Edmonton, home of 'Next Hockey Phenom'?

Tyler Benson

5'11 / 180lbs / 14 yrs old

Tyler Benson is scoring at a rampant pace in Alberta Bantam AAA. In fact he is on pace to break the record holder Ty Rattie, who just recently played a couple outstanding years in the WHL and is coming back from the U20 World Jr Championship. It is likely Ty Rattie will be challenging for a spot on the NHL's St.Louis Blues either this year or next.

The following is some extra information on Ty for those who may not be too familiar with this Alberta boy...In the 2007-08 season of Bantam AAA in Alberta, Ty Rattie played for the Airdrie Xtreme. He scored 75 goals , had 56 assists for 131 points in 33 games while racking  up 101 penalty minutes. In his 10 playoff games, he scored 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. Ty Rattie ended up being chosen second overall in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft by the Portland Winterhawks just behind...wait for it....'Ryan Nugent-Hopkins'. Other players selected behind Ty were Duncan Siemens,  Michael St. Croix, Mark McNeill, Colin Smith, Ryan Murray, Tyler Wotherspoon, Laurent Brossoit,  Dalton Thrower, 

 Lukas Sutter, Travis Ewanyk,

So it was a good year in the WHL Bantam Draft. This year could very well see a better bumper crop with the highly touted Tyler Benson going 1st OV. He has some other competition in BC and Sask but likely he appears to be this years Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. While some are worried his dominance may be because of his size, having seen him play, he has some real hockey sense. The bigger question will be how he fares in the WHL when his opponents are bigger then him with high end speed and skill as well.

At the 17 Game mark Tyler was leading 2nd place points leader Sam Steel by 26 points. That is insane numbers as Tyler does not get extra PP time and his coach rotates his 4 lines every game. Very seldom he is put out to win a game for his team or given extra ice time. In contrast Ty Rattie was given just that treatment as his coach played him like a star. Tyler Benson does not receive that kind of treatment with his club.


Top 10 Alberta AAA Bantam Leaders

	PLAYER	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Benson, Tyler	17	35	47	82
2	Steel , Sam	16	31	25	56
3	Shaw, Mason	17	13	37	50
4	Jevne, Ryan	17	27	21	48
5	Taupert, Jordan	20	12	34	46
6	Phillips, Matthew	17	27	18	45
7	Clarke, Michael	19	23	20	43
8	Aucoin, Parker	17	28	13	41
9	Rotundo, Alex	18	24	17	41
10	Clague , Kale	18	16	25	41

At Tyler's 22 game mark he has now taken a commanding 35 point lead over still 2nd place points leader Sam Steel. A feat that just seems impossible considered just the sheer difficulty in scoring those kind of points in so few games. At 4 plus points a game, should Tyler be able to play a 33 game schedule like Ty Rattie did, he would be poised to finish the year around 150 plus points. Looking at the schedule , I believe he will only get 28 games in, giving him approximately 128 points. (Just looking at how many games I could find slated I dont think he is able to play more then that). Tyler is more of a playmaker then Rattie was but don't let that fool you, he can score with the best of them.

Top 10 Alberta AAA Bantam Leaders

	PLAYER	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Benson, Tyler	22	39	61	100
2	Steel , Sam	20	33	32	65
3	Jevne, Ryan	22	37	25	62
4	Aucoin, Parker	22	43	18	61
5	Shaw, Mason	22	17	43	60
6	Phillips, Matthew	22	31	27	58
7	Taupert, Jordan	24	16	42	58
8	Doneff, Michael	24	27	26	53
9	Rotundo, Alex	23	32	19	51
10	Volcan, Nolan	22	27	23	50

Benson has size, extremely quick feet and slick hands. Has a wicked shot, and this young man possesses that hockey sense that only the best display. With his strength , agility in his skating and top end skill level, who knows what the future holds for young Benson. Regardless of where and when Tyler Benson plays, he produces and dominates. Good luck to this young kid with his future in hockey, it's been a treat to see him come through the ranks of the great City of Edmonton.

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-		Postseas.	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-
2010-11	SSAC Bantam AA 2	ERBHL	12	13	8	21	0		|
2011-12	SSAC Lions Bantam AAA	AMBHL	33	34	50	84	44		|	Playoffs	11	12	19	31	4
2012-13	SSAC Lions Bantam AAA	AMBHL	21	39	61	100	44		|

#17 Game Action

edit: As I go to  post this Tyler has played 1 more game and scored 8 more points. Notching 3 more goals and 5 assists in 1 game, Tyler now sits at 108 points. Also looking at the schedule it appears he is playing  8 more games following, giving him a possible 32 games to play this season. Maybe I missed a game on the schedule for 33 game total? Assuming he plays 32 games he is on pace to score 150 point season. I am guessing he finishes with about 145 points by seasons end and sets a new record.

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