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How a hockey player from Peoria skated for Montreal Canadiens in NHL preseason game
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- How a hockey player from Peoria skated for Montreal Canadiens in NHL preseason game
PEORIA — Dillan Bentley made the ultimate step up in professional hockey on Saturday.
The Peoria native put on the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens and played in their NHL preseason game.
Afterward, on Sunday, he was among 10 players sent by Montreal to its primary farm team, the Laval Rocket , in the class-AAA American Hockey League. It was the final roster cutdown of camp for the Canadiens, who put another 10 players on waivers.
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So he will start his first pro season at the highest level of the minors, one step from the NHL.
But Bentley made his mark, a Peoria home-grown product playing in an NHL preseason game.
On Saturday, he skated in Montreal's 4-3 loss to Ottawa at 19,000-seat Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
Bentley earned 13 shifts on the ice, for a total, seven minutes, 51 seconds. He recorded a hit and attempted two shots on goal.
Dillan Bentley was born in Peoria and grew up playing hockey in the Peoria Youth Hockey Association. Now he's the first Peoria-born candidate for college hockey's prestigious Hobey Baker Award.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound center-right wing played for the junior hockey Peoria Mustangs in 2019-20.
He was born in Peoria and grew up playing hockey in the Peoria Youth Hockey Association.
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Bentley became the first Peoria-born candidate for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, college hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy.
His journey began as a house league player in the Peoria Youth Hockey Association. He spent four seasons at UMass-Lowell, and last spring made his pro debut, going straight to the AHL on a two-year contract, where he played six games for Laval.
Bentley, whose mentors in Peoria included Peoria Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel, is believed to be just the third Peoria-born or former PYHA product to reach pro hockey's class-AAA level.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports editor, and has covered the Peoria Rivermen for 42 years, covered Bradley men's basketball, Peoria Chiefs baseball and served as sports columnist. Reach him via email at deminian@pjstar.com and follow him on X @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How a hockey player from Peoria skated for Montreal Canadiens in NHL preseason game
