Zach Benson: how good will he be this year?

[Archie Lee]

48 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

And the great thing about Benson is that even if these underlying offensive numbers never translate to him being a big point producer, he has so many other positive traits that he is going to be an effective player for a long-time. Someday, it will be a lot of fun to watch him in the playoffs.

[LGR4GM]

I bring this up because Nazar had 12g and 26pts in 53games this past season, his first, at 21yrs old.

[GASabresIUFAN]

17 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I bring this up because Nazar had 12g and 26pts in 53games this past season, his first, at 21yrs old.

I don’t know if the contract will work out, but it’s stupid to give out big$ contracts to guys with 53 games on experience and only 26 pts in those 53 games.  

When did Adams take over as Chicago’s GM? 

[LGR4GM]

44 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I don’t know if the contract will work out, but it’s stupid to give out big$ contracts to guys with 53 games on experience and only 26 pts in those 53 games.  

When did Adams take over as Chicago’s GM? 

It is crazy when you realize Zach Benson has played 146 games, almost 100 more than Nazar. Risky contract for sure, especially when you look at Nazar's underlying numbers. He was very meh. 

[Drag0nDan]

I really hope his offense takes a jump.  He's got some slick skills, and a better shot than I think he's shown.  Tends to be OK going to dirty area's which is something the team lacks. 

Absolutely needs to improve his skating and conditioning - which i think is somewhat normal for an 18-19 year old (hence why they usually don't play in the NHL).  Either way, a jump is needed on the wheels for both him and Quinn.  

[pi2000]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

It is crazy when you realize Zach Benson has played 146 games, almost 100 more than Nazar. Risky contract for sure, especially when you look at Nazar's underlying numbers. He was very meh. 

Is that a good thing? 

IMO he would've been better off continuing to develop in junior playing +25min/gm.

Instead he's been pigeon holed in Buffalo during his critical developmental years, stunting his growth as an offensive contributor.

[dudacek]

20 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Is that a good thing? 

IMO he would've been better off continuing to develop in junior playing +25min/gm.

Instead he's been pigeon holed in Buffalo during his critical developmental years, stunting his growth as an offensive contributor.

There’s a far better chance Benson will have a breakout year this year than he would had he played junior last year, due to the amount of NHL learning he’s already absorbed.

[LGR4GM]

40 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Is that a good thing? 

IMO he would've been better off continuing to develop in junior playing +25min/gm.

Instead he's been pigeon holed in Buffalo during his critical developmental years, stunting his growth as an offensive contributor.

No it hasn't. 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

Is that a good thing? 

IMO he would've been better off continuing to develop in junior playing +25min/gm.

Instead he's been pigeon holed in Buffalo during his critical developmental years, stunting his growth as an offensive contributor.

If my AHL coach is skating my 19 year-old #1 prospect forward 25+ min/game in regular season action against 30 year-olds and AHL/ECHL-level scrubs, I'm firing that coach into the nearest exogorth.

All situations, key shifts at game's end? Absolutely. But I'm not running them into the ground. I'm emphasizing NHL-length shifts and quality over quantity. Give me a prospect with 17-18 targeted minutes a night vs. overextending.

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

There’s a far better chance Benson will have a breakout year this year than he would had he played junior last year, due to the amount of NHL learning he’s already absorbed.

As a qualifier, every player gets one path to the NHL (some more winding than others, but a single path nonetheless). The reality is that if a player fails to reach their potential, there is no way to know with certainty whether that failure relates to a poor development process or to the player simply not being good enough.  So, I really don't think it is possible to say that Benson's offensive game has been, will be, or won't be stunted by being in the NHL; that is, unless he develops into an offensive star, in which case it can be said that being in the NHL from day-one, didn't hurt his offensive game. Benson never went back to junior and we will never know how going back to junior might have impacted his game.    

That said, I don't think there is any way to say that Benson being in the NHL for D1 and D2 means there is a better chance, let alone a "far better chance", of a breakout this year.  There is, relatively speaking, a long list of forwards drafted between 11th and 15th overall (Benson was 13th), who did not fully make it to the NHL until D3, and who had rookie seasons that would qualify as a "breakout year" for Benson.

Respectfully to my fellow Benson admirers, there is a tendency to see Benson as a different sort of Cat who was/is uniquely able to adapt to the pro-game as an 18 year old right out of junior, while also thinking that he somehow doesn't have traits that would have allowed him to develop in junior ("He's too good for junior and going back would have stunted his development").  Benson is a unique Cat. He would have developed fine either way and would, in my view, be a legit rookie of the year candidate if he was coming into the NHL this season. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Archie Lee

[dudacek]

33 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

As a qualifier, every player gets one path to the NHL (some more winding than others, but a single path nonetheless). The reality is that if a player fails to reach their potential, there is no way to know with certainty whether that failure relates to a poor development process or to the player simply not being good enough.  So, I really don't think it is possible to say that Benson's offensive game has been, will be, or won't be stunted by being in the NHL; that is, unless he develops into an offensive star, in which case it can be said that being in the NHL from day-one, didn't hurt his offensive game. Benson never went back to junior and we will never know how going back to junior might have impacted his game.    

That said, I don't think there is any way to say that Benson being in the NHL for D1 and D2 means there is a better chance, let alone a "far better chance", of a breakout this year.  There is, relatively speaking, a long list of forwards drafted between 11th and 15th overall (Benson was 13th), who did not fully make it to the NHL until D3, and who had rookie seasons that would qualify as a "breakout year" for Benson.

Respectfully to my fellow Benson admirers, there is a tendency to see Benson as a different sort of Cat who was/is uniquely able to adapt to the pro-game as an 18 year old right out of junior, while also thinking that he somehow doesn't have traits that would have allowed him to develop in junior ("He's too good for junior and going back would have stunted his development").  Benson is a unique Cat. He would have developed fine either way and would, in my view, be a legit rookie of the year candidate if he was coming into the NHL this season. 

This is a good post.

To clarify my take here: my premise is that NHL experience generally makes for better NHL players: most walk before they can run.

Therefore, the 150ish games the actual Benson has played should make him better prepared for the coming season than a hypothetical Benson who played his last two years in junior.

[pi2000]

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

There’s a far better chance Benson will have a breakout year this year than he would had he played junior last year, due to the amount of NHL learning he’s already absorbed.

Sure there's learning the pro game but there's also a level of confidence you'd like your prospects to maintain during that process.

We'll see, if given the opportunity, does he have the confidence to take chances on the offensive side of the puck.

[dudacek]

25 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Sure there's learning the pro game but there's also a level of confidence you'd like your prospects to maintain during that process.

We'll see, if given the opportunity, does he have the confidence to take chances on the offensive side of the puck.

Is there anyone who has got a whiff of Benson playing tentative hockey?

I feel like your criticisms are of a generic “young offensive star not lighting it up” variety, not real observations of the player, his game or his mindset 

Edited 37 minutes ago by dudacek