C Kamil Bednarik - USNTDP Juniors, USHL (2024 Draft)

[LeProspector]

Kamil Bednarik at eliteprospects.com

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Kamil Bednarik, 2006-05-26 Elmhurst, IL, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Boston Univ.. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Looks to be a top forward out of America for 2024 and put up nice totals last year; 96 points in 76 games for the New Jersey Rockets. He will be joining the US U17 National team so it'll be interesting to see how he progresses going forward!

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[Lavar Ball]

Committed to BU

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Related to this absolute legend? Can't be too many Bednariks around.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Watch out for this guy. I think he's going to be pretty good. Likely first rounder in 2024, maybe a high one. From one game, I thought he was the third best player on the team after the obvious two.

Reminds me of Turc. He's kind of good at everything. Really competitive center. Has skill, good sense, can skate, plays 200 feet, pass. Scored a nice goal in front of the net on the PP today.

 

[Lavar Ball]

I also thought he looked quite good today

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He's very good defensively. Absolute puck hound. Fights for every inch of ice.

If you were feeling edgy, you could suggest he'll beat Eiserman to being the highest picked NTDP player in 2024. I'm not of that belief yet. I need to see a little more offensively and it would help if he grew another inch or two, but I think it's a worthy debate the next season and a half.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He’s getting underrated on a lot of early lists. He’s the non-Eiserman/Hagens standout from a pure junior hockey standpoint among the 2006 NTDP age group. Might be worse of a draft prospect than towers like Hensler and Skahan, but I think he’s a first round player. Two way center with skating, grit, defense, and some offense.

The range will depend on how much offense he can show and if he can gain an inch or two. His skillset sounds a lot more palatable at 6’0 or 6’1. I think he has offense, but I’m unconvinced it’s like future 1PPG player in NHL. Not impossible he could be the highest ranked American on my list at the end of the season, if everything trends positively next season.

@MrProspectFinder, can you change the title to note he’s a center? He played center all year and that’s what he projects as.

 

[HamburgerSK]

I wonder if Kamil has got dual citizenship - U.S. and slovakian. His sister Simone Martina Bednarik plays for the slovak national team and she is listed by EP as having both citizenships. Kamil, on contrary, is listed by EP as having U.S. citizenship only.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I wonder if Kamil has got dual citizenship - U.S. and slovakian. His sister Simone Martina Bednarik plays for the slovak national team and she is listed by EP as having both citizenships. Kamil, on contrary, is listed by EP as having U.S. citizenship only.

I think he does. Someone asked him on twitter not that long ago I saw, and he said does. Whether he'd be eligible to play for Slovakia under IIHF rules, I don't know.

 

[HamburgerSK]

I don't think he'd be currently eligable to play for Slovakia. Could be an option in the future, perhaps. His cousin Kamil Rohaľ plays for the slovak U18, playing last year at HGC.

 

[Postulates]

He isnt the type of player that will get demoted so he will be locked into USA eligibility during the u18 tournament

Unless he completely busts and goes to play in the slovokian pro league or something

 

[albinaguerette]

But why playing for Slovakia would demote him?

 

[Postulates]

But why playing for Slovakia would demote him?

So demotions in this sense would be going from the u18 team to the u17 team and playing in the ushl playoffs instead of the iihf u18 tournament

This is something the United States does to get some of the extremely talented players on the u17 into the international competition because of roster space (Smith Leonard Perreault etc the year before and Hagens Eiserman and Hutson this year)

Playing in the iihf u18 tournament basically locks him into only being eligible for the United States, he is too talented of a player to get demoted to the u17 team

I would put the odds of suiting up for Slovakia at less than 10%

 

[Kuracmugger]

He’s getting underrated on a lot of early lists. He’s the non-Eiserman/Hagens standout from a pure junior hockey standpoint among the 2006 NTDP age group. Might be worse of a draft prospect than towers like Hensler and Skahan, but I think he’s a first round player. Two way center with skating, grit, defense, and some offense.

The range will depend on how much offense he can show and if he can gain an inch or two. His skillset sounds a lot more palatable at 6’0 or 6’1. I think he has offense, but I’m unconvinced it’s like future 1PPG player in NHL. Not impossible he could be the highest ranked American on my list at the end of the season, if everything trends positively next season.

@MrProspectFinder, can you change the title to note he’s a center? He played center all year and that’s what he projects as.

Do you think he‘ll go in the top 5 range if his season goes well next year when he might be better than Eiserman in your opinion who seems like a lock to go top 5?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Do you think he‘ll go in the top 5 range if his season goes well next year when he might be better than Eiserman in your opinion who seems like a lock to go top 5?

