NHL Draft Prospect Roundup: Zach Benson will make your dreams come true

Credit: Zach Benson (Erica Perreaux/WHL)

We’re at the point in the season where players are joining the 100-point club on a seemingly regular basis.

Connor Bedard has 125 points in 51 games, blasting the barrier well over a month ago. Bradly Nadeau (102 points in the BCHL) and Gabe Perreault (101 with the USNTDP) are the most recent entrants. Guys like Zach Benson (98 in the WHL) and Will Smith (95 with the USNTDP) are both close, too, while Aiden Fink (97 in the AJHL) should hit it before the end of the regular season next week.

Welcome to the stretch runs, everyone.

Benson will be our focus in today’s NHL Draft Prospect roundup, which also includes a few players to watch from the 2024 and 2025 classes:

WHL

– It feels like Zach Benson (No. 5) is a near lock to go in the top five this year, joining an elite group of high-quality talent. The 5-foot-10 winger now sits at 36 goals and 98 points, including 19 points over his past 10 outings. The dominant offensive forward creates his own chances, has a lethal shot and makes everyone around him better with his high-alert playmaking style. Currently second in scoring behind Connor Bedard, Benson will be one of potentially just four players to break the 100-point barrier this year, with Prince George’s Chase Wheatcroft and Kamloops’ Logan Stankoven also likely to join in.

QMJHL

– After watching some Rimouski games over the past month, Jan Šprynar (N/A) has stood out to me. He doesn’t have great numbers, with 23 goals and just 40 points in 55 games, but I feel like there are enough translatable skills to turn him into something worthwhile. Namely, he’s an excellent shooter with good defensive awareness and playmaking abilities. If Šprynar had some more capable scoring linemates, more offense would follow because he knows how to get the job done. Šprynar is an average skater, but good coaching can fix that.

OHL

– Could Joseph Willis (N/A) be a hidden gem out of Saginaw? He didn’t play much the past few years , and after recording 10 points in his first six OHL games, he started to cool off a bit. But with eight points in five games this month, Willis is playing some of the best hockey of the season. He isn’t spectacular at anything, but he doesn’t have a glaring weakness, either. He’s just solid at most areas of the game. Willis is willing to get into the dirty areas to make plays and he brings the type of effort coaches like to see.

USHL

– I’ll be the first to say I’m much lower on Jayden Perron (No. 36) than many others. The skill is there, but was there enough of it outside of his high-end passing ability? He’s been unstoppable recently, recording 17 points over his past 10 games, including seven in a two-game stretch over Madison earlier this month. He’s now up to 59 points in 50 games, and could finish with closer to 75 by the time the regular season comes to a close. Many believe Perron is a first-round pick. I have him on the outside looking in, but even on a stacked team like Chicago, he has found a way to shine through.

– The team that selects Andrew Strathmann (No. 48) is going to be very, very happy. Offensively, he’s in a bit of a slow stretch right now with Youngstown, but I love his own-zone play, and few quality blueliners are as tough to play against as Strathmann. He’s a solid puck-moving blueliner, but he projects to be a more in-your-face third-pairing option that can also play on the power play from time to time.

– Ryan Leonard (No. 13) has been on the scoresheet for all 19 games he has played in 2023, scoring 36 points in that span. The chemistry with Will Smith and Gabe Perreault has been undeniable, and Leonard is now up to 39 goals and 73 total points in 45 games. He’s an all-around dangerous offensive threat, and while he’s nowhere near his linemates on the scoring chart, Leonard is smart, speedy and lethal in open space.

OJHL

– With the OJHL playoffs underway, keep an eye on Pickering’s Aron Jessli (N/A). The Norwegian forward had 25 goals, 68 points and a whopping 111 penalty minutes in the regular season and already has two goals in three playoffs games as the Panthers trail Milton 1-2. While NHL Central Scouting ranks the winger 117th among North American players, I think teams might be intrigued by how aggressive he is with his 6-foot-1 frame. He’s built like a power forward, and the numbers are impressive.

Minnesota High School

– Warroad came up short in a crazy 6-5 loss in the Class A Minnesota State championships last week, but scouts were happy to get a closer look at 5-foot-9 center Jayson Shaugabay (N/A). It was an excellent season for the young forward, who had 33 goals and 96 points in 31 games with the high school, and has 10 points in 14 USHL games with Green Bay. The University of Minnesota-Duluth prospect has had no problem producing all throughout his career, and some scouts believe, despite his smaller frame, that he could be taken as high as the second round. Shaugabay won the Mr. Hockey award as the most outstanding high school player in Mississauga, an award previously won by notable prospects such as Casey Mittelstadt, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Leddy and Ryan McDonagh. So we’ll see what’s next for the speedy, creative scoring forward.

2024

– Cole Eiserman has been exactly as advertised since moving over to USA’s U-18 team. He now has nine goals and 11 points in seven games, tying him with Alex Weiermair for 10th in goals on the team despite playing 42 fewer games. His chemistry with 2025 prospect James Hagens is undeniable, and having Oliver Moore in the mix has helped Eiserman adjust. Eiserman is going to be one of the first players taken in 2024, if not the very first.

2025

– Keep an eye on Swedish forward Filip Ekberg. The 15-year-old scored a hat-trick in his pro debut with Almtuna in the second-tier Swedish league, which is one heck of a level for a kid his age to be playing in. In fact, he’s the only U-17 player to record a point this year. He’s been excellent against U-18 and U-20 competition and has had some dominant performances with the U-16 national team. Ekberg could end up being the top European prospect for 2025 before too long.