Ducks Recall Zegras, Benoit From Gulls

Apr 28, 2021

The Anaheim Ducks announced today the National Hockey League (NHL) club recalled center Trevor Zegras and defenseman Simon Benoit from the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Zegras, 20 (3/20/01), has recorded 1-6=7 points with a +2 rating and eight penalty minutes (PIM) in 17 games with the Ducks this season. The 6-0, 182-pound rookie forward scored his first NHL goal Mar. 18 vs. Arizona (Adin Hill), becoming the third-youngest U.S.-born player to score for Anaheim at 19 years, 363 days. 

Selected by Anaheim in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Zegras scored 10-11=21 points with a +7 rating and 17 PIM in 17 AHL games with San Diego. At the time of his recall, he ranked eighth among all AHL leaders in points-per game (1.24), while ranking third in goals-per game (.59) and points-per game among league rookies.

A native of Bedford, N.Y., Zegras has represented the United States at several international tournaments, including back-to-back World Junior Championships in 2020 and 2021. Zegras was named the 2021 tournament’s Most Valuable Player, the fifth American to earn the award, while helping Team USA to a gold medal. He led the tournament with 7-11=18 points, and tied the all-time Team USA World Junior Championship record for both career points and assists (7-20=27).

Benoit, 22 (9/19/98), has earned 7-36=43 points with a +37 rating and 104 PIM in 156 career AHL games with San Diego. Benoit leads the Gulls in games played and paced club blueliners in plus/minus since his AHL debut in 2018-19. The 6-3, 191-pound defenseman has scored 1-7=8 points with a +6 rating and 32 PIM in 35 games with San Diego this season, including his first goal of the season, Apr. 21 at San Jose. 

Signed as a free agent, Mar. 7, 2019, the Laval, Quebec native previously played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Shawinigan from 2015-18. In 182 career QMJHL games with the Cataractes, Benoit collected 8-35=43 points and 136 PIM.