Who Is Simon Benoit?

Simon Benoit is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman who plays in the National Hockey League (NHL). Born on October 13, 2000, in Sainte-Marie, Quebec, he is known for his physical, stay-at-home defensive style and his effectiveness as a penalty killer — two traits that coaches prize in depth defensive players even when the points column stays empty.

Benoit was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Sixth-round picks rarely reach the NHL, but Benoit worked his way through the Anaheim development system by focusing on the fundamentals of defensive play that are always in demand at the professional level. He earned his roster spot through consistency and physicality rather than offensive production.

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing around 210 pounds, Benoit uses his size and reach to disrupt opposing forwards, protect his goaltender, and win puck battles along the boards. He is not the type of defenseman who quarterbucks the power play or jumps into the rush — he is the type coaches deploy when they need a reliable body that will be in the right position, block shots, and make life difficult for opposing forwards in the defensive zone.

Simon Benoit's Career Path to the NHL

After being drafted by Anaheim in 2019, Benoit spent time developing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks' primary affiliate. The AHL is a necessary proving ground for defensive players who need to adjust to the speed and physicality of the professional game before they are ready for a full-time NHL role. Benoit used that time well, building his game to the point where the Ducks could trust him in their lineup without worrying about defensive breakdowns.

He made his NHL debut with the Ducks and gradually earned more playing time by demonstrating he could handle the physical demands and positioning requirements of the big league. His style made him an attractive option for teams looking for a reliable defensive presence who could eat minutes, protect leads, and contribute to the penalty kill without generating defensive zone mistakes that cost goals.

His career trajectory eventually led him to the Dallas Stars, a competitive Western Conference organization that values defensive structure and special teams discipline. The Stars gave him a consistent role that suited his skill set. Most recently, Benoit moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs — one of the most scrutinized franchises in professional hockey. Playing in Toronto's intense media market, where every lineup decision is debated nationally, has significantly raised his public profile among hockey fans across North America.

How to Watch Games Featuring Simon Benoit

If you want to watch Simon Benoit play live, your options depend on your location and preferred platform:

• Sportsnet (Canada): Sportsnet is the Maple Leafs' primary Canadian broadcaster and carries the majority of Toronto's regular-season games. Subscribe through Sportsnet.ca or access the channel through a cable or satellite provider. Sportsnet NOW is the streaming-only option if you do not have a traditional TV package.
• TSN (Canada): TSN carries select Maple Leafs broadcasts throughout the season and is available via TSN Direct without a cable subscription for roughly $8 CAD per month.
• ESPN+ (United States): ESPN+ streams a large selection of NHL games in the US, including many out-of-market matchups. A subscription runs approximately $10.99 per month and is available on phones, tablets, and streaming devices.
• NHL League Pass: The NHL's official streaming product lets you watch games live and on demand from any device. Visit NHL.com/tv for current plans and blackout policies. Blackouts apply to in-market games when a regional broadcaster holds rights.
• NHL Network: The NHL's dedicated cable channel broadcasts nationally selected games across North America, and Maple Leafs matchups appear regularly given the franchise's drawing power.

To confirm which network carries a specific game, visit the Maple Leafs schedule page on NHL.com. Each game entry lists the broadcast network, so you can confirm what you need before game time rather than scrambling at puck drop.

How to Track Simon Benoit's Stats Online

Tracking an NHL player's statistics is straightforward once you know the right platforms. Here are the five best free tools, each suited to a different level of depth:

1. NHL.com Official Stats: Go to NHL.com/stats/skaters and search for Simon Benoit by name. You will see his current season totals for games played, goals, assists, points, plus/minus, penalty minutes, shot blocks, and hits. This is the most authoritative source because the NHL feeds it directly from official scorers.
2. ESPN Player Profile: Search for Benoit on ESPN.com/nhl to find his player card with season stats, career history, and recent game logs updated in real time. The ESPN interface is especially clean on mobile.
3. Hockey Reference: For historical context and multi-season career comparisons, hockey-reference.com is the standard analytics resource. It includes his AHL numbers, playoff totals, and year-by-year breakdowns going back to his first professional season — useful if you want to understand how his game has developed over time.
4. Natural Stat Trick: Advanced analytics users rely on naturalstattrick.com for metrics like Corsi percentage, Fenwick percentage, expected goals, zone entries, and defensive zone exits. These numbers reveal how Benoit actually affects puck possession and shot suppression, which is often invisible in the traditional box score for a player in his role.
5. NHL App (iOS and Android): Download the free NHL app, search for Simon Benoit, and follow him directly in the app. You can set up notifications before games he is in and check live box scores with real-time stat updates during play without having to open a browser.

