Jan Benda

Jan Benda (born April 28, 1972 in Reet, Belgium) is a German ice hockey player who currently plays for HC Plzeň 1929 of Extraliga.

Career
Born in Belgium to Czech parents, Benda started his career in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals, where he played with future NHL stars such as Eric Lindros, Jason Arnott, and Stephane Yelle. In his final year with the Generals, he would finish with 35 points in 61 games. After playing 2 seasons in Germany, Benda would return to North America for the 1994-95 season to play for the Richmond Renegades. He would finish the season with 60 points in 62 games, which ranked fifth on the team that season. That season, he also briefly played for Binghamton Rangers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. The next two seasons, Benda would play for HC Sparta Praha.

Benda would later return to North America for the 1997-98 season, where he was assigned to the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate in Portland. He was later recalled to play for the Washington Capitals, where he would score three assists in nine games. Upon completion of the 1997-98 season, Benda would return to Europe. He would play the next three seasons in SM-Liiga, where he would lead his team in points during the 1998-99 season (with Assat Pori) and in 1999-2000 (with Jokerit). Benda would leave SM-Liiga in 2001 to sign with Kazan Ak-Bars of the Russian Superleague. He would spend the next three seasons in Kazan and would split his final year between Khimik Voskresensk and Cherepovets Severstal.

Benda played in the Czech Republic for BK Mladá Boleslav, whom he joined in 2008 where he was currently the captain. Before joining BK Mladá Boleslav, he had played with HC Litvínov from 2006-08.

Benda has represented Germany at the World Championships (2002), World Cup (1996), and the Winter Olympics (1994, 1998, 2002).

Current
Benda currently plays for HC Plzeň 1929 and scored 35 points in 51 regular season games during the 2009-10 season.