Matt Benning contributed to the resurgence of the Edmonton Oilers into a playoff team in his National Hockey League rookie season.
The St. Albert defenceman recorded three goals, 12 assists, 29 penalty minutes and was plus-eight in 62 games.
Benning, 22, was 12 years old when the Oilers last qualified for the playoffs, a memorable 2006 run that ended with the game-seven loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup final.
The playoffs start tonight and the Oilers host the San Jose Sharks at 8 p.m. Game two in the best-of-seven series is 8:30 p.m. Friday at Rogers Place.
The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference with 103 points as winners of nine consecutive home games while going 12-2 in their final 14 games.
The Oilers were 3-1-1 in the regular season against San Jose, last year's Stanley Cup finalist that placed third in the division with 99 points.
During the team's stretch drive into the post-season, Benning was paired with Darnell Nurse while splitting time with Eric Gryba as the team's sixth/seventh defencemen.
The six-foot-one and 195-pound blueliner was an unrestricted free-agent from the Northeastern University Huskies when he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers in August.
The sixth-round (175th overall) draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2012 played three seasons with the Hockey East division one Huskies after a stint with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League
The St. Albert minor hockey product of the bantam AAA Sabres and midget AAA Raiders broke into the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2010/11 and spent two seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints before joining Dubuque.
Benning made his NHL debut Nov. 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre and scored his first NHL goal Jan. 7 in the third period against Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Centre. The only goal for the Oilers during regulation time in the 2-1 overtime win was Benning's eighth point and fourth in five games.
Benning is also the first Oiler to wear Ales Hemsky's old No. 83 since the winger was dealt to the Ottawa Senators in 2014.
Nick Holden established career-scoring highs in his inaugural season with the New York Rangers.
The St. Albert product compiled a personal-best 11 goals and 23 assists in 34 games in 80 games with the Broadway Blueshirts. His goal totals, including three on the power play, led the team's defencemen.
Holden, 29, was also penalized for 35 minutes and was plus-13.
The Rangers are Holden's third National Hockey League team and in 301 career games registered 32 goals (seven on the power play), 95 points and 109 PIM.
The Rangers acquired the six-foot-four and 214-pound rearguard from the Colorado Avalanche in late June for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
Holden was originally signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent in March of 2008 after serving as captain of the Chilliwack Bruins in the Western Hockey League, following stints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Sherwood Park Crusaders and Camrose Kodiaks.
The St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus made his NHL debut Oct. 20, 2010 for Columbus in the 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. It was the first of seven games with Columbus.
After five seasons and 295 games in the American Hockey League with the Columbus' affiliates in Syracuse and Springfield, Holden inked a two-year deal with Colorado in July of 2013 and the next year on Canada Day agreed to a three-year extension.
His best season in Colorado was 2013/14 with 10 goals and 25 points in 54 games and in the playoffs produced three goals and one assist in seven games.
Holden returns to the playoffs with the Rangers, a wild-card qualifier with 102 points in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and the best-of-seven series against the Atlantic Division leading Montreal Canadians with 103 points starts today at Bell Centre.
Colton Parayko skates into the playoffs for the second year in a row with the St. Louis Blues.
The St. Albert defenceman completed his sophomore campaign with 31 assists, 34 points and 32 penalty minutes in 81 games and was plus-seven after his breakthrough National Hockey League season as a 2016 All-Rookie team selection. It started with his first NHL goal in his third game with the Blues, as Parayko tallied twice against Jonas Hiller in the second period in the 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome, and it ended two wins away from going to the Stanley Cup final.
Parayko, 23, finished his rookie season with nine goals and 24 assists in 79 games and in the playoffs chipped in with two goals and five assists in 20 games.
The former bantam AAA Sabre, midget 15 Flyer and midget AA Crusader led all rookie skaters with a plus-28 rating, fifth-best in the NHL and a franchise rookie record.
The Paul Kane High School alumnus also ranked second among rookie defencemen in goals, assists and points with 33 and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting for the NHL's rookie of the year as the second-highest vote getter among defencemen.
The hard-shooting six-foot-five, 226-pound blueliner also competed for U23 Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The third round (86th overall) pick of the Blues in the 2012 NHL entry draft played his junior hockey with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before spending three seasons with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks. The former captain of the Nanooks signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Blues after his junior season in March of 2015.
The Blues, third in the Central Division with 99 points, open the best-of-seven Western Conference series against the Minnesota Wild, second in the division with 106 points, tonight at Xcel Energy Center.
Jarome Iginla of the Los Angels Kings completed what possibly was his last National Hockey League season as the 34th all-time scorer during a Hall of Fame career.
Iginla's assist in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks was his 1,300th point in 1,554 games.
Iginla, 39, is also tied with Joe Sakic for 15th all-time in goals with 625.
The Kings are Iginla's fifth NHL team after turning pro with the Calgary Flames in 1996.
The Kings acquired the St. Albert minor hockey and baseball product from the Colorado Avalanche for a fourth-round 2018 draft pick at the NHL trade deadline and in 19 games posted six goals, three assists, 16 penalty minutes and was minus-nine after recording eight goals, 10 assists, 54 PIM and was minus-21 in 61 games with Colorado.
Iginla waived his no-trade clause with last-place Colorado for a shot at the Stanley Cup but the Kings finished eight points out of a wildcard berth in the Western Conference.
The six-time NHL all-star will become an unrestricted free agent on his birthday, July 1.
The three-time Olympian and two-time gold medallist with Team Canada has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins.
The member of the Lorne Akins School's Sports Hall of Fame was selected by the Dallas Stars in the first round (11th overall) in the 1995 NHL entry draft.
The two-time Memorial Cup champion with the Kamloops Blazers and Western Hockey League player of the year in 1996 was also a gold medallist for Canada with the U18 national team in 1994 and at the 1996 IIHF World Junior Championship, 1997 IIHF World Championship and 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
The 2002 Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's top point producer (96 in 82 games) has produced 30 or more goals 12 times, 20 or more goals 17 times and registered at least 50 points in 16 seasons.
The recipient of the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer in 2002 with 52 and 2004 as co-winner with Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk with 41 apiece is Calgary's all-time franchise leader in goals (525), points (1,095) and games played (1,219).