I would say that’s probably the high end of his range. It’d need to be like a Will Smith or Ryan Leonard type season where it goes very well and almost all the discussion about him is very positive with him rising throughout the season.

But it’s possible. Usually someone (or a few) other than the early hyped NTDP guys (Hagens, Eiserman, Hutson) steps up and helps their draft stock. I think the best candidates from this team are probably Bednarik, Skahan, Emery, Lapointe, Van Vliet.

We'll see who does what, but a lot of these early lists are based off the WJC18 and I find that a lot of the discourse around the NTDP players in their U17 season is very superficial and not thorough enough. Hutson is very good, but he's a 5'8 defenseman. I'd be shocked if most early private lists from teams didn't have Skahan as the better player, but the U18's last year didn't need a big defensive defenseman. They needed an offensive defenseman, so Hutson (who is very good) plays on that team, does very well, and people all of a sudden talk about him as like the second best American prospect in this draft. Bednarik could've very easily been promoted, but he was borderline for a promotion and didn't get it. Part of why he's getting very underrated right now. Instead, he assumed the 1C role after Hagens left and did very well.

The minutes and role should be there next season . He’ll most likely be the 2C behind Hagens, and play in every situation. There’s no way of knowing this because this information isn’t available, but I’d guess he played the third most among the forwards last season after Hagens and Eiserman, and he might even have been second because Eiserman doesn’t really PK.

Could also go the wrong way, and he falls into the second round if his scoring ability doesn't see an uptick from his U17 season. His numbers are pretty similar to players like Leonard, Snuggerud, Gauthier in his U17 season, but then also similar to players like McGroarty that held steady or even dropped a little (and still went in the first round), yet also one of the players right ahead of him on the All-Time U17 PPG charts at the NTDP is Wilmer, whose stock dropped a lot, and didn't get drafted. So it's very hard to know. Outside of a few players, it's very dependent on how the U18 season goes for most guys, and Bednarik is one of those players. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 5th. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 35.

 

[Postulates]

I would say that’s probably the high end of his range. It’d need to be like a Will Smith or Ryan Leonard type season where it goes very well and almost all the discussion about him is very positive with him rising throughout the season.

But it’s possible. Usually someone (or a few) other than the early hyped NTDP guys (Hagens, Eiserman, Hutson) steps up and helps their draft stock. I think the best candidates from this team are probably Bednarik, Skahan, Emery, Lapointe, Van Vliet.

We'll see who does what, but a lot of these early lists are based off the WJC18 and I find that a lot of the discourse around the NTDP players in their U17 season is very superficial and not thorough enough. Hutson is very good, but he's a 5'8 defenseman. I'd be shocked if most early private lists from teams didn't have Skahan as the better player, but the U18's last year didn't need a big defensive defenseman. They needed an offensive defenseman, so Hutson (who is very good) plays on that team, does very well, and people all of a sudden talk about him as like the second best American prospect in this draft. Bednarik could've very easily been promoted, but he was borderline for a promotion and didn't get it. Part of why he's getting very underrated right now. Instead, he assumed the 1C role after Hagens left and did very well.

The minutes and role should be there next season . He’ll most likely be the 2C behind Hagens, and play in every situation. There’s no way of knowing this because this information isn’t available, but I’d guess he played the third most among the forwards last season after Hagens and Eiserman, and he might even have been second because Eiserman doesn’t really PK.

Could also go the wrong way, and he falls into the second round if his scoring ability doesn't see an uptick from his U17 season. His numbers are pretty similar to players like Leonard, Snuggerud, Gauthier in his U17 season, but then also similar to players like McGroarty that held steady or even dropped a little (and still went in the first round), yet also one of the players right ahead of him on the All-Time U17 PPG charts at the NTDP is Wilmer, whose stock dropped a lot, and didn't get drafted. So it's very hard to know. Outside of a few players, it's very dependent on how the U18 season goes for most guys, and Bednarik is one of those players. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 5th. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 35.

who would you say is the best linemate for Hagens and Eiserman on the top line for next season? Ziemer?

 

[Kuracmugger]

I would say that’s probably the high end of his range. It’d need to be like a Will Smith or Ryan Leonard type season where it goes very well and almost all the discussion about him is very positive with him rising throughout the season.

But it’s possible. Usually someone (or a few) other than the early hyped NTDP guys (Hagens, Eiserman, Hutson) steps up and helps their draft stock. I think the best candidates from this team are probably Bednarik, Skahan, Emery, Lapointe, Van Vliet.

