On the night of Tyler Benson's WHL debut, the Vancouver Giants defeated the Tri-City Americans 5-2 at the Pacific Coliseum. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
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Throwback Thursday: Tyler Benson’s first game

Back on November 16, 2013, Tyler Benson made his WHL debut. He wore a full face cage, as rules stipulate Bantam-aged prospects must. He also stood 5’11” and weighed 185 pounds at the time, which should probably be against the rules when you’re 15 years old. Here’s a picture I took at that game, as Benson tried a shifty backdoor play. He didn’t get on the scoresheet that night, but he’s figured prominently in Vancouver ever since.

On the night of Tyler Benson's WHL debut, the Vancouver Giants defeated the Tri-City Americans 5-2 at the Pacific Coliseum. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
On the night of Tyler Benson’s WHL debut, the Vancouver Giants defeated the Tri-City Americans 5-2 at the Pacific Coliseum. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Giants heralded his debut a full month in advance, and are still getting media attention on his decidedly broad shoulders. Benson is now a full six feet tall and sits much closer to 200 pounds of lean muscle, and he is projected to go as high as 8th in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Despite sitting out tomorrow’s season opener (as he recovers from pre-season surgery that removed a cyst from his tailbone), Benson was today named the captain of the Vancouver Giants for the 2015-16 season.