Power, Beniers Go First, Second in NHL Draft; Four of First Five Picks Wolverines
7/23/2021 8:23:00 PM | Ice Hockey
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• Michigan Players Selected in the NHL Draft | Wolverines in the NHL
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Owen Power of the University of Michigan ice hockey team was selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres, while fellow Wolverines Matty Beniers, Luke Hughes and Kent Johnson helped the Wolverines represent four of the first five picks in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night (July 23).
Beniers went No. 2 as the first draft selection of the expansion Seattle Kraken. Hughes was the fourth overall selection by the New Jersey Devils, while the Columbus Blue Jackets made Johnson the fifth overall pick. Mackie Samoskevich was picked No. 24 overall by the Florida Panthers.
Power becomes the first Michigan player selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft and is just the sixth Wolverine to be picked No. 1 in their respective drafts, joining Tom Harmon (NFL, 1941), Elmer Madar (NFL, 1947), Cazzie Russell (NBA, 1966), Chris Webber (NBA, 1993) and Jake Long (NFL, 2008). Power is also just the fourth college player selected No. 1 overall in the NHL Draft (Joe Murphy, Michigan State in 1986; Rick DiPietro, Boston University in 2000; Erik Johnson, Minnesota in 2006).
In addition to the history made by Power as the top pick of the draft, he was not alone in making this a historic night.
• Power and Beniers became the first pair of college teammates to be selected with the first two picks in the NHL Draft.
• With Beniers being picked by Seattle, Michigan is the first collegiate team to have a player drafted by all 32 NHL franchises.
• The selections of Power, Beniers and Johnson made Michigan the first school to have three current players taken in the first round in a single draft.
• The five Wolverines selected Friday night set a new standard as Michigan became the only school to have five players/recruits selected in the first round of one draft.
Power was the top-scoring rookie blueliner in the Big Ten as a freshman with 16 points (three goals, 13 assists), playing in all 26 games. The 6-foot-5, 214-pound defenseman was on the ice for 31 of his team's goals and finished with a +18 rating, the sixth-best on-ice rating in the league. He led the team in blocked shots with 40 and took just three penalties.
Power was named the College Hockey News Rookie of the Year, was second team All-Big Ten, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and was a finalist for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Power won a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship with Canada in June. A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Power played his junior hockey with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League.
Beniers, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound centerman, led the Big Ten in on-ice rating with a +21, ranking him eighth nationally. He led Michigan in goals with 10, and added 14 assists to average one point per game in his debut season. Beniers ranked fourth nationally in freshman scoring.
He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, honorable mention All-Big Team, College Hockey News All-Rookie Team and was named the U-M Rookie of the Year. Beniers won two medals with Team USA in the last seven months, taking gold at the IIHF World Juniors and a bronze at the World Championships. A native of Hingham, Mass., Beniers played with the US National Team Development Program.
Luke Hughes is the third Hughes to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft and will play alongside brother Jack, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Devils in 2019. Their brother Quinn -- who played two seasons at Michigan -- was taken seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2018.
Luke has spent the last two seasons with the US National Team Development Program, and this past season, he led the team's defensemen in points per game with 34 in 38 games. At 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds, he was fourth in the USHL in defensemen scoring with 27 points in 46 games. Hughes won a silver medal with Team USA at the U17 Hockey Challenge and did not compete in the most recent IIHF U18 World Championship due to injury.
Johnson finished second on the Michigan roster this season with 27 points, scoring nine goals and 18 assists in 26 games. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound center played left wing for the Wolverines and was third in the nation in rookie points per game (1.04). He led Michigan in power-play goals and collected points in 17 games, including a five-point game versus Michigan State in January.
A Big Ten All-Freshman Team and All-Big Ten honorable mention selection, Johnson has been invited to the Hockey Canada World Junior Summer Development Camp. A native of Port Moody, B.C., Johnson played for Trail Smoke Eaters in the British Columbia Hockey League.
An alternate captain with the Chicago Steel, Samoskevich led the squad to both the USHL's Anderson and Clark Cups. This year, he averaged 1.03 points per game with 13 goals and 24 assists in 36 games. Over his two seasons with the Steel, he totaled 73 points in 85 games
Samoskevich played in the 2021 Bio-Steel All-American Game and was a member of the US National U18 Team. the 5-foot-11, 190-pound center is a native of Sandy Hook, Conn.
The NHL Draft will conclude Saturday (July 24) with rounds 2-7, beginning at 11 a.m. on NHL Network.
