Seattle Kraken Prospect Focus: Matty Beniers is the Start of a Strong Foundation
Encouragement Goes a Long Way
Beniers didn’t start the season the way he had hoped, however. He struggled to produce, and it weighed heavily on him. Eventually, his coach, Mel Pearson, stepped in. He encouraged Matty by sharing an article about Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner.
Marner himself had struggled to start the season. However, once he took a step back and found his way back to playing fun hockey, the ketchup bottle started flowing for the 24-year-old winger. He now has 17 points in 20 games.
“For me the puck just wasn’t going in the net – everybody has it. I’m not a guy who focuses on the outside pressure as much as my personal expectations: I want to help the team, I want to be a go-to guy who scores goals and makes plays and I wasn’t doing my part. I was probably being a little too hard on myself. Seeing the article and talking to my parents, I took a step back and had fun playing hockey, not worrying about anything else. That was my change in thought and the last couple of games have been a lot of fun.” –Matty Beniers
The encouragement seemed to work for Beniers. In the following days, he went on to score two goals in his next three games. Along with linemate Kent Johnson and defenseman Owen Power, Beniers has had a big hand in making Michigan the top-ranked team in the nation.