Mike
Benning
D · CGY · Offensive · Around average
- PAL
- 54
- WAR
- 0.2
- Value
- 70
- PTS
- 6
2025-26№ 138 / 325
Mike Benning (Calgary Flames) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Mike Benning
#20D
Calgary Flames
HEIGHT : 175 cm · WEIGHT : 84 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : January 4, 2002 · Edmonton, Canada
Drafted : 2020 · FLA · round 4, pick #95
Contract : $850,000 · 2026-27 → 2026-27 · Two-Way Contract · RFA (Arb)
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Florida Panthers | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
Mike Benning: our analysis
2025-26 season: 18 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS, -4 +/-, 16:54 TOI. WAR 0.2 (138th of 325) · PAL 54, around average.
In 2025-26, Mike Benning, 24, posts a PAL Rating of 54 out of 100 (around average), and his WAR of 0.2 ranks 138th among 325 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: shooting (80, well above average), power play (80, well above average) and offense (73, above average). On the other hand, penalty kill (23, well below average) and defense (33, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+0.8); his biggest cost: EV defense (-0.2).
Contract-wise, his Value score of 70 (good value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Mike Benning's story
When he stepped into junior hockey with Sherwood Park, Benning quickly stood out for his scoring touch from the back end. Progressing through the AMBHL and the Northern Alberta Elite program, he joined the Sherwood Park Crusaders in 2018 and became one of the club's leading scorers. Elevated to alternate captain the following season, he helped the team claim the regular-season crown before the pandemic cut the campaign short; those seasons led to his selection by Florida in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Benning then took the college route, enrolling at the University of Denver alongside former Crusaders teammates Reid Irwin and Carter Savoie. After a shortened initial season for the program, he played a larger role in 2021–22, driving much of Denver's offence from the blue line and helping the team climb back into contention. His steady play in close postseason games was a major factor in Denver advancing to the national final.
The championship game provided his signature moment: Benning assisted the game-tying goal late in the third period and scored the go-ahead marker less than three minutes later. He also assisted in the national semifinal overtime winner, performances that earned him Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. Following his junior season, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on April 13, 2023.
In the seasons that followed he split time between the AHL and the NHL within the Panthers organization, appearing for the Charlotte Checkers and making his NHL debut where he recorded timely points. After three years with Florida's system he reached free agency and signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Calgary Flames for 2026–27.
Benning's game centres on offensive instincts from defence: early junior and college numbers show a defender comfortable initiating attack and creating opportunities. He also comes from a hockey family — his father Brian and brother Matthew have professional backgrounds — which has shaped his development on and off the ice.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 16:54
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:50
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:16
- Pts/GP
- 0.33
- EV points
- 5
- Hits
- 4
- Blocks
- 16
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 51.2 %
- Off. zone starts
- 34.8 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 23 %
73
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 75
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 56
- Confidence 27 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 67
- Confidence 0 %
- DU
- Durability
- 52
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 65
- Confidence 27 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 80
- Confidence 10 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 76
- Confidence 27 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 79
- Confidence 23 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 81
- Confidence 23 %
- DF
- Defense
- 71
- Confidence 20 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 29
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating75
- Top speed (35 %)35.1 · 70
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)2.105 · 78
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.3 · 78
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.6 · 76
ST — Strength56
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.458 · 70
- Body mass (50 %)-1.228 · 54
EN — Endurance67
- Ice time per game (45 %)18.4 · 72
- Total ice time (20 %)296 · 35
- Shift length (15 %)47.7 · 76
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.095 · 72
DU — Durability52
- Share of games played (100 %)0.634 · 52
CK — Checking65
- Hits /60 (70 %)2.558 · 71
- Season volume (10 %)1.609 · 44
FG — Fighting80
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.943 · 80
DI — Discipline76
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.038 · 76
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.499 · 81
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.276 · 63
PA — Passing79
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.415 · 78
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.446 · 78
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.023 · 77
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.321 · 81
SC — Scoring81
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.302 · 82
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.233 · 79
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.366 · 79
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.151 · 82
- xG per shot (10 %)0.035 · 79
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)10.3 · 78
DF — Defense71
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.002 · 72
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.022 · 73
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.731 · 67
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.013 · 72
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.166 · 70
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)58.5 · 73
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.101 · 70
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience29
- Career regular-season games (65 %)42
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)24
OV — Overall73
- DF · Defense (30 %)71
- PA · Passing (22 %)79
- SK · Skating (12 %)75
- SC · Scoring (12 %)81
- EN · Endurance (9 %)67
- ST · Strength (6 %)56
- DI · Discipline (5 %)76
- CK · Checking (4 %)65
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
0.2
wins above replacement
138 of 325
PAL Rating
54/ 100
Performance · Around average
111 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
70/ 100
Good value
0.78 M$ · expected PAL 36
ProfileOffensiveValue comes mostly from offense
- Offense
- 75
- Defense
- 32
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 73
- Creation
- 71
- Shooting
- 80
- Possession
- 50
- Defense
- 33
- Discipline
- 43
- Power play
- 80
- Penalty kill
- 23
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
76/ 100
Very good
better than 76% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
62/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
82/ 100
Very good
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 53 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 73
- Shot selection
- 85
- Penalties drawn
- 9
- Puck management
- 41
Defense
- Takeaways
- 77
- Discipline
- 81
- Safe zone exits
- 49
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.2
wins above replacement
-0.1 to 1.0 — 90% interval
138 of 325 defensemen
+1.2 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +0.2
- EV defense
- -0.2
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- +0.8
- Penalties
- -0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.6
In goals.
