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Interim GM Keith Gretzky wants the draft picks percolating in the minors.

“We’ll see with Tyler. If it takes another three months (in the minors) or whatever,” said Gretzky.

But Benson wasn’t disappointed.

“I thought I might get a chance but I was happy for the guys who were called up and I was always watching how they were playing. I didn’t want to let it (no call-up) weigh on me,” he said. “Now that the season’s over, there’s nothing to worry about except the team here and the playoffs.”

Benson, who was able to get through the season completely healthy after playing just 183 games in junior over four seasons with Vancouver Giants (hernia, cyst on his tailbone and other ailments) was kept abreast what the Oilers thinking, through Woodcroft.

“They wanted me to have a full season to build my game so when I do make the step, I’ll be ready,” he said. “I’m not sure what the roster will look like next year, but I’ll be training to make the team.”

He knows his skating has to improve.

“I worked on it all last summer and during the season, and will again this summer with David (Pelletier). To make the step to where I can be a top line player in the NHL, I have to be able to separate myself from checkers, create some open space for yourself and get in on the forecheck,” he said.

But, his body’s in one piece, and so his head-space.

“It was huge for me to get through the entire year (healthy),” said Benson, who would have been a first-round pick in 2016 but for his medical history, with Oilers taking a run at him with the 32nd overall selection.

E-mail: jmatheson@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @NHLbyMatty

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