Sebastian Cossa isn’t the only Detroit Red Wings goaltending prospect turning heads in the minor pro ranks. Save some props for Jan Bednar.

The 21-year-old rookie pro with the Toledo Walleye is the ECHL goaltender of the month for March. Bednar went 6-1-0 in eight appearances during the month. He would post two shutouts, along with a 1.59 goals-against average and a save percentage of .939.

ANOTHA ONE Jan Bednar of the @ToledoWalleye has been named the @WarriorHockey #ECHL Goaltender of the Month for March pic.twitter.com/fKcN1W2CUX

— ECHL (@ECHL) April 3, 2024

He allowed two goals or less in six of his seven starts. Bednar stopped all 25 shots in a 3-0 win against Iowa on March 3 and all 25 shots in a 3-0 victory at Greenville on March 16.

Detroit’s 107th overall selection in the 2020 NHL entry draft, Bednar is under contract to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, Bednar is 18-7-2 in 32 appearances with the Walleye this season. He is tied for second in the ECHL with three shutouts while ranking 11th with a 2.74 goals-against average.

Red Wings Prospect Gibson Feted For Defensive Prowess

While it’s been a season in which Red Wings draftee Andrew Gibson (42nd overall, 2023) has been flexing his offensive muscles, it was his defensive acumen that was earning the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds defenseman recognition. He is rated among the top three Western Conference defenders in two categories of the OHL Coaches Poll.

Getting their flowers
Congrats on Owen Allard, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Arttu Karki, Jack Beck and Andrew Gibson being recognized in the OHL Coaches Poll
RESULTS : https://t.co/4Ek9GheDip#FearTheNorth | @OHLHockey

— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) April 3, 2024

Gibson, Thomas Budnick of the Guelph Storm and Taos Jordan of the Owen Sound Attack each garnered 16 votes to share top spot as the conference’s best shot blocker. Gibson also would finish third in the voting for the best defensive defenseman.

The 19-year-old rearguard put up career-highs in goals (12), assists (32) and points (44) this season for the Soo, while also posting a plus-36 rating. The Greyhounds are on to the second round of the OHL playoffs after sweeping the Storm.

Ice Chips

Red Wings draft pick Anton Johansson (105th, 2022) and Leksands lost 3-2 in overtime to Frolunda in Game 7 of their SHL quarterfinal series . . . Center Nate Danielson (9th, 2023) dished out four assists as the Portland Winterhawks were sweeping Victoria in the opening round of the WHL playoffs . . . The Griffins signed forward Hunter Johannes to an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2023-24 AHL campaign. He also agreed to terms on a standard player’s contract for the 2024-25 season. Johannes, 25, collected 19 points this season playing college hockey at North Dakota . . . Center Brady Gilmour, a 2017 draftee of the Red Wings (193rd overall), has joined the Walleye. He was recently named top player of the U Sports playoffs while leading New Brunswick to the national title.

The post Red Wings Prospect Report: Bednar Top ECHL Goalie; Gibson Gains OHL Recognition appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Grand Rapids Griffins signed Detroit Red Wings draft pick goaltender Jan Bednar to a contract that covers the rest of this season and next season. The Griffins assigned him immediately to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.

Players who sign their first pro contract with the Griffins can end up with the Red Wings. This season, Alex Chiasson signed a minor league contract with the Griffins. The Red Wings signed him recently.

UPDATE: The Griffins on Wednesday signed goaltender Jan Bednar to a two-year contract for the remainder of this season and the 2023-24 campaign. The Griffins subsequently assigned him to the @ToledoWalleye #GoGRG

Details >> https://t.co/IG86EoMEP9 pic.twitter.com/gRX3YFngZo

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) March 15, 2023

Luke Glendening originally signed with the Grand Rapid Griffins.  The Red Wings then signed him after watching him play in the American Hockey League.

Czechia native Bednar was the Red Wings’ 107th pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He’s 6-foot-4 and he’s been playing for Acadie-Bathurst in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He has played for the Czechia National Junior Team.

Organization Needs Goalie Depth

The Red Wings and Griffins needed additional goalie depth. Jussi Olkinuora and the Red Wings mutually agreed that he could leave the Griffins to join Brynas  in the Swedish Hockey League. He struggled with the Griffins, posting a 3.75 goals-against average and .868 save percentage.

Alex Nedeljkovic is the Griffins’ No. 1 goalie. However, Griffins backup Victor Brattstrom was injured recently and the team called up former Michigan State goalie John Lethemon.

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Sebastian Cossa is the No. 1 goalie in Toledo, and now Bednar joins him there. Bednar played parts of three season in Czechia’s top professional league before joining the QMJHL. He was 7-19-0 in 28 games with a 3.72 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.

He was 1-2 playing for Czechia the 2021-22 World Junior Championships. In 2021-22, Bednar was named to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team. He ranked among the league leaders in a few categories, including GAA (2.72, 10th) and save percentage (0.912, fifth)

The post Grand Rapid Griffins sign Red Wings Draft Pick Bednar appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

For his immediate future, Detroit Red Wings prospect Jan Bednar knows what he’ll be doing. He’s currently in Edmonton, playing goal for Czechia at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Beyond that, though, your guess is as good as his might be.

