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Kingston Frontenacs grad Sam Bennett scores first NHL goal for Calgary Flames (VIDEO)

Kingston Frontenacs grad Sam Bennett scores first NHL goal for Calgary Flames (VIDEO)

Sam Bennett scored many goals for the Kingston Frontenacs by locating the puck amid a chaotic tangle of random swinging in the crease. That was essentially how the 18-year-old, who has gone from playing in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs to playing in high-leverage situations for the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup playoffs, got his first NHL goal on Sunday night.

In his fourth NHL game, Bennett got on the board by making a pass out from behind the net, then homing in on the puck and whacking it by Eddie Lack. It was the eventual game-winner in the Flames' 4-2 win that opened a 2-1 lead in the series, as the centre continued to hint that he might have made the NHL last fall if not for the left shoulder surgery that kept him out until he rejoined the Frontenacs in February for a tune-up.

At 18 years and 303 days old, Bennett is the second-youngest player to score for the Flames in the playoffs.

Nice way to turn heads on the same weekend that Bennett's former minor hockey centre, Connor McDavid, essentially became a division rival when the Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery. It also came after Bennett had shrugged off an open-ice check from the Canucks' Yannick Weber.

Bennett is the first player from the NHL draft class of 2014 to score a NHL playoff goal (yes, yes, he's the only one among the seven '14 picks who debuted in the league this season who's on a playoff team, but someone has to be first).


Since joining Calgary immediately after Kingston's season ended, he's looked impressive for Calgary. getting points in 3-of-4 games. The Holland, Landing, Ont., native, who will not even turn 19 until after the Stanley Cup final, also drew a penalty that created the 5-on-3 scenario where the Flames got a dagger goal from Bennett's old OHL Eastern Division contemporary, Ottawa 67's alumnus Sean Monahan.

If it already seemed remote that Bennett would play another OHL game, then it might seem even more unlikely that he could have one final go-round as a junior by joining Team Canada next December.

Incidentally, Bennett's first OHL goal in September 2012 was also his team's third goal of a game. You could look it up.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.