C/LW Matthew Beniers - Univ. of Michigan, NCAA (2021, 2nd, SEA)

[Kevin Musto]

Wonder if he rides it out until January or joins the Steel.

The Steel always get so much talent lol.

 

[SergeConstantin74]

 

[William H Bonney]

Would definitely help his draft stock.

 

[SergeConstantin74]

The question is... why would Harvard cancel Fall Sports and not BU or BC?

 

[William H Bonney]

The question is... why would Harvard cancel Fall Sports and not BU or BC?

Different conferences. Kind of like how some NCAA football conferences are planning to only play in conference while others aren't.

Not that I'm hopeful of amateur sports returning unless the US gets its act together on the pandemic, which there's no signs of that happening.

 

[OldScool]

Actually looking at the corona numbers a league like Hockey East has best chance of happening since it’s very little travel and limited to the Northeast.

 

[SergeConstantin74]

Different conferences. Kind of like how some NCAA football conferences are planning to only play in conference while others aren't.

Not that I'm hopeful of amateur sports returning unless the US gets its act together on the pandemic, which there's no signs of that happening.

I hear ya. The pandemic is pretty much under control in Canada and we're not even sure to have CHL hockey this Fall.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He should play for Chicago.

 

[Dux917]

 

[William H Bonney]

Michigan could be a lot of fun to watch this season...if there is one.

 

[bigdog16]

Actually looking at the corona numbers a league like Hockey East has best chance of happening since it’s very little travel and limited to the Northeast.

The ECAC and Hockey East have very similar travel. Both are restricted to the northeast

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Wow- Power, Johnson, and Beniers on the same team would be pretty nutty. That's three guys with top 10 potential next year. Not sure I can even remember the last time a university had three guys in the first round, although maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

 

[93LEAFS]

Wow- Power, Johnson, and Beniers on the same team would be pretty nutty. That's three guys with top 10 potential next year. Not sure I can even remember the last time a university had three guys in the first round, although maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

In the same draft? or just in general?

Toews team in his freshman year has him, Oshie, Brian Lee, and Zajac. Boston University of couple years ago had McAvoy, Fabbro, Oettinger, Kiefer Bellows, and Keller. 4 of them are from the 2016 class, but didn't enter university until after the draft outside of McAvoy. Next years BU team also had 4 first-rounders.

All in one draft entering during their draft year? Can't think of any, takes a really weird set of circumstances for it to happen. As almost all kids with a full NCAA season at their draft date are born in the first 1/3rd of the draft class due to draft cut-off rules, and fast-tracking is quite rare.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

You have to start wondering whose actually going to get ice time, if all these guys are playing for the same team. If Beniers joins, Michigan will be on pace to bring in eight freshmen forwards who all were pretty good junior scorers last year. The way I look at it, Beniers and Johnson are the two kids of the four big time prospects who stand the most chance to not play as much because they are the youngest of the bunch coming in among the eight freshmen forwards. It's not as if Michigan returns 0 players in their group of forwards. They don't return many, only 2 draft picks from what I can tell, but 2 draft picks+8 freshman+2 team captains, and you get about 12 players who might have a claim to real ice time. And let's say one of the hyped freshmen ends up on the 3rd line, are they going to be okay with that?

I really don't understand Beniers decisions here. He was going to attend the prestigious Harvard, and then scrapped that plan so he can try to compete in college hockey in the upcoming months where there's a good chance Michigan won't be playing games or the type of regular schedule they normally would. Why wouldn't he just play another year in the USHL and then go to Harvard the year after? It's not as if he's so far beyond the USHL? If he wanted to change from going to Harvard or couldn't get in, what about the OHL? It's not as if he's going to be playing in the NHL a year from now or going straight to the AHL would be such a good idea for him either.

 

[Corso]

You have to start wondering whose actually going to get ice time, if all these guys are playing for the same team. If Beniers joins, Michigan will be on pace to bring in eight freshmen forwards who all were pretty good junior scorers last year. The way I look at it, Beniers and Johnson are the two kids of the four big time prospects who stand the most chance to not play as much because they are the youngest of the bunch coming in among the eight freshmen forwards. It's not as if Michigan returns 0 players in their group of forwards. They don't return many, only 2 draft picks from what I can tell, but 2 draft picks+8 freshman+2 team captains, and you get about 12 players who might have a claim to real ice time. And let's say one of the hyped freshmen ends up on the 3rd line, are they going to be okay with that?

I really don't understand Beniers decisions here. He was going to attend the prestigious Harvard, and then scrapped that plan so he can try to compete in college hockey in the upcoming months where there's a good chance Michigan won't be playing games or the type of regular schedule they normally would. Why wouldn't he just play another year in the USHL and then go to Harvard the year after? It's not as if he's so far beyond the USHL? If he wanted to change from going to Harvard or couldn't get in, what about the OHL? It's not as if he's going to be playing in the NHL a year from now or going straight to the AHL would be such a good idea for him either.

The USHL may say they are aiming for an October start date but that seems very unrealistic. The league is in the same predicament as everyone else and a December 1st start date is even optimistic. Then there is the Chicago Steel who may not even have a season as the governor of Illinois banned all contact sport until the Spring of 21. So much is in flux right now that I'm sure Bernier's decision making process is changing daily. The OHL has 3 U.S based teams and there is no way that they will be able to start formalizing a schedule as long as the border remains closed and rumor has it that the border will remain closed until January 1st. Who knows, he may end up in the Q as that is the only league that has a reasonable chance to actually start on time.

