Adam Benák will skate with the Youngstown Phantoms in the upcoming 2024-25 season. The 17-year-old is expected to be one of the top prospects eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft

Adam Benák is set to join the Youngstown Phantoms for the 2024-25 season. The 17-year-old forward is expected to be one of the top prospects eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Benák was picked by the Phantoms with the 41st overall pick in the third round of the 2024 USHL Phase II Draft.

"He is going to be an absolute stud," Youngstown head coach Ryan Ward previously told The Hockey News. "He had a great training camp. He's excited about coming over. He is extremely smart. His habits and details are excellent. He plays a full, complete 200-foot game. He's extremely skilled, very smart, and makes plays all over the rink."

Despite being undersized at 5-foot-7 and 157 pounds, Benák is known for his dynamic skill set as a center, one that plays with ton of speed.

He played above his age group with the HC Plzeň U20 team in Czechia last season and recorded 29 points on eight goals and 21 assists in 29 games.

Benák performed well at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, leading all Czechia skaters with ten points and a tournament-leading eight assists, earning a silver medal. 

He also excelled at the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and 2024 World Juniors, as a significant point-producer to Czechia's roster. 

Benák will wear No. 9 with the Phantoms in the upcoming season.

You can watch his highlights from the Hlinka below:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DTKo8gN5zM[/embed]