Flames encouraging Pospisil to model game after Bennett
The Calgary Flames are encouraging Martin Pospisil to watch Sam Bennett to grow into an impactful power forward.
admin
CALGARY — Doubled over in pain as he clutched his right arm, Martin Pospisil’s exit late in a recent game was punctuated with a violent helmet toss as he headed to the dressing room.
The 25-year wrecking ball has never been short on emotion, or fear, which is exactly why the Calgary Flames feel the growth of his game would be best served if he modeled himself after a former Flames menace of sorts.
“We’re trying to push him on Sam Bennett,” revealed Flames coach Ryan Huska, who has inundated the Slovakian winger with video of ol’ Benny’s bumps, blasts and goal crease blowups of late.
“We keep telling him, ‘you can be similar to that.’
“Sam took a long time to come, too.
“You watch Florida’s games and he goes to the net harder than anyone in the league. So, we’re like, ‘Marty, here you go.’”
Message received.
-
-
Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet
The NHL’s best are ready to battle for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup. Watch every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet and Sportsnet beginning on April 19.
No one needed to tell Pospisil his calling card would come via the hit parade that has seen him set a franchise record with 293 takeouts so far.
He sits third in the league in that category.
But what has been calming for the soft-spoken sophomore is the notion that his offence will come if he continues to crash creases and decimate defenders.
After years of trying unsuccessfully to find the offensive touch that made him the fourth pick overall in 2014, Bennett has finally found the net more regularly without sacrificing his hardnosed identity.
Scoreless in his last 20 games, Pospisil is still looking to find that balance.
“The goals are missing for sure, but I can’t look at just the points,” said Pospisil, who has only scored half of the eight goals he had last year as the Flames’ biggest rookie revelation.
“We are right there, and we want to make the playoffs and that’s what I want at the end of the day. Since the break every game is a playoff game and my dream is to play in the playoffs.
“Especially when I heard how it is in Calgary and the fans go crazy. It’s an experience I’ve never had in my career.”
As the ultimate team player, he’s aware that his constant collisions have created time and space for Nazem Kadri to be the team’s scoring hero the last few months.
And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Huska believes Pospisil has been playing the best hockey of his career since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and he’s done it while battling injuries that have prevented him from being a regular practice participant.
“I don’t really want to think about it while the season is going, but there are some games I wouldn’t like to be on the ice,” he smiled. “But you have to go through it. Life is not always easy and it’s the same with injuries, you just have to go through it.
“There are some games before the games I feel crappy, but after a win you always feel better. I can control the pain and play through it.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371293810112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371293810112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371293810112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-751785" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371293810112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371293810112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/video/its-been-nuts-zayne-parekh-details-journey-to-join-flames/" }); });
And he’s doing so while inflicting plenty of hurt on the opposition.
Much like Bennett.
“He’s a really good player and he also had some seasons that he wasn’t producing as much,” said Pospisil of Bennett, who had less than 30 points in five-straight seasons following his rookie year.
“But he worked hard and he kind of changed the style and was more around the net and the coach was showing me how effective he can be.”
Huska believes that with more confidence the offence will come, as it has for Bennett, who is in the midst of a career-high 25-goal, 50-point season that landed him on Team Canada.
Although Pospisil was denied his 25th point Wednesday, his bumping around the blue paint led to a Yegor Sharangovich goal.
The Flames will need his presence more than ever Friday night when the Wild visit for a showdown Calgary has to win to stay alive.
Perhaps his biggest sign of growth is his ability to minimize the type of unnecessary penalties he was known for last season and earlier this year.
“I’m doing my best, man,” he smiled. “I don’t want to hurt my team, but at the same time I want to bring something different to the team, and the way I play I think I can help the team and be on the line and don’t cross it.”
Pospisil’s breakthrough last year led to a two-year extension paying him a bargain-basement $1 million annually. He’s eligible to sign an extension this summer, which is what he’d love to do.
“I’d be open to staying longer, for sure, and signing for more years,” he said. “I love this city, and this team, and we will be a good team for the future. I think we can bring the Cup.”
If so, his comparisons to Bennett will only grow.
