PITTSBURGH — Standing in front of his locker with an easy smile and the remnants of a tan earned during a summer in his native southern California, Beau Bennett is breathing easy as he begins his third training camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And why not? He's as healthy as he's been in years and is playing for a coach, Mike Johnston, with whom he feels perfectly comfortable.

"It's a cool experience, getting a new excitement shift in here," Bennett said. "A little different from last year."

Last year was an abysmal one for the 2010 first-round draft pick. Three goals and seven points in 21 games. A wrist injury, and subsequent surgery, that cost him four good months. A relationship with former coach Dan Bylsma that was far from perfect.

A fresh start, with Johnston at the helm, might benefit Bennett as much as anyone on the Penguins roster.

"With Coach Dan, I wish him all the best, but as a young guy, it was a little different," Bennett said. "You're definitely held accountable with anyone, to a certain extent, but as an offensive guy, you could make a mistake last year and that could be it for your game.

"To be able to come to the bench and have a positive influence say, ‘Try this next time' or ‘Do something better' rather than putting you down or giving you the death stare. It's good either way, because it keeps you accountable, but I think the positivity will go a long way."

Johnston is giving Bennett a look on the third line with Steve Downie and Brandon Sutter, but it's a different feel than when he was slotted into the bottom six at times over the last two seasons.

For one thing, Johnston said he wanted a skill guy and a hard-working checker to play with Sutter. Bennett would be the skill guy, which, as he showed while accruing 22 assists in 42 career games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, is a role that suits him.

For another thing, Bennett is playing his natural position of right wing, a spot he is much more comfortable with as a right-handed shot.

Finally, Bennett said he thinks he and Johnston share a similar philosophy about offensive hockey. He doesn't expect his coach to try to pound the creativity out of his game.

"You see it all the time, a lot in college. Once you lose it, it's so hard to get back, those creative juices," Bennett said. "Not trying it all the time. Being a smart player. But if you're one on one with a guy and have four guys behind you, having the free reign to try something. It may not work eight out of 10 times, but for two out of 10, you get a Grade-A (scoring chance), I think it's worth it, especially if you have numbers back."

What gives Bennett the idea that his mindset will mesh so well with Johnston's?

Well, the two go way back. When Johnston was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings from 2006-08, Bennett played on the same youth team as the coach's son, Adam. They didn't live far apart and the teen-agers became friends.

"He's seen me before. I've been around his family for years now," Bennett said. "It's nice to have those ties."

It's also nice to be healthy. For all the talk about offensive creativity and philosophical synergy, Bennett can't be productive unless his wrist injuries are a thing of the past.

As camp begins, he said he's confident that's the case.

"Wrist is cool," Bennett said, like only a Californian could. "Coolest it's been in a while."