Sam Bennett relishing the opportunity to be coached by Joel Quenneville
After requesting a trade early in the 2021 season, the Calgary Flames dealt Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers. So far, the trade has been a success for Florida and Sam Bennett, who is really happy to be coached by three-time Stanley Cup winner, Joel Quenneville.
"(Quenneville's) a coach that once he trusts you and believes in you, he'll put you in situations to succeed," Bennett told The Hockey News' Erin Brown. "He gives pointers here and there and advice. But he'll let you play hockey, too. It's been unbelievable, and I couldn't be happier with my time under 'Q."
He went on to add, "I knew I still had a lot more to give and more to show as a player. I thought I could do a lot more than what I was doing in Calgary. Sometimes that's all it takes - a little bit of a change, a GM and a coach that believe in you, and that's definitely what I got in Florida."
The Holland Landing, Ontario native had 15 points in ten games in Florida following the trade from Calgary, which was more points than he had during the 2019-20 season and the first part of the 2020-21 season with the Flames.
Before free agency opened, the 25-year-old inked a four-year contract with the Panthers worth $17.7 million ($4.425 million AAV).
Bennett enjoyed an increased role in Florida during the regular season and playoffs, where he was their number two centerman and saw time on the top power-play unit.
"The opportunity alone was a ton," Bennett said. He added: "I got to play with some great players. They helped me as well. All that, put together with gaining confidence quickly, I think that was the recipe to have success early."
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||