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 145.5 km/h50th percentileleague avg. 143.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 34.7 km/h46th percentileleague avg. 34.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1136th percentileleague avg. 31
- Offensive zone time
- 43.2 %72nd percentileleague avg. 42.3 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 71.8 km27th percentileleague avg. 214.3 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 5.20 km47th percentileleague avg. 5.23 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 43.0 %71st percentileleague avg. 42.1 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.3 %74th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 38.5 %76th percentileleague avg. 40.9 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1525th percentile | 243rd percentile | 13.3 %99th percentile |
| High danger | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 326th percentile | 149th percentile | 33.3 %100th percentile |
| Long range | 826th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2025-2026 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2025-26
DET
NYR
TOR
OTT
MTL
PIT
BOS
NYI
MIN
SEA
EDM
VAN
CBJMike Benning: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Mike Benning have in 2025-26?
Mike Benning has 2 goals and 6 points (4 assists) in 18 games in 2025-26.
How old is Mike Benning?
Mike Benning is 24 years old: he was born on January 5, 2002.
How tall is Mike Benning, and how much does he weigh?
Mike Benning is 5'9" (175 cm) and weighs 185 lb (84 kg).
Where is Mike Benning from?
Canada: Mike Benning was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
What team does Mike Benning play for?
Mike Benning plays for the Calgary Flames in the NHL, at D, wearing number 20.
Is Mike Benning injured?
No: Mike Benning is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Mike Benning?
Mike Benning produced 0.2 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 138th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 54 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does Mike Benning make?
Mike Benning earns $775K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 70 out of 100 (good value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Mike Benning's contract end?
Mike Benning's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Mike Benning overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 70 out of 100 (good value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Mike Benning a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 138th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
How has Mike Benning played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Mike Benning has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist).
What are Mike Benning's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Mike Benning has 18 games, 2 goals, 4 assists and 6 points.
Where was Mike Benning drafted?
Mike Benning was drafted 95th overall (round 4) by Florida Panthers in 2020.
Is Mike Benning better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2025-26, he averages 0.43 points per game at home (3 in 7 games) and 0.27 on the road (3 in 11 games).
How does Mike Benning perform in the playoffs?
Mike Benning has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Does Mike Benning have siblings?
Yes: his brother Matthew Benning (Toronto Marlies defenceman).
Is Mike Benning related to anyone famous?
Yes: Brian Benning (father, former Panthers defenceman); Jim Benning (uncle, former Vancouver Canucks general manager); Mark Benning (uncle, played in the NCAA and professionally in the West German Eishockey-Bundesliga); Elmer Benning (grandfather, scout for the Montreal Canadiens (1941–2018)).
What is Mike Benning's nationality?
Mike Benning is Canadian.
What awards has Mike Benning won?
Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.
How many championships has Mike Benning won?
2: Regular season title with the Sherwood Park Crusaders; NCAA national championship with the University of Denver, 2022.
Where did Mike Benning play before turning pro?
Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (team not named), Northern Alberta Elite, Sherwood Park Crusaders (began Junior A in 2018).
See also: his Calgary Flames teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)