Benson hedges on when he’ll be set to play for improving Giants
Tyler Benson was the first skater on the ice at the Vancouver Giants’ practice on Tuesday.
If you’re a Giants fan looking for good omens, that should count for something.
The 19-year-old forward and team captain returned to town earlier this week after spending the pre-season and the early stretch of league play rehabbing from a pair of off-season sports hernia surgeries under the watchful eye of the Edmonton Oilers’ medical staff.
The Oilers used a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to nab Benson’s rights. They inked the Edmonton native to a three-year, entry-level contract last December.
Vancouver general manager Glen Hanlon and coach Jason McKee are hopeful Benson will be ready to play Friday when the Prince George Cougars visit the Langley Events Centre, but both said they wanted to see how the week of practice played out.
Hanlon was quick to admit the Oilers will have the final say in the timing of Benson’s return to WHL action.
In the two seasons before this one, Benson had played in just 63 of a possible 144 games with Vancouver because of injuries. He hasn’t taken part in a game with Vancouver since a Jan. 2 contest in Calgary.
“Could I be ready for Friday? It depends on this week of practices.
It’s definitely a possibility,” Benson said.
McKee did have him skating on Vancouver’s No. 2 line Tuesday at the Ladner Leisure Centre, teaming with Brendan Semchuk to flank James Malm. That, too, could be another good omen for the Vancouver faithful in regards to Friday.
McKee said he’s hesitant to break up the Giants’ No. 1 unit, which features Milos Roman between Ty Ronning and Brad Morrison.
Ronning, with 10 goals and 16 points, is the leading scorer for a Giants team that’s off to a 5-51-1 start. They went 3-2-1-0 on a just-completed six-game road trip through the East Division.
“It’s tough watching games,” said Benson. “I’ve never missed this much hockey in my life. It’s just unfortunate that it’s at this point in my lifetime. We’re trying to get through it and I think we’re going in the right direction.”
Benson was named to Team WHL for the Canada-Russia Series, which involves games Nov. 6 in Moose Jaw and Nov. 7 in Swift Current. He says he “could be ready” for those two exhibition matchups, which Hockey Canada lists as tryout opportunities for the world junior team, but he maintains he’s not focused on them.
“I just want to make sure that I’m ready for the Giants right now,” he said.
Benson was the first pick overall in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. In 132 regular-season games with Vancouver, he has 115 points, including 34 goals.
Prince George (4-5-2-2) features Langley native Dennis Cholowski, 19, a 2016 first-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings who left St. Cloud State University after one season to sign a contract with Detroit.