Jim Benning
| Jim Benning | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 29, 1963 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
NHL Vancouver Canucks Toronto Maple Leafs AHL Newmarket Saints IHL Milwaukee Admirals Serie A HC Varese |
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| NHL Draft | 6th overall, 1981 Toronto Maple Leafs |
||
| Playing career | 1981–1992 | ||
James Elmer Benning (born April 29, 1963) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman and the current general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. Drafted in the first round, sixth overall, in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he played 610 games over nine seasons for the Leafs and the Canucks, compiling 52 goals and 243 points. He was identified during his playing career as an offensive defenseman.
Prior to his professional career, Benning played for the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. While with the Winter Hawks in 1980–81, he set league records for most consecutive games with an assist (30) and with a point (45) while compiling 28 goals and a league-leading 111 assists (also a league record for defencemen) for 139 points and being named the league's top defenceman.
At the conclusion of the 1980–81 WHL season, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Benning as the second-best North American draft-eligible prospect behind only Dale Hawerchuk. His performance in the WHL garnered interest from several National Hockey League scouts, including Johnny Bower of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Leafs general manager Punch Imlach expressed a desire to select a defenseman in the first round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft due to the organization's lack of prospect defensemen at the time, prompting Bower to recommend the selection of Benning. At the Leafs' following rookie camp, Benning impressed onlookers with strong demonstrations of puck-handling, passing, shooting and skating, although Leafs coach Mike Nykoluk stated he needed to "carry his stick with two hands, not one."
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