Iowa Heartlanders forward Kris Bennett leads as captain
Bennett is the first captain in Iowa Heartlanders history, showing leadership through his tenacity.
Iowa forward Kris Bennett and Utah defenseman Miles Gendron both go for the puck during a hockey match between the Iowa Heartlanders and the Utah Grizzlies at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Feb. 9, 2022. The Grizzlies beat the Heartlanders, 5-4, in overtime.
February 13, 2022
Four minutes into an overtime period, Iowa Heartlander forward Kris Bennett found himself on a breakaway.
The Heartlanders were playing the Toledo Walleye inside a packed Huntington Center in Ohio on Feb. 4. While the Walleye were wearing SpongeBob SquarePants sweaters, the Heartlanders got the last laugh.
Bennett said that he “kind of blacked out” as he recollected his thoughts about the overtime breakaway three days later. As Bennett moved closer to Walleye goaltender Max Milosek, the left-handed shooter delivered the game-winning goal, giving the Heartlanders the overtime 6-5 victory in front of a shocked crowd.
“He’s tenacious,” Heartlanders head coach Gerry Fleming said. “I guess if I was going to use one word to describe Benny — tenacity. He’s just relentless.”
Heartlanders fans see Bennett as the club’s leading scorer when he’s out on the ice. But the way the first captain in Heartlanders history carries himself throughout the day is what makes him stand out.
“He’s an awesome guy,” forward Ryan Kuffner said. “He does everything the right way. Always putting in the work behind the scenes to be able to perform and get all the fans on their feet out there.”
Originally from Brampton, Ontario, and the youngest of four brothers, Bennett credits his family’s sacrifices for helping him earn a professional hockey career and his character.
He spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Saginaw Spirit, tallying 90 points in his final two seasons. Instead of jumping into the professional ranks after his junior career, Bennett enrolled at the University of New Brunswick.
A member of U Sports, the highest collegiate league in Canada, New Brunswick men’s ice hockey has a similar reputation to the University of Iowa men’s wrestling program. The Reds have won eight David Johnston University Cups — the third-most of any school in the league.
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Bennett helped lead New Brunswick to its eighth cup in 2018-19, recording 15 goals and 20 assists in 30 games during the regular season.
Bennett said his favorite moment of his hockey career was winning the cup.
“It’s awesome,” said Bennett of competing for a successful program. “Obviously, it’s not easy showing up, going to battle every single day with your teammates. Every single day is accounted for. You have to get better every single day. You’re pushed by the coaching staff and the players around you.
“We go there to win a national championship, not a conference championship.”
After three seasons as a Red, Bennett signed an amateur tryout with the AHL’s Stockton Heat for the 2020-21 season. He competed in nine games, putting up two assists.
In August, he agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the AHL’s Iowa Wild and has split the 2021-22 campaign between Des Moines and Coralville.
He was selected to the ECHL All-Star Classic in January — the only Heartlander to earn that honor — but couldn’t participate because he was on the Wild roster when the game was played on Jan. 17.
Kuffner said he constantly makes great memories with Bennett as a Heartlander — whether on the ice, at their apartments, or inside Starbucks.
“We’re just happy to be here,” Kuffner said. “Happy to be friends and teammates, line mates, and to have this opportunity, to have a role on this team and give it everything we’ve got.”
