Season at a glance
Even when he wasn’t scoring, Benson still made his presence felt on the ice. Whether battling for pucks down low, killing penalties or crowding an opposing goalie and causing post-whistle chaos, he always played larger than his 5-foot-10 frame.
Benson’s style of play had utility up and down the lineup, on the left and right wings. He didn’t truly settle into a line until the final 13 games, when he, Jiri Kulich and Tage Thompson formed a highly effective trio. Beginning March 25, with that group on the ice at 5-on-5, the Sabres outshot their opponents 78-59 and outscored them 9-8. Benson did a lot of the dirty work to win pucks, create space and fuel Thompson’s scorching, 10-goal stretch.
The 19-year-old, drafted 13th overall in 2023, admits to wanting more from himself offensively. His production dipped slightly from his 30-point (11+19) rookie season, and he scored just one goal in his last 31 games.
Benson had his moments, though, enjoying five multi-point games and ranking second on the Sabres with 105 individual high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. He finished with a shooting percentage of 8.3, and regression toward the 2024-25 NHL average of 10.7 percent would boost his scoring next season.
He also skated a total of 67:16 shorthanded, fifth most among Sabres forwards, and the underlying numbers during that ice time – shots against, goals against, expected goals against – indicate Benson was one of Buffalo’s most effective penalty killers.