“Honestly, I don’t know yet,” Bednar admitted frankly in an interview with the iSport.cz website. “I don’t want to deal with it at all, I have a fight for the World Cup ahead of me. Then we’ll see if I get an invitation to camp in Detroit and a contract offer.

Jan Bednar makes a save #lgrw pic.twitter.com/kPB9JSVDqw

— Ruth, Morning Sun Studios (@MorningSunStdio) August 11, 2022

“There is some feedback there, but I don’t want to go into details. If I said something now, it could be different then. I certainly don’t think I’m out of options.”

Since he was playing for Karlovy Vary HC of the Czech Extraliga when Detroit selected him 107th overall in the 2020 NHL entry draft, Bednar isn’t covered by the NHL-CHL agreement. That means the Red Wings didn’t need to be signing him prior to the 2022 draft in order to maintain his NHL rights.

Junior Looking To Be Likely Bednar Destination

The fact of the matter is that following offseason machinations, the Red Wings are well-stocked between pipes at the pro level. Beyond the NHL, Victor Brattstrom, Jussi Olkinoura and John Lethemon are signed for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s top farm club. There’s no decision yet on whether 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa will be turning pro or returning to the WHL Edmonton Oil Kings.

At this juncture, it would appear that Jan Bednar is also destined to play a third season with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. And he’s okay with that likelihood.

“I can stay in the junior, which is also a great option,” Bednar said. “I have everything there that I need for my development.”

#LGRW prospect’s Jan Bednar’s goalie set up is everything
(h/t @bedna30) pic.twitter.com/aKcCH2k0SG

— WWC Life (@WWCLife) December 20, 2021

Just 19 and with a year of junior eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-4, 196-pound Bednar isn’t of the opinion that he needs to take a step up in competition in order to further his progress as a puckstopper.

“I do not think so,” Bednar said. “A lot of people say: ‘Why would you go back there, when you can play senior hockey somewhere?’ I’m happy where I am and I don’t want to rush anything. I consider my step to leave Vary to go overseas to be 100% correct. I don’t regret it.

“From a personal point of view, the (2021-22) season was not bad at all,” Bednar said. “I stayed in the better waters of statistics. As a goalkeeper, I have progressed a lot.”

Bednar A Bathurst Fan

In fact, he finds life in the cozy little town of Bathurst, New Brunswick, popoulation 11,897, to be providing him an ideal scenario in terms of both hockey and quality of life.

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“It’s a small town,” Bednar acknowledges. “It’s absolutely enough for me. I’m not there to shop and sightsee. I want to play hockey and develop. In this regard, I have everything I need and I have nothing to complain about.

“I have a great (billet) family, teammates and the people in the organization are also great.”

The post Red Wings Prospect Bednar Wondering What Future Holds For Him appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings of Tomorrow is assessing every prospect in the Detroit Red Wings system and what they are projecting to be in the future. We’ll be looking at the strengths and weaknesses of their game, as well as what the future holds for them as they advance through the Detroit organization. Today, we feature goalie Jan Bednar

Jan Bednar

Position: Goalie

How Acquired: Selected 107th overall, 2020 NHL entry draft

2021-22 Stats: (GP-W-L-T-Sv%) 47-28-14-4-.912 (with Acadie-Bathurst QMHL))

Contract Status: Unsigned

Anticipated 2022-23 Team: Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)

Prospect Synopsis

Another goalie drafted during Steve Yzerman’s tenure as general manager, Bednar is the one with less fanfare than 2021 15th overall pick Sebastian Cossa. Bednar has held his own in the offense happy QMJHL, backstopping Acadie-Bathurst to 28 victories in 2021-22. His playoff numbers dipped from his regular season success, but they did lose to QMJHL runner up Charlottetown.

Bednar follows in the footsteps of other Yzerman-esque goalies with the large frame between the pipes. His athleticism is also an asset, evidenced by this save back in April. It garnered him the QMJHL’s top play of the week.

Some more seasoning in the Q along with another stellar year may give the Red Wings another solid prospect in the goalie pool.

Congratulations to Titan goaltender Jan Bednar on being named to the QMJHL's Second All-Star team! https://t.co/4sn5gdhYvg

— Titan d'Acadie-Bathurst (@ABTitan) June 16, 2022

Estimated Time of Arrival in Detroit

It’s expected that goalies’ development take a little more time as well as being far more unpredictable. So far with Bednar, so good. He’s played on the world stage with the Czech Republic in the world junior championship, and has been very good at the junior level. What remains to be seen is if that will be enough for an entry-level deal if he has another strong season in 2022-23.

Prior to Cossa’s selection, Bednar was seen as a solid choice for the Red Wings pipeline. That hasn’t changed, albeit with Cossa having a little bit more riding on his stock with his higher selection. Grand Rapids General Manager Shawn Horcoff has been very complimentary of Bednar’s skillset.

“We like Jan. He works real hard. He’s got character,” Horcoff said. “He’s put in a lot of work to improve himself. He’s another guy with a bright future and just has to continue his development and keep his work ethic high. He’s going to be just fine.”

If that development and work ethic does indeed remain high, Bednar could solidify what already appears to be a strong goalie pipeline.

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The post Red Wings of Tomorrow: Jan Bednar appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.