OFT-INJURED BENSON EAGER TO PUT PAIN IN HIS PAST
Prospect forward ‘100 per cent confident’ in his health, writes Robert Tychkowski.
Given how long he waited to wear Edmonton Oilers colours, a couple of chipped teeth in his first game couldn’t begin to wash away Tyler Benson’s smile.
All things considered, it’s a small price to pay for a chance to finally show management here what he can do.
“We were on the power play and I was going hard to the net and it looked like he tried to lift my stick and got me straight in the teeth,” said Benson, one of the bright spots in Sunday’s 7-3 loss to Calgary Flames rookies. “I even had my mouth guard in, but it didn’t help.”
After watching from the stands in his first two camps, while trying to recover from a litany of injuries that surrounded and bit at him like a pack of hyenas, being able to join in on the fun felt as good as Benson imagined it would.
“I was a little nervous, but I found the experience of being able to watch the games, be with the guys the past few years helped coming into this one,” he said.
“I felt good, felt like I was creating chances. Felt good about my game. Now I’m just looking forward to the next one and just getting better every day.”
There were high expectations for Benson early in his junior career before injuries hit and he slipped out of the first round of the 2016 draft. But the thought at the time, when Edmonton took the homegrown left-winger 32nd overall, was they were getting a steal if he could stay healthy.
We’re about to find out if that is true.
“I feel 100 per cent confident,”
I’m not even thinking about (the injuries) any more. Hockey is the only thing on my mind. I’m not even worried about my body right now.
said Benson, who is slated for Bakersfield of the American Hockey League now that his junior days are done. “I’m not even thinking about (the injuries) any more. Hockey is the only thing on my mind. I’m not even worried about my body right now.”
He averaged more than a point per game over the last three seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. The problem is he was limited to 30, 33 and 58 games. It seemed impossible to gain any traction.
Asked if the struggles of the last few years made him stronger, Benson thought about it for a second and agreed they probably have.
“It’s been tough. I’m not sure it’s made me better on the ice. It would have been nice to have a couple of years of development, but I guess it’s nice to know that I can overcome obstacles like that.”
His determination isn’t lost on the brass. Bakersfield coach Jay Woodcroft likes the kid’s heart and is excited to see what kind of upside a healthy Benson can bring to the organization.
“What’s working for him right now is his body is healthy, he’s back to 100 per cent,” said Woodcroft. “He’s put a good summer of hard work in, he tested very well in off-ice testing and he’s shown very well in practice.
“I thought in the Calgary game he factored not only on a bunch of offensive plays — we spent a lot of time in the other team’s end when he was on the ice — but he did a lot of good things defensively as well.
“That didn’t happen by accident. He put in a lot of hard work and it’s nice to see him being rewarded for it early on.”
Sunday’s game in Calgary also marked the much-anticipated debut of defenceman Evan Bouchard, Edmonton’s first pick (10th overall) last summer and a player being viewed as a potential No. 1 defenceman down the line.
These are his first baby steps, but so far so good.
“I think what we saw in the first game in Bouch is a poised player, somebody who can make passes,” said Woodcroft. “I think he sprung two or three players on breakaways or two-on-ones. And he’s someone who gets his shot through on the back end. He also showed up in a lot of positive clips defensively and on our breakout.
“He came into the game wanting to make a statement and he did very well. And the big thing was he came to practice the next day with the mindset of getting better.”
ANOTHER VET LANDS PTO
The Oilers signed free-agent right-winger Alex Chiasson to a professional tryout (PTO) Monday.
The 27-year-old has played five full seasons in the NHL, the last one culminating in a Stanley Cup win with the Washington Capitals last season. He had 18 points in 61 regular season games with the Capitals and also appeared in 16 of their 24 playoff games, picking up two points.
Chiasson has also played for the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames. He joins Scottie Upshall, who will also attend main camp on a PTO.