Returning regular · 2025-26

Mike Benning

Calgary Flames · RD · R shot · age 24 at the dated snapshot.

Team: CGY
Lane: RD
Age: 24

Production and deployment

How the points were built

Official NHL 2025–26 regular-season reports. A missing split stays “—”; it is never converted to zero.

Games18

Goals2

Assists4

Points6

Even strength5all even-strength points

Power play1

Short handed0

Empty net0

5v5 points / 601.085

Average TOI16:54

PP TOI0:50

PK TOI0:16

Organizational context

6 RD regulars in CGY

The all-team median is 4. CGY’s farm system ranks #4 in the maintained two-board consensus.

Thin lane

Questions a GM still has to answer

How much of the scoring comes at five-on-five, on special teams, or into an empty net?
Is the player creating the play, finishing it, or receiving a secondary point?
Does deployment reveal trust, scarcity, underuse, or a role the roster cannot offer?
What contract, acquisition cost, development alternative and Cup-window effect complete the argument?

Comparables at the same age

Who looked like this at 21 to 24

Careers are compared as league-adjusted points per game by age, over the same ages. The comparables below are the closest lines, and what matters is the spread of what they did next, not any single name.

Comparables found8

Went on to two or more NHL seasons8 of 8

Their later peak (adjusted pts/game)0.49median across the comparables; this player's own line is below

This player so far: age 14 AMBHL 0.53 → age 15 AMBHL 1.19 → age 16 CSSHL U16 1.69 → age 17 AJHL 1.02 → age 18 AJHL 1.39 → age 19 NCAA 0.52 → age 20 NCAA 0.93 → age 21 NCAA 0.87 → age 22 AHL 0.36 → age 23 AHL 0.59 → age 24 NHL 0.33

All 3 columns shown

Player	Distance (lower is closer)	What he did afterwards
Gustav ForslingD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.05	age 25 NHL 0.52 → age 26 NHL 0.50 → age 27 NHL 0.49 → age 28 NHL 0.39 → age 29 NHL 0.35
Mike MathesonD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.05	age 25 NHL 0.36 → age 26 NHL 0.34 → age 27 NHL 0.36 → age 28 NHL 0.42 → age 29 NHL 0.71
Dmitry OrlovD · matched at ages 21, 22, 24	0.06	age 25 NHL 0.40 → age 26 NHL 0.38 → age 27 NHL 0.35 → age 28 NHL 0.39 → age 29 NHL 0.43
Martin FehérváryD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.06	age 25 NHL 0.31 → age 26 NHL 0.33
Sam MalinskiD · matched at ages 21, 23, 24	0.06	age 25 NHL 0.43 → age 26 NHL 0.20 → age 27 NHL 0.49
Dennis CholowskiD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.06	age 25 AHL 0.26 → age 26 AHL 0.21 → age 27 NHL 0.30 → age 28 NHL 0.12
Esa LindellD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.07	age 25 NHL 0.33 → age 26 NHL 0.29 → age 27 NHL 0.33 → age 28 NHL 0.29 → age 29 NHL 0.32
Darren RaddyshD · matched at ages 21, 22, 23, 24	0.07	age 25 AHL 0.28 → age 26 AHL 0.19 → age 27 NHL 0.18 → age 28 NHL 0.40 → age 29 NHL 0.51

Reading it

If most comparables became NHL regulars and their later peak sits well above this player's current line, the numbers say there is room to grow. If most did not, the numbers say the odds are against it. Either way it is what the data shows, not a name chosen to flatter.

Atlantic

Metropolitan

Central

Pacific