Matthew Benson has just six games of WHL experience, but he looked like a veteran during Tuesday’s preseason opener against the Swift Current Broncos at Mosaic Place.

The 17-year-old defenceman has a good shot to be on the Warriors’ roster this season and he’s showing that he deserves it so far through training camp.

“I was working really hard every day in the summer, six days a week I was working with my training back home,” said Benson. “I focused on a lot of lower body strength and lots of conditioning too, so that really got me ready for the Western Hockey League speed of play.”

That hard work has shown so far as the six-foot-two, 205-pound Benson has fit right in with the Warriors’ returning players during main camp and was solid in his first preseason action on Tuesday.

“The strength that he gained over the summer is helping him right now, he’s able to play with bigger bodies and fend off checks, so he has a little more time to make plays,” said Warriors assistant coach Mark O’Leary, who works with the team’s defence.

“Matt does things as hard as he can and as fast as he can and that’s what we ask our D to do, so right now he’s finding a little early success because he’s doing those things well.”

Benson was called up by the Warriors at the end of last season, playing in the final game of the regular season and then suiting up in two games during the playoffs.

Getting that experience paid dividends for Benson, who knew where he needed his game to be to have immediate success at the WHL level.

“Going into camp this year, I was definitely more confident and knowing what was going to happen, so that has definitely played a huge role into me playing out there,” said Benson. “I’ve been able to calm things down quite a bit, not rushing plays like I have in the past, so that’s been a big part of my game.”

Benson’s composed play hasn’t been lost on the Warriors’ coaching staff, who came away impressed with how he handled himself against the Broncos in Game 6 and 7 of their first round playoff series last season.

“He was thrown into the fire with some big games and he didn’t flinch,” said O’Leary. “He’s doing things with his head up, he’s willing to learn, he wants to know the right way, and it’s no different this year, he does things fast, he does it hard and doesn’t get phased too much by what’s going on around him.”

The Warriors have a deep group of returning defencemen with Josh Brook, Jett Woo, Dmitri Zaitsev and Colin Paradis back this season. Benson said he knows that he needs to play his role in that group and not try to do too much, which translate to calmness on the ice.

“If I make the team, I know what my role might be, they want me to be a solid, two-way defenceman that takes pride in my defensive game, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” said Benson.

Benson added that he’s excited about the possibility of being a part of something special with the Warriors this season.

“I thought we had a chance last year, but we fell short, but with most of these guys coming back, they’re a great group of guys and I’m lucky to be here,” he said. “There’s a lot of hype around this team and we can really go the distance this year.”

The Warriors continue their preseason schedule on Thursday with another meeting against the Swift Current Broncos at the Regina Pats’ Preseason Tournament at the Brandt Centre. Puck drops at 3 p.m.

Moose Jaw will head back into Regina on Saturday to battle the Pats at 7 p.m. to wrap-up the first week of the preseason.