Calgary Flames' Risk of Relying on Raw Sam Bennett Paying Off in a Big Way

CALGARY, Alberta — Sam Bennett is standing in the Calgary Flames locker room after his first NHL playoff game at the Saddledome. There is a fresh gash on his right cheek, a puck in his right hand, a heavy fireman's helmet on his head and a smile that can’t be wiped from his face.

The puck is a souvenir—the first one the fourth-overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft has tucked behind an NHL goaltender. The helmet is an honor given to the Flames player deemed to be the hardest-working of the night. The smile is a product of those two items.

The cut? That was the product of a shot to the head the 18-year-old rookie took from Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis.

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Bennett was the recipient of another nasty hit two nights later, a boarding call that went against Ronalds Kenins.

Both of those men are over 6 feet tall and 200-plus pounds.

Listed at 6’1” and 178 pounds on the NHL.com website, Bennett is fit but lean. He’s still a boy by NHL standards.

Putting him into the lineup for the playoffs with only one NHL game under his belt was a huge risk for head coach Bob Hartley. Bennett’s talent is undeniable, but the decision to throw a fearless teenager into the fire could be considered reckless.

The way the season had gone, it was impossible to bring him along slowly. Bennett missed nearly the entire year rehabilitating a shoulder injury that prevented him from making the Flames lineup in training camp. He played 11 regular-season games in the Ontario Hockey League and another four as his Kingston Frontenacs were swept out of the playoffs before joining the Flames.

They had no idea what he might be capable of at the NHL level—especially at the most intense time of the year.

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Bennett’s style—an agitating and high-energy approach to the game on top of his incredible offensive skills—involves playing the game as if he’s much bigger than his actual physical attributes. It puts him at risk for further injury. He doesn’t have the experience against larger opponents to help him avoid those circumstances.

“Well, we have to be honest, it was the unknown,” Hartley admits of the decision to use Bennett and what the result would be. “We were looking at 14 games in the OHL, and playing against NHL players (is a big difference).”

A win against the Los Angeles Kings to clinch a playoff spot with one game remaining on their schedule afforded the Flames the luxury of giving Bennett a bit of a tryout. Both teams rested some of their stars, but for Bennett, there was plenty on the line.

“That was, for him, the big game that he had to showcase himself. He had to show us ‘I’m ready for this.’ We knew that he wanted it. He bothered us all winter. At the same time it was, 'Show us, prove (it to) us,'” says Hartley. “He didn’t disappoint us in Winnipeg. Right there, our decision was an easy one. We knew that he had the speed.”

He had more than speed, though. Hartley suggests Bennett’s character is what allows him to be successful on hockey’s biggest stage in spite of his inexperience and lack of size and strength.

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“It’s his grit. Eighteen years old and playing in the NHL playoffs with so much character, it’s pretty amazing,” Hartley says. “He has many things to learn. He’s fresh off junior (hockey), but what he brings is determination, grit, passion—that’s what you need in the playoffs. This kid is full of character. He offers a lot to make things happen for us, so he’s a big part of the team already.”

He has two goals, including a game-winner, and an assist for three points in four games. His team is up 3-1 in the series with a chance to clinch a berth in the second round on Thursday.

Yes, the gamble is paying off.

It's clear that Bennett is going to form the nucleus of the Flames offense along with sophomore Sean Monahan and current Rookie of the Year candidate Johnny Gaudreau for years to come. And the Flames are showing that the future is now.

It's too early to make comparisons, but Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli was a late call-up for the Minnesota North Stars during the 1980-81 season and got 32 regular-season games in before scoring 14 goals and 21 points in 19 playoff contests as a rookie. But the 5'10", 180-pounder was 21 years old at that point.

Claude Lemieux played 10 NHL games before netting 15 points in his first 20 playoff games in 1985-86. Again, he was into his 20s. The most recent comparison—at least in terms of experience—would be Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban playing just a pair of regular-season games before a solid playoff performance as a 19-year-old in 2010. He finished with a goal and eight points in 14 games.

Bennett is also often compared to his Kingston coach Doug Gilmour because of his similar size and tenacious style of play. But the Flames' burgeoning star already has as many goals as Gilmour did in his rookie playoff appearance.

Bennett's goal in Game 3 made him the youngest in NHL history to score a playoff-game-winning goal in regulation. He is the second-youngest in franchise history to net a postseason marker behind former captain Jarome Iginla by just six days.

He added a second goal in Game 4, driving to the net and tipping in a shot by defenseman T.J. Brodie.

He’s been one of this young Flames team’s best players in the series so far.

This is a kid who saw his draft stock fall because he couldn’t do a single pull-up at the NHL combine last spring. Ranked as the top skater in North America, Bennett went to the Flames at the fourth overall spot.

By the time the draft took place weeks after that infamous combine disappointment, Bennett was able to do multiple pull-ups.

That’s an undercurrent of his personality we are seeing surface in this unlikely scenario right now. Bennett is as driven as anyone to improve.

He shakes off any notion that he’s feeling the wear and tear of the playoffs on his body, despite the visual evidence on his face and video proof of the licks he’s taken.

“It feels fine. I’m prepared for it. I knew what I was getting into,” Bennett said with a shrug. “Obviously the guys are a lot bigger, a lot stronger, but I feel fine and I’m handling it.

“I’m cherishing every moment I get.”

He prepared for it during the long rehabilitation process, always keeping the NHL in mind despite the knowledge he could be sent back to the junior level when healthy.

“For the beginning half of the rehab, it was all just getting the strength back in the shoulder,” he says. “When I was closer to being able to play, we definitely worked on getting a lot stronger, getting a little bit bigger. It’s definitely helped me out so far.”

Up to 185 pounds, Bennett says he’s going to continue to do the things he’s always done, even if that leaves him open to more abuse at the goalmouth.

“That’s where you want to go if you want to score,” Bennett says. “That’s what I’ve been told. That’s what Bob wants me to do, so I’m just going to keep getting to the net as much as I can.”

So far, so good.

Hartley and the Flames will continue to hope that the reward far outweighs the risk.

Steve Macfarlane has covered the NHL hockey for more than a decade, including seven seasons following the Calgary Flames for the Calgary Sun. Follow him on Twitter at @macfarlaneHKY