Beau Bennett
Beau Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 27, 1991 Gardena, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward (former) |
| Years active | 2012–2021 |
| Known for | First Californian on a Stanley Cup-winning NHL roster (2016) |
Beau Daniel Bennett (born November 27, 1991) is a former American professional ice hockey forward.
Bennett played collegiate hockey at the University of Denver until 2012. Selected 20th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, he holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted player both born and developed in California. Additionally, Bennett was the first Californian to be part of a Stanley Cup-winning roster with Pittsburgh in 2016, although his name was not inscribed on the Cup due to NHL participation requirements.
Minor
Initially an inline hockey player, Bennett transitioned to ice hockey and competed in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments in 2003 and 2004 representing the Los Angeles Junior Kings.
Junior
In June 2009, Bennett opted to join the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), choosing them over offers from the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. During his rookie campaign, he played on the Vees’ top forward line alongside captain Denver Manderson and Alex Szczechura.
Following his participation with Team USA at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge—where he tallied three goals and four points contributing to a gold medal victory—Bennett returned to Penticton and amassed 10 goals and 10 assists across nine contests. He earned recognition as the top forward at the Canadian Junior Hockey League prospects games and was selected for the BCHL All-Star Game in early 2010.
Toward the end of the 2009–10 season, Bennett shifted to center due to an injury on his line and excelled in this role, finishing tied for first in league scoring with 120 points (41 goals, 79 assists). In a pivotal triple-overtime playoff match against the Vernon Vipers, he both scored and assisted on a crucial goal that extended Penticton’s postseason run, although they ultimately fell in game six.
His outstanding rookie season earned him BCHL Rookie of the Year honors as well as Penticton Vees’ Leading Scorer and Rookie of the Year awards.
College
During his freshman year at Denver, Bennett appeared in 37 games, compiling 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) which included four multi-point outings and a six-game scoring streak in March 2011. He also contributed defensively with 98 hits and 15 blocked shots but missed five games due to a right knee injury.
In his sophomore year, Bennett participated in just 10 games before suffering a wrist injury in October 2011. After a brief return, he underwent surgery on December 8 to repair a ruptured tendon, causing him to miss the final 29 games of the season. Despite limited play, he earned selection to the All-WCHA Academic Team.
On April 13, 2012, Bennett signed a three-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh. His collegiate career concluded with totals of 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) over 47 games.
Professional
Bennett was promoted from Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to make his NHL debut on February 15, 2013 against Winnipeg Jets after being called up on February 14. He scored his first NHL goal on February 24 during a power play versus Tampa Bay Lightning. His regular-season contributions secured him a position on Pittsburgh’s playoff roster where he scored a power play goal in his postseason debut on May 1.
During the 2013–14 campaign, Bennett sustained a broken wrist in a game against the New York Islanders on November 22 that required surgery followed by an eight-to-ten-week recovery period. He returned to action on March 28, netting the game-winning goal against Columbus Blue Jackets.
As part of Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup-winning team in 2016, Bennett became the first player born and trained in California to achieve this honor. He appeared in 33 regular-season contests and one playoff game that year but did not fulfill NHL criteria for having his name engraved on the Cup.
On June 25, 2016, Bennett was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third-round pick in that year’s NHL Entry Draft. After one season with New Jersey, he inked a one-year deal worth $650,000 with St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2017. He started that season with their AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves where he scored 57 points over 60 games while appearing in six NHL matches without recording any points.
As a restricted free agent in July 2018, Bennett signed a one-year contract with HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He played five games registering one assist before mutually agreeing to terminate his contract in September of that year.
Returning stateside, Bennett sat out for the remainder of that season. On July 1, 2019, he signed a one-year two-way contract with Arizona Coyotes. He announced his retirement from professional hockey on June 26, 2021.
Personal life
Bennett completed his education at Valley Christian High School located in Cerritos, California. His moniker, "Sunshine," is inspired by a character from the film Remember the Titans, who also hails from the same state. To participate in ice hockey, Bennett's parents stipulated that he must learn to play a musical instrument; he selected the piano and practiced it between the ages of 8 and 13.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Los Angeles Junior Kings 18U AAA | T1EHL | 46 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Penticton Vees | BCHL | 56 | 41 | 79 | 120 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | University of Denver | WCHA | 37 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | University of Denver | WCHA | 10 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 39 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 26 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 49 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 33 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 65 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 60 | 12 | 45 | 57 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 55 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 200 | 24 | 40 | 64 | 52 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ||||
Awards and distinctions
| Honor | Year |
|---|---|
| BCHL | |
| Top Rookie | 2010 |
| Brett Hull Trophy recipient | 2010 |
| NHL | |
| Stanley Cup winner | 2016 |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1991 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American men's ice hockey right wingers
- Chicago Wolves players
- Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players
- HC Dinamo Minsk players
- Ice hockey players from California
- New Jersey Devils players
- NHL first-round draft picks
- Penticton Vees players
- Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks
- Pittsburgh Penguins players
- Sportspeople from Gardena, California
- St. Louis Blues players
- Stanley Cup champions
- Tucson Roadrunners players
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players