Zach
Benson
L · BUF · Two-way · Excellent
- PAL
- 86
- WAR
- 0.8
- Value
- 95
- PTS
- 43
2025-26№ 193 / 615
Zach Benson (Buffalo Sabres) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Zach Benson
#6LPlays: Left wing · 10% of faceoffs
Buffalo Sabres
HEIGHT : 178 cm · WEIGHT : 81 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : May 11, 2005 · Chilliwack, Canada
Drafted : 2023 · BUF · round 1, pick #13
Contract : $7,500,000 · 2026-27 → 2032-33 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA · Signing bonus $3,750,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Buffalo Sabres | 17 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
| 2025-26 | Buffalo Sabres | 65 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 42 |
| 2024-25 | Buffalo Sabres | 75 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 60 |
| 2023-24 | Buffalo Sabres | 71 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 36 |
| NHL totals | 228 | 36 | 80 | 116 | 152 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Buffalo Sabres | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 64 |
| Playoff totals | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 64 | |
Zach Benson: our analysis
2025-26 season: 65 GP, 13 G, 30 A, 43 PTS, +27 +/-, 15:53 TOI. WAR 0.8 (193rd of 615) · PAL 86, excellent.
In 2025-26, Zach Benson, 21, posts a PAL Rating of 86 out of 100 (excellent), and his WAR of 0.8 ranks 193rd among 615 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: possession (87, among the best in the league), penalty kill (86, among the best in the league) and defense (82, well above average).
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV offense (+3.1); his biggest cost: finishing (-5.5).
A season in line with 2024-25 (PAL of 84); his WAR went from 0.4 to 0.8.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 95 (exceptional value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Zach Benson's story
As a child in the Fraser Valley, Zachary Benson split time between helping his family run a travelling carnival and developing his game on local rinks in Chilliwack. He moved to Yale Hockey Academy in 2018 and quickly stood out in the CSSHL, culminating in a 2019–20 campaign with 30 goals and 86 points in 30 games and the league MVP award.
Winnipeg selected Benson 14th in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and he signed with the Ice on April 29, 2020. With the WHL season delayed by COVID-19, he was able to jump into junior action as a 15-year-old in 2020–21 and produced immediately. He continued to ascend over the next two seasons, posting 63 points in his sophomore year and then 98 points in 60 games in 2022–23, finishing among the league’s top scorers and earning a WHL all-star nod.
Buffalo took Benson 13th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and he signed a three-year entry-level contract that July. He made his NHL debut on October 12, 2023 against the New York Rangers and recorded his first goal on November 22, 2023 versus the Washington Capitals. By the back half of 2025–26 Benson had developed into an especially pesky, high-energy forward — so much so that teammates began calling him “The Rat.” He scored his first playoff goal on April 26, 2026 in Game 4 of the Sabres’ first-round series against Boston, and on his 21st birthday he delivered a game-winner in Game 4 of the second round against Montreal. On June 24, 2026 he agreed to a seven-year, $52.5 million extension with Buffalo.
Internationally, Benson was part of Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, contributing two goals and five assists in five games. His game blends goal scoring ability with relentless forechecking and an irritant’s edge, a combination that helps him create chances while unsettling opponents.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 20:14
- PP TOI/GP
- 3:35
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:56
- Pts/GP
- 0.88
- EV points
- 11
- Hits
- 20
- Blocks
- 11
- Takeaways
- 4
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 61.3 %
- Off. zone starts
- 42.3 %
- Faceoffs
- 30.8 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
58between 37 and 79 (80% range)
- Goals
- 13
- Assists
- 44
- Games
- 75
So far: 15 pts in 17 games. The team has played 17 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.74 pts per game (last season: 0.66).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slightly up
- Points per game: 0.42 in 23-24, 0.66 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 84 → 86
Outlook, age included
↑ Trending upAge 21: usually still improving
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
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 75 %
77
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 66
- Confidence 67 %
- ST
- Strength
- 71
- Confidence 79 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 74
- Confidence 75 %
- DU
- Durability
- 76
- Confidence 67 %
- CK
- Checking
- 67
- Confidence 79 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 67
- Confidence 56 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 74
- Confidence 79 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 80
- Confidence 75 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 69
- Confidence 75 %
- DF
- Defense
- 87
- Confidence 72 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 64
- Confidence 8 %
- EX
- Experience
- 66
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating66
- Top speed (35 %)35.3 · 63
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)3.826 · 65
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.3 · 80
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.7 · 65
ST — Strength71
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.849 · 83
- Body mass (50 %)-1.497 · 57
EN — Endurance74
- Ice time per game (45 %)14.9 · 76
- Total ice time (20 %)998 · 74
- Shift length (15 %)44.5 · 68
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)14.1 · 78
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.382 · 77
DU — Durability76
- Share of games played (100 %)0.821 · 76
CK — Checking67
- Hits /60 (70 %)2.875 · 66
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)2.469 · 68
- Season volume (10 %)3.714 · 68
FG — Fighting67
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.718 · 67
DI — Discipline74
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.024 · 76
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)1.004 · 61
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)1.146 · 87
PA — Passing80
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.857 · 81
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.561 · 80
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.142 · 81
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.313 · 56
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.618 · 81
SC — Scoring69
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.777 · 65
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.898 · 77
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.895 · 49
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.678 · 84
- xG per shot (10 %)0.084 · 86
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)12.3 · 65
DF — Defense87
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.119 · 88
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.127 · 81
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.567 · 78
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.125 · 88
