One-Time Texas Star Jordie Benn Returns for Full-Circle Homecoming 14 Years Later

Jordie Benn at Dallas camp in 2023 (Credit: Texas Stars)

October 27, 2010.

It was Jordie Benn’s first AHL game with the Texas Stars in Rockford, Illinois. He recorded a single minor penalty playing on a pairing with Maxime Fortunus. He wouldn’t make his home debut for another month.

And now, after 14 years, Benn is making a homecoming this season at the H-E-B Center.

“It's kind of cool,” Benn told 100 Degree Hockey at a recent Texas home game. “It's all come full circle, and I get to spend a lot more time here where I started.”

After a year with his hometown Victoria Salmon Kings in the ECHL, Benn opted to play for the CHL’s Allen Americans, just a quick drive from Frisco and the Dallas Stars. At that point, the Stars had an affiliate agreement with Allen. His early play put him on the radar of Texas GM Scott White, and he was in Dallas’ training camp in 2010. From there, the journey is storybook.

An undrafted kid makes his way from the AA level to the majors, ultimately playing 600 NHL games and getting a chance to share the ice (and more than a few scoring lines) with his brother, the face of the Dallas franchise and its captain, in the best league in the world.

Luke Gazdic, Cody Chupp and Jordie Benn; March 4, 2011 (Credit: Texas Stars)

After retiring last season, it was an obvious decision for Benn to get involved somehow with Dallas.

“When I first came down here, I met my wife. We had a couple of kids. So Texas is home. My time playing here in Austin and in Dallas was the best time of my life, getting to be with my brother for a few years. And I've always loved the organization, and you know, it was a nice way to stay in the game and be with the guys that I've already spent a lot of my time with.

“Coming down here our first few years, we always went home to Victoria. Now with what we have here, our families and the Dallas Stars, the Dallas Stars and the Benns are family. Now I go back to Victoria maybe 2-3 weeks a year. I’m thinking about getting my [American] citizenship.”

Benn called it a “family reunion” to return to Cedar Park. His first-game defensive partner now runs the defense for Texas (He and Benn were both plus-2 on the night.). Travis Morin now leads the offense. The GM who gave him his start in the organization is still at the helm.

And to boot, Benn had a PTO last season to Dallas camp and got to meet a lot of the young guys he now mentors, “I got to know a lot of pretty much all of them, so it's an easy transition to come in and be able to develop players when you already know them.”

Jordie Benn in a game in Oklahoma City; December 21, 2012 (Credit: Steven Christy)

His role in player development would seem to have him putting on a completely different hat than the one he wore as a player. He dons a suit and tie for games and sits in team suites and press boxes instead of benches and penalty boxes now. But ultimately, he is responsible for guiding and developing young players who want to follow his path. It’s not honestly all that different from the veteran leadership he provided on the ice at the end of his career, albeit this time without charter flights between Central Division opponents.

“It’s a nice way to travel,” added Benn with a laugh. “On the scouting and management side, travel’s a little different.”

It’s actually a dual role for Benn as he is only with Texas when they are in town. When Texas hits the road, Benn tours the Central Division as a scout. “It's player development when I'm down here in Austin, and then I’ve got a splash of the scouting side as well. So I come down here for a few days and skate with the guys, and get to be around the team and let them pick my brain on my experiences.

“I share with them a little bit of knowledge of playing in the NHL and just critique and try to make them better.”

Jordie Benn in Milwaukee; April 8, 2011 (Credit: Jeff Hanisch)

As his playing experience drifts into the past, Benn is staying on top of what’s new and next in player development. There is a community of hockey development professionals, many coaching seminars and a personal network built across 600+ NHL games. He is also picking up a strong connection to the analytics side of the house as they work together to bring insights from everywhere to player improvement.

It would be reasonable to assume that the advice Benn dispenses hits a little harder given his path from undrafted to the NHL. Nothing was given to him, and he earned every opportunity.

“I would say my advice doesn't connect any more than someone else's would, but it's a little special bond when you have guys that are up and down in the ECHL, and they're not drafted. It's nice that they they can come to me, or I can go to them and just be like, ‘Hey, if you work hard, if you take the coaches’, management's and my advice, take everything and work hard, you can make it.’”