Prospects Perspective: Beniers Leads Top Line

Putting aside the disappointment of the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship being canceled before even the group round was completed, Seattle 2021 first-round draft choice Matty Beniers (2nd overall) and his fellow-sophomore linemates sparked No. 3 Michigan to a sweep of 2021 NCAA Division I defending champion University of Massachusetts last weekend. Michigan moved up three spots in the national rankings.
In a Saturday 4-1 home victory, Beniers contributed two assists on the Wolverines' second and third goals, putting the game out of reach. Typical of Beniers' all-zones, all-out play, the Kraken's top prospect stole the puck from a Penn State skater in the neutral zone, leveraging the defensive play into a three-on-one rush that resulted in the go-ahead-for-good goal.

Beniers and his linemates, Kent Johnson and Brendan Brisson (both NHL draft choices) kept clicking during Sunday's 4-2 Michigan win. Beniers notched a goal and an assist to now total 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 22 games. He is the team's third-leading scorer. Only Johnson (28 points) and Brisson (27) have more.
Notable is alternate captain Beniers' plus/minus rating of +20, highest on a team with seven first-round draft choices and 13 NHL picks overall. He leads all forwards in blocked shots with 19, tied with two defensemen and only four shots behind defenseman and 2021 overall No. 1 pick Owen Power.
Draft Choices Roundup
The Kraken's 2021 third-round draft pick, center Ryan Winterton of the Hamilton Bulldogs, is scheduled to play his first Ontario Hockey League game vs. Niagara Tuesday. He is coming back from a season-long rehab to mend a shoulder issue. UPDATE: Ryan has already scored!

Fourth-round and defenseman Ville Ottavainen has returned to his JVP professional team in Finland's top league, where he plays top-four minutes. But all JVP games were postponed last week due to COVID-19. Fifth-round pick Jacob Melanson is in a similar situation with the Quebec Major Junior League paused for pandemic-related reasons.
Goalie and sixth-round pick Semyon Vyazavoi continues his outstanding season in Russia's top junior league, winning 6-2 in his one start last week.
Seventh-round choice Justin Janicke played in last Saturday's No. 13 Notre Dame victory at Penn State in a Big Ten Conference showdown series. He assisted on a second-period goal that cut a 3-1 lead down to a one-goal margin. It proved pivotal as the Fighting Irish rallied to force the game into overtime and win on a last-second goal in extra time.
The NCAA freshman Janicke's primary assist came from a quick-release shot from the slot that was saved but generated a rebound knocked in by a linemate.
Developing Pros Roundup
The Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte played a weekend series with Bridgeport (CT) last weekend. Joey Daccordstarred in the Sunday 2-1 win, stopping 40 of 41 shots in regulation, then going eight rounds and outlasting NHL-experienced Corey Schneider in the opposing net.
It was the third straight start of the season for Daccord, the longest stretch this season among the goalie rotation (which has included Florida Panthers rising star Spencer Knight).

Kole Lind, back from a call-up with the Kraken, scored in the Sunday victory, his seventh for the Checkers. He has added eight assists to total 15 points in 25 games.
NHL-proven Scott Wilson scored the other Charlotte goal, hitting double-digits with 10 goals on the year. Luke Henman notched the primary assist on Wilson's goal.

MINOR LEAGUE

2021-22 Kraken AHL Report - SKATERS

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| HENMAN, Luke | C | 6-0 / 168 | 04/29/00 | Charlotte Checkers | 16 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | | LIND, Kole | RW | 6-1 / 179 | 10/16/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 25 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 60 | | MCCORMICK, Max | LW | 5-11 / 187 | 05/01/92 | Charlotte Checkers | 15 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 24 | | SHEAHAN, Riley | C | 6-2 / 215 | 12/07/91 | Charlotte Checkers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | | TRUE, Alexander | C | 6-5 / 201 | 07/17/97 | Charlotte Checkers | 22 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 18 | | TWARYNSKI,

Carsen | LW | 6-2 / 198 | 11/24/97 | Charlotte Checkers | 29 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | | CARRICK,

Connor | RD | 5-11 / 194 | 04/13/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 29 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 39 | | FLEURY,

Cale | RD | 6-1 / 212 | 11/19/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 29 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 | | OLOFSSON,

Gustav | LD | 6-3 / 201 | 12/01/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 29 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken AHL Report - GOALIES

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 5 | 2-1-1 | .884 | 2.51 | | DACCORD, Joey | G | 6-2 / 196 | 08/19/96 | Charlotte Checkers | 12 | 6-5-1 | .922 | 2.22 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken ECHL Report - SKATERS

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| HENMAN, Luke | C | 6-0 / 168 | 04/29/00 | Allen Americans | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken ECHL Report - GOALIES

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Allen Americans | 8 | 6-1-0 | .926 | 2.67 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

AMATEUR

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - MAJOR JUNIOR

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| EVANS, Ryker | LD | 5-11 / 181 | 12/13/01 | Regina (WHL) | 31 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 44 | | MELANSON, Jacob | W | 5-11 / 201 | 04/22/03 | Acadia-Bathurst (QMJHL) | 28 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 44 | | WINTERTON, Ryan | C | 6-2 / 190 | 09/04/03 | Hamilton (OHL) | - | - | - | - | - | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - COLLEGE

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| BENIERS, Matty | C | 6-1 / 175 | 11/05/02 | Michigan (Big 10) | 22 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 10 | | JANICKE, Justin | W | 6-0 / 181 | 06/30/03 | Notre Dame (Big 10) | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 25 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - EUROPE

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| OTTAVAINEN, Ville | RD | 6-4 / 201 | 08/12/02 | JYP (Liiga) | 30 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 26 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - GOALIES

Through Jan. 10, 2022
| VYAZOVOI, Semyon | G | 6-2 / 170 | 02/26/03 | Tolpar Ufa (MHL) | 24 | 18-5-1 | .943 | 1.65 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |