Meyers in the ‘Middle’ of It 

When head coach Lane Lambert made the call on where to insert all-time Kraken leading scorer Jared McCann back into the lineup for home games Sunday and Monday, he chose not to disrupt the chemistry of his top two lines. Nor did he want to stall the momentum of his fourth line, which has been an agreed upon difference-maker during the team’s five-game point streak.

Thus, NHL-tested Ben Meyers remained a center for the gritty, physical line with rookie Jacob Melanson holding down the right-wing spot. Tye Kartye played the left side, turning in his usual high-hit game in Sunday’s 4-1 win. Ryan Winterton, who sat Sunday with McCann taking his place, took over left-side duties with Meyers for Monday’s overtime loss that nonetheless garnered a well-deserved standings point. Melanson earned his first NHL point with a highlight-reel rush and cross-ice assist to Winterton for the Kraken’s second goal that ultimately qualified for overtime.

It wasn’t a mistake the Meyers line was on the ice for the last 30 seconds of the first period with a 1-1 score. The trio has been stellar on upending opposing offenses while generating significant playmaking and chances of their own. It all starts with the speed and savvy of Meyers, who has played alongside all three aforementioned young forwards during his time with Coachella Valley and/or in the 27 games he has now played for the Kraken since signing a free-agent contract on July 1, 2024.

Earning Trust of the Coaching Staff

“Ben just plays responsible, you know?” said Lane Lambert when quizzed about the 27-year-old center during the three-game sweep of California division rivals before the holiday break. “He's hard. He plays hard. His battle level is high, which you need to be successful. And certainly, the higher the battle level, the more trust you have from the coaching staff.”

Lambert has particularly liked how Meyers and his young line have a knack of late for hemming foes down low in their own zone during shifts when the Kraken lead late in the third or the final stages of earlier periods. The line achieves it “by not taking any risks and just making sure you keep the play down below their goal and force them to come 200 feet.”

Meyers is quick to credit his young linemates when he hears Lambert’s praise.

“They’ve been doing a really good job as wingers, just getting to skating north,” said Meyers. “That makes it a lot easier as a centerman, when you can stay above the play or under the play [as the situation dictates]. They take care of the puck well and they're hard to play against. We get on the other team's defensemen on the forecheck, which is kind of our game and that's what we're trying to stick to.”

Given Melanson’s Monday night heroics, Meyers was prescient a week ago talking about his linemate’s offensive upside even with a rough-and-tumble fourth-liner role. He did score 50 goals during his last juniors season, adding double digits in that spring’s Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs.

“Melly has scored plenty of goals and in the American League too,” said Meyers. “I’ve played with him quite a bit. I know he can do it. He's just looking to do the little things well right now. That’s what he's focused on. But I think there's definitely offense in him as well.”

Dog-on-Bone Mentality

Kartye, like Melanson and Winterton, loves playing alongside Meyers. He has been a role model for every Kraken prospect filtering through AHL Coachella Valley and a high producer for the Firebirds. When called up early on Dec. 10, he had just finished a nine-game point streak to help the Kraken affiliate get back into the higher-end mix of the Western Conference playoffs.

“He’s been really good,” said Kartye. “He's a really good puck transporter. For me as a winger, he seems like he's always in the right spot on the breakout. So, getting the puck to him is easy, because you know where he's going to be. You don't have to look.

“Coming through the neutral zone with the puck is something he's really good at. First getting the puck from the D zone. Once we're there, he's making really good plays. He’s obviously very hard on pucks-- a dog on a bone.”

One more point about Meyers’ contributions: He has been part of an elite-level run for the Kraken penalty-kill units during the five-game points streak and the five games before that. Watching him and Freddy Gaudreau at work and in sync with each other and the defensive pair is worth watching for any Kraken fan or younger players (including his CVF teammates).

Away From the Rink Surface

Off the ice, dog-on-bone doesn’t come to mind. Not when you see him as a lone player stretching long after morning skate with Coachella Valley, going through yoga moves to work on tight glutes while enjoying a full conversation from the floor when talking to a reporter standing above. Same thing on an off-day during late December in Anaheim, holding a takeout coffee and walking back to the hotel for a mid-day workout with head strength and conditioning coach Nate Brookreson, but only after first discussing his holiday plans with his fiancé. He is smiling throughout both chance meetings.

Meyers is a depth player on the Kraken roster but proving pretty invaluable over the stretch of this season. He was up with Seattle Oct. 21 through Nov. 13 when injuries hit the Kraken forward group and came back a month later to fill more gaps due to lower- and upper-body issues among teammates. He is even keeled about the call-up and reassignments, a pattern over the last two seasons.

“It's funny. I think the longer I've played here [in the NHL], the more I've realized it's that when you get sent down or you're called up, you're still doing the same job,” said Meyers, eyes lighting up and smile emerging after a recent morning skate. “You still go to the rink. You still go to morning skates. You show up at the game at 7 p.m. You're still playing hockey. It’s the same game you've always played.”