Seattle Kraken Prospect Focus: Matty Beniers is the Start of a Strong Foundation
Kraken’s Issues Open Up Doors for Beniers to have an Immediate Impact
A big issue for Seattle this season has been their slow starts. Beniers is young and full of energy; he knows how to drive the pace of a game. He is an explosive skater who is incredibly difficult to stop. His skating skills also allow him to be strong on his feet, which also makes it hard to knock him off the puck or win board battles against.
The power play has also been a sore spot in the Pacific Northwest. Matty has often been the go-to guy on the penalty kill and in late situations, but this season, Beniers has proven that he is also a force on the power play. As mentioned previously, he has 7 power-play goals in 16 games this season. That is a vast improvement from the previous season when he didn’t score any. Michigan’s 33.9% on the power-play is in large part to Beniers.
While Beniers cannot solve Seattle’s goaltending woes, his defensive game is his bread and butter. He is often praised for his high hockey IQ. However, it is his incredible problem-solving skills that make his defensive game stand out. He has great intuition, which helps him read plays before his opponents can make them. He is quick to get to loose pucks and plays a very smooth transitional game.
One thing Seattle can say is that they are the kings of the sin bin. Only second behind Arizona, the Kraken’s 236 PIM in 23 games tell a story of a very undisciplined team. Beniers style fits in very well with the vision Ron Francis has for this team. However, while he is a heavy-hitting player who isn’t afraid to use his body, Beniers can be assertive on the ice while also maintaining discipline.