SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Mike Benning on a one-year, two-way contract.

Benning, 23, skated in 54 games with Florida’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, in 2024-25 posting 32 points (9-23-32), the second most among Checkers blueliners. He also contributed nine points (5-4-9) across 18 postseason games to help the Checkers reach the Calder Cup Final.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound native of Edmonton, Alberta has appeared in 126 career AHL games with the Checkers over the past two seasons, amassing 58 points (18-40-58).

Prior to his professional career, Benning appeared in 101 total games over three NCAA seasons for the Denver Pioneers

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