "Canada Red To Challenge USA For Gold In World U-17 Final". The Hockey News. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Poláček, Daniel (7 August 2023). ""Největší talent od Pastrňáka." Z české senzace jsou u vytržení i v zámoří". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Ferrari, Tony (1 May 2024). "U-18 World Championship Quarterfinals: Standout Prospects and What to Expect". The Hockey News. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "U18: Češi končí na MS ve čtvrtfinále, prohráli se Slovenskem" (in Czech). Czech Ice Hockey Association. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Player Statistics by Team". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Derek (10 August 2024). "Hlinka Gretzky Cup points record means nothing to Adam Benák without the win". The Hockey News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Gagne, Ryan (13 August 2024). "Humble NHL Draft Prospect Adam Benak Breaks Hlinka Gretzky Cup Record, Wins Second Silver". The Hockey News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Sopr, Karel (30 August 2023). "Šestnáctiletý Benák už pálí ostrými za áčko Škodovky". Plzeňský deník (in Czech). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database