The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships have become a must-attend event among NHL GMs, directors of scouting and pro personnel evaluators. The two week event is an opportunity for NHL clubs to do their diligence and see the best NHL draft eligible players compete for world dominance with prospects who are their own age. NHL GMs like to jet to the event to watch young prospects that they have already drafted. When Buffalo hosted the WJCs in 2011, I saw a sea of black trench coats in the press box. By the end of that exciting event, there were GMs from 2/3 of the NHL clubs on premise, along with their scouting directors and scouts, player agents ad other dignitaries. Its a place to see, and a place to be seen. Like a huge convention or a de facto GMs meeting.
Last year at this time, Darcy Regier and Kevin Devine flew to Ufa, Russia to watch Mikhail Grigorenko perform for his WJC team. They also peeped Joel Armia, who they selected in the first round in 2010, and Rasmus Risolainen, who they would draft in the first round of the NHL draft.
Buffalo is operating without a GM right now, and have been since Darcy Regier was fired on November 13th. Pat LaFonatine has conducted his primary interviews and is working on completing his second interviews with his candidates now that the holiday are over. Ever since Rick Dudley was removed from the discussion in November by way of his multi-year contract extension from Montreal GM Marc Bergevin, I've been telling you that the man for the Buffalo job is Boston AGM, Jim Benning. A source told me in early December that Benning appeared to be the favorite based on his impressive resume and body of work that he has created in Boston. He's run the draft for the Bruins and has helped to assemble a Stanley Cup winner. Its no coincidence that the Bruins have been a powerhouse ever since Benning left Buffalo to accept the Boston AGM position.
Benning is in his eighth season with the Bruins and his seventh as the club's Assistant General Manager, as he was named to that post on July 14, 2007. In that position, he serves as an advisor to General Manager Peter Chiarelli on all matters pertaining to player evaluation, trades and free agent signings, in addition to assisting the General Manager in overseeing all individuals in their specific duties for the Bruins.
Benning joined the Bruins in July, 2006 as the team's Director of Player Personnel and was in that position for one season before assuming his current duties.
Benning worked for the Sabres for twelve seasons including eight seasons as that team's Director of Amateur Scouting. In that position, he oversaw the club's scouting staff and led the team at the annual NHL Entry Draft, in addition to scouting prospects at the high school, college and junior hockey levels as well as in Europe.
In the past nine weeks, LaFonatine has been turning over every stone that he can in pro hockey to find the right man who wants to guide and lead the Buffalo re-build.
Conspicuous by his absence from the WJCs is Jim Benning. He hasn't been seen yet at games in Malmo, Sweden. What gives?
On Saturday night, CBC's Elliotte Friedman mentioned Benning as the leading horse in the race for the Buffalo GM job.
Thanks, CBC Hotstove Tonight
Whats the hold up?
The Olympics, of course. Were this not an Olympic year, Benning may have already been granted permission to accept the Buffalo GM job, assuming he's been offered it by Lafontaine and the Sabres. However, since his boss Peter Chiarelli is a member of the Team Canada management team, its not smart to let the AGM leave Beantown yet until all of his contractual duties and obligations have been completed. Duties such as evaluating players at the World Juniors and scouting kids in the WHL, QMJHL, OHL, and NCAA programs to identify the 2014 draft class prospects for the Bruins.
Lafontaine has been a patient man throughout this whole process. He has said publicly several time sin the past two months that he is willing to wait for as long as it talks in order to get the man that he wants to be his GM. He has said vehemently that he's not interested in hiring a GM who has his eyes on other opportunities in the NHL, meaning the Calgary GM job. Lafontaine is a passionate man. If his GM doesn't share his passion level for re-building the Sabres back into a Stanley Cup contender, then he's not interested in that candidate. Benning is brand-loyal to Buffalo have spent a 12 pack of his successful NHL career in Buffalo.
Benning drafted Ryan Miller from Michigan State University. All indications suggest that he'll likely be trading Miller away when he lands in Buffalo.
Talk about the circle of life.
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Say hello to Zenon Konopka.
@ZenonKonopka won this draw using tricks learned from Hoppy #Sabres #Devils pic.twitter.com/ZwL1PnjNlJ
— Dan Hickling (@DanHickling) January 5, 2014
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: @ZenonKonopka gets ready to suit up for the #Sabres tonight. (@BWipp) pic.twitter.com/QJnEHuhqn9
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 4, 2014_________________________________________________________________________
Host Sweden has been the superior team at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
Sweden will face the pesky Finns for the gold medal. The Swedes out-lasted the Russians, 2-1 on Saturday morning while the Finns cranked Canada 5-1 in their semifinal match. Sweden won the World Championships gold medal in April in Stockholm. Now they have the opportunity to win World Junior gold for the first time since 2012.
Sweden's captain Filip Forsberg has been the best player in the tournament. He scored in the semifinal win vs. Russia. "I think we played pretty good," said Alexander Wennberg. "Russia’s a great team. At the end, it was tough. They had a lot of scoring chances against us. But we did a nice game and I think we deserved the win."
The Swedes, who took silver last year.
The Russians won WJC bronze at Ufa, Russia last year. They have medaled at three straight WJCs.
Swedish goalie Oscar Dansk recorded 26 saves for the winners, while Andrei Vasilevski made 19 stops for Russia.
Russia battled to the end but Sweden was too strong for them to conquer.
It was another story for the Finns, who took at 2 goal goal lead into their room after 40 minutes, courtesy of a Rasmus Ristolainen bomb that eluded Canada tender Zach Fucale.
The Finns dominated the third period by playing the role of boa constrictor. They crushed Canada with their stifling D-first system, which frustrated Canada to no end.
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