On an individual level, did anyone have a better year than Sam Bennett?
From winning a second straight Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers to helping Canada come out on top at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, the grizzled center spent the majority of the 2024-25 campaign in the spotlight.
“It’s been everything I’ve always dreamed of, this last year of hockey,” Bennett said in June.
Before he dominated the playoffs, he shined during the regular season.
In addition to reaching a new career high with 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) in 76 games, Bennett ranked fourth among Florida’s forwards in hits (145) and fifth in blocked shots (45).
Getting off to a hot start, he found the back of the net in five straight games from Oct. 19-28, with the Panthers going 4-1-0 in that span. Later, he stretched together a career-long, seven-game point streak from Nov. 25 through Dec. 7, tallying four goals and four assists during the run.
Taking his talents to the national stage in the middle of the regular season, Bennett came up in the clutch -- as usual -- for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, scoring the game-tying goal in the second period of an eventual 3-2 overtime win over the United States in the championship game on Feb. 20.
Not long after returning from the tournament, he turned heads again with a rare "Gordie Howe hat trick" in a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Feb. 26. After opening the scoring, he fought with Predators forward Cole Smith and then later tacked on an assist to complete the tenacious trifecta.
“We have superstars on this team, but superstars that are willing to do what it takes to win,” Bennett said when asked about the team’s toughness in June. “There’s a big difference from doing what it takes to win and just playing hockey. There’s a lot of dawgs in here (the room).”
Heading into the playoffs, No. 9 was clearly in the zone.
After touching twine just 3:44 into Florida’s first game of Round 1 – a 6-2 beatdown of the rival Tampa Bay Lightning – Bennett didn’t take his foot off the gas for two months, finishing with 22 points (15 goals, seven assists) in 23 playoff games to lock down his second Stanley Cup.
Earning his “Playoff Sam” nickname, Bennett scored five goals in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, with four coming in the first three games of the hard-fought series.
In addition to his 15 goals setting a new franchise record for most in a single playoff run, his 13 road goals during Florida’s run to another date with Lord Stanley set a new NHL record.
To no one’s surprise, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the postseason.
“There was never a moment for us where we thought it was too much for us or we were in over our heads,” Bennett said after the decisive Game 6 win over Edmonton. “There’s just so much belief in that locker room, so much experience. Everyone truly believed we could win a Stanley Cup again from Day 1.”
Ready to build off his big season, he signed an eight-year extension with Florida on June 28.
“I knew that I wanted to be here, and I was pretty confident that it was going to get done,” Bennett said. “Obviously, you never know. Things can change. It had to be the right fit for both me and the team. We obviously came to that solution. Obviously, I couldn’t be happier. Being in South Florida has completely changed my life. I love playing hockey there. I love living there. I love the team, the staff and the owners. Everything about [this place] is really the dream situation. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be back here.”
COOL STAT
Few players created as much chaos in the offensive zone as Bennett in the playoffs.
Over 23 games on the road to second straight Cup, he paced the Panthers in shot attempts (139), high-danger shot attempts (33), scoring chances (84) and shots on goal (45).
All of those pucks flying at the net also led to Bennett generating a team-high 19 rebounds, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Going toe to toe with an all-time talent, his 139 shot attempts trailed only Connor McDavid’s 148 among forwards during the playoffs.
In short: when Bennett was in the offensive zone, everyone needed to be on their toes.
