Gulls Grads: Simon Benoit
Jun 15, 2023By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
Simon Benoit continues to serve as a shining example of a diamond in the rough; a development story with a happy ending.
The Anaheim Ducks defenseman started his professional career with nothing more than a development camp invite in 2018. The blueliner finished his career with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with 8-35=43 points and 136 penalty minutes (PIM) in 182 career games and finished his final season leading club defensemen in points, assists, PIM and games played. A strong showing led him to a training camp invitation and his first breakthrough - a one-year, American Hockey League contract with San Diego.
From there, the 6-3, 208-pound defenseman brought a steady, physical presence on a blue line brimming with talent. In his first 51 AHL games, Benoit earned 2-10=12 points with a +16 rating and 27 PIM. The plus/minus rating led the Gulls and, at the time, ranked him third among AHL rookie defensemen in plus/minus. In addition, through his 51 games, he led San Diego’s rookie defensemen in goals, games and shots (61).
The performance earned him his second big break – a three-year, entry-level contract announced on Mar. 7, 2019.
Not content to just earn the contract, Benoit took yet another step forward in the 2019-20 season. He collected 4-15=19 points with a +15 rating in 56 games with San Diego, ranking second among team leaders in plus/minus. He also finished third among Gulls defensemen in points and assists and tied for second in goals.
He began his third professional season with San Diego in 2020-21, recording 1-7=8 points in 56 games before earning his National Hockey League call up. Benoit made his debut with the Ducks on Apr. 28 at Los Angeles, finding himself inserted into the heated Freeway Faceoff. He finished the game with a +1 rating in just over 15 minutes of ice time, helping the Ducks to a 3-2 win over their rivals.
Benoit became a full-time NHL player during the 2021-22 season, posting 1-4=5 points with 22 PIM in 53 games. He recorded his first NHL goal on Oct. 28 against the Buffalo Sabres. He picked up his first NHL assist on Dec. 15 against the Seattle Kraken and, during a Mar. 20 matchup with the Florida Panthers, skated in career-best 19:00 TOI and fired a career-best four shots on net.
He also briefly joined the Gulls, skating in one regular-season game and two Calder Cup Playoffs games.
The steady climb earned Benoit yet another contract, this time a one-year, two-way contract extension through the 2022-23 season he signed on July 22, 2022.
Last season, Benoit took yet another step forward in his professional career, spending the entire season with Anaheim. He posted 3-7=10 points in a career-best 72 games, and established new career highs in goals, assists and points. He led the Ducks with 216 hits, a second-straight season where he led all active Anaheim skaters in that category.
The physical defenseman, a junior invite to development camp back in 2018, certainly earned his way through the system and into a full-time role with the Ducks. A restricted free agent this offseason, Benoit will once again look to earn another opportunity and another chance to continue his development success story.