Datools

Sebastian Ironside @Gscx420

Me please!

Review: ''To give you a background check '' is this a pun hahaha if not it totally should be! Does Sigard have any increase stats when playing without a helmet haha? Good story telling for ealry childhood and gives us a good picture of a young player who is used to facing adversity. I also like the plug-in of his idols. Great addition to talk about his decision in which league to play. Good addition of the stats later in the Bio! I would've loved an extra pic at the end that shows a more confident pro. All in a all great post!

Review: Hahahaha I'm not super familiar with the background of this other VHLM player but you've managed to entertain me nonetheless! I love hockey superstition and jinxes and this had a good balance between being mysterious and informative. Love the inclusion of the stats. It's great that you broke down his OHL years individually, it created an easy to follow narrative but I would've love to have a summary paragraph about his time in the OHL that would tie into describing what impacts his time there had on his current game and how they've formed him into the player he is today. Very entertaining!

Review: I like how this biography was broken into subsections, made it easier to follow along! The quotes also made the article believable and captivating. ''He taught him the importance of self-reliance, strength, and health.'' I would've love for you to maybe spend a bit more time on this with maybe a quik one sentence per theme and possibly tie that back into Thorny's current game and how it's impacted his career. High School and Junior team segments were well developed.

Review: The childhood picture really made this one come alive for me! Background story makes me think of Kaspars Daugavins. I think you've done a great job outlining the type of player Tauras is and which parts of his hockey upbringing led him towards that style of play which is a nice piece to have. Like Big Mac I'd also love to know a bit more about his childhood and his family upbringing! Solid first 3 pics out of 5 (last one didn't work)

Gold: Canada Silver: Scandanavia Bronze: USA

Bennett has been plagued by injuries throughout his junior Career. "It's something that's unfortunate," Bennett said. "The season ends and it's back into a cast and having to deal with that whole thing. But I think going forward I'll be a lot better than I did for the last 20 games that I played this year." "The surgery is supposed to do a job and it's no one's fault," Bennett said. "It just didn't work out the way we wanted it to. So the next step is something I feel a lot more comfortable about. It's kind of the last straw for me to be able to work out and be able to play to the best of my abilities, and I think going forward it's going to help me a lot." Bennett was expected to return in early March after missing three months. A setback kept him out for another few weeks which made him ineligible for the VHLM draft; He played in the final nine regular-season games in Denver. He said Thursday he wasn't completely healthy in the postseason. "I don't want to make any excuses," he said. "The wrist thing, it is what it is. I tried to play as hard as I could but sometimes I felt useless out there, to be honest. I was just trying to get the puck deep. I couldn't make plays, couldn't push on guys. So hopefully I don't have to deal with that feeling of, 'I can't do it out there.'" The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Graham at the Cleveland Clinic.

Free Agent currently in talks

+4

Name: Beau Bennett Position: Defensemen Age: 18 Height: 5'8'' Weight: 250 LBS Hometown: Ottawa Canada Handedness: Right Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2008–09 Los Angeles Junior Kings Midget AAA 46 25 33 58 10 — — — — — 2009–10 Penticton Vees BCHL 56 41 79 120 20 15 5 9 14 6 2010–11 Denver Pioneers WCHA 37 9 16 25 18 — — — — — 2011–12 Denver Pioneers WCHA 10 4 9 13 25 — — — — — Pros: 1. Shooting The first thing that stands out when watching Beau is his cannoning shot from the point. Between the power he's able to conjure behind seemingly every shot to his ability to finesse those bullets through diving opposition players, Beau has one of the more lethal shots in this defensemen draft class. His poise and patience making him out to be one of the more mature players his age. 2. Controlled Zone Entries Beau has a great mind for moving the puck up to the forwards or skating him in himself. Though so of the less mobile defensemen on junior teams should be taught strict systems, Beau is one of the few players a coach should feel comfortable giving some creative freedom too. He may be prone to some turnovers but rarely makes mistakes as the last man back or in awkward spots. 3. Gap control More than most of his other colleagues in this draft class Beau is able to create a lot of challenges for puck carrying forwards by keeping a near perfect gap control. As a small defensemen most players underestimate his reach and he's able to spring poke checks at the perfect distance. Beau forces many mistakes at the ringette line and rarely allows his forward to get a puck on net off the rush. . Cons: 1. Injuries Most of his career Beau has been plagued by wrist injuries, this has certainly affected his ability to get involved physically and leaves a big question mark on his ability to play a tough game. 2. Defensive positioning in the zone Bennett has a way to go in terms of clearing forwards out of the crease or finding the right spots to be in on the penalty kill. Bennett is often seen in the background of tic-tac-toe highlights against Denver getting all twisted around and struggling to find his man. This area of play can improve greatly and Beau is used sparingly on the penalty kill and defensive zone draws where he can't use his strong gap control 3. Discipline Beau unfortunately takes some calls in the offensive zone which can be quite frustrating for any coach. Overall Bennett is a versatile puck moving defensemen who can dominate a power play with strong screening forwards. Beau rarely holds onto the puck long enough to get checked and plays a passing heavy game which pairs well with other strong skaters. Bennett is passionate and believes strongly in an open and offensive system and can get frustrated if forced into a conservative dump and chase style of game.

