The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Zach Benson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The 2022-23 Winnipeg ICE leading scorer has officially signed his first professional deal.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams announced the three-year contract for Benson, that will see the team's first round pick (13th overall) from this year's draft in blue and gold indefinitely.
“We felt that this player has the upside that often you don’t get at that spot in the draft,” he said. “The way the list was falling, we were starting to get pretty excited this player might be there for us. So, we’re excited to welcome Zach, and I guess we like Winnipeg kids.”
Benson has spent the last three seasons with the former Winnipeg ICE, where he led the team with 36 goals and 98 points last year, pulling ahead of fellow Sabres draft pick and teammate Matthew Savoie (95 points).
“There are just certain kids that give you this feel that they’re a hockey player,” the general manager added.
“They’re just winners, and they have such a desire to play the game and compete. He checked all those boxes. I just think if you can add talented, passionate people that just believe that playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege and honor and will do whatever they can to achieve success, it’s a great place to start. Zach certainly has that.”
Benson's contract carries a $950K annual price tag, once he begins his professional career, that is. He did, however, take home a $95K signing bonus. The deal is worth $2.85 million in its entirely, with the opportunity for an additional $1.95 million in performance bonuses.
"Yeah, it's been unreal, but kind of what I expected," Benson said at Sabres development camp in early July. "Obviously, it's a first-class organization, and I've had a great time so far."
The Chilliwack, British Columbia product is certainly excited to get to experience what he is calling a 'hockey city'.
"It's pretty surreal. When you look around, there's a lot of people in the stands. Start of July and you've got that many fans, it's obviously a hockey city," he added. "Learning about Buffalo and the organization they run, it's been awesome so far. For me, I'm going to be able to take stuff home with me to work on and that's really the cool part of this camp."
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound forward finished second in WHL scoring among draft-eligible players (behind only Connor Bedard), while adding another 17 points in 15 postseason games for Winnipeg.
Should he be sent back to Junior this fall, Benson will have a new home, as the ICE were sold this offseason and have become the Wenatchee Wild and will be based out of Washington.