| Sean Behrens | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | D | 5’9″ | 175 | Denver | 2021 | Barrington, IL | 2003 | 2020-2021: B+ |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, June 2021: I really like his feet and his high compete, but most importantly I love his hockey IQ. His anticipation is excellent and it seems as though he is processing the play at a faster rate than his peers. Sean’s a player who never seems out of position and rarely is he caught off guard when a bad bounce happens while he’s on the ice. His gaps are tight and his four way mobility is so excellent that he rarely crosses his feet. He must have tremendous hand eye coordination because he seems to get his stick on everything. His lack of height is going to be the issue, but if you want a skilled tenacious brain who you can pair with a 6’5 space eater then Sean is going to go in the first few rounds. Honestly if I had multiple second round picks I’d take him in the second.
Neutral Zone’s Anthony Walsh, June 2021: Behrens is a smaller defenseman who plays much bigger than he is. The University of Denver commit has an edge to his game and doesn’t shy away from a confrontation. He is hungry in puck battles and consistently gives second and third efforts to come out on top. In his own zone he does great work low and in front of the net. He controls the game from the back end for his team and when he was on, his team was on. Behrens competes hard on every shift and leads by example, always communicating on the ice. Defensively, he has an active stick and is solid in every area of the ice. His feet allow him to keep tight gaps to shut down rush chances early, and his competitiveness, along with his hockey IQ allow him to anticipate the play in front of him. He often looks to step up and has the ability to deliver some big open ice hits. With the puck on his stick Behrens isn’t afraid to make plays and is a key part of generating offense for his team. On the breakout he uses his feet to avoid pressure and consistently makes a good first pass, often creating rush opportunities for his team by pushing the pace up ice quickly. On the rush he plays with his head up and has some creativity. He has good skill and looks like a forward when he is leading the rush with the puck on his stick. In the offensive zone Behrens is smooth on the blueline and uses deception to create space and make plays towards the net. He is a key part of the NTDP’s powerplay, as he quarterbacked their first unit from the point. Overall, Behrens is a complete hockey player on both ends of the ice and what he lacks in size he makes up for with his compete level and skill set.
U18 World Championship: Team USA vs Team Finland, May 2021: Behrens is a competitive, detailed player for team USA who is effective on both sides of the puck. Defensively, he battles hard in his own end, playing bigger than his size and never shying away from a physical confrontation. The Denver commit blocks shots and is more than willing to sacrifice his body for the betterment of his team. He has an active stick and uses it well to dissuade plays to the middle of the ice, and doesn’t let pucks come through his area without getting a piece of it. In the neutral zone his skating ability allows him to keep tight gaps and he will make opponents pay for playing with their head down. Offensively, Behrens is skilled with the puck on his stick. He plays with his head up and consistently makes crisp breakout passes, starting a number of rush attacks from his own end. He also likes to jump up in the rush when the opportunity presents itself, reading the play well to make himself an option as part of the second wave of attack. He wasn’t quite as aggressive offensively as we have seen in previous games, but his defensive play was extremely solid and the offense he did create came as a result of his efficiency moving the puck up ice. Overall, he is a reliable, competitive defenseman who is a leader for this USA team and will do whatever it takes to win. Grade: A
U18 World Championship: Team USA vs the Czech Republic Team, May 2021: Behrens is a competitive, dynamic defenseman who plays bigger than he is and was one of the only members of Team USA that played well for the entire sixty minutes of this game. Defensively, he blocked at least four shots, two of them coming on Grade A scoring opportunities for the Czech Republic. In his own end, he competed hard in the tough areas of the ice, winning battles low in his own zone and in front of the net consistently against bigger competition. He is tenacious and never gives up on a play, always giving second and third efforts when needed. With the puck on his stick, Behrens plays with his head up and consistently makes smart decisions. He is smooth on the breakout, using his feet to avoid pressure and then snapping crisp passes up ice. The Denver commit is also effective in the offensive zone where he plays with his eyes up and is mobile on the blueline. Overall, Behrens was the most complete player for his team in this game and is dynamic on both sides of the puck. Grade: A
2021 USHL: Biosteel All American Game, April 2021: Behrens was fantastic for his team in this game despite not showing up on the scoresheet. He is a mobile defenseman who plays the game with his head up and is always looking to create offence from the back end. In the offensive zone, he is active from the blueline, diving down for scissor plays and potential shot opportunities. He uses motion and creates confusion for the defence, which he does a good job taking advantage of. In his own zone, he is elite on the breakout and uses his feet and vision to break out of his zone cleanly and start rush attacks up ice. In his own zone, Behrens plays bigger than his size and doesn’t shy away from any battles. He blocks shots and does a good job of staying with his opponent low in the zone. Overall, he is highly effective on both sides of the puck and his best assets are his competitive level, vision, and skating ability. Grade: A
USHL: NTDP U18 vs Youngstown, January 2021: Behrens had a couple of plays in this game that are worthy of attention. In the second period, he made a phenomenal play to set up the second goal for the US, tying the game just 25 seconds after the Phantoms took the lead. He got the puck on the half wall, pulled off a nifty toe drag past a defender, kept his head up, and found Gallagher sliding down the back door for the 2-2 goal. He was consistently involved in the game in all three zones, and also threw a big hurt early in the third period. Solid game. Grade: B+