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.105 · 85
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.8 · 81
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.277 · 75
PS — Penalty shot64
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)25.4 · 57
EX — Experience66
- Career regular-season games (65 %)76
- Career playoff games (25 %)50
- NHL seasons (10 %)47
OV — Overall77
- SC · Scoring (28 %)69
- PA · Passing (22 %)80
- DF · Defense (18 %)87
- SK · Skating (12 %)66
- EN · Endurance (8 %)74
- DI · Discipline (5 %)74
- ST · Strength (4 %)71
- CK · Checking (3 %)67
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 77 | 66 | 69 | 87 |
| 2024-25 | 72 | 63 | 67 | 89 |
| 2023-24 | 69 | 62 | 70 | 80 |
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
0.8
wins above replacement
193 of 615
PAL Rating
86/ 100
Performance · Excellent
60 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
95/ 100
Exceptional value
0.95 M$ · expected PAL 36
ProfileTwo-wayStrong at both ends
- Offense
- 73
- Defense
- 88
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 72
- Creation
- 77
- Shooting
- 43
- Possession
- 87
- Defense
- 82
- Discipline
- 73
- Power play
- 67
- Penalty kill
- 86
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 0.8 | 86 | 95 | 0.95 M$ |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 0.4 | 84 | 95 | 0.95 M$ |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 0.2 | 50 | 62 | 0.95 M$ |
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
94/ 100
Elite
better than 94% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
96/ 100
Elite
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
55/ 100
Average
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, 24 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 90
- Shot selection
- 89
- Penalties drawn
- 94
- Puck management
- 18
Defense
- Takeaways
- 88
- Discipline
- 13
- Safe zone exits
- 90
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.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 94 | 96 | 55 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 75 | 98 | 15 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 42 | 76 | 20 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.8
wins above replacement
0.1 to 1.9 — 90% interval
193 of 615 forwards
+4.1 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +3.1
- EV defense
- +2.1
- Power play
- +0.6
- Penalty kill
- +0.3
- Shooting
- -5.5
- Penalties
- +0.9
- Average → replacement
- +2.6
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 65 | 0.8 | 0.1 to 1.9 | 193/615 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 71 | 0.4 | -0.4 to 1.6 | 243/596 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 71 | 0.2 | -0.7 to 1.4 | 294/608 |
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
- 129.8 km/h43rd percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 33.9 km/h16th percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 2261st percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 44.8 %79th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 82.8 km90th percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 6.12 km92nd percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 43.5 %87th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 19.1 %90th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 36.1 %89th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 3986th percentile | 254th percentile | 5.1 %11th percentile |
| High danger | 2498th percentile | 274th percentile | 8.3 %17th percentile |
| Mid range | 867th percentile | 054th percentile | 0.0 %32nd percentile |
| Long range | 153rd percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %87th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
VGK
CBJ
OTT
LAK
ANA
SJS
WSH
PHI
MTL
TOR
FLA
UTA
DAL
MIN
CHIZach Benson: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Zach Benson have in 2026-27?
Zach Benson has 2 goals and 15 points (13 assists) in 17 games in 2026-27.
How old is Zach Benson?
Zach Benson is 21 years old: he was born on May 12, 2005.
How tall is Zach Benson, and how much does he weigh?
Zach Benson is 5'10" (178 cm) and weighs 179 lb (81 kg).
Where is Zach Benson from?
Canada: Zach Benson was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.
What team does Zach Benson play for?
Zach Benson plays for the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL, at L, wearing number 6.
Is Zach Benson injured?
No: Zach Benson is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Zach Benson?
Zach Benson produced 0.8 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 193rd of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 86 out of 100: excellent for his position.
How much does Zach Benson make?
Zach Benson earns $950K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 95 out of 100 (exceptional value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Zach Benson's contract end?
Zach Benson's contract runs through the 2032-33 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Zach Benson overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 95 out of 100 (exceptional value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Zach Benson a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 193rd of 615 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Zach Benson getting better?
He is holding steady: his PAL rating went from 84 in 2024-25 to 86 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Zach Benson played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Zach Benson has 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists).
What are Zach Benson's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Zach Benson has 228 games, 36 goals, 80 assists and 116 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 43 points in 65 games.
Where was Zach Benson drafted?
Zach Benson was drafted 13th overall (round 1) by Buffalo Sabres in 2023.
Is Zach Benson better at home or on the road?
On the road: in 2026-27, he averages 0.33 points per game at home (3 in 9 games) and 1.50 on the road (12 in 8 games).
How does Zach Benson perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Zach Benson has 13 games and 9 points in his career. His pace (0.69 points per game) is higher than his regular-season pace (0.51).
Which player is most similar to Zach Benson?
Quinton Byfield: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Quinton Byfield's page →Is Zach Benson a good fantasy pick?
Yes, a solid pick: our projection has him at 58 points in 2026-27, or 0.77 points per game.
What is Zach Benson's nationality?
Zach Benson is Canadian. Internationally: Canada — Gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
What awards has Zach Benson won?
CSSHL most valuable player (MVP), 2019–20 season.
How many championships has Zach Benson won?
1: Gold medal with Team Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
What is Zach Benson's nickname?
He is nicknamed "The Rat".
Where did Zach Benson play before turning pro?
Minor hockey in Chilliwack; Yale Hockey Academy (transferred in 2018); selected 14th overall by the Winnipeg Ice (WHL) in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, signed with the team on April 29.
How many points is Zach Benson projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 58 points in 75 games in 2026-27 (37 to 79 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Buffalo Sabres teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)