Shoulder Injury to Calgary Flames’ Sam Bennett Won’t Derail Development

By PowerPlayCJ @powerplaywithcj on October 11, 2014

When the Calgary Flames drafted Sam Bennett with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft they  figured he’d have a roughly 50/50 chance of making the team as an 18-year-old.

Any chance of Bennett playing in the NHL this season went out the window when he underwent shoulder surgery to correct a nagging injury. The surgery will have Bennett out 4-6 months, meaning a return to hockey at some point in March is realistic.

While the injury is a setback for the Kingston Frontenacs center, it isn’t career threatening and shouldn’t sidetrack Bennett from becoming a very good to great NHL player. Bennett had a solid preseason for the Flames and looked like he’d at least get a nine-game look in Calgary before the team made a decision whether to send him back to the OHL for the year. The fact he played so well with a shoulder that was banged up means he’s absolutely on the right track and will be contributing in the NHL before too long.

The window of time Bennett will miss includes the World Junior Championships in December/January, meaning the Ontario native will not get the opportunity to play for Canada in his home province. Team Canada will surely miss his amazing all-around game, as they look to medal for the first time in three years.

It’s a raw deal for such a promising prospect like Bennett. He will miss such an extended period of time, but at the risk of sounding cliché, he has the opportunity to personify the saying “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” If Bennett shows the same feistiness in his recovery that he does on the ice, then the Flames should not have anything to worry about.