As a draft eligible player, Sam Bennett dominated this year’s OHL coaches poll, winning the smartest player, best playmaker, and best stickhandler, while finishing 3rd in the best defensive forward. All those accolades were deserving as Bennett is one of the most complete draft prospects I’ve ever seen. He’s incredibly shifty one on one and does a great job at using his skating ability (his agility and ability to turn is exceptional) in conjunction with his terrific puck skill, to create lanes for him to shoot. His acceleration is very deceptive and he’s able to beat defenders down the wing to the net, or explode off the wall to create scoring chances. As previously mentioned, Bennett is also a fantastic playmaker as he does a great job of spotting open teammates, especially off the rush and through the cycle. If the Fronts lose possession, Bennett fights hard to get the puck back and is a very effective backchecker, as well as board player. He also excels in the physical side of the game, especially on the forecheck where he’s eager to make a hit to force a turnover. To put the icing on the cake, there wasn’t a more consistent player in the league this year than Bennett, who had a 25 game point streak through November-January. I really can’t say a bad thing about his game. He just needs to get stronger to ply his trade at the next level and you’re looking at a potential captain and offensive leader for your hockey team.
– Brock Otten, OHL Prospects
Sam Bennett Highlights
Sam Bennett Statistics
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | Postseas. | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011-12 | Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA | GTMMHL | 37 | 33 | 36 | 69 | 34 | | | ||||||||
2012-13 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 60 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 87 | -2 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -9 |
Canada Ontario U17 | WHC-17 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | | | |||||||||
Canada U18 | WJC-18 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 8 | | | ||||||||
2013-14 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 57 | 36 | 55 | 91 | 118 | 34 | | | Playoffs | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 2 |
Tournament Statistics | ||||||||||||||||
2011-12 | Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA | OHL Cup | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 | | | ||||||||
2013-14 | Canada U18 A | Hlinka Memorial | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | | |