With a well-traveled junior career behind him, the former Jr. King is focused on his opportunity at DU Toyota Sports Center
By Chris Bayee B
y Wade Bennett’s count, he’s been cut or released roughly a half- dozen times since he was a Bantam. He’s switched positions, had his game dissected and dissed, and even played for three junior teams in one season. Yet today, the former LA Jr. Kings player is part of the University of Denver hockey team - the same as his younger brother, Beau, a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. His journey from youth hockey in California to a school he said he considered attending right out of high school - hockey or not - is one of determination, perseverance and a close- knit family.
“It’s ironic. Beau is one of the guys, and I’m one of the guys trying to earn my spot in the lineup,” said Wade, a 1990 birth year. “Neither of us has lost value in the others’ eyes; it just shows the journey is different for everyone. “Beau and I are really close.” The brothers are the oldest of Kirk
and Louanna Bennett’s four hockey- playing children. Shane (95) is a forward on the LA Selects’ 18U AAA team, while Bailey (98) is a forward on a Jr. Kings’ Bantam AA team.
“Our parents instilled in us to always
be happy for family,” Wade said. His family’s support, as well as that of a Texas billet family last season, helped Wade navigate through two trying seasons since aging out of Midget. “(During 2009-10) in Trail (of the British Columbia Hockey League), I was a shambles; I was in and out of the lineup, hurt and switched back to forward from defense,” he said. “Versatility helped me find a spot in the lineup, then I got a concussion and missed the playoffs.” A trade to Surrey last season was supposed to provide a chance to play defense again, but that didn’t materialize and Wade was released after nine games. He signed with rival Coquitlam and played 25 games before being released yet again.
But his play caught the eye of former DU assistant coach Derek Lalonde, who talked to Wade after a game and watched the next day’s practice.
“It caught me off guard,” Wade said. “I was hearing you can’t play here, you can’t play there, but somehow one of the best D-I programs was interested.” Shortly thereafter, he landed with the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the North American Hockey League and found himself playing top-pair minutes and getting power-play time.
“I really grew as a player and had a
Bennett’s Perseverance Pays Dividends
coach who helped me work on the mental side of the game,” Wade said. “Two weeks later, DU said they’d like to commit to me. “It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. I was 20 years old; either you get a scholarship or you’re done with hockey. So within a few weeks I went from being tossed around junior leagues to a college commitment - the lowest I’ve been to the biggest high.”
The Bennetts are among more than three dozen Jr. Kings alumni playing at the highest levels of hockey this season:
Professional: NHL: Bobby Ryan (Anaheim); AHL: Taylor Aronson (Milwaukee), Mitch Callahan (Grand Rapids), Matt Ford (Hershey), Shane Harper (Adirondack), Kevan Miller (Providence), Jake Newton (Lake Erie), Brett Sterling (Peoria), Mitch Wahl (Abbotsford); ECHL: Raymond Macias (Reading); Europe: Robbie Earl (Austria), Gabe Gauthier (Germany), Brian Salcido (Finland).
NCAA Division I: Atlantic Hockey: Richard Leitner (American International); Dennis Brown (Western Michigan), Robert Francis
ToyotaSportsCenter.com
Gardena’s Wade Bennett is in his freshman season at the Univer- sity of Denver. Photo/Rich Clarkson & Associates/NCAA Photos
(Western Michigan), Brett Mohler (Bowling Green); ECAC: Loren Barron (Quinnipiac), Daniel Gentzler (Colgate), Michael Juola (Brown), Tyler Maugeri (Princeton); Hockey East: Max Nicastro (Boston University), Troy Power (Massachusetts), Darren Rowe (Massachusetts), Chad Ruhwedel (UMass-Lowell); WCHA: Beau Bennett (Denver), Wade Bennett (Denver), Matt White (Nebraska-Omaha).
Major/Tier I Junior: WHL: Tyler Maxwell (Everett), Shane McColgan (Kelowna), Chase Souto (Kamloops), Liam Stewart (Spokane), Brandon Underwood (Regina); USHL: Alex Barron (Indiana), Adam Chlapik (Tri- City), Mitch Hughes (Sioux Falls), JD Peterson (Tri-City).
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