Jamie Benn and the Kelowna Rockets have stormed their way through the WHL Western Conference playoffs, yet were fairly big underdogs as they set their sights on the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL Finals. Calgary had yet to lose a game, winning 12 straight on their way to the Finals.
Kelowna beat Calgary last night 3-1, taking out the Hitmen on their home ice. None other than Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist in the victory.
Benn now has 31 points (13 goals and 18 assists) in just 17 playoff games. Not only is he scoring at an incredible rate, but he's consistently making a difference in all the big games. With a lot of scouts and experts down on John Tavares for the way that disappeared in the WHL playoffs, acquiring Benn in the fifth round of the draft is looking more and more like a tremendous steal for the Dallas Stars.
With this type of production and the growing hype surround the Stars' number one prospect, many will be pushing for Benn to make the jump to the NHL next season. While it's possible he might make an appearance, he needs time in the AHL. It's a big leap in skill, speed and size when you go from Junior Hockey to the NHL. We all want to see him in a Stars jersey as soon as possible, but he needs time to develop.
Still, it's exciting to see a Dallas Stars prospect who is dominating his league on the biggest stage, who is a skilled scorer and not afraid to get physical.
And we haven't even started to talk about Colton Sceviour yet.
H/T to the DMN Stars blog for the link.