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Development Camp News & Notes

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

July is going to be a busy month for Stars prospect Jamie Benn. It's an important one as well. Two weeks after finishing this week's development camp in Frisco, the 18-year-old will be heading off to Ottawa for another hockey camp.

This one is for players being considered for Canada's team at the 2009 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Ottawa in December and January.

"It's a nice honor for sure," said Benn, who is one of 45 players who has been invited to the camp. "It's going to be a good experience."

The fact that Benn, who turns 19 later this month, is even under consideration for Canada's World Junior team has a lot to do with a decision the fifth round pick (129th overall) in 2007 made early last season.

Benn decided to leave the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and pass up a chance to play college hockey with his brother at Alaska Fairbanks to make the jump to the Western Hockey League. The goal was to put Benn on a faster track to a professional career.

"It was the best way to get to the NHL faster," Benn said.

Benn said the Stars were on board with what ever he wanted to do, so he joined the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL in October.

"It was a little of a jump. Guys were bigger and stronger and it was a better pace," said Benn. "It took a couple games, but I got used to it after a while."

He got used to it in impressive fashion. He garnered a lot attention last season, scoring 33 goals in 51 games. He would have scored more, but he missed about a month due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in a practice. Despite the injury, Benn looked at the move to the WHL as a success.

"It paid off," Benn said. "But there's a lot of work to do."

Part of that work comes this week at the Stars development camp, where there is a lot of emphasis on puck skills. But there is also a focus on what it takes to reach his ultimate goal.

"There's a bunch of guys around here that can give you lots of advice," Benn said. "They can show you what it's like to be a pro and how hard you have to work."

Like most players at the camp, Benn said he needs to work on all areas of this game but he did mention skating is one area he'd like to emphasize.

Winkler just excited to be at camp

Being at Stars' development camp or any NHL team's development camp wasn't even on the radar of Scott Winkler, the Stars' 3rd round pick (89th overall) in this summer's draft.

"I wasn't even sure I was going to be drafted, so I am thrilled about it," said Winkler, a Norwegian-born center who played in the United States this past season. "On the Central Scouting rankings I was 176th and that was just the North American rankings."

Winker played for Russell Stover (AAA Midget) in Kansas City last season, registering 40 goals and 52 assists in 70 games. It was his first season in North America. Adjusting to the language was not a problem for Winkler.

Talking to the 6-2, 195 center you'd have a hard time pegging him as being from Norway. He sounds like any of the other North American kids at the camp.

"That's because of my dad. He's from Canada. He moved over there to play hockey, ended up getting a job and just stayed," said Winkler, whose mom is from Norway.

Winkler's family is still in Norway, but he decided to come to North American to advance his hockey career.

"A lot of my friends, who are a little bit older than me, ended up playing in the Norwegian Elite League and they kind of got stuck there," Winkler said. "I didn't want that to happen to me, so I figured I would come to either Canada or the U.S. to play."

Next season Winkler will take the next step in his career, playing for Cedar Rapids of the USHL. After that he is destined for Colorado College, where Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman currently plays.

Observations

• Dallas native Austin Smith (5th round pick in 2007) scored one of the prettier goals of the day, beating goalie Tyler Beskorowany from close range with a backhand shot that he placed just under the crossbar.
   

• There were some one-on-one drills in the afternoon session. One of the most entertaining matchups was between forwards James Neal and Ray Sawada. Another one featured Smith against David McIntyre (5th round in 2006). Those two will be teammates at Colgate next season.
   

• Sawada and Neal were dominant at times when they were teamed up together during some two-on-two drills later in the afternoon session.
   

• McIntyre is known for his speed and he showed that in some of the drills in the afternoon session. McIntyre can flat out skate.

Quotable

"It's interesting for me to come to these camps because I see the guys that are here for the first time and the guys that have been here a couple times. There's a comfort level in everything [the more experienced players] do on the ice. They are not wide-eyed. They are digging in and they are trying to improve. Some of the young guys are taking it all in right now. We're trying to get better, but we're a little bit in awe."

Stars coach Dave Tippett