[News] With the 4th overall pick the Flames select C Sam Bennett

[SportsJunky]

Bennett really stood out tonight against the Canucks. The shift where he had a wrap around attempt and a tip on net out of mid air was impressive. This kid is going to be something else. I don't see him being kept in the NHL this year but when he does make it...watch out.

[Gaskal]

Sam was a treat to watch tonight.

[Oil Stain]

I can't believe 2/3's of the board picked Gaudreau over Bennett as top prospect.

This kid is going to be a great player.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I can't believe 2/3's of the board picked Gaudreau over Bennett as top prospect.

This kid is going to be a great player.

Gaudreau is more likely than Bennett, though they're both going to be great IMO

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I can't believe 2/3's of the board picked Gaudreau over Bennett as top prospect.

This kid is going to be a great player.

When you've seen Gaudreau as much as I have, you'll see why.

Having said that, this was the first time I've seen Bennett live and now I can understand why some people voted for him over Gaudreau.

Seriously though, as good as Bennett looked tonight, I think Gaudreau has a higher upside offensively.

And this (along with Monahan, Poirier, Baertschi, Granlund, etc) is why Flames fans are so excited and why your constant 'most prospects don't make it' comments have been ringing hollow around here.

[stemit14]

If Bennett does another year of development and the flames finish where most seem to think they will finish... I don't think they will be as as bad as everyone thinks... But if they do end up in the McDavid/Eichel sweepstakes, that will mean that next training camp... The kids who most of us think will likely be fully NHL ready would include Bennett, baertschi, gaudreau, ferland, knight, Reinhart, Wotherspoon, poirier, granlund... And likely whoever the flames draft in 2015. There may be more but those are the ones that come to mind.

I think most of us agree that these kids are all very close to being ready so another year of development should make them even more prepared. My point is that this team will have so many young, skilled players seemingly ready to make the team next year... How many could possibly be given spots on the team? Even if centermen are moved to wing and left-wingers are put on the right wing, etc.... It's just too many guys and not enough spots. This year is tough enough with so many guys who look ready to make the team but next year could be ridiculous. And the flames can't have 4-5 rookies on the team next year? Can they?

[SHOGUN]

Imagine Bennett with additional muscle mass.. watch the **** out.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

When you've seen Gaudreau as much as I have, you'll see why.

Having said that, this was the first time I've seen Bennett live and now I can understand why some people voted for him over Gaudreau.

Seriously though, as good as Bennett looked tonight, I think Gaudreau has a higher upside offensively.

Bennett has him beat everywhere except puck skills IMO. Puck skills can get you somewhere, but the players that really take over games have more dimensions and Bennett has that game breaking skating which will let him be effective in all areas.


P.S. I don't know why you used Monahan and then a list of prospects that have not made it to debunk the statement that most prospects don't make it. If 7-8 of these guys turn into impact players then you have a point, but not yet.

[4oh3]

Dear Sam, thank you sir, thank you for not doing a pull up at the combine, the kid has more iq than most doing anything he could to not go 3 hours north. Bennett is gonna be good he was incredible tonight!

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Bennett has him beat everywhere except puck skills IMO. Puck skills can get you somewhere, but the players that really take over games have more dimensions and Bennett has that game breaking skating which will let him be effective in all areas.


P.S. I don't know why you used Monahan and then a list of prospects that have not made it to debunk the statement that most prospects don't make it. If 7-8 of these guys turn into impact players then you have a point, but not yet.

Gaudreau and Bennett are really different players... it's like Toews and Kane, both effective but offer different attributes.

[C_of_Red28]

I really like this kid.. the more and more I watch him.. Looking forward to watching him develop!

[4oh3]

I want him in the big show this year but he should go to junior. Add some bulk and improve his game. He adds 20 pounds this year he's gonna be a beast next year.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Bennett has him beat everywhere except puck skills IMO. Puck skills can get you somewhere, but the players that really take over games have more dimensions and Bennett has that game breaking skating which will let him be effective in all areas.


P.S. I don't know why you used Monahan and then a list of prospects that have not made it to debunk the statement that most prospects don't make it. If 7-8 of these guys turn into impact players then you have a point, but not yet.

