Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

SuperMatt18 · 03-03-2021, 03:57 PM

Bennett had hands at the time of his draft though, and even did in his first year or two here. Puck skills were not the issue.

Hockey IQ could have probably been the red flag as that's what held him back at this level, but lots of guys don't have that skill set at 18 and it's up to the team to help develop that.

And that's where the Flames failed. They kind of rushed his development, didn't really put him in good positions to succeed as a young player outside of his rookie season on Backlunds wing. Plus I think Gulutzan really killed his confidence and tried to turn him into a grinder too but that's a different story.

You're entire argument is pure hindsight. At the time of the draft Bennett was seen as a highly skilled player that also had a physical edge. Not as some grinder that lacked skill and hockey sense.

03-03-2021, 03:57 PM	#8403
SuperMatt18 Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Exp:	Bennett had hands at the time of his draft though, and even did in his first year or two here. Puck skills were not the issue. Hockey IQ could have probably been the red flag as that's what held him back at this level, but lots of guys don't have that skill set at 18 and it's up to the team to help develop that. And that's where the Flames failed. They kind of rushed his development, didn't really put him in good positions to succeed as a young player outside of his rookie season on Backlunds wing. Plus I think Gulutzan really killed his confidence and tried to turn him into a grinder too but that's a different story. You're entire argument is pure hindsight. At the time of the draft Bennett was seen as a highly skilled player that also had a physical edge. Not as some grinder that lacked skill and hockey sense. Last edited by SuperMatt18; 03-03-2021 at 04:00 PM.