Top draft prospect Tyler Benson has been shut down for the remainder of the 2015-16 season, the Vancouver Giants announced Thursday.

“It’s very disappointing for all of us that Tyler has had to miss so much time this year,”  Giants majority owner Ron Toigo said in a release. “At the same time, we need to do what’s best for his long term health, and we know that he’s going to be an important player for our team going forward as well as a great addition to an NHL organization.”

Benson underwent surgery prior to the season to correct a lower-body injury. He also missed the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game because of a suspected groin injury.

“It is always unfortunate for a top prospects to miss time to injury in their draft eligible season,” Future Considerations’ Western head scout Zenon Herasymiuk said. “Benson entered the season as a favorite due to his hockey sense, tenacity, and skill, but wasn’t able to gain traction throughout the year due to injury. I don’t expect his stock to fall too far in the eyes of NHL teams as he has a unique skill set which is difficult to find in young hockey players. His draft status will depend largely on how NHL teams feel about his performance in limited action and whether or not they feel this injury will hinder his development in the coming years.”

The 17-year-old. scored nine goals and had 19 assists in 30 games this season. Benson, from Edmonton, AB, was drafted first overall by the Giants in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, and had 14 goals and 31 assists in 62 games in his rookie season with Vancouver in 2014-15

He is 24th in Future Considerations’ February ranking for the 2016 NHL Draft.