It all started with a pair of roller blades... As a young man learning the game in the streets of Gardena, California, Beau Bennett grew up playing the game the mean way. It's hard to tell how his pretty face was left un-scarred during these formative years. Making the transition to ice hockey at 14 was a seamless transition which landed and easy roster spot with Penticton's British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) team, the Penticton Vees. While only a rookie, Bennett was placed on the top forward line alongside team captain Denver Manderson at center and Alex Szczechura at left wing. It cemented his belief his true identity as a bonafide scoring right wingers. Bennett had an incredibly strong start to his season before being named to represent his country at the World Junior A Challenge. Bennett returned to Penticton to record ten goals and ten assists in nine games. In December, he was named top forward at the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) prospects games in Winkler, Manitoba. In January, Bennett played in the BCHL All-Star Game. It was the start of a long career as a pure sniper. Towards the end of the season, due to an injury to the top line's centerman, Denver Manderson, Bennett was switched to center, a position he had never played. He flourished in the position, and in the final regular season game, he scored four points to tie Mark Zengerle for the league scoring title with 120 points. He had now become an extremely versatile forward who could move up and down the lineup.Though Bennett's career kept him moving around he remained a rock for any coaching staff. Bennett then went to college at the University of Denver, Bennett played 37 games for the Pioneers ice hockey team and played through a couple of injuries that have been superficially pushing him down in the draft rankings. Bennett graduated from Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, California. He is the son of Kirk and Louanna Bennett. He also has three siblings: Wade, Shane and Bailey. Bennett's nickname is "Sunshine" after the Remember the Titans character from the same state. In order to be allowed to play hockey, Bennett's parents made him learn to play an instrument. Bennett chose piano, which he played from the age of 8 to 13. Now most people aren't aware of this but Beau is an avid piano player. “He was fantastic,” his coach said. “I don’t remember what he played, but I do remember it was pretty good.” Before a road the team had a meal at the hotel. On his way out, Beau spotted an open piano in the lobby, which to him was as attractive as an open net at a hockey rink. Bennett sat down and began playing, and the coaching staff stopped to listen. Bennett, whose musical tastes lean more toward alternative rock than classical, might not be in position to play hockey — and the piano — were it not for a pledge he made to his parents years ago. He and his three siblings — Wade, 26; Shane, 22; and Bailey, 18 — have all played hockey, but not before they promised their parents, Kirk and Louanna, that they would also take up a more artistic hobby. “We could tell they were athletes,” Kirk Bennett said recently, “but we wanted them to be well rounded.” Wade, a former defenseman, played drums, piano and guitar because, Beau said, “he had problems sticking with something.” Shane, a forward on the University of Denver’s club hockey team and the sibling Beau calls “the science nerd,” became a voracious reader. Bailey, a forward for a junior women’s team in New Hampshire, picked dance and the piano. “It was funny that we all kind of chose different things,” Bennett said. He started in roller hockey, took up piano at age 8 in exchange for playing ice hockey and admits to being less than enthusiastic about taking lessons. But he stuck with them until he was 13, by which time he could read music and teach himself songs. That could have been the end of the story, but Bennett liked playing piano. “I need to get a lot better come September,” Bennett said. “That’s going to be a big focus, just trying to get my conditioning up and being ready to play with the bigger guys.” Despite the lofty expectations for Bennett, his goal for the remainder of the summer, like all of the other prospects at this year’s camp, is mainly to work on his conditioning. For fans, it means they may soon be able to enjoy Bennett’s renowned creativity with the puck. “I think just keeping the game fun, that’s part of it,” Bennett said of his unique style. “Playing roller hockey definitely helps. You definitely have to be more creative, (there are) no checks, so it’s harder to get to the net and stuff like that.” Bennett says he is not specifically preparing to play with one of the VHLM team, though. “I think just focusing on my training first and foremost and if I ever get that chance, then hopefully I’ll be ready,” he said. “I felt awesome. I felt I was ready for the season and got off to a way better start than I did my freshman year, just knowing more of the ropes and how college how works,” Bennett said. “I think I was ready for the season but it’s just something that happens like this. It’s unfortunate but in the grand scheme of life it’s not that big of a deal.” Bennett’s rehabilitation on his surgically repaired wrist though has gone well, and he will continue to train in California for the summer leading up to training camp in September. A lot of Bennett’s offseason has been spent in the weight room with new trainer TR Goodman as he’s been adding muscle and better preparing his conditioning for the transition to the pros. It shows, as Bennett has gotten his weight up to 207 pounds – more than 30 pounds more than what he weighed when he started college.

1. Where are you and what are you doing? Ottawa and trying to get drafted! 2. Who is your favorite fictional hero? Spiderman 3. What is your greatest fear? Letting down all the coaches and teammates that have gotten me to this draft 4. Tell us a secret about yourself? I never get injured, I just take time off 5. How would you like to be remembered? As a playable 1st round draft pick 6. What is your worst trait? My hypnotizing eyes 7. What's the best meal you ever had? Lasagna, any. 8. If you could fly anywhere in the world right now where would you go? Europe 9. Would you rather be rich or famous? Famous 10. If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be? @Esso2264

Player Information Username: Datools Player Name: Beau Bennett Recruited From: Reddit Age: 18 Position: D Height: 70 in. Weight: 250 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM