Simon Benoit
Simon Benoit (born September 19, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Simon Benoit | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1998 Laval, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Toronto Maple Leafs Anaheim Ducks | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Playing career edit
Benoit played as a youth Ligue de hockey M18 AAA du Québec (LHMU18AAA) with Laval-Montréal Rousseau Royal before he was drafted by the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the eighth round, 129th overall, of the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft.[1]
Benoit played three seasons in the QMJHL with the Cataractes before he was signed as an undrafted free agent to a one-year contract with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL), the primary affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks on September 25, 2018.[2] In his first professional year with the Gulls in the 2018–19 season, Benoit impressed by leading the Gulls in Plus/Minus with +16 and collecting 2 goals and 16 points through 65 regular season games. On March 8, 2019, he was signed by the Ducks to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2019–20 season.[3]
During the 2020–21 season, while in his third year with the San Diego Gulls and adding dependable defensive play on the blueline, Benoit was recalled by the Ducks to make his NHL debut on April 29, 2021.[4] While appearing on the Ducks third defensive pairing, Benoit went scoreless with 12 minutes time on ice in a 3–2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.[5] In the following 2021–22 season, on October 28, 2021, Benoit scored his first NHL goal in his eighth game with the Ducks, a game tying goal, against the Buffalo Sabres in a 4–3 OT loss.[6] Benoit played his first full season with the Ducks during the 2021–22 season.[7]
Having played five seasons within the Anaheim Ducks organization, as a pending restricted free agent Benoit was not tendered a qualifying offer by the team and was released as a unrestricted free agent.[8] He was signed on August 28, 2023 to a one-year, $775,000 contract by the Toronto Maple Leafs.[9] Benoit failed to the make the team out of training camp and was placed on waivers. After going unclaimed, Benoit was assigned to the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.[10] After Timothy Liljegren was injured, Benoit was recalled by the Maple Leafs on November 4.[11] He made his debut with the Maple Leafs in a 6–5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 6.[12] After 54 games and leading the Leafs in hits with 205 at that juncture in the season, Benoit was rewarded with a three-year extension with the club worth an average value of $1.35 million per year.[13]
Career statistics edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Laval-Montréal Rousseau Royal | QMAAA | 42 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 55 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 64 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 47 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 63 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 65 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 33 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 56 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 38 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 53 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 78 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 64 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 201 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 140 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
References edit
- ^ Lepage, Guillaume (April 30, 2021). "Ducks: Simon Benoit n'est pas rassasié" [Ducks: Simon Benoit is not satisfied]. NHL.com (in French). Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Un contrat de la LAH pour Simon Benoit" [AHL contract for Simon Benoit]. TVA Sports (in French). QMI. September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Ducks sign Simon Benoit". Anaheim Ducks. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Ducks recall Zegras, Benoit from San Diego". Anaheim Ducks. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Ducks defeat Kings 3-2". ESPN. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Rasmus Asplund's 2nd goal in OT puts Sabres past Ducks 4-3". ESPN. Associated Press. October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Kloke, Joshua (October 5, 2023). "Meet Simon Benoit, the defenceman the Maple Leafs could end up needing". The Athletic. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Ducks extend qualifying offers to five restricted free agents". Anaheim Ducks. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Maple Leafs add free-agent Simon Benoit to bolster defence". Sportsnet. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Barden, Nick (October 8, 2023). "Maple Leafs Waive Martin Jones and Others to Clear Cap Space Ahead of NHL Regular Season Roster Submission Deadline". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ "Maple Leafs place Timothy Liljegren on LTIR, recall Simon Benoit, Maxime Lajoie". Sportsnet. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Clipperton, Joshua (November 6, 2023). "Jarnkrok scores in OT as Maple Leafs pick up wild 6-5 win over Lightning". CP24. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ Barden, Nick (29 March 2024). "Why the Maple Leafs Signed Simon Benoit to Three-Year, $4.05 Million Extension". The Hockey News. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database