Bennett eager to prove himself to new coaching staff
Bennett hoping to impress new coach after lacklustre 2017-18, writes Wes Gilbertson
BEIJING The big-picture purpose of this pre-season junket is to grow the game.
For Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett, though, the priority is to grow his role.
“It’s a new year, it’s a new staff and they probably haven’t seen a whole lot of my game,” Bennett said. “So it’s another chance to prove myself. There are definitely opportunities to be earned and I’ll have to earn those early.
“I want them to see the full, rounded player I am. I want them to see how I compete, how I battle. And I want them to see me as a guy who they can use in any situation, not just one-dimensional. That’s what I’m trying to prove.”
It’s foolish to over-analyze exhibition action, especially before the summer sock tans have even started to fade. But because all of the Flames’ regulars are on this once-in-a-lifetime trip to China, these overseas outings do provide a glimpse into what bench boss Bill Peters envisions for his first winter back home in Alberta.
So where does Bennett fit? He has been skating in a bottom-six role, certainly not a surprise since Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk are the obvious depth-chart toppers on left wing.
During Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in Shenzhen, No. 93 was working with centre Mark Jankowski and rambunctious righty Garnet Hathaway on what would be considered Calgary’s fourth line.
There are four forwards on each power-play unit. The 22-year-old Bennett, however, is not among them. That, of course, could change. It’s up to Bennett to change it. The Flames’ next audition comes Wednesday as they cap this exhibition adventure with a rematch against the Bruins at Cadillac Arena in Beijing.
“He’s just got to grab as big a bite of the apple as he can,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving of Bennett, who is expected to work a regular shift on the penalty kill. “Sam is a guy who is capable of playing in multiple positions and sort of bouncing all over the lineup, so I think there is a great opportunity for him.
“And I thought he was really good (Saturday). He was physical, he was on the puck, made some plays. He’s no different than anybody else. When you have a new coach coming in, it’s a clean slate and it’s a new opportunity to make a first impression.
“I know he’s excited about that and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Sam in these first few days.”
Bennett was one of just two Flames forwards to suit up for all 82 regular-season contests in 2017-18, but he struggled to
There are definitely opportunities to be earned and I’ll have to earn those early.
career lows in several stat categories — including 11 goals and a minus-18 rating, the third-worst mark on the team.
After posting 36 points as a rookie, he collected 26 in backto-back campaigns.
Those aren’t the sort of offensive numbers anybody had in mind when Bennett marched to the stage as the fourth-overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft, but the Flames were pleased with some of the signs of maturity in his game last winter, indications he’s more understanding of his on-ice identity and how he can be most effective at the NHL level.
“It is crazy to think that this is my fourth full year that I’m going into, but I still think there’s tons I need to learn and tons of things that I can grow in my game,” said Bennett, already with 241 nights of regular-season know-how. “I think I haven’t even scratched the surface yet of where I want to be and where I think I can be in this league.
“It’s just a matter of capitalizing on opportunities early and taking advantage of that. I think that’s been a problem with my last couple of years is having slow starts. So I definitely want to come out of the gate flying and I think that will help me throughout the whole year.”