Edmonton Oilers‘ defenseman Matt Benning(83) was on the opening night roster to start his rookie campaign but didn’t appear in a game before being reassigned to start his pro career with affiliate Bakersfield Condors.
In two AHL contests he would get a goal and an assist with a +2 rating and big 8 shots on net.
It took little time for the parent club to recall him, as just two weeks later he would make his NHL debut skating 20 shifts for just under 14 minutes of ice time and of course, 2 shots on net.
Throughout his earlier years, the former Boston Bruins‘ 6th round pick in the 2012 draft (#175 overall) always been a decent set-up d-man and no better than in his sophomore run at Northeastern University, when he had 24 assists in 36 games.
Last year he won the 2016 NCAA (Hockey East) Championship for his school team for the first time in one hundred (28) years.
The 6′ 202 lbs. blue liner also had a pair of earlier titles in 2011 AJHL Championship with Spruce Grove Saints, then two years later, he won the 2013 USHL Clark Cup as part of Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Left unsigned by his draft club, he went back into the pool as an unrestricted free agent and right before training camp agreed to a two-year entry deal with the hometown team.
The 22-year old comes from hockey pedigree and probably has a lot of years in rinks ahead of him.