Beniers Named to All-Big 10 Team

As Kraken top prospect Matty Beniers' season with the highly ranked NCAA Michigan Wolverines continues to trend to the positive, the sophomore center and No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft was honored Tuesday as a member of the All-Big 10 conference team.
"We're very excited about Matty's season," says Jason Botterill, Kraken assistant general manager and a former star player at Michigan himself. "He's worked extremely hard on and off the ice to help Michigan get to the Big 10 championship game this weekend [at Minnesota]."

Saturday's matchup between No. 4 Michigan and No. 2 Minnesota could result in the winner getting the top seed in the upcoming NCAA men's hockey tournament and, no doubt, both teams will have high seeds in the tourney bracket. The regionals are the last weekend in March and the Frozen Four in Boston will be the first weekend in April.
Beniers led Michigan to victory last Saturday in Ann Arbor, scoring the first Wolverines goal and getting the primary assist on the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame. He has stepped up in big games all season for Michigan and leads the team in scoring with 40 points in 33 games (19 goals, 21 assists).
He has notched four game-winning goals and leads the team with a plus-29 rating (on ice for Michigan goals minus opponents' goals). His two-way game is exemplified by taking a majority of defensive faceoffs and leading all Michigan forwards (and even some regular defensemen) in blocked shots.
"We look forward to watching Matty on Saturday and in the next couple weeks," said Botterill. "It's great he is helping out a talented team. He is a clutch performer in big games."