Center of Attention

When the new Kraken player, center Matty Beniers, joined the University of Michigan NCAA Division I hockey team last fall, he was officially the youngest player on the squad. He didn't play like it.
Beniers, the No. 2 pick in Friday's NHL Draft, impressed coaches and teammates with his all-out, all-the-time play on both ends of the ice.

"He's been a tremendous all-around player from Day 1," said Michigan coach Mel Pearson during the season. "You trust him as a coach to play in any situation.
"You know he's going to play on the right side of the puck and then he's got the skill offensively, he can play on the offensive side. He's a lot of fun to coach."

After Kraken general manager Ron Francis announced the pick, the team's director of amateur scouting, Robert Kron, stepped out of the war room for exclusive comments about Beniers."We're extremely excited to get Matty," said Kron. "He's a great hockey player and an amazing human being. On top of his hockey skills, Matty plays hard every shift, never stops."
"It seems like the guy doesn't run out of energy," said Michigan goalie and teammate Strauss Mann. "He's just bopping around the ice, out-skating everyone. He'll lead a rush and then be the first guy back on the backcheck.
"He's just kind of a complete player that energizes your team and his linemates. He goes to the net really hard, does the little things well. He's a guy everyone would want on their team."
The question looms: Will Beniers return to Michigan for sophomore year or could he find a spot on the Kraken's NHL roster?

"We'll certainly have that conversation with him," said Kraken GM Ron Francis about the first-ever drafted player for the franchise. "It's certainly a big jump from NCAA to the NHL."
Francis said picking Beniers will help "set the tone" for playing hard and effectively on both the offensive and defensive ends of the ice.
"Matty is a winner and a great character-guy with a great skill asset," said Francis. "We think he has a huge upside. There are not many times when you interview a player and he is majoring in pre-med. He's obviously a bright kid."
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Beniers (pronounced "BEN-ears") played a big part in Team USA gold-medal run at the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton. He was impressive on offense and the trusted center to take defensive zone faceoff late in medal-round games.

"He's a high-character kid at such a young age," said Brian Boyle, a fellow member of Team USA. "He puts the work in and wants to get better."
Beniers scored 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 24 games in his freshman season at Michigan. He led first-time NHL Draft-eligible NCAA players in goals, goals per game (0.42) and shots on goal per game (2.38).
At World Juniors, Benier starred as the Team USA second-line center, scoring three points (one goal, two assists), killing penalties and averaging 17:05 of ice time in seven games.
On a historic night for the Kraken, Beniers was part of a gigantic night for the University of Michigan. Beniers and teammates, defenseman Owen Power (No. 1 to Buffalo) and forward Kent Johnson (No. 5 to Columbus), not only set a record for three NCAA teammates picked in the first round but did so in just five selections.