2016 NHL Draft: Tyler Benson Makes His Return

2016 NHL Draft: Tyler Benson Makes His Return

Tyler Benson came into the season as a projected middle to late first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

After a solid rookie season with the Vancouver Giants last year, Benson came in looking to back up what scouts were saying about him. Unfortunately, Benson started the year with a long-lasting injury and a separate injury that forced him to miss the BMO Top Prospects Game, as well as a few more weeks of WHL action.

He finally made his return to WHL action since his last injury with the Giants in Sunday’s battle against the Kamloops Blazers. The captain skated in his 30th game of the year.

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Benson is known for his aggressive play and that caught up with him very early in this competition. He took a very unnecessary interference penalty on his second shift of the night.

"“A powerful kid who uses both his brains and skill to outplay his opponent. He has some skating issues that will need work, but is hard to contain down low and can really be dangerous deep in the offensive zone. He just owns the boards, protects the puck and wills himself to win most one-on-one battles. His shot is pro caliber, and he needs little space or time to put the puck in the net.” – Future Considerations"

However, Benson’s night turned around immediately after coming out of the penalty box. His speed was very noticeable as he led rushes into the offensive zone during the 1st period. Including one breakout where Benson created two chances and eventually assisted on the first goal of the game.

At the end of the first period, Benson had shown he was not too far behind after missing some time. There is little to work on, most noticeably his skating; however, we’ll see how the rest of the game goes.

The Giants took a 3-0 lead early in the second period,  (Benson was on the ice for the third goal) but that was quickly evaporated when the Blazers scored 2 goals in less than minute.

Despite the momentum that was lost from the two Blazer goals, Benson had a really strong period. Speed, strength and smarts are what Tyler is known for and anyone could tell that during the 2nd.

His placement in the offensive zone on the powerplay is fantastic, but what impressed me the most was his ability to read a chance to break out of the defensive end and get to the right place where that first pass out will be. When Benson is on the ice, he’s always was always there to bail out the defenseman back and start the rush up ice.

One criticism that I had of Benson after the 2nd period was he chose not to get in front of the goalie on the powerplay. This may not be a direct problem for Benson, but more of a problem for the Giants. There was rarely a man screening the keeper on the man advantage and Benson has the frame, so why not? The case against that is he has the pro shot that can beat any goalie, which could move him to the perimeter.

The second period came to a close with Benson getting bumped a little harder than he would have liked. Benson responded so:

(I’m not sure why this came out in slow motion)

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Benson received a minor for roughing and would start the third period in the penalty box. That would be his third penalty of the game. Really the only problem he had all game.

He only picked up a secondary assist, but Benson played fairly well in his first game back from injury. He was caught behind the play when the Blazers tied the game in the third, but that started when he was hit behind the play without a call.

The game was playing out for a Tyler Benson overtime winner. Benson had been playing decent and just needed something to top off his night.

Benson would not score, but Ty Ronning did; however, Ty Ronning did. Only thing is, the play was offsides. That really is too bad because it was a helluva play by Trevor Cox.

In the shootout, Trevor Cox would go on to score the winner and Jake Morrisey stopped all Blazer shooters as the Giants held on for the 4-3 win.

Collecting all of the thoughts I had during the game while watching Tyler Benson, the conclusion is that he had a decent return. He did some things really well and had a few gaffes. His positioning was superb, but he also booted a few pucks. It happens.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?

If he can play like that consistently for the rest of the season, his first round hopes and dreams may not be so far-fetched.