We'll see who does what, but a lot of these early lists are based off the WJC18 and I find that a lot of the discourse around the NTDP players in their U17 season is very superficial and not thorough enough. Hutson is very good, but he's a 5'8 defenseman. I'd be shocked if most early private lists from teams didn't have Skahan as the better player, but the U18's last year didn't need a big defensive defenseman. They needed an offensive defenseman, so Hutson (who is very good) plays on that team, does very well, and people all of a sudden talk about him as like the second best American prospect in this draft. Bednarik could've very easily been promoted, but he was borderline for a promotion and didn't get it. Part of why he's getting very underrated right now. Instead, he assumed the 1C role after Hagens left and did very well.

The minutes and role should be there next season . He’ll most likely be the 2C behind Hagens, and play in every situation. There’s no way of knowing this because this information isn’t available, but I’d guess he played the third most among the forwards last season after Hagens and Eiserman, and he might even have been second because Eiserman doesn’t really PK.

Could also go the wrong way, and he falls into the second round if his scoring ability doesn't see an uptick from his U17 season. His numbers are pretty similar to players like Leonard, Snuggerud, Gauthier in his U17 season, but then also similar to players like McGroarty that held steady or even dropped a little (and still went in the first round), yet also one of the players right ahead of him on the All-Time U17 PPG charts at the NTDP is Wilmer, whose stock dropped a lot, and didn't get drafted. So it's very hard to know. Outside of a few players, it's very dependent on how the U18 season goes for most guys, and Bednarik is one of those players. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 5th. Wouldn't be surprised if he went 35.

Thanks for the detailed explanation, very interesting to read. So it seems like it’s very dependent on how he gets used and performs in the NTDP to me. As you mentioned the popular opinion is often from the big stages like the u18 worlds so he will probably have to be great there to be the top american prospect. I was a bit surprised to see so few Americans in the first 2024 rankings but it seems like they are just made mostly out of popularity at the moment judging from what you said. All in all he seems pretty hit or miss(miss in the sense of not going in the first round despite being one of the best NTDP players) as of now.

Furthermore i thought Eiserman was like the next big american player who could go 1OA but you don’t really seem that high on him in first overall sense. I just saw him play in the u18 championship but you seem like an expert on american players so i‘d be interested to hear your opinion on this.

 

[Antiillafire]

But why playing for Slovakia would demote him?

I don’t think @Postulates is saying that playing for Slovakia is a lesser thing to be proud of as a player and playing for Slovakia is “less then”. Rather that he is likely locked in to play for USA in the future as he will be at the U18 tournament and thus would require a very bad season for him to be demoted to a lower level, leaving him less likely to be on the U18 team and thus more of a chance that he could represent Slovakia if he fulfills the IIHF requirements.

Still I give him the same percentage as Knies at the same age, which is basically 0%. Definitely sucks though, we never get draft level Slovaks born outside of Europe or just non-Slovaks in general helping us/representing us in comparison to other nations in the top 10. Phil Knies I guess could be eligible at some point, but he will never be good enough for the NT.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

who would you say is the best linemate for Hagens and Eiserman on the top line for next season? Ziemer?

I like Ziemer with Plante and Bednarik. I would like to keep those three together as a second line because I think there’s a need to develop two good lines. I feel that you could probably put a slightly lesser player with Hagens and Eiserman, as long as their qualities fit.

I think McMorrow is the best fit for Hagens and Eiserman. It gives them a worker to dig out pucks. The only issue with that is that Eiserman and McMorrow both tend to be LW’s. Pardue is another option. He does the job fine, but I don’t think he’s as good as McMorrow. Maybe Vansaghi could possibly work, but may be too raw to keep up with them right now. Van Vliet is the last player I’d consider an option. I either want him as the 3C or playing in the top six, but he’s also more of a LW, so he’s probably best at 3C anyway.

Eiserman-Hagens-McMorrow
Plante-Bednarik-Ziemer
Humphreys-Van Vliet-Epperson
Baker-Pardue-Vansaghi
Stiga

Thanks for the detailed explanation, very interesting to read. So it seems like it’s very dependent on how he gets used and performs in the NTDP to me. As you mentioned the popular opinion is often from the big stages like the u18 worlds so he will probably have to be great there to be the top american prospect. I was a bit surprised to see so few Americans in the first 2024 rankings but it seems like they are just made mostly out of popularity at the moment judging from what you said. All in all he seems pretty hit or miss(miss in the sense of not going in the first round despite being one of the best NTDP players) as of now.

Furthermore i thought Eiserman was like the next big american player who could go 1OA but you don’t really seem that high on him in first overall sense. I just saw him play in the u18 championship but you seem like an expert on american players so i‘d be interested to hear your opinion on this.

