Selected in the fourth round (95th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers, Canadian-born defenseman Mike Benning is a prospect with strong connections to both the NHL and South Florida.
Benning is the son of original Panther blueliner Brian Benning, the younger brother of San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning and nephew of former Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who also played 610 games in the NHL. That’s a lot of Bennings…
Planning on playing NCAA hockey, Mike decided to remain with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Junior A-level Alberta Junior Hockey League during his draft season and racked up 12 goals and 75 points in 54 games to catch the eye of Florida general manager Bill Zito and his scouting staff.
He led all defensemen in scoring in both of his seasons in the AJHL and was named the league’s, and the parent organization CJHL’s, best defenseman in 2019-20. Benning represented Canada at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge, where he posted one assist in four games.
In his first season at the University of Denver, Benning appeared in 21 of 24 games for the Pioneers, registering three goals, eight assists, 15 blocks, 8 PIMs and a -1 rating.
He posted a three-assist game on December 5, 2020 against St. Cloud State and scored his first career goal and added an assist five days later against the Miami RedHawks. After accumulating most of points early in the season, Benning lit the lamp twice in Denver’s NCHC Quarterfinal win over Omaha on March 13, 2021
Year two saw a more comfortable and confident Benning produce 15 goals and 38 points, just one behind Michigan’s Luke Hughes, who was the highest scoring defenseman in Division I college hockey. Five of his goals were game-winners and he amassed 82 shots and finished the season with a team-high plus-32 rating.
The sophomore skater was named the National Player of the Month for March and April by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association. He was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Frozen Four as he produced four points (1G/3A) in wins against number one seeds Michigan and Minnesota State to help Denver capture their record-tying ninth national championship.
After attending Panthers development camp in July 2022, Benning returned to the Colorado capital for his junior season. His 34 points (13G/21A) were the fifth-highest among defensemen in the nation and he was named the NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year. He finished third on the team in scoring behind forwards Massimo Rizzo and Carter Mazur. Benning registered 101 shots on goal, 38 blocks, accumulated 38 PIM, and finished the campaign with a plus-24 rating. Seven of his goals came on the power play.
After Denver was bounced by Cornell in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the 21-year-old inked an entry-level contract with the Panthers on April 12, while he didn’t end up playing a game, he did burn a year off his three-year deal.
Benning is a prospect with a high hockey IQ and a wide range of offensive tools that enable him to quarterback a power play. While he’s not a burner, he is an above-average, mobile skater who has enough quickness and agility to create separation. His repertoire boasts a hard slapper and an underrated wrist shot. Like all undersized skaters (5′ 9″ – 180 lbs) his age, he needs to bulk up some more to ready his body for the professional ranks.
According to EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide Benning understands how to create space for others through deception and manipulation. He transforms fake-passes and fake-shots into dangles, and fake-shots into passes. He shows good mechanics in his slap shot, firing it hard and with precision. The way he transfers weight bottom-up through his shot is just highly-refined for a player at this age.
Zito had this to say after the signing:
“Mike is a gifted two-way defenseman who has had an outstanding collegiate career. We are thrilled for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his continued development within our organization.”
With Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour suffering injuries during Florida’s unexpectedly deep playoff run that are expected to result in them missing the start of the 2023-24 season, and veterans Radko Gudas and Marc Staal now unrestricted free agents, Benning could find himself on the fast track for NHL playing time depending how the Cats handle the blue line during the offseason.