Mac Bennett is a player who caught my eye at Canadiens development camp in July for his poise and maturity on the ice despite being the youngest on the ice. He also looked good at the rookie camp in September.
Bennett is from Warwick, Rhode Island and was selected 79th overall by the Canadiens in the recent 2009 draft. Mac is the grandson of former Boston Bruins goaltender Harvey Bennett. His uncles Curt and Harvey Jr. also played in the NHL.
Bennett played US high school hockey at Hotchkiss, a prep school in Lakefield, Connecticut, last season where he had 11 points in 15 games. Bennett’s season was shortened by a knee injury. Some scouts feel that his lack of exposure and inability to play against a higher level of competition may have hampered his draft position.
Bennett will be suiting up for Cedar Rapids of the USHL this year. Following a year in the USHL, Bennett is scheduled to play for the University of Michigan Wolverines beginning in 2010.
Here’s a scouting report from McKeen’s Hockey Prospects on Mac Bennett:
Kevin Wey
McKeen’s Hockey Prospects Staff
Mac Bennett (Mtl), D, Cedar Rapids
Rookie USHLer already looks like a challenger for Defenseman of the Year honors at the end of the season .. elite level puck poise .. does not panic with the puck when pressured, even if he doesn’t have full control of it .. adept at corralling difficult pucks and draws pucks off the boards very well .. very confident skating the puck and has a smooth, powerful stride that gives him above-average speed .. able to build considerable speed through crossovers, but also has strong straight-line acceleration .. makes powerful turns with the puck and can evade checkers with tight circles .. smooth walking the blueline and can get off a smooth, hard, fading slapshot .. possesses a crisp, hard wristshot from the point, thanks to the significant stick bend he creates .. skating abilities give him a quick release, as he can promptly position himself to get a quality shot off quickly .. is also adept at passing the puck, as he makes crisp, accurate breakout passes and doesn’t unnecessarily rush the breakout .. also an adept point-to-point passer .. skating prowess also translates to his defensive game, as he has professional-caliber stopping abilities backwards to stick with shifty opponents .. lateral mobility enables him to get to assignments deep in the defensive zone quickly .. only listed at 6-foot-0, 175 pounds, but can level opponents, or at the least bodies them off the puck .. appears capable of surpassing Matt Donovan, who should have been the 2008-09 USHL Defenseman of the Year .. committed to the University of Michigan .. played prep hockey for Hotchkiss in 2008-09 and scored 2 goals and 9 assists in 15 games .. went without a point in two games at the Battle of Iowa .. tallied 1 assist in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.