I think the 2006 NTDP age group is a little bit of a weird age group. It has these two hyped forwards that are very good, yet the rest of the forwards are not that good. It’s made a little more difficult by the fact that Hagens is a 2025 draft-eligible, so outside of Eiserman, there’s not a player that I’d say is an absolute lock for first round in 2024. That’s not something we’d often say. It’s probably the weakest we’ve seen forward 3-13 since the 2002 age group (2003’s didn’t get drafted too high because their stocks tanked late in their U18 season, but they were pretty decent). I hope it doesn’t end up weaker in that regard though than 2002, so the next season will be important. I think the two best chances after Hagens and Eiserman for a first round pick are Bednarik and Van Vliet. I guess Humphreys may have a small shot too, but I don’t buy into it that much. Bednarik I definitely expect to be a first rounder, but I wouldn’t say it’s a lock. Van Vliet I think will be too and I think he’s going to rise a lot, but I don’t feel totally comfortable saying that yet.

As for Eiserman, he’s definitely good. I just view him as a little safe. I have little doubt he ends up a very good forward in the NHL, but yeah maybe you’d want a better defensive player in the top 5 or a forward that is a center as opposed to a winger or a player that is a little taller or a player that’s as good with his playmaking as shooting. It’s nitpicking, but that’s also what you gotta do with these top of the draft players. They are all good, but some are better than others. We’ll have to see. I’m a little low on Eiserman right now, but not terribly. I still think he’s a top 5 pick, but I hope he can round out his game more next season. We’ll see, and obviously if he continues to score goals at historic rates, that’ll speak for itself.

 

[Kuracmugger]

I like Ziemer with Plante and Bednarik. I would like to keep those three together as a second line because I think there’s a need to develop two good lines. I feel that you could probably put a slightly lesser player with Hagens and Eiserman, as long as their qualities fit.

I think McMorrow is the best fit for Hagens and Eiserman. It gives them a worker to dig out pucks. The only issue with that is that Eiserman and McMorrow both tend to be LW’s. Pardue is another option. He does the job fine, but I don’t think he’s as good as McMorrow. Maybe Vansaghi could possibly work, but may be too raw to keep up with them right now. Van Vliet is the last player I’d consider an option. I either want him as the 3C or playing in the top six, but he’s also more of a LW, so he’s probably best at 3C anyway.

Eiserman-Hagens-McMorrow
Plante-Bednarik-Ziemer
Humphreys-Van Vliet-Epperson
Baker-Pardue-Vansaghi
Stiga



I think the 2006 NTDP age group is a little bit of a weird age group. It has these two hyped forwards that are very good, yet the rest of the forwards are not that good. It’s made a little more difficult by the fact that Hagens is a 2025 draft-eligible, so outside of Eiserman, there’s not a player that I’d say is an absolute lock for first round in 2024. That’s not something we’d often say. It’s probably the weakest we’ve seen forward 3-13 since the 2002 age group (2003’s didn’t get drafted too high because their stocks tanked late in their U18 season, but they were pretty decent). I hope it doesn’t end up weaker in that regard though than 2002, so the next season will be important. I think the two best chances after Hagens and Eiserman for a first round pick are Bednarik and Van Vliet. I guess Humphreys may have a small shot too, but I don’t buy into it that much. Bednarik I definitely expect to be a first rounder, but I wouldn’t say it’s a lock. Van Vliet I think will be too and I think he’s going to rise a lot, but I don’t feel totally comfortable saying that yet.

As for Eiserman, he’s definitely good. I just view him as a little safe. I have little doubt he ends up a very good forward in the NHL, but yeah maybe you’d want a better defensive player in the top 5 or a forward that is a center as opposed to a winger or a player that is a little taller or a player that’s as good with his playmaking as shooting. It’s nitpicking, but that’s also what you gotta do with these top of the draft players. They are all good, but some are better than others. We’ll have to see. I’m a little low on Eiserman right now, but not terribly. I still think he’s a top 5 pick, but I hope he can round out his game more next season. We’ll see, and obviously if he continues to score goals at historic rates, that’ll speak for itself.

Okay i see we will know more in a few months and see how your takes pan out

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Now listed at 6'0. That's going to help out his stock. No longer has the knock that he's below 6'0. The only thing left is how good the offense is. It's at worst "good", but if he can have a huge offensive season, I can see him threaten for top 10. And I don't see why some are listing him outside the first round on some early lists.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

3 assist game today. 2+3=5 points in 6 games to start the season.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

2 points today. 7 points in 7 games.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

3 assist today against BU. Been on fire recently. 9 points in his last 4 games.

Has 4+7=11 points in 9 games.