BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have a few all-star caliber names. A growing number from the roster are transitioning from new to the league, to veteran presences on a mission. Spectrum News 1 sat down with a first-round pick who has made his way to the Sabres’ top line.
“It’s kind of crazy to think I’m going into my third year,” said Sabres left winger Zach Benson.
For a team that has been cultivating young talent for years, Benson looks to be the model of modern hustle and locker room growth.
“You learn so much hanging out with pros every single day,” he remarked. “We got some of the guys on our team and just taking things from them.”
The Sabres’ media team brought cameras and their “Embedded” series out to Benson’s native British Columbia and gave the Sabrehood a look into a carny upbringing that somehow resulted in the 13th pick of the 2023 draft.
Lessons learned from frying donuts and life on the road?
“What some people still don’t know is like that. It made us so close to the family,” Benson noted, describing growing up between working fairs and hockey camps across Western Canada. ‘We were living in RVs. I had my grandpa here, my trailer here, and my cousin’s trailer on the other side. So, every morning we went for breakfast as a family, went to hockey camps as a family, did everything as a family. So, [I’m] thankful for that. And it created a special bond.”
Earlier this year, center Josh Norris asked Benson for his uniform number 9.
“[Norris] just threw me a text one night, and asked what it would take,” Benson chuckled. “And I thought I was joking at the start, and then obviously, it turned into a real conversation.”
Fellow top linemates Norris and Benson are still working out the last of the details for the 20-year-old to switch from number 9 to 6, which carries its own weight in Buffalo and with the young forward.
“I grew up wearing 6, actually. You know, all the way since Adam, I wore it up until my first day when junior, a guy on my team had it. So, I decided to flip it upside down and go 9 at the time,” said Benson.
No matter the number, the goal is clear.
“I think I’m ready to take that next step and just raise the level of my game,” he added.
Benson will continue to be a skilled distributor, nuisance and bring more offense for a roster that continues to grow with his young career.
“We’re fighting for a playoff spot all year,” he added. “I think we’ve got the talent in this room. And I think our culture shift. We’ll do whatever it takes mindset. And I think that’s what our group is. [I’m pretty fired up to get going with this group.”