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FRISCO -- Jamie Benn congratulated 30-something graduates of the Stars' Little Rookies girls program Saturday, just one more investment in the future of North Texas hockey.

Of course, the biggest investment is in Benn himself, who signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension July 15.

But the Stars' captain knows he is just one part of the overall ice renaissance that has become the focus of the organization. That's why the celebration of one of the area's youth development programs seemed so appropriate at Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco -- a tangible sign of Benn's faith in Dallas.

"I didn't have even one thought of leaving this place," Benn said of the fact he could have become a free agent next summer but instead signed the extension. "I fell in love with Dallas, Texas ever since I got down here [in 2009]. I have all the belief in [Stars general manager] Jim Nill and the coaching staff around here that we're going to do something special."

Benn spoke to the media for the first time since he had surgery in Philadelphia July 14 to repair a core muscle injury he sustained during offseason training. Benn said the muscle is responding well, that he hopes to be fully healed by late August and that he plans to compete with Canada at the World Cup of Hockey starting Sept. 17 in Toronto.

It's exactly what you expect of Benn. Two years ago, he won the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer in the NHL on two sore hips. He then had surgery on both hips in 2015, came back and played all 82 games while finishing second in NHL scoring. So, no, a minor core muscle injury probably won't hold him back.

"I think I'll get on the ice later this week and just keep ramping it up a little more each time," he said. "I still think that's a lot of time, enough time for me to be ready to jump into high-level hockey."

Benn's mental strength might be one of the biggest reasons the Stars weren't afraid to give him an eight-year extension that doesn't start until 2017. He turned 27 on July 18, so the new deal will take him through age 36. Nill called it a smart investment.

"He's one of the top players in the NHL," Nill said. "He's in the prime of his career, he's the leader of our team, and he's a great person on top of it, so we're very fortunate here in Dallas."

Benn said he feels the organization is just starting to hit its stride. Remember, Benn had played in just six playoff games before the team made it to the second round last season.

"I think the best years are ahead," Benn said. "We've got a good core in here and we can only build off of that. It's not hard to see that Jim's changed this team quite a bit in three years, and I'm definitely happy to be a part of it."

In fact, Benn said the length of the deal was more important to him than the average salary of $9.5 million.

"I don't think the money matters," he said. "Each summer when you're training in the gym, you think about the past season -- why it ended so early, or how it ended -- and you kind of have motivation thinking about that. You don't work all year and all summer for the money you get paid, you work to try and win the Stanley Cup, and I think that's the biggest motivation."

The Stars endured an almost decade-long lull, so the energy around area rinks was seriously waning before they went 50-23-9 last season. But as Benn finished up his media scrums, the ice continued to buzz with a new wave of kids discovering that hockey in Texas might not be so strange after all.

"It's fun to come out here and see the smiles on their faces," Benn said. "It feels good. We all have to start somewhere, what better way to start than with the Dallas Stars Little Rookies camp?"

Jamie Benn at the Rookie Girls Graduation at DPSC Frisco. Smiles all around 😊 pic.twitter.com/q2VLtaiWUA — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 30, 2016

Twitter: @MikeHeika

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