It's definitely what I thought it would be. It's a challenge every night and that's the best part of it. It's tough, but it's fun. You have to step up to the challenge." -- Jamie Benn
Marc Crawford didn't just see Jamie Benn as Dallas' best rookie in training camp.
"He was probably our best player in training camp," Crawford told NHL.com last week.
At that point, Crawford said, the Stars' management group had to debate if they could teach Benn everything he didn't know while allowing him to adjust to the NHL?
The answer was obviously yes, but only because Benn, a fifth-round pick in 2007, showed on a daily basis how badly he wanted to make the team, or, more importantly, how badly he wanted to avoid going to the minor leagues.
Benn knew his chances of making the opening night roster were slim when he arrived in camp, but he was determined to do everything in his power to at least make Crawford and GM Joe Nieuwendyk think before they penned the lineup.
Turns out they made the right move in keeping the 20-year-old B.C. boy.
Benn was one of the Stars' best players through the first month with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 14 games, good for fifth on the team in October. His scoring has been up and down since (he now has 21 points in 44 games), but more importantly Benn is learning the NHL game and how his size, shot and one-on-one ability can play nicely to his advantage even at this level.