 

[OldScool]

Since it’s his draft season he will have to play and in a team that will give him minutes to produce as an accelerated freshman (essentially a high school senior). If Michigan is the place (which it seems like it is) it is a weird choice for the reason mentioned above with some many players and one puck. Not sure he gets much out of returning to the USHL as he has played two seasons already. QMJHL and he loses NCAA eligibility and Obviously academics matters to him. Go to Europe and play but once again would be at jr level to keep college eligibility. He is beyond that level. Hockey East teams would be the norm but it’s so late they may not have spots or $$$ to give him. Tough spot and tough choices.

 

[goavsblue8]

Huge get for UM, probably the best college hockey recruiting class ever(based on reputation coming into college). The new staff had been building to this class for awhile as hockey recruiting starts so young. Amazing tidbit is um actually had commitments from Antonio stranges and Cole perfetti at one point in this class too. Expect classes like this for um to be the norm going forward. UM just has stupid good classes in the coming years. UM recruiting tailed off in the late Berenson years because there were retirement rumors for his last 10 years or so. Mel Pearson always was known as an elite recruiter as an assistant and when you add that too Michigans tradition, academic reputation, proximity to talent, national brand (probably the biggest us college brand in Canada too) its going result in monster classes. Few other things, expect um to continue accelerating kids, word is Adam fantilli will be accelerating 2 years and coming to Michigan next year at 16!. UM will be really young and overagers has been the trend for the best success in college hockey but UM will just have insane amounts of talent. Next two years will be interesting combing all that young talent with an elite old college goalie in Strauss Mann.

 

[OldScool]

Huge get for UM, probably the best college hockey recruiting class ever(based on reputation coming into college). The new staff had been building to this class for awhile as hockey recruiting starts so young. Amazing tidbit is um actually had commitments from Antonio stranges and Cole perfetti at one point in this class too. Expect classes like this for um to be the norm going forward. UM just has stupid good classes in the coming years. UM recruiting tailed off in the late Berenson years because there were retirement rumors for his last 10 years or so. Mel Pearson always was known as an elite recruiter as an assistant and when you add that too Michigans tradition, academic reputation, proximity to talent, national brand (probably the biggest us college brand in Canada too) its going result in monster classes. Few other things, expect um to continue accelerating kids, word is Adam fantilli will be accelerating 2 years and coming to Michigan next year at 16!. UM will be really young and overagers has been the trend for the best success in college hockey but UM will just have insane amounts of talent. Next two years will be interesting combing all that young talent with an elite old college goalie in Strauss Mann.

that recipe isn’t a recipe for success in the NCAA . Younger players staying a year or two then leaving. Team is always young and don’t gel. You can have all the young talent but you need older players too. Look at Wisconsin, BU, etc. it’s tough to win young.

 

[goavsblue8]

that recipe isn’t a recipe for success in the NCAA . Younger players staying a year or two then leaving. Team is always young and don’t gel. You can have all the young talent but you need older players too. Look at Wisconsin, BU, etc. it’s tough to win young.

There will be some overagers mixed in along with some of the mid round to late round guys sticking around for 3 or 4 years. UM hockey has never willingly went the overagers route as its probably the easiest place in the country to recruit hockey talent to. When it was rolling under Berenson, goal was always to get the best talent then just overwhelm teams with talent. Mel being a former assistant to red clearly wants to go that way too.

 

[Dux917]

Michigan's "advantage" with US NTDP players continues.....

 

[wings5]

Michigan's "advantage" with US NTDP players continues.....

Still, Michigan hasn't been a powerhouse awhile though.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Michigan's "advantage" with US NTDP players continues.....

Maybe in the case of Beniers, but players like Johnson, Power, Brisson, next year Fantili and Samoskevich is good scouting.

 

[OldScool]

Maybe in the case of Beniers, but players like Johnson, Power, Brisson, next year Fantili and Samoskevich is good scouting.

its really not great scouting. With those mentioned you could watch them for 5 minutes and know they are good. They aren’t finding hidden gems.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

its really not great scouting. With those mentioned you could watch them for 5 minutes and know they are good. They aren’t finding hidden gems.

Earlier than anyone on a website like this was talking about these players. Recruiting starts when these kids are 2-3 years before being drafted. There's projection involved. Getting what probably amounts to 8 first round picks or very early second round picks in the span of 3 recruiting classes is terrific scouting. There is no way you can predict who will be a first rounder with such certainty so far out, unless they are like a McDavid. It's less impressive recruiting a Beniers at the end, but I suspect they were probably recruiting him from the beginning, and thats part of why he's going to Michigan over other schools. They should get credit for that.

 

[OldScool]

Earlier than anyone on a website like this was talking about these players. Recruiting starts when these kids are 2-3 years before being drafted. There's projection involved. Getting what probably amounts to 8 first round picks or very early second round picks in the span of 3 recruiting classes is terrific scouting. There is no way you can predict who will be a first rounder with such certainty so far out, unless they are like a McDavid. It's less impressive recruiting a Beniers at the end, but I suspect they were probably recruiting him from the beginning, and thats part of why he's going to Michigan over other schools. They should get credit for that.

Beniers is heading to Michigan because the Ivy League won’t play until. Michigan got him because they luckily had scholarship $ and other teams didn’t at this point so late I the season. Not sure Michigan gets credit for that one.