On a global scale, Beniers was named to represent Team USA at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. That roster and Beniers' inclusion as a key player was big news in the U.S., Canada and European hockey powerhouse countries such as Sweden, Finland and Russia.
The 19-year-old's potential prompted media members to suggest Beniers is already a strong candidate for the 2026 and 2030 Games, but the decision for NHL players to not participate next month accelerated one of Beniers' hockey dreams.
"I found out with two of my [World Juniors] teammates, Brock Faber [defenseman, Minnesota] and Jake Sanderson [defenseman, North Dakota]," said Beniers told North American media during a USA Hockey Zoom conference last week. "We couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night.
"I called my mom and dad separately to say they need to join a family group FaceTime right now. I told them and they were all going crazy, saying 'are you serious?!' "
Former New York Rangers and Boston University head coach David Quinn was part of the same conference call. He is head coach of Team USA, which has 15 NCAA players on the roster along with other American players with more pro experience in Russia's KHL and other European leagues.
"I think the 15 college players shows how good NCAA hockey is," said Beniers. "It's not just a one league [conference]. There are three or four strong leagues."
Quinn made it clear Beniers will get lots of the ice time in Beijing: "I recruited Matty when I was at BU. It amazes me how much better he is in that time. He's a skill player with a hardness to his game. He's a big part of what we have on our roster."
Second-round draft choice Ryker Evans continues to rack up big minutes and big points for his Western Hockey League Regina Pats squad. He and his teammates crushed rival Moose Jaw, 7-1, over the weekend in Regina's first game since Jan. 1 due to COVID-19-related postponements.
Evans notched four assists in victory. He now leads Regina with 35 points (six goals, 29 assists-the latter is top five in the WHL). There was media speculation over the weekend that Evans might finish his final amateur season in Everett or Seattle as the WHL Trade Deadline approached Monday at 2 p.m. But the deadline came and went without an Evans move. He instead will stay teammates with 16-year-old phenom Connor Bedard.
In perhaps the best "Prospect Perspective" news of the week, the Kraken's third-round draft choice, Ontario Hockey League forward Ryan Winterton, played his first game of the year for the Hamiliton Bulldogs after a long rehab of a shoulder injury.
In fact, it was Winterton's first OHL game in more than two years (700-plus days). In his debut last Tuesday, Winterton scored Hamilton's first goal of the game on a power play, then notched assists on Hamilton's next four goals. Winterton clearly had some catching up to do.
