Prospects Perspective: Big 10 Showdowns

Two of the Kraken's seven 2021 draft picks will be playing in the Big 10 men's hockey tournament this weekend with semifinal bids at stake. Kraken first-rounder Matty Beniers and his No. 2 tournament seed University of Michigan teammates host rival Michigan State in a best-of-three series Friday through Sunday.
If Michigan advances, it will host a semifinal game next weekend. The Wolverines have defeated MSU nine of their last 10 meetings.
Beniers, back from the Beijing Olympics where he impressed Kraken GM Ron Francis and many more, finished the Big 10 season as the conference's leading scorer with 27 points. He has 37 points overall (17 G, 20 A), marking at the top of the Wolverines' scoring leaderboard (on a team with 13 NHL draft choices, including seven first-round picks).

Recent examples of Beniers' potential as Kraken fans can begin to more than imagine the 19-year-old on NHL ice: In a media meetup this week, Francis mentioned Beniers' prowess during the USA-Slovakia overtime in which others echoed the two-way center as the most dynamic and hustling player on the rink.
This past weekend in a Michigan road game at Notre Dame, Beniers scored a clutch third-period goal to tie the game and give the Wolverines a chance to stay in the hunt to get a tournament bye this weekend. Notre Dame scored a late goal to dash those chances.

Freshman forward Justin Janicke and No. 3 seed Notre Dame will square up against Wisconsin at home at South Bend, Ind. - and if you do the bracket math, a semifinal rematch at Michigan March 19. In the latest NCAA Division I rankings, Michigan is No. 5 and Notre Dame is No. 7.
Janicke has earned more playing time during the second half of the season, scoring his first two NCAA goals and adding seven assists in recent games.

Draft Choices and Developing Pros Roundup

The Kraken's second-round 2021 pick, defenseman Ryker Evans, continues to validate what Seattle team scouts insisted (and convinced Ron Francis) was the right pick at No. 35 overall in last summer's draft. Evans has 13 goals and 39 assists in 49 games for the Western Hockey League Regina Pats.
"[Evans] came in last year and was a real pleasant surprise in [the Kraken's inaugural training] camp," Francis said Tuesday during the media Q-and-A. "It's not every day you see a young guy play with that kind of confidence and moxie. I thought he did a real good job in camp and he's having a great season in Regina."

Evans' play has generated an open-mindedness in Francis about the prospect's chances for making the NHL roster at next season's training camp.
"Most younger guys need extra strength and can get that over the course of a summer," Francis said. "Ryker will keep learning that the NHL game is more structured and disciplined, learning what is coming at him system-wise, where his options are for moving the puck.
"He skates well, moves the puck well. He'll have every opportunity to show what he can do in camp. If he makes the team, great. If not, it's not the end of the world to [AHL Coachella Valley] and plays some games down there."
After missing most of the Ontario Hockey League season while rehabbing a shoulder injury, Kraken third-rounder and Hamilton forward Ryan Winterton continues to make up for lost ice time while helping his Bulldogs squad go 15-3 in his 18 games played. Hamilton was middle-pack two months ago and now sits atop the OHL Eastern Conference.

Winterton has notched 13 goals and 15 assists in those 18 games, including three game-winning goals and four first-goals-of-the-game. Winterton scored two goals and added an assist in three victories last weekend, upping Hamilton's win streak to seven straight.
At AHL affiliate Charlotte, the Checkers snapped a four-game winless streak with a 3-0 shutout Wednesday. Defenseman Cale Fleury was credited with the primary assists on Charlotte's first two goals and center Alexander True earned the primary assist on the third goal. True has 11 goals and 18 assists in 39 games while teammate Fleury has six goals and 20 assists in 47 games.
Fleury, 23, has played two games for the Kraken. True, 24, has appeared in eight games with Seattle.

MINOR LEAGUE

2021-22 Kraken AHL Report - SKATERS

Through Feb. 28, 2022
| HENMAN, Luke | C | 6-0 / 168 | 04/29/00 | Charlotte Checkers | 33 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | | LIND, Kole | RW | 6-1 / 179 | 10/16/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 42 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 88 | | MCCORMICK, Max | LW | 5-11 / 187 | 05/01/92 | Charlotte Checkers | 29 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 32 | | 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 | 38 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 30 | | TWARYNSKI,

Carsen | LW | 6-2 / 198 | 11/24/97 | Charlotte Checkers | 50 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 12 | | CARRICK,

Connor | RD | 5-11 / 194 | 04/13/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 47 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 65 | | FLEURY,

Cale | RD | 6-1 / 212 | 11/19/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 46 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 33 | | 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 Feb. 28, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 7 | 3-1-1 | .893 | 2.56 | | DACCORD, Joey | G | 6-2 / 196 | 08/19/96 | Charlotte Checkers | 21 | 9-9-2 | .913 | 2.62 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken ECHL Report - SKATERS

Through Feb. 28, 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 Feb. 28, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Allen Americans | 14 | 7-4-0 | .923 | 2.79 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

AMATEUR

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - MAJOR JUNIOR

Through Feb. 28, 2022
| EVANS, Ryker | LD | 5-11 / 181 | 12/13/01 | Regina (WHL) | 48 | 13 | 39 | 52 | 75 | | MELANSON, Jacob | W | 5-11 / 201 | 04/22/03 | Acadia-Bathurst (QMJHL) | 31 | 19 | 9 | 28 | 49 | | WINTERTON, Ryan | C | 6-2 / 190 | 09/04/03 | Hamilton (OHL) | 18 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 15 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - COLLEGE

Through Feb. 28, 2022
| BENIERS, Matty | C | 6-1 / 175 | 11/05/02 | Michigan (Big 10) | 30 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 14 | | JANICKE, Justin | W | 6-0 / 181 | 06/30/03 | Notre Dame (Big 10) | 27 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 31 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - EUROPE

Through Feb. 28, 2022
| OTTAVAINEN, Ville | RD | 6-4 / 201 | 08/12/02 | JYP (Liiga) | 37 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 57 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - GOALIES

Through Feb. 28, 2022
| VYAZOVOI, Semyon | G | 6-2 / 170 | 02/26/03 | Tolpar Ufa (MHL) | 38 | 25-9-2 | .928 | 2.02 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |