Submitted Photo Former Minot Magician and current Steinbach Piston Easton Bennett (25) goes for the goal during the ANAVET Cup in April. Photo courtesy of Terry Frey/The Carillon.

After graduating high school, Easton Bennett had one thing on his mind: hockey. With hard work and dedication, Bennett now finds himself as a member of the Steinbach Pistons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Bennett left Minot to chase his dream of playing hockey with the chance to score a Division I scholarship. He returns to Minot for the summer with one year of junior hockey in the books and one tooth lost to the sport.

Bennett was practically born to be on the ice. His father, co-head coach of the Minot boys hockey team, Jason Bennett has a big influence on the sport here in Minot.

“I played hockey at Minot High and then I played four years at Minot State,” Jason Bennett said. “We actually had him (Easton) while I was playing hockey at Minot State.”

Easton Bennett started his journey on the ice when he was four-years-old. It’s something he stuck with and is now the true passion of his life.

“Sometimes I get frustrated and say I want to quit hockey, I hate this sport, but most of the time it’s pretty enjoyable,” Bennett said.

In his junior year, Bennett went to try out for the Fargo Force in the USHL. He didn’t make the team and was recovering from the missed opportunity when Steinbach Piston’s coach Paul Dyck requested to talk to him.

“He told me he’d watch me for the next year and he ended up contacting me at the national invitational tournament in Minnesota after my senior year and that’s where he told me he wanted me to come sign with Steinbach,” Bennett explained.

Well versed on the ice, Bennett has played defenseman and forward almost every other year he played hockey.

“Being a defenseman I knew how to play defense, but I also knew how to play offense,” Bennett said. “I think it was good to transition back and forth. I mean I’m glad I’m a forward now, but looking back, who knows where I would’ve been if I was a D.”

Bennett said it was different making the transition from high school to junior hockey in more ways than one. For starters, he had to adjust to a new coach.

Bennett’s father had been one of his coaches his entire high school career. So, going from his dad to a coach he barely knew was a learning process.

Easton Bennett also had to step into a new role.

“As far as the hockey play goes, it was a big step up,” Bennett said. “I went from a role in Minot of being the goal scorer and ‘the guy’ to kind of going to Canada to play a role and be that physical presence.”

High school hockey was challenging in North Dakota, but Bennett said junior hockey in Canada was a different experience.

In his first year with the Pistons, Bennett was a part of three different tournament championships with the team. First, they won the Turnbull Cup, which is the championship for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. It was the second Turnbull Cup won in team history.

Then, they moved on to play Saskatchewan in the ANAVET cup in a seven-game series.

“That was one of the most physical teams we’ve played all year, so that took a real toll on our bodies,” Bennett said.

After claiming the ANAVET Cup, the Pistons moved on to the RBC Cup. This year marked the first year that the Pistons had made it to the RBC.

The RBC Cup is played in British Columbia and even though the team didn’t perform their best, Bennett was thankful for the opportunity to go. He not only experienced a few team firsts, he also got to spend time in a beautiful part of Canada with teammates who were more like a family.

“We got treated like NHL players, which was pretty sweet,” Bennett joked. “We got free bags and socks and shirts and all that so it was kind of cool, even though we didn’t perform the way we could’ve at RBC, it was still a great experience to go there.”

In the MJHL, athletes can play until their 20-year-old year, meaning Bennett has one year left. He plans on going back to Steinbach and hopes to land a Division I hockey scholarship in the process.

“If I don’t, maybe I’ll come play here in Minot,” Bennett added.

Bennett’s father said the ultimate goal is to get at least some schooling paid for.

During his time with the Pistons, Bennett stayed with a host family — Stacy and Sheldon Froese and their son Peyton. He also had one other player from the Pistons there, which changed a few times throughout the season because of trades.

Having seen roommates traded, Bennett said he was never overly anxious about whether he was going to be traded or not.

“Obviously, when you’re at home and you’re thinking about it you’re like, ‘Oh, maybe I didn’t play that well,’ but I think you just have to not think about it and play your game,” Bennett said. “If you’re good enough, you’ll prevail.”

Bennett said his host family really made his season with the Pistons that much more enjoyable and was his family while away from Minot. On their way to a vacation in South Dakota, the Froese family is going to stop through Minot to visit with Bennett.

“My billet mom was in tears when I was leaving so it was pretty emotional, but they treated me exactly like family and they made it very comfortable,” Bennett said.

During his time at Minot High, Bennett came in at fifth in overall goals scored, fourth in assists and fourth in points. In his junior and senior years, he received all-region and all-state honors.

Minot High co-head coach John Grubb said that the success of Bennett’s senior class has been fun to watch. Fellow former Magi Colby Enns was a part of the Minot Minotauros’ team this year that played for the Robertson Cup.

“Both got the chance to play for national championships in different countries and that’s really neat,” Grubb said.

Grubb said Bennett was a very successful high school player, but it’s hard to tell what will translate to the next level. It has just been fun for him and the staff to follow the success of Enns and Bennett while they chase their dreams.

This past season with the Pistons, Bennett scored 13 goals, 18 assists and earned 31 points during the regular season.

Bennett is thankful for his family, those that made the five-hour drive to see him play and the ones that watched online and texted him after games. Knowing that even from a country away that his family and friends are with him is what Bennett will cherish most about this experience.

Sports Spotlight is a weekly feature profiling interesting people affiliated with sports in the region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Email the sports department at sports@minotdailynews.com.