<p>The Calgary Flames and Czech players haven&#8217;t found much common ground over the years at the NHL Draft. In fact, Calgary hasn&#8217;t selected a Czech player since 2002, when they took Jiri Cetkovsky in the fifth round.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
<p>This time around the Flames could opt to end this unique drought of Czech draftees, by drafting the offensively dynamic Adam Benak early on day two of the Draft.</p>
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
<p>Benák, a native of Plzen, Czechia, is a left-shot centreman standing at 5&#8217;7&#8243; and weighing a little over 160 pounds. Though small in stature he plays a fast-paced, tenacious style of hockey that allows him to take on any defender, nearly all of which possess a significant size advantage over him.</p>
<p>After rising through the ranks of minor hockey in Czechia, Benák debuted in his country&#8217;s top league, Czech Extraliga, where he played for his hometown Plzen HC. Heading into his draft year this past season, he made the move over to North American play by way of the USHL, taking a similar route to many other draft-eligible European skaters.</p>
<p>Despite lacking the physical characteristics of a centreman, Benák played down the middle this season for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. However, his low face-off percentage and small frame raise questions as to whether he&#8217;ll be able to play centre at the NHL level.</p>
<p>Benák&#8217;s one of the more intriguing players in the 2025 class and owns a couple of unofficial superlatives. He&#8217;s maybe the smallest player and also potentially the best skater available in the draft.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Two minutes of Adam Benák group stage highlights from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.</p>
<p>Consistently driving play, pushing the pace and creating offence through his intelligence and quickness. Really excited to see what he can do during the medal round. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2025NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2025NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/6UywHLC3CO">pic.twitter.com/6UywHLC3CO</a></p>
<p>— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) <a href="https://twitter.com/lassialanen/status/1821894201094889909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p>What really stands out in Benák&#8217;s tape aside from his tremendous skating, is an incredibly high IQ. His ability to see the play and identify passing lanes most others can&#8217;t, helped him accrue the second most assists in the USHL in 2024-25. Additionally, according to scouts, he has a strong shot that he underutilizes due to his &#8216;pass-first&#8217; mentality.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6194607/2025/03/25/nhl-draft-prospects-2025-rankings-top-64/">The Athletic&#8217;s Scott Wheeler</a> had this to say on Benák.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Benak is tiny but he’s also one of the best skaters and smartest forwards in the draft and the more I’ve watched him and asked around about him the more inclined I’ve been to trust he has a real chance to defy the odds of his size. His skating, skill and smarts all get very high marks, with a standout quickness from a standstill that matches his quick reads of the ice.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<h2>The numbers</h2>
<p>Benák got his first crack at pro hockey in the 2023-24 season in Czech Extraliga, playing for Plzen HC, he logged 18 games and registered two assists as a 17-year-old.</p>
<p>He also led Czechia to back-to-back silver medals at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023 and 2024. Benák boasted 21 points over those two tournaments and broke the all-time scoring record by an astounding six points.</p>
<p>Benák journeyed across the pond for his first draft-eligible campaign to play for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL this past season. His move was a success, leading the Phantoms in scoring. He put up 17 goals and 42 assists for a total of 59 points in 56 games while adding three assists in three playoff contests.</p>
<p>His draft ranking varies from the mid-30s to late-50s depending on the outlet, with NHL Central Scouting being the lowest on him, slotting him in at 58th on their North American skaters board.</p>
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
<p>Though he may be better suited as a winger in the NHL based on several factors, his experience at centre is at least worth something for a Flames team that is fairly anemic down the middle of the ice. But if he were drafted by Calgary it likely won&#8217;t be for his two-way game, instead, it&#8217;s his elite playmaking abilities that make him an attractive prospect.</p>
<p>Benák is already a polished distributor and possesses an uncharacteristically heavy shot for his size, long story short, he could be an asset for the struggling Flames&#8217; power play unit. He projects to be a middle-six scorer with a touch of upside and an inherent ability to create on the power play. His outstanding skating, vision and puck handling make him a threat off the rush, which is another area Calgary must improve in.</p>
<p>Size is of course a concern, but the Flames already have an abundance of experience drafting and developing undersized forwards into superstar status. Plus, there&#8217;s no shortage of success stories regarding small players in the league today, as recent as Logan Stankoven and Lane Hutson.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a good chance Benák is available at <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/07/a-history-of-the-54th-overall-pick-the-flames-second-round-pick-in-the-2025-draft/">Calgary&#8217;s second-round selection at 54th overall</a>, and his size could dictate an even further slide <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/11/a-history-of-the-80th-overall-pick-the-flames-third-round-pick-in-the-2025-draft/">into the third round</a>. By buying the size dip, the Flames could get back into the Czech market and further diversify their prospect pool.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365:</strong></p>
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The Calgary Flames and Czech players haven't found much common ground over the years at the NHL Draft. In fact, Calgary hasn't selected a Czech player since 2002, when they took Jiri Cetkovsky in the fifth round.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
This time around the Flames could opt to end this unique drought of Czech draftees, by drafting the offensively dynamic Adam Benak early on day two of the Draft.
<h2>Scouting report</h2>
Benák, a native of Plzen, Czechia, is a left-shot centreman standing at 5'7" and weighing a little over 160 pounds. Though small in stature he plays a fast-paced, tenacious style of hockey that allows him to take on any defender, nearly all of which possess a significant size advantage over him.

