Top 2021 draft prospects Beniers and Power leaning towards returning to Michigan for 2021-22
It looks like the top two prospects in this year’s draft want another kick at the college experience.
Both Owen Power and Matthew Beniers, a pair from the University of Michigan Wolverines, have stated that they’re leaning towards going back to play the 2021-22 season in the NCAA. Both players said that they missed out on an authentic college experience due to COVID-19 in 2020-21 and would enjoy another opportunity to do something special at Michigan.
“I’m definitely leaning towards coming back,” Beniers said. “We’re going to have a really good group, a lot of good players, and we’re going to get a real run at a national title. I definitely want to win a Big Ten championship and kind of do that whole college thing after getting closed down last year because of COVID.”
This comes a few weeks after Power said that he was leaning towards going back to college for another year…
“I think right now I’m probably leaning more toward going back to school,” Power said. “It’s something I’d like to do, trying to get the true experience of playing college hockey. At the end of the day, it obviously depends on what the team wants and what everyone around me thinks is best. I don’t think there’s really a bad option, but I’d say I’m leaning a bit more toward going back to school right now.”
Power, a 6’6″ defender who scored 16 points in 26 games in his freshman season, is likely to be selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres. After that, Beniers, who scored 24 points in 24 games for Michigan, is projected to be the first-ever pick by the Seattle Kraken at No. 2 overall.
Both players could return to college and then sign their entry-level contracts when their seasons come to an end. That said, it’s hard to say if either NHL club would be thrilled about throwing away an ELC season for a handful of games in March and April.