Michael Benning

Michael Benning (born January 5, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was named as the Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament while representing the University of Denver.[1]

Not to be confused with Micky Benning.
Michael Benning
Born (2002-01-05) January 5, 2002
St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Florida Panthers
Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
NHL Draft 95th overall, 2020
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2023–present

Playing career

Benning played junior hockey for his team in the AMBHL. During his freshman year in high school, he averaged over a point per game and graduated to the Northern Alberta Elite program. After another outstanding offensive season he began playing Junior A for the Sherwood Park Crusaders in 2018. In his first season with the team, Benning was one of the clubs top scorers and helped them finish second in the league standings. He was named an alternate captain for the following year and continued to put up big numbers. Benning helped the Crusaders win the regular season title, however, the campaign was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, however, he had already shown enough promise for the Florida Panthers to select him in the 4th round of the NHL draft.

After graduating, Benning, along with Sherwood Park teammates Reid Irwin and Carter Savoie, travelled south and began attending the University of Denver. Due in part to a late start and a shortened season, the Pioneers had a poor performance that saw them finish with a losing record for the first time in over 20 years.[2] Despite the difficulties, Denver was still ranked 13th in the preseason poll entering the 2021–22 season. Benning spearheaded the attack from the blueline and helped the Pioneers swiftly rise up the rankings. By the end of the regular season, Denver finished in a tie for the conference title and was guaranteed a NCAA tournament bid. During the postseason, Benning proved to be pivotal in Denver's success, helping the team win three 1-goal games to reach the championship match. With his team down in the third period of the final, Benning assisted on the game-tying goal and then scored what proved to be the deciding marker less than three minutes later. After also assisting on the Pioneers' overtime goal in the national semifinal, he was an obvious choice for the Tournament MOP honors.

Following the conclusion of his junior season with the Pioneers in 2022–23, Benning ended his collegiate career in signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on April 13, 2023. He immediately joined the Panthers roster and remained with the team for their playoff push.[3]

Personal life

Benning is the son of former Panthers defenseman Brian Benning, nephew of former Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick and Vancouver Canucks player and General Manager Jim Benning, and the younger brother of San Jose Sharks defenseman Matthew Benning.[4] Rounding out a full pedigree in a hockey family, was uncle Mark Benning who played in the NCAA and in professionally in West Germany, and grandfather Elmer Benning (1941-2018), a Scout for Montreal Canadiens.

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2018–19Sherwood Park CrusadersAJHL 6010516199 1218914
2019–20Sherwood Park CrusadersAJHL 5412637554 —————
2020–21University of DenverNCHC 2138118 —————
2021–22University of DenverNCHC 4115233814 —————
2022–23University of DenverNCHC 3913213438 —————
NCAA totals 10131528360 —————

Awards and honours
Award Year
College
All-NCHC First Team 2022–23
All-NCHC Second Team 2021–22 [5]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2022 [1]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2022–23 [6]

References
  1. Trefzger, Ed (April 9, 2022). "Most Outstanding Player Benning redeems himself for penalty with Denver's game-winning goal". USCHO. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. "Denver Hockey Media Guide 2020-21" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  3. "Florida Panthers agree to terms with Defenseman Mike Benning". Florida Panthers. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. "Florida Panthers agree to terms with Defenseman Mike Benning". Florida Panthers. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  5. "Five Different Teams Represented on All-NCHC First Team". NCHC. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. "2022-23 Men's CCM Hockey Division I All-Americans". ahcahockey.com. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.