Matthew Benning (born May 25, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators. He was selected 175th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.
| Matt Benning | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
(1994-05-25) May 25, 1994 (age 28) St. Albert, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks Edmonton Oilers Nashville Predators | ||
| NHL Draft |
175th overall, 2012 Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
Benning played two seasons of Junior A hockey for the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), one season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints junior team, then played for the Northeastern University Huskies from 2013 to 2016.
As Benning remained an un-signed draft pick of the Boston Bruins, he opted to sign a two-year, entry-level contract with his hometown club, the Edmonton Oilers on August 27, 2016.[1]
After attending his first Oilers training camp, he unexpectedly made the Oilers opening night roster for the 2016–17 season. After sitting as a healthy scratch, he was reassigned to make his professional debut with AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. After two games with the Condors, Benning was recalled and made his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 1, 2016.[2] He scored his first NHL goal against Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils on January 7, 2017.[3]
As an impending restricted free agent and due to salary cap considerations, Benning was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Oilers on October 7, 2020, and was released to free agency.[4]
On October 9, 2020, Benning signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators worth $1 million per season.[5]
At the conclusion of his contract with the Predators, Benning left as a free agent and was signed to a four-year, $5 million contract with the San Jose Sharks on July 13, 2022.[6]
Benning was born in St. Albert, Alberta in 1994. Benning is the son of former NHL defenseman Brian Benning, who was born in Edmonton and played for the same AJHL Saints franchise (then located in St. Albert) 27 years before his son, and also featured with the Oilers through his 10-year, 568 game career. His uncle, Jim Benning, played 10 seasons as an NHL defenseman and is the former general manager of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.[7]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Spruce Grove Saints | AJHL | 43 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 65 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | ||
| 2011–12 | Spruce Grove Saints | AJHL | 44 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 87 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 2012–13 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 57 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 73 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Northeastern University | HE | 33 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Northeastern University | HE | 36 | 0 | 24 | 24 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Northeastern University | HE | 41 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 62 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 73 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 70 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 43 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 53 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 65 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 366 | 16 | 60 | 76 | 195 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 24 | ||||