While Jamie Benn was one of the more surprising exclusions from Team Canada's orientation camp roster, the Dallas Stars' high-scoring forward is still aiming to make the team in time for the Olympics. Benn said the snub has "given me the fire for the start of the [NHL] season. I want to be on that Olympic team. I'm going to have to go out in the first half of the season and make them want to pick me. I'm just going to have to have the best first half of the year I can have and make an impact for the Dallas Stars." International sport is important to Benn. More than that, it runs in the family. Benn won a gold medal at the 2009 world junior hockey championships and represented Canada in the 2012 IIHF world championships. Dad Randy Benn won gold medals in softball at the 1976 world championships in New Zealand and 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. "It's a totally different experience [than in club play] when you put on a national team jersey," Benn said. "It's a pretty special feeling to be representing your country."

Jamie Benn should be much more comfortable at left wing in 2013-14. He's expected to be an integral part of the team under new GM Jim Nill and new head coach Lindy Ruff. Tyler Seguin was acquired from Boston to serve as the team's top center and with Benn being shifted back to the wing there's a great deal of hope that the two of them will thrive in their natural positions. Benn could be the next captain of the Dallas Stars and he should be in store for an excellent season.

Jamie Benn was one of the more noteworthy exclusions from Team Canada's orientation camp roster. Benn's new coach, Lindy Ruff, will also serve as an assistant with Team Canada. "His name was definitely in all the talks," Ruff said, referring to Benn. "You can take that and let it motivate yourself. You can say I am going to use these three months and put myself on the map, and make them make a hard decision. The ball is in Jamie's court. He's going to have to outplay some players that are maybe ahead of him and use that as a tool to motivate himself. I'd like to put him in the best position possible to do that." Benn had 12 goals and 33 points in 41 games last season. It wouldn't be surprising if he got off to a hot start to the 2013-14 campaign, but he has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to make the team.

The Stars' acquisition of Tyler Seguin should help the team facilitate Jamie Benn's transition to the wing. The right-handed Seguin and the left-handed Benn could make for interesting linemates next season. Dallas also got Rich Peverley in Thursday's monster seven-player trade and he will probably get the team's second-line center position.

The Dallas Stars will be looking to get a center in free agency or on the trade market in the off-season. The Stars new GM Jim Nill wants to move Jamie Benn back to left wing after he played center last season. Former head coach Glen Gulutzen thought that Benn was fine at center but Nill would rather have him on the wing. Benn is the star of the Stars and had 12 goals and 33 points in 41 points last season after a 26 goal, 63 point effort in 2011-12. He is worth looking at in the middle rounds of pools, but could be drafted higher if the Stars are able to get their hands on a top center to get him the puck.

The Dallas Morning News' Mike Heika speculates that ex-Sabres coach Lindy Ruff will now move atop the Stars' coaching list. After Alain Vigneault, who was clearly Dallas' top choice, removed his name from contention, the Stars will have to shift gears. Former Rangers coach John Tortorella could be in the mix now. Heika says the Stars might also wait until July 1 to see if Coyotes coach Dave Tippett stays. Texas Stars coach Willie Desjardins and Grand Rapids Griffins bench boss Jeff Blashill "will almost surely" be interviewed, too.

The Stars will interview AHL coach Jeff Blashill of the Grand Rapids Griffins after the AHL Finals are complete, according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period. Blashill was an assistant coach with the Wings in 2011-12 and took over the head-coaching duties of their AHL affiliate in June of 2012. The Griffins had a 42-26-4 record in the regular season and hold a 3-2 lead in the AHL Finals.

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill says he's already interviewed six candidates for the team's head coach position. Nill didn't say the candidates' names, but we know the Stars have already interviewed Dallas Eakins and Lindy Ruff. Nill said he plans to interview former Rangers coach John Tortorella, as well. While the coaching market seems to be heating up, the possibility of Penguins coach Dan Bylsma being available is a pretty big wild card. If Pittsburgh did decide to fire Bylsma, chances are he'd shoot to the top of every team's wish list. Stay tuned.

The Dallas Stars will conduct training camp in Fort Worth for the first time since their inaugural season in Texas in 1993. The Stars moved from Minnesota to the Lone Star State in 1993 and will return for a four day camp from September 11-14. "It's big for us to branch out there," Dallas star Jamie Benn said. "Me, personally, I haven't been [to Fort Worth] too many times, but I have been out there. It's very western." The Stars are trying to get new fans interested in hockey beyond the Dallas borders and Forth Worth is a good start.

Coach Glen Gulutzan believes the Stars will be just fine if they leave Jamie Benn at center and not shift him back to the wing. "Initially, I thought he was a better winger," Gulutzan admitted. "But watching this year, and especially the second half of this year, and we had some little heart-to-heart talks about bearing down at that position, and what I have seen from the back end is he certainly can play center. He's such a smart player, there's no question in my mind he can play that position and be one of the best at it. But it's a process. You can't just take a guy off the wing and stick him at center and say you're going to be a great center. But he's going to be." Benn said he will work on getting better at faceoffs and at playing in the defensive zone, which are very important aspects of the position.