Back in June, the Minnesota Wild used one of the fourth-round pick they acquired in the Frederick Gaudreau trade with the Seattle Kraken to draft a player regarded as one of the most talented playmakers in the draft. Adam Benak was selected with the 102nd pick after a season in the USHL where he netted 59 points (17 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games for the Youngstown Phantoms. In his first taste of competition while wearing the Wild uniform, he showed why they drafted him as he put up three assists in Minnesota's 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Down 2-0 in the first, but on the power play, Benak started the play along the right boards. He faked a charge to the slot, which drew a couple of Blues defenders to him. That gave him a lane to pass down low to Matthew Sop. The AHL free agent sent the puck to Zeev Buium, who whipped it into the net.
A few minutes later, Benak picked up his second secondary assist of the night as he fired a cross-ice pass to Ryan McGuire. The former Northwestern forward slung it quickly back to Sop on the right post and he stuffed it home. Benak completed his hat trick of assists on the Wild's fourth goal as he fed the puck down low to Sop. The initial shot was stopped, but McGuire was there to put home the rebound.
Following the game, Greg Cronin, who is behind the bench for the showcase, summed it up quite well,
"He was terrific."
The Iowa Wild coach later agreed with a reporter's assessment that Benak was like a "dog on a bone" all night long as he chased the puck all over the ice. Aside from his playmaking ability, the 18-year-old's tenacity and work ethic are among his top traits, and part of the reason the Wild were more than happy to see him available in the fourth round.
Why exactly was a player who averaged more than a point a game in the USHL as a 17-year-old available after 100 players had already been selected? Simply put, it's because he's 5'8" and 163 lbs. While the skill is there, there is some question as to if he can continue to produce as his competition gets bigger.
In his recap of the Wild's draft, The Athletic's Corey Pronmen noted the following,
"On a pure talent level, he checks the boxes. He’s a legit 5-foot-7, though, and despite his offense, there is a major question about whether he’s special enough at that size to make it. He competes hard and does what he can to win battles despite his size, but it will be a major challenge for him in the NHL."Corey Pronman
While the NHL has begun to embrace smaller players (Connor Bedard is generously listed at 5'10" while Cole Caufield is 5'8") there is still a need for a player that size to constantly prove he belongs on the ice. And while Benak has shown flashes of exceptional offensive skill in his career, he has a ways to go to reach the Bedard and Caufield levels of consistent output.
The Plzen, Czechia native knows that, and he is focused on improving his game this season. He's heading to the OHL and will be skating with the Brantford Bulldogs as he works to earn his pro contract. The competition will be a step for him, and some of the passes and plays that he was able to get away with in the USHL won't be there against the bigger, faster defenders in Canadien junior hockey.
Benak still has some maturing to do as a hockey player, and it's likely that he won't be ready for the NHL for at least a couple of seasons, but, in his first game against players with professional experience, he looked like he belonged.