Bednarik Building a Two-Way Identity in Second Year at BU

Kamil Bednarik looked up to two people growing up: Patrice Bergeron and his older sister, Simone.

While they may seem like they’re from two different worlds – Bergeron, a veteran of 1,294 NHL games and a Stanley Cup Championship in 2011 and Simone Bednarik, a former D3 athlete and hockey player in Slovakia – their versatility on the ice inspired a young Bednarik and shaped the player he is today.

“I loved to watch Patrice Bergeron, he was the pinnacle of a two-way forward,” Bednarik said. “And my sister is a Swiss army knife, she can kind of do it all, so what I take from that is trying to do whatever I can to help my team win.”

Bednarik has been making strides in his sophomore season at BU, approaching the two-year mark since he was drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft (61^st overall). He’s connected to his roots and said his family had a huge influence on the player he is and wants to be.

Bednarik’s parents were both athletes and immigrated from Slovakia to Elmhurst, IL in the early 2000s. Basketball and hockey were always on TV in the house.

“I just remember growing up just watching sports on TV with my family, I was always pretty interested,” Bednarik said. “Eventually got to the age where I could start playing, I wanted to play hockey. My parents started to take me to skate.”

His older sister Simone also got into hockey, as the two grew up training together. Simone currently plays on Slovakia’s National Team, moving there after she spent all four years playing Division 3 hockey at SUNY Oswego, totaling 21 goals and 62 points in 93 games in her collegiate career.

Simone has been utilized at forward and on defense throughout her playing career, so her versatility and willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team is a value that Bednarik aspires to emulate in his own career.

Every summer, Bednarik returns home from Boston and Simone returns from Slovakia and they’ll workout, skate and train together in Chicago. They focus on skill work and skating along with some battle drills with other players in the area.

“She's usually skating with all the guys and she definitely holds her own,” Bednarik said. “I think she's a great player.”

Bednarik has seen a boost in offense this season – he recorded a career-high five goals and has 12 points through 30 games, creeping up on last year’s total of 16 points (2G, 14A) through 33 games. A major focus for Bednarik during the offseason heading into his sophomore year was his skating. He worked with various coaches and conducted individual practices to improve his skills, which translated to a smoother and sharper game.

“I've been finding more offense this season, which I kind of struggled with last year,” Bednarik said. “I think a big part of it was my skating, which I worked a ton this this past summer. That definitely helps me in general, just being quicker, having more juice in my legs.”

“All the best players in the NHL are also the best skaters, like Connor McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon,” Bednarik added. “So, the skating helps, like closing quick in the d-zone and just getting to my spot. I've also learned to be maybe a little bit more patient in the d-zone when I'm striking on a guy.”

Defense has always been Bednarik’s bread and butter, as he’s a two-way forward who’s responsible in all three zones.

“I take pride in being reliable on both ends of the ice,” Bednarik said. “I think I've kind of been that way for a while, so it kind of comes naturally to me. I love that you’ve got to be good defensively if you want offense. I take a lot of pride in that, help get the puck back from the other team before attacking. But I can also score and make plays.”

Bednarik has taken away a lot from Islanders Development Camp last summer, as he trained under Bridgeport Head Coach Rocky Thompson for a week with other prospects in the system.

“Something that stuck with me from the camp was doing everything, like with your head up,” Bednarik said. “Then when I got back to BU this season, I've realized pretty quickly that if you have your head down, there's not a lot of time and space, especially when you’re playing against bigger guys, bigger defensemen.”

Thompson ran a drill during camp in which a coach would hold a number on the ice, and each prospect would need to keep their head up and say the number out loud before sending or receiving a pass.

“That's a very important skill to have,” Bednarik said. “There are many more skills that they taught us, but that's kind of the one that stuck with me from camp.”

The personal coaching and feedback from the Islanders helped Bednarik throughout his season. After he made his first career World Juniors appearance representing Team USA, the Islanders development team reviewed feedback with him through phone calls and video work, pointing out the positives in his game and detailing what he should focus on.

Bednarik and BU won the Kelley-Harkness Cup during the Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden in November, played against Cornell in a rivalry matchup on a big stage. Isles GM and EVP Mathieu Darche was in attendance to watch Bednarik along with fellow Isles prospect Cole Eiserman, who was selected 20^th overall in 2024.

Bednarik felt the support from Darche and appreciated when the Isles GM took the time to chat with them after their 2-1 win.

“Darche is the best, it was great to see him there and talk with him afterwards,” Bednarik said. “Anytime a general manager can come and watch their prospects, it’s awesome, I really appreciated that. I've talked to him a few times, of course, at camp. He would tell us what we need to work on, what he liked about our game from what he saw at camp. I’m very grateful to be under such a great organization.”