Kamil Bednarik 2024 NHL Draft Profile

It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Next up for us is American centre Kamil Bednarik. Bednarik plays for the US National Team Development Program in the USHL, and projects as a mid-late 2nd round pick.

Who is Kamil Bednarik?

PLAYER	POSITION	HANDEDNESS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	AVG TOI
Kamil Bednarik	C	L	6’0″	185 lbs	15:28

Bednarik’s On-Ice Production

YEAR	DRAFT RELATIVE	LEAGUE	TEAM	GP	G	A	P
2021–22	D-2	16U AAA	New Jersey Rockets 16U AAA	76	44	48	92
		NEPACK 16U	New Jersey Rockets 16U AAA	16	9	4	13
2022–23	D-1	NTDP	U.S. National U17	61	20	24	44
		USHL	USNTDP Juniors	39	13	17	30
		WHC-17	USA U17	7	3	2	5
2023–24	D+0	NTDP	U.S. National U18	61	26	39	65
		USHL	USNTDP Juniors	27	11	19	30
		WJC-18	USA U18	7	2	4	6

Playing with one of the top-end programs in North American Junior A and representing one’s country at a multitude of tournaments bodes well for the future of the young Bednarik.

Born May 26, 2006, in Elmhurst, Illinois, Bednarik has jumped on the radar of NHL scouts after playing with the US National Team Development Program U17 and U18 teams after being selected by the program in their 2022 NTDP Evaluation Camp. He has made an impact on the league, as this past 2023–24 season the young Illinois forward has been over a point per game.

In part, this point production mixed in with his two-way impact led to his selection to the American WJC U18 roster, where he appeared in seven games putting up six points. National appearances are nothing new for Bednarik as he was also selected for the American U17 squad. The centre has elected to go to Boston University men’s hockey team starting in the 2024–25 season.

Bednarik plays the game of a defensively responsible high motor two-way forward, who flashes elements of playmaking and offensive chance generation.

Bednarik’s Strengths

Defensive Instincts

Bednarik’s style is defined by his two way game through excellent stick work, quality play anticipation, and top notch exertion of defensive pressure.

The first notable aspect of Bednarik’s play is his high-end motor and compete level mixed in with his stick positioning. Be it in transition or zone play, Bednarik’s stick rarely stays still, as the American is constantly scanning which enables him to position his stick to block a lane, nullify a passing option, or intercept passes. In transition, his hustle on the backcheck shows his full commitment to good defensive positioning.

This positioning isn’t the whole story, as from the start of his shift to the end of it, Bednarik displays high-end spacial awareness that allows him to anticipate defensive and offensive plays one or two steps ahead of his teammates and opponents. This can make him a huge threat on the forecheck and helps force a ton of turnovers.

Jumping passes, generating turnovers, stick tie ups, and favourable board play means Bednarik is exerting defensive pressure constantly both in transition and in the zone, and he has good defensive poise that is simply advanced compared to players his age.

This poise is especially evident on the penalty kill, as he limits the quality of sustained offensive pressure against, while also limiting the quality of chances against. He’s also very willing to get in to shooting lanes to block shots.

On offence, his physicality allows him to be a net-front threat and push his way to plenty of rebounds and jam-in goals from the slot.

Senses

Bednarik processes in-game developments faster than most others in his age group, giving him advanced defensive awareness, offensive awareness, and play option identification. Part of this offensive awareness is due to the sheer amount of space he creates via body positioning and skating, which makes Bednarik able to showcase his quality hockey IQ.

Bednarik might shine as a premier two-way forward, but in transition, the 2006-born forward shows plenty of upside through an advanced offensive compete level, aggressiveness, and vision.

His vision is particularly noticeable during both the breakout and zone entry, as he serves as a real chance generator off of the rush. His zone facilitation can have flashes of brilliance too, a big reason he starts 52% of his shifts in the offensive zone compared to the 26% of shifts he starts in the defensive zone.

Bednarik’s risk assessment is significantly developed as he makes smart plays both in transition and as a capable zone-facilitator. This decision-making and calmness under pressure is something that doesn’t typically develop until a player ages, so the fact that he already has this ability is a good indication of the transferability of his game to the pros.

Skating

The American centre has overall unproblematic skating mechanics, with notable edgework that makes transitional play much faster, and agility that means he can show top end creativity at points with neutral zone lane creation. This lane creation turns to a straight line to the net, which makes his game more deadly.

Overall, Bednarik plays a very pro-like game as his defensive aptitude, senses, and skating will all translate very well to the NCAA and pro hockey.

Bednarik’s Areas of Improvement

Puck Skills

Where Bednarik has all the senses and facilitating skills to be a capable offensive threat, he does struggle with finding passing lanes and puck skills more generally. This playmaking limitation often leaves a lotto be desired, especially considering he is rarely short of offensive creativity and ideas.

Shooting

The USNTDP forward does have some significant growth here as his shot selection from anywhere outside the slot noticeably lacks, often being blocked or non-competitive. The quality of his shot location, combined with his shot accuracy of 67% is slightly concerning, but he is more of a playmaker than a shooter. The development of a more consistent shot can’t hurt, and he’ll need to improve it to be a real scoring threat.

These puck skills and shooting struggles are not elements of major concern, as the NCAA development pathway, especially at Boston University, gives Bednarik plenty of time to iron these offensive wrinkles out.

Muscle

This is a knock that scouts have on most players of Bednarik’s age, as many of the young draftees are still growing into their frame, and this is no different for the Illinois product. An increase in muscle will help further his physical imposition, making him even more effective around the slot and further increase the power in his skating.

Potential

Bednarik has the elements that make his game very transferable to the professional level. He can be relied on on both the penalty kill and power play, with good instincts, senses, and skating.

Realistically, he could be a quality middle-six forward on an NHL team in the future.

Comparables

Bednarik plays a very similar two-way game with a touch of skating and (untapped ) offensive upside to Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek.

Fit With the Flames

Bednarik could be a staple on the penalty kill and a shutdown centre, serving in a very similar capacity to Mikael Backlund. With his fundamental game and quality faceoff numbers (56% win percentage), he could be the next generation Backlund for the Calgary Flames.

Summary

Risk 2/5

The biggest risk with Bednarik is whether or not the Elmhurst product will be that much of a point producer at the higher levels. In addition, the question remains if his future coach will have enough patience with the player to really let him grow.

Reward 3.5/5

Bednarik has very transferable elements in his game, as he thinks the game well with good senses, can be trusted to be a stable defensive presence, and has capable enough skating and agility to be where he needs to be on the ice. Whichever organization drafts Bednarik is getting a capable, high hockey IQ, shut down, defensive-minded forward with a touch of untapped offensive upside.

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:

Tyler RohlederMay 22, 2024

5 minutes read