For a hockey player who has battled injuries for much of the last two seasons, Tyler Benson isn’t going to complain about merely suffering two chipped teeth in Sunday’s game against the Calgary Flames rookies.
Benson, 20, was drafted 32nd overall by the Oilers in 2016. However, he missed the last two rookie camps because he was hurt. Finally, on Sunday, he dressed for a rookie camp and was a bright spot for the Oilers in a 7-3 loss.
“What’s working for him now is his body’s healthy. He’s back to one-hundred percent. He put a good summer of hard work in. He tested very well in our off-ice testing,” said Jay Woodcroft, the coach of the Oilers’ American Hockey League farm team, the Bakersfield Condors.
“He factored not only in a lot of offensive plays, he did a lot of good things defensively as well.”
Benson set up linemates for several great chances and earned an assist on Caleb Jones’ third-period goal. He showed good vision and was as strong on his backhand as he was on his forehand.
“I feel 100 per cent confident,” Benson said. “I’m not even thinking about it anymore.
“Hockey is all that’s on my mind. I’m not even worried about my body right now.”
The Oilers rookies are back in action Tuesday night against the MacEwan/NAIT All-Stars. Catch the game on 630 CHED at 7 p.m.
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