Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings of Tomorrow: Jan Bednar

Published

2 years ago

June 26, 2022

Nate Brown

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.