Simon Benoit in Fantasy Hockey: What to Know

Simon Benoit is a depth asset in fantasy hockey rather than a cornerstone piece. Whether he is worth rostering depends on your league size and scoring format.

Where Benoit Adds Value

• Hits: His role as a physical defensive player means he accumulates hits at a reliable rate when he is healthy and in the lineup. In formats that count hits, he can be a dependable contributor to that category over a full season.
• Blocked Shots: Stay-at-home defensemen who see penalty kill ice time tend to block a meaningful number of shots. Benoit fits this profile and can pad your blocks total without you needing to stress about his point production.
• Penalty Kill Ice Time: Playing shorthanded increases his total ice time, which generates more statistical opportunities across all categories and keeps his games-played total meaningful to your roster.

Where Benoit Falls Short

• Points: His defensive role means goals and primary assists are rare. He is not a power-play participant in most line combinations and is not expected to generate significant offense at any point in the season.
• Lineup Security: As a depth defenseman, his ice time and roster status can shift quickly depending on injuries to higher-profile players, coaching adjustments, or team-wide performance trends. A strong trade deadline acquisition could push him out of the lineup.

The practical guidance: roster Benoit in 14-team or deeper leagues that count hits and blocks as positive scoring categories. In standard 12-team leagues with points-only scoring, he is generally a waiver-wire monitor rather than a week-to-week starter.

How to Follow Simon Benoit's Career Updates

Staying current with Simon Benoit's day-to-day career developments takes only a few minutes to set up with the right tools:

• Google Alerts: Create a free alert for Simon Benoit at alerts.google.com. The service emails you whenever his name appears in newly indexed news articles — useful for catching trade rumors, injury updates, lineup scratches, and postgame analysis without actively monitoring multiple sites.
• Twitter/X — Beat Reporters: Follow NHL journalists who cover the Toronto Maple Leafs daily. Reporters from Sportsnet, The Athletic, and TSN post real-time lineup updates, injury designations, and game summaries before official team announcements. Search for Maple Leafs beat coverage to find the most reliable accounts in your feed.
• Official Maple Leafs Channels: Follow the Toronto Maple Leafs on their official accounts for pre-game lineup announcements, highlight clips, and postgame interviews. Team channels are the fastest way to confirm whether Benoit is in or out on a given night.
• Reddit r/leafs: The Leafs subreddit at reddit.com/r/leafs is an active community that breaks down every game in detail. Fan threads often surface tactical observations about how Benoit is being deployed, which complements the surface-level box-score stats from official sources.
• The Athletic: For in-depth player profiles and system analysis beyond box scores, The Athletic's NHL beat provides context on how role players like Benoit fit into the coaching staff's defensive structure and what their long-term roster outlook looks like.

Why Simon Benoit Is Trending Right Now

Simon Benoit's periodic surges in search volume reflect the outsized media attention that comes with wearing a Maple Leafs jersey. Toronto is one of the most-covered franchises in professional hockey — a market with multiple dedicated TV channels, dozens of beat journalists, and a national fanbase that follows every game in detail. A player who might be a footnote on another team becomes a known name simply by suiting up for the Leafs night after night.

Physical plays have a particular way of going viral. A thunderous hit, a fight that energizes the bench, a blocked shot to preserve a lead in a tight playoff race — any of these moments can circulate rapidly on social media and push a depth player's name into trending searches within hours of the game ending. Defensive players like Benoit are often invisible to casual fans until one highlight clip suddenly makes them impossible to ignore.

There may also be a specific news event driving his current trending status — a contract extension, injury news, a trade rumor, or a strong stretch of games. Checking Google News for his name will surface whatever specific story is generating the current interest.

If you found Benoit through a trending search today, this guide gives you the foundation to continue following his career. Whether your goal is to catch the next Leafs game, understand his role in the lineup, or evaluate him for your fantasy roster, the platforms and tools outlined here will keep you informed from here on out.