Gaudreau has a lot more than puck skills. He actually excels in every attribute except physicality. He backchecks very well, anticipates the play better than anyone in our system, has deceptive speed and a great shot. Only puck skills? I don't think we're watching the same player

[scrapnul]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

Gaudreau and Bennett are really different players... it's like Toews and Kane, both effective but offer different attributes.

Wait Toews = Monohan
Kane = Gaudreau.
Bennet = Doug Gilmour

dunno. its sports so I say stuff.

[djsFlames]

I like how relentless he is. On a good shift it's not one good chance and done, it's 2, 3. That's the kind of stuff I like to see out there.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

When you've seen Gaudreau as much as I have, you'll see why.

Having said that, this was the first time I've seen Bennett live and now I can understand why some people voted for him over Gaudreau.

Seriously though, as good as Bennett looked tonight, I think Gaudreau has a higher upside offensively.

I am one of the posters who selected Bennett as the Flames top prospect, and tonight's game did nothing but affirm my confidence in this selection, and this is from a poster who loves Gaudreau, and has been pumping his tires since his rookie season at BC.

But Oil Stain is not wrong (God, it is painful to type that). As much of a phenom as Gaudreau is, Bennett has another quality that sets him apart as a really special player. After seeing him in NHL pre-season action, it is all the more impressive and exciting to know that he is only barely 18 years old!

In the end, I am sure we can all agree that the Flames are damn fortunate to have both players, and it will be electric watching Bennett and Gaudreau develop for years to come.

[Tinordi]

Exciting to see a skill player like that in a Flames jersey. When's the last time we had a guy that was making plays at that speed?

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Bennett has him beat everywhere except puck skills IMO. Puck skills can get you somewhere, but the players that really take over games have more dimensions and Bennett has that game breaking skating which will let him be effective in all areas.


P.S. I don't know why you used Monahan and then a list of prospects that have not made it to debunk the statement that most prospects don't make it. If 7-8 of these guys turn into impact players then you have a point, but not yet.

Gaudreau probably has the highest IQ out there. That is why he is the prospect you see today, not because he has puck skills. There are many diminutive forwards out there with loads of puck skills that never get a sniff in the NHL.

What Gadureau offers the Flames is not matched by any other prospect really in the system. He has that ability to make plays in-tight, he is an extremely strong possession player, he backchecks - not just 'decently', but I would say very well at this point, and he has a good history of making the players around him better. The last point is what people will start to see more of. Lots of players excel at lower levels at generating their own offence, or even feeding off other players. If you have followed Gaudreau, you will see that he generates offence for others. He is a catalyst, and he has without a doubt the highest offensive ability in the organization. Question marks? Sure, there are big question marks due to his size, but this season will go a long way towards starting to answer those questions.

As for the '7-8' players comment - you are right, until they make the NHL, it is very easy to just write it all off as 'fans being hopeful'. However, us fans have been watching the prospect pool closely for years and years, and there simply has not been this amount of potential in the prospect pool since the 80's. There has always been a few guys that got our hopes up in the past, but there simply hasn't been this many doing this well. I would bet that during the next 2 seasons, we will start seeing many more players not only graduating into the NHL, but starting to become key pieces. What is also nice to see is the different types of players that are showing themselves well at the pro level thus far.

What is really great to see is that these same guys are not one-trick ponies. The skilled guys (like Granlund, Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett) also have high IQ and are good defensively. The depth-defensive forwards show themselves to have offensive upside (like Knight, Reinhart, etc) and also have high IQ. They all play fairly complete games already at this stage, which is something that you just didn't see in many (if any) prospects coming up through the system in the past. There is size, speed, offensive ability, character and IQ throughout the system now. It is actually a fairly deep system.

I won't guarantee they will all make it, I can't guarantee who will make what positions, but I would be very shocked if there aren't a good number of players graduating into the NHL and contributing very positively, with many being considered part of the 'core'.

[jg13]

Damn do I love our prospect pool.

[Soliak]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Gaudreau is more likely than Bennett, though they're both going to be great IMO

I don't think the majority of people who voted for Johnny as the better prospect genuinely think he is more 'likely' than Bennett to make it in the NHL. Does he have the capacity to the better player though? Absolutely...and that's why he got so many votes.