BUFFALO – Having coached against Zach Benson last year and examined game tape throughout the offseason, Lindy Ruff knew the tenacious Sabres winger possessed maturity that belied his limited NHL experience.
Still, as Ruff watched Benson, 19, up close during training camp, he quickly developed a greater appreciation for the youngster. Until he coached him, he did not fully understand what makes him such a unique talent.
“I watched a lot of games, I liked him,” Ruff said Sept. 24 in KeyBank Center. “I think I like him more now.”
In the Sabres’ 6-1 preseason win over the Columbus Blue Jackets a night earlier, Benson had scored at the net and created center Dylan Cozens’ goal by feeding him in the slot. In between, he was whistled for roughing, what Ruff called a penalty of “passion” he did not mind.
“He does a lot for a young man,” Ruff said hours before the Sabres left for their season-opening trip to Europe. “His competitive fire is something you admire right off the bat for a young man, for a young player. And then sometimes the ability to make plays that you don’t think a guy that young would make really kind of gives you that, ‘Wow, that’s not bad for the age that player is.’”
That’s why Benson defied huge odds last season by cracking the NHL barely three months after the Sabres drafted him 13th overall.
One year ago at this time, he had just about secured his unlikely roster spot. As the preseason progressed and he kept exceeding expectations, it became apparent he had earned more than the long look teams often award their first-round pick.
Benson had established himself as one of the Sabres’ 12 best forwards because he played more like a veteran than a neophyte. The Sabres, having entered win-now mode, needed him. He ended up playing 71 games, more than any player in the 2023 draft class.
This year, of course, feels much different than his rookie campaign.
“You’re way more comfortable,” Benson said. “But at the same time, it’s the same thing. It’s compete, it’s work. You want to get ready for a season, you want to have a better season. You want to refine your game and really come out with your feet moving right away and compete.”
Having gained perspective following a full NHL season, Benson focused on becoming stronger throughout his offseason in picturesque Burnaby, British Columbia. He’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, the same size as last season.
“I felt like I just got a lot quicker, stronger,” he said. “(My trainer) harped on just a lot more movement and stuff in the gym, and I think it helped me a ton.”
On the ice, Benson spent the summer training alongside Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, widely considered to be hockey’s most dynamic young star, and Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson, the fifth pick in 2021.
“A couple highly skilled guys,” Benson said.
You think? Sharing the ice with Bedard, a player labeled as the most talented since Connor McDavid, enhanced Benson’s skills.
“It was great for me,” Benson said. “As much as you want to work on your offensive game in the summer, you still want to work on your stick battles, and you know when you’re going against a guy like Bedard, you know he’s got elite puck placement. So I think it helped my stick and my adjustment to my defensive game.
“But at the same time, he’s got a great stick, too. So playing offense against him, (it’s) just putting the puck in spots he can’t get it.”
Benson could certainly enjoy a breakout offensive season this year. He scored five of his 11 goals in his final 17 outings last season. Right now, he has a spot again at left wing alongside Cozens and Jack Quinn on the second line.
“My best hockey came in the last stretch there when I was kind of playing all-around hockey – PK, power play,” Benson said. “I thought me, Quinner and Cozey finished the season really good. We were moving pucks quick, playing north-south hockey.”
That style meets Ruff’s expectations.
“He just wants to play with pace,” Benson said. “He wants pucks up. He doesn’t like taking pucks back unless you have to. I think that’ll help us a ton.”