Oilers' Tyler Benson accustomed to spotlight

EDMONTON -- Tyler Benson was well known in the Edmonton hockey community long before being selected in the second round (No. 32) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Benson, an Edmonton native, lit up the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League during the 2012-13 season, setting a scoring record with 146 points (57 goals, 89 assists) in 33 games. He was selected by Vancouver with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft and projected to be hockey's next star.

Injuries, however, have hampered Benson, 18, who was limited to 30 games in the WHL last season. He began the 2015-16 season as a projected first-round pick in the NHL Draft but slipped to the second round in Buffalo, and Edmonton was quick to select him.
Benson missed the first month of the season because of surgery to remove a cyst from his tailbone and later had osteitis pubis, an inflammation around the pelvis where the pubic bones meet. That led to pain in his groin and hip flexors. He played two games after Dec. 30.
"It's surreal, I guess, being drafted by Edmonton," Benson said during Oilers development camp in Jasper, Alberta. "I watched this team growing up and to be a part of the organization, it's pretty special. This last week [after the draft] has been an exciting week, for sure. It's starting to slow down a little bit, but it's exciting to be part of this organization and I'm happy to be here."
Benson is not fazed by the attention he has received being a local prospect drafted by the Oilers. He went through a similar situation as a bantam player heading into the WHL draft and has experience in the spotlight. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has been dealing with high expectations since he was 14.

"It's kind of the same," he said. "It's different in a sense that now I'm talking about a different organization, but I'm kind of getting used to it."
Benson had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 30 games for Vancouver last season. He was an effective offensive player when in the lineup, but staying healthy proved to be a challenge because of ongoing hip problems.
"It was frustrating year," he said. "I had to have surgery before the season even started, and it was a tough year. I had some nagging injuries that I had to take care of and I'm still dealing with them a little bit now, and I'm just trying to get healthy."
The Oilers believe Benson can once again become a dominant offensive force and feel fortunate he was available in the second round. Benson hopes his injury problems are behind him and was anxious to get on the ice at development camp.
"I want to be able to prove myself, I wasn't able to do that much last year," Benson said. "I just want to show myself well and show the Oilers that they made a good decision in selecting me. They had confidence in me and I want to be able to prove to them they made a good decision in taking me."
Benson is expected to return to the WHL this season and hopes to lead Vancouver to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
"I just want to have some team success this year," Benson said. "We've missed the playoffs the last couple of years and we want to be able to go there, and we want to try and compete with the best teams and go to the playoffs and win some games there."