After rising through the ranks of minor hockey in Czechia, Benák debuted in his country's top league, Czech Extraliga, where he played for his hometown Plzen HC. Heading into his draft year this past season, he made the move over to North American play by way of the USHL, taking a similar route to many other draft-eligible European skaters.

Despite lacking the physical characteristics of a centreman, Benák played down the middle this season for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. However, his low face-off percentage and small frame raise questions as to whether he'll be able to play centre at the NHL level.

Benák's one of the more intriguing players in the 2025 class and owns a couple of unofficial superlatives. He's maybe the smallest player and also potentially the best skater available in the draft.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Two minutes of Adam Benák group stage highlights from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.</p>
Consistently driving play, pushing the pace and creating offence through his intelligence and quickness. Really excited to see what he can do during the medal round. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2025NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2025NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/6UywHLC3CO">pic.twitter.com/6UywHLC3CO</a>

— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) <a href="https://twitter.com/lassialanen/status/1821894201094889909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
What really stands out in Benák's tape aside from his tremendous skating, is an incredibly high IQ. His ability to see the play and identify passing lanes most others can't, helped him accrue the second most assists in the USHL in 2024-25. Additionally, according to scouts, he has a strong shot that he underutilizes due to his 'pass-first' mentality.

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6194607/2025/03/25/nhl-draft-prospects-2025-rankings-top-64/">The Athletic's Scott Wheeler</a> had this to say on Benák.
<blockquote>"Benak is tiny but he’s also one of the best skaters and smartest forwards in the draft and the more I’ve watched him and asked around about him the more inclined I’ve been to trust he has a real chance to defy the odds of his size. His skating, skill and smarts all get very high marks, with a standout quickness from a standstill that matches his quick reads of the ice."</blockquote>
<h2>The numbers</h2>
Benák got his first crack at pro hockey in the 2023-24 season in Czech Extraliga, playing for Plzen HC, he logged 18 games and registered two assists as a 17-year-old.

He also led Czechia to back-to-back silver medals at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023 and 2024. Benák boasted 21 points over those two tournaments and broke the all-time scoring record by an astounding six points.

Benák journeyed across the pond for his first draft-eligible campaign to play for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL this past season. His move was a success, leading the Phantoms in scoring. He put up 17 goals and 42 assists for a total of 59 points in 56 games while adding three assists in three playoff contests.

His draft ranking varies from the mid-30s to late-50s depending on the outlet, with NHL Central Scouting being the lowest on him, slotting him in at 58th on their North American skaters board.
<h2>Availability and fit</h2>
Though he may be better suited as a winger in the NHL based on several factors, his experience at centre is at least worth something for a Flames team that is fairly anemic down the middle of the ice. But if he were drafted by Calgary it likely won't be for his two-way game, instead, it's his elite playmaking abilities that make him an attractive prospect.

Benák is already a polished distributor and possesses an uncharacteristically heavy shot for his size, long story short, he could be an asset for the struggling Flames' power play unit. He projects to be a middle-six scorer with a touch of upside and an inherent ability to create on the power play. His outstanding skating, vision and puck handling make him a threat off the rush, which is another area Calgary must improve in.

Size is of course a concern, but the Flames already have an abundance of experience drafting and developing undersized forwards into superstar status. Plus, there's no shortage of success stories regarding small players in the league today, as recent as Logan Stankoven and Lane Hutson.

There's a good chance Benák is available at <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/07/a-history-of-the-54th-overall-pick-the-flames-second-round-pick-in-the-2025-draft/">Calgary's second-round selection at 54th overall</a>, and his size could dictate an even further slide <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/11/a-history-of-the-80th-overall-pick-the-flames-third-round-pick-in-the-2025-draft/">into the third round</a>. By buying the size dip, the Flames could get back into the Czech market and further diversify their prospect pool.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365:</strong>
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