University of Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson has had a difficult time convincing his top recruits to stay in school.

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Montreal Canadiens pick Mac Bennett poses from the draft floor during the 2009 MHL draft in Montreal Saturday June 27 2009.

Photograph by : Montreal Gazette

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Canadiens Mike Komisarek and Max Pacioretty left early to pursue pro careers. Other players to leave early include Mike Camallieri, Mike Comrie, Jeff Jillson, Al Montoya, Jeff Tambellini and Mike Van Ryn.

If Charlie Henry has his way, Michigan recruit Mac Bennett will never play in Ann Arbor. Bennett was drafted by the Canadiens in the third round yesterday and is scheduled to play a year with Cedar Rapids in the United States Hockey League before enrolling at Michigan.

But Henry feels that the young defencemen will develop faster if he skips college and plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

"He has really good offensive skills, but he needs to improve on defence and he can do it with us," said Henry, who is general manager of the Olympiques.

Trevor Timmins, the Canadiens' director of player personnel, said he wouldn't presume to tell a player where he should go, but he did concede that the talent level in the Quebec league is higher.

Bennett, who grew up in Rhode Island and went to prep school in Connecticut, has a strong hockey pedigree. His grandfather, Harvey, was a goaltender for the Bruins; his father, Jim, played in the International League and his uncles, Curt, Harvey Jr., Frank and Bill all had at least a taste of the NHL, with Curt enjoying the longest career.

Family affairs: Bennett wasn't the only drafted player with family ties to the NHL.

There were 19 players with family connections, including Ulf Samuelsson's son, Philip, and Jan Erixon's son, Tim. They were both drafted in the first round.

The Rangers picked Ryan Bourque, the son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, in the third round while Alex Velischek, the son of Montreal native and former NHL defenceman Randy Velischek, went to Pittsburgh in the fifth round.

Buffalo picked Mike Foligno's son, Marcus, in the fourth round and Ray Ferraro's son, Landon, went to Detroit in the second round.

Tyson Barrie went to Colorado in the third round. His father Len, was a journeyman in the NHL and is currently co-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Good year for QMJHL: There were 21 players drafted from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. That's down from 27 last year and 26 in 2007 but the good news is that the QMJHL produced four first-round picks after being shut out last year.

Two Quebecers who spurned the QMJHL to maintain their NCAA eligibility, were drafted out of the United States Hockey League.

The first was Kirkland's Louis Leblanc, who will jump from the Omaha Lancers to Harvard University. He was the Canadiens' choice in the first round.

Dallas picked forward Alex Chiasson from the Des Moines Buccaneers in the second round. The Montreal native will attend Boston University in the fall.