Jim Benning enters his first season with the Bruins, as he was named as the team's Director of Player Personnel on July 25, 2006. He will oversee the team's pro scouting efforts while serving as an advisor to Peter Chiarelli on other personnel decisions. He comes to the Bruins after twelve seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization including the previous eight seasons as that team's Director of Amateur Scouting. In that position, he oversaw the club's scouting staff and led the team at the annual NHL Entry Draft, in addition to scouting prospects at the high school, college and junior hockey levels as well as in Europe. A former defenseman, he was drafted by Toronto as their first pick, sixth overall, in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and played nine seasons in the National Hockey League with the Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. He played one season in Europe before retiring as a player in 1992 and attended college for one year before joining the Anaheim organization as an amateur scout. Benning, 43, and his wife Rhonda reside in Sherwood, Oregon with their sons Brandon and Nicholas and daughter Danica.
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