USHL: NTDP U18 vs Muskegon Lumberjacks, December 2020: Behrens is a solid defenseman with good vision and a high defensive hockey IQ. Behrens was smart with the puck, making solid passes on the breakout and finding cross ice seams on the powerplay. On the defensive side of the puck Behrens manages his gap really well and consistently shut down rush opportunities against him at or before his own blue line. Behrens did an excellent job of forcing opposing forwards into tight spaces where he used the boards and blueline to eliminate any space or force the play offsides. Behrens was also solid in his own zone when the Lumberjacks were able to establish some offensive motion. He stayed within himself and didn’t over extend. He also did a good job pinning opponents along the boards and then winning puck battles, starting the breakout for his team. Overall, Behrens is solid defensively and has good vision, which he uses to make clean, smart plays with the puck. Grade: B+
U16 USA Hockey Nationals, May 2019: Behrens is a nifty, instinctual puck moving defenseman with swift passing ability and quick feet. He can play at high tempos and is able to carry the puck end to end at will at this level. He was excellent on retrievals given his quickness and skill, he can make forechecker miss in open ice and has the triple threat to make a quick outlet pass, skate it out of the zone or stretch the ice with long range passes. He’s smart, he’s witty and he can access his full skill set at full speed. He was at his best on the power play where he leads the breakout and is calculated in carrying the puck up ice knowing when to skate it and when to dish; but his play along the offensive blue line is what really stood out. He can pick apart defenses with his vision and puck poise and has excellent touch and accuracy on his passes. He doesn’t have an overly powerful shot but he gets it off quick and puts it on the pad to generate rebound chances. Defensively he excelled against the rush with his lateral quickness and ability to play tight gaps but he was less effective in zone. He can get caught chasing the puck at times and even when he’s at net front coverage got caught watching the puck and missing his guy coming down the slot. He needs to get stronger and play a more balanced game but his footwork and puck possession ability are impressive as he has the rare ability to dictate and control the pace of the game. College: Denver
NTDP Evaluation Camp Report, March 2019: Behrens is a small but elusive and sophisticated defenseman who can skate his way out of pressure, can make opponents miss with his stickhandling ability and always has his head up ice looking to make plays. He doesn’t have ideal size for the position but he has a smothering style of defense and has excellent sense and defensive instincts to break up plays and cut down angles on opponents. He is also slippery and tough for forecheckers to get a body on which allows him to buy extra time and space and make direct passes instead of winging it up the wall. He does a nice job picking his spots knowing when to skate to open ice, when to stretch the ice with a long-range pass or when to make the simple 5-foot pass. A heady, skilled, offensively dynamic defender was excellent on the power play as a distributor and breakout specialist. He had a few assists but overall showed a savvy, skilled, quick overall game. We’d like to see him play a bit more aggressive and create more offense because he’s not big or strong enough to be a shutdown defender so he needs to produce more at the other end; but his breakout ability was impressive all week. College: Denver
U15/U16: Battle of the Border, December 2018: Sean is a smaller player who uses his speed to be effective. He has great puck control and he keeps his head up at all times. He can find the open player and make accurate passes. He will lead the rush and beat defenders up ice. He is active in the offensive zone and he displayed quick shot in the slot. He closes the gap by using his speed and stick angling skills to be effective defensively. He does a great job playing against the older players. College: Denver
U16: HPHL Showcase, December 2018: Behrens’ game is so dynamic, and this weekend proved to be no different. His speed and shiftiness with the puck are incredible. He is so difficult to defend when he has the puck, and he uses those same attributes to defend, himself. He is undersized but is very intelligent and uses his anticipation, quick feet and quick stick to defend and does well exceptionally well. He can get outmuscled along the boards and in puck battles, but he holds his own much of the time and gives it his all. Very dangerous in the offensive zone, with great vision, creativity, and shooting ability. Kid is just a rocket all over the ice. Grade: A+
U15/U16: HPHL Illinois Showcase, November 2018: Sean can do some real dynamic things with the puck on his stick. He can change direction in a heartbeat and elude attacking opponents. His stick and brain work just as fast as his feet. Just when you think you got him pinned down, he can make a quick move or thread a pass through traffic. He can still pay attention to detail while defending to improve that side of his game. But for now, he is a very impactful player offensively for his team. COLLEGE: DENVER
U16: USHL Fall Classic, October 2018: Very quick and shifty with the puck under pressure. He had his head up and read where the pressure was coming from. Calm and collective on the blue line while moving to open up shooting or passing lanes. Has the hockey sense and skill to run a great power play to provide offense. Should get better as he gets stronger and gains experience. USNTDP Top 40 Candidate. College: Denver
U16: T1EHL Chicago Mission vs. Little Caesars, October 2018: The lone 03 on the Chicago Mission blue line is still adjusting to playing vs older players. He is a dynamic skater who can win any races to the puck. Where he really struggled was with physical play because of his size and strength but this will improve as he gets more adjusted to the game. College: Denver
U16: HPHL/Beast Showcase, October 2018: Sean is a smaller puck-mover with high end speed and skill. Clever with and without the puck and is only getting stronger. Good sense in his own zone and played well on the PK. Athletic and has great feet which let him keep good gaps and close down on forwards. Great set of hands and can make defenders miss in transition. Highly skilled. Grade: A College: Denver
U14 Nationals, April 2018: Sean is small but that did not limit him at all. In his zone, he defended with quick feet and smart positional play. Also, never backed down from anyone and won most puck battles. Once he gets the puck, it gets exciting. He has great speed, balance and can ride his edges. He also has a quick stick. Made lots of players miss in space, created on the rush and played quarterback on the power play. Missed shin pads from the blue line and passed to smart spots in the offensive zone. He is a hockey player. All situations type who will only get better as he grows and adds strength. Fun to watch. College: Denver
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images