BUFFALO, N.Y. — Quite a few members of the Buffalo Sabres’ staff saw Zach Benson play live during his draft year. The area scout, Lukas Sutter, saw him frequently. Jerry Forton, then director of amateur scouting, had a ton of viewings, too. And the Sabres’ development coaches were out in Winnipeg often as well because Matt Savoie, drafted No. 9 by the Sabres in 2022, was playing on the same team.And yet even with Savoie, a top-10 pick in draft-plus-one season, on the same line, every Sabres staffer came away from Winnipeg Ice games with the same impression: Benson is the best player on the ice. It wasn’t a one-game occurrence or the opinion of one scout. And it spoke to one of the most impressive aspects of Benson’s profile in his draft year. His consistency was astounding for a 17-year-old. Forton said that was noticeable even when he was 16.“That’s rare to see in the CHL with all of the hockey they play and especially in the Western League with all of that travel, but every game, even going back to his underage year, you would say he was the best player on the ice,” Forton said.Benson has become the latest Sabres player to get a long-term extension. The 21-year-old signed a seven-year deal worth $7.5 million per year earlier this offseason. He’s been in the NHL since he was 18, but the hockey-watching public gained a new appreciation for him when the Sabres made the playoffs. Benson had five goals and four assists in Buffalo’s 13 playoff games and developed a reputation for getting under the skin of his opponents.And Benson’s draft year and subsequent development have provided some interesting lessons. Before the Sabres even made the pick, Forton knew size was going to be a public talking point. Benson was only 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. The year prior, the Sabres had spent their first two picks on undersized forwards. There was some draft-room debate about how heavily they should weigh Benson’s size in the evaluation considering what they had added to the prospect pool the year prior.Forton tells his staff to block out what the Sabres have on their NHL roster. Drafted players typically don’t jump to the NHL right away, and team needs can change. The goal is to get the best possible player and asset for the organization. And for a lot of reasons, Benson fit that description.“We had him well within our top 10,” Forton said. “We knew there was a possibility he could slide because of his size. We can talk about analytics again. They were closely aligned with us. They were probably even higher than us on the player. They absolutely loved the player, and that’s probably a testament to what they were seeing was happening every single game.”