Big Game Benak Helps Lead Czechia To Silver At World Juniors

The 50th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships concluded at Grand Casino Arena on Monday, with Sweden taking home the gold medal with a 4-2 victory over Czechia. The game capped off a remarkable 11-day tournament that featured ten teams, 29 games, and some of the world’s best hockey prospects.

Czechia’s Adam Benak was among the prospects that descended upon the Twin Cities for the tournament. The diminutive dynamo has become a fan favorite in Minnesota since the Wild selected him in the 4th round of the 2025 NHL draft last summer. 

Benak, who was voted the Wild’s 10th-best prospect by the Hockey Wilderness staff, further bolstered his reputation as a promising prospect with a strong performance at the World Juniors, where he finished fourth in points for the silver medal-winning Czechs. He produced eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) and a +4 rating in seven games despite being 7th on the team in ice time among forwards with an average of 15:32 per game.

That the 18-year-old Benak was able to produce in a tournament generally dominated by 19-year-olds speaks to both the quality of his play and his high compete level. That was further underscored by his remarkable performance in Czechia’s epic 6-4 semifinal victory over Canada, in which he scored a goal, added two assists, and was a force in all three zones. Benak’s play to set up the game-winner with 1:14 remaining in the third period provided the exclamation point for one of the tournament’s best games.

Benak produced five of his eight tournament points in Czechia’s two games against Canada and was ferociously competitive throughout the semifinal. 

It was noticeable from his first shift until his last. The winger was all over the ice, backchecking and pursuing pucks with dogged determination. Benak creates space for himself and teammates by setting up plays with his speed, vision, deft stickhandling, and ability to transport the puck. He was one of the best skaters on the ice throughout the semifinal, showing no signs of nerves despite being one of the youngest players on one of the world’s biggest hockey stages.

Beyond points, Benak had a strong tournament overall. He was a dangerous playmaker throughout, especially on the power play. He served as the primary playmaker on the second unit, usually setting up shop on the half-wall and dictating play with incursions into the slot, deceptive puck handling, and constant motion that created lanes, which he exploited with passes or quick bursts into seams. 

He was also dangerous on the rush, working in tandem with linemates Tomas Poletin and Maxmilian Curran to move pucks cross-seam and generate chances. He sometimes spent too much time on the perimeter, which he could get away with because Poletin and Curran have good size. However, if there’s something to criticize, that might be it. 

Still, Benak was a possession influencer all tournament with his puck transporting and dogged defending and backchecking, making life difficult for opponents. He thrives at creating lanes with and without the puck, manipulating space, and using his quick hands and feet to back off defenders and allowing teammates time to get to the seams he helps create.

These have been hallmarks of his game at lower levels, which he also displayed at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase last fall. The fact that Benak was able to translate his game to the elevated pace and physical play at the World Juniors, despite being a younger player, marked another important step in his development. 

Despite only tallying one goal in the tournament, he was one of Czechia’s most dangerous threats. Benak could easily have had half a dozen goals with the chances he created, but he occasionally showed his frustration as the tournament went on. 

While he couldn’t find the back of the net in his first five games, his approach didn’t change, except that he occasionally forced plays during games when Czechia was winning easily. When he was finally rewarded with a massive goal in the semifinals, you could see the relief wash over Benak as he celebrated the long-awaited tally, and his teammates were especially happy for him after he finally broke the ice.

Benak and his teammates looked noticeably drained in the gold medal game, where they encountered a Swedish team that played a similar style to Canada; fast and physical, with skilled puck movement and heavy cycling that wears down opponents. Despite the disappointing result in the final, it was another strong showing for Czechia, which medaled for the fourth straight year and eliminated Canada for the third consecutive time.

This World Juniors was just the most recent example of Benak producing in big moments on the world stage. He is the Hlinka Gretzky Cup’s all-time points leader after turning in 10- and 11-point tournaments in 2023 and 2024, respectively, while leading the Czechs to back-to-back silver medals. In last year’s Under-18 World Championship, he led Czechia in scoring despite missing a game and scored in Czechia’s quarterfinal overtime loss to Canada.

What does Benak’s most recent strong showing say about his projection as an NHL prospect? It’s probably still too early to tell. Fair or not, he’ll have to continue to prove that he can be effective as he moves up levels, and it’s not easy to do that when all the other players get taller and heavier. He is intelligent, hard-working, fast, and skilled. Will that be enough to propel him to NHL success? Time will tell.

In the meantime, Wild fans eager to check in on Benak can follow the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs, where he is one of the top scorers on one of the league’s best teams. He’s also sure to be a key cog on Czechia’s 2027 World Junior squad. That event will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, and while it’s too early to project how that tournament will go, you can bet that Adam Benak will once again be one of Czechia’s most important players.