The Sabres selection of WHL star scorer Zach Benson gives them another outstanding offensive performer under six-feet tall in their prospect pool.
NASHVILLE — When Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk was running roughshod over opponents throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it set the tone for the next trend to come for NHL teams. Tkachuk was such a difference maker in helping the Panthers beat the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes that the idea of having a Tkachuk-like player of your own would be the key for teams looking to take a big step towards the top.
The 2023 Draft offered a lot of intriguing forwards with size and skill to inspire those looking to make that kind of splash. Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, Matthew Wood, Ryan Leonard, and Danil But all stand out, literally, but chasing the dragon of a Tkachuk-like player is a fool’s errand. There’s no one like him. It’s what makes Buffalo taking aim at the best player available, size be damned, so interesting.
The Sabres selected 5’10”, 170-pound Winnipeg Ice forward Zach Benson showed they don’t care about trends and that the idea they’re too small in the pipeline is just silly. The one thing at the front of their mind is getting the most talent possible and make sure they’re wearing blue and gold in the years to come.
“One of the things that I thought was interesting as we were going through our scouting meetings, every single scout that had watched (Benson) over the course of the last basically two years—because remember how many times we saw him in the Savoie draft as well—said they just generally walked away from the game saying he was the best player on the ice,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “No matter what or who the scout was or when they saw him.
“Ultimately, these are kids that you’re looking for projection. You’re not just looking for what they are today. And we think he’s going to project into a really good NHL hockey player.”
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Benson was the third leading scorer in the WHL last season with 98 points. He trailed only Stars prospect Chase Wheatcroft and 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. He had 36 goals and six of those were shorthanded. He’s a dogged forechecker, an aggressive skater, super skilled, and a sky-high hockey IQ. That he was there for Buffalo to grab, it makes an already burgeoning prospect pool that much richer.
“If you combine his skill, hockey sense, compete, and how mature of a two-way game he has at his age, I could make the argument—I will make the argument—he would be number one in the entire draft class with that combination of a package,” Sabres director of amateur scouting Jerry Forton said. “So that’s awfully hard to pass on at 13.”
No one other than Bedard was going to be No. 1 this year, obviously, but Benson bringing out those kinds of plaudits makes you wonder how a guy like that escaped the view of the 10 teams (Arizona picked twice) between Chicago at No. 1 and Buffalo. Perhaps not being north of six feet tall had a lot to do with it. Whatever the reason, the Sabres reap the benefits and get the teammate of their No. 9 pick last season, Matthew Savoie, to give them a pair of players who terrorized the Western Hockey League and may do it again next season in Wenatchee, Washington.
“He’s a special hockey player,” Adams said. “He’s intelligent, he’s extremely diligent on both sides of the puck. I mean, his offensive numbers were pretty elite, but he also was very responsible defensively. You guys have heard me talk about projection. We felt like this player has the upside that often you don’t get at that spot at the draft. The way the list was falling, we were starting to get pretty excited this player might be there for us.”
The thing about drafts is for all the scouting and all the reports and all the hours of games watched, a lot of it depends on luck and how others handle their picks. Mostly everything is out of your control until it’s time to make the pick. Sure, teams can trade up or down, but that was a foreign concept in the 2023 draft in the first round. Everyone’s draft boards fell their way and every team made the pick they wanted when it was time. It’s what makes Benson’s slip to 13 even more fascinating. None of those teams had him rated better? Fate smiles upon Buffalo and Benson is more than happy to one day make it pay off for the Sabres.
“I think they want a speedy team that plays with a lot of skill, work ethic, competitiveness,” Benson said. “For me, I just want to keep competing, keep getting better. With the roster now, they’re looking pretty good. So I couldn’t be more excited.”
Speed kills and skill makes it look good. Being 5’10” and fast with elite ability can make 6’3” puny when done right. With Benson and Savoie and Rosén among their top prospects now, these smaller guys might wind up making a big difference in the Sabres’ future.