[sureLoss]

http://www.thewhig.com/2015/03/20/be...ng-in-kingston

Sam Bennett didn’t hide his disappointment when the Calgary Flames sent him on his way back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.

After all, after missing most of the season due to shoulder surgery in October but having worked his way to top shape, he hoped to get a look from the club instead of heading to the junior ranks.

Credit the team’s 2014 first-round draft pick for channelling those emotions the right way, by tearing up the OHL with 11 goals and 21 points in nine games.

“I think as soon as I got playing again, that disappointment got out of my head,” said Bennett, whose team will finish its regular season this weekend. “Now I’m just worried about Kingston and about our playoffs this year. The goal is to play in the NHL as soon as possible, and whenever I get my next shot, I’m definitely going to make the most of it.”

Through his short stint, Bennett has already been receiving plenty of accolades. Not only was he the OHL’s player of the week, but he was also named the Eastern Conference’s smartest player for the second-consecutive season and third-best stickhandler in the annual Coaches Poll.

To Conroy, those attributes pale to what he believes is Bennett’s biggest strength: his competitiveness.

“It’s almost to a point where, at times, I want him to learn to protect himself a little more, not take a big hit to make a play every period,” Conroy said. “He’ll hang on to the puck so long, beat guys two or three times, and then guys get upset and try to run him over. Then, he’ll run them back.

“But he only knows one way to play, and that’s the way he’ll play.”