Whirlwind Year

There's been a lot of ice time and puck bounces and milestone decisions/markers in Matty Beniers' last 12 months, which included turning just 19 years old in November. His latest hockey destination, Seattle and the NHL, figures to be an adjustment and challenge of the highest order but the Kraken's newest player has shown himself to be a fast learner.
Case in point: Since Beniers stepped onto the ice for his first University of Michigan training camp in Aug/Sept, he has played two NCAA seasons, two IIHF World Junior Championships, one IIHF Men's Championships and the Olympics. His last year alone has featured two world championships, the Olympics an NCAA Frozen Four appearance and, oh, right, getting drafted No. 2 overall at the 2021 NHL Draft and agreeing to terms on his entry-level contract with the Kraken Sunday.

That's five different teams in 12 months. New faces and places are second-nature to Beniers, who has impressed teammates and coaches alike at all stops. He's been productive on the offensive end and his defensive play is why he leads those various squads for most ice time among forwards. Time on ice is a telling indicator of coaches' trust in players.
Like a team prospering in the offensive zone, let's cycle through Beniers' hockey accomplishments since he attended his first University of Michigan training camp as a 17-year-old in August/September 2020, with emphasis on a whirlwind last 12 months.

August 2020 to March 2021: University of Michigan, Freshman

The summer of 2020 was an uncertain one for NCAA hockey players, wondering if the COVID-19 pandemic was going to delay or even cancel the season. Beniers, born in Hingham, MA, and committed to Harvard, was concerned about reports the Ivy League school's hockey season might be entirely in jeopardy (turned out to be correct). Along with his parents' input, he switched his scholarship commitment to the University of Michigan.
As the youngest forward on the team, Beniers nonetheless prospered playing one to four years over his age group. He averaged a point per game with 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games. His scoring totals were top four among all NCAA freshmen and he earned Big 10 All-Rookie Team and All-Big 10 Honorable Mention in 2021.
One disappointing milestone: Beniers and his Wolverines teammates found out hours before they were slated to open against Minnesota-Duluth in the 2021 NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament the school's participation was cancelled due to two Michigan players testing positive for COVID-19.

December 2020 to January 2021

Just turned 18, Beniers made the Team USA roster for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships based on his strong NCAA debut and experience performing at a high level for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program as a U17 and U18 player. Beniers contributed to a gold-medal outcome for the Americans as third-line center, notching a goal and two assists while playing his typical outstanding defense against other nations' top lines. One example: He was the trusted center to take defensive zone faceoffs late in medal-round games.
Anaheim young star Trevor Zegras (drafted 9th overall in 2019 NHL Draft) and Los Angeles prospect Alex Turcotte (5th overall, 2019) were the two older centers slotted ahead of him.

May 2021

Beniers is named to the USA roster for the IIHF Men's World Championships in Latvia, joining as the youngest member of a squad of predominantly NHL players, including Kraken forward Ryan Donato and ex-Kraken forward Colin Blackwell. Beniers notched a goal and an assist in six appearances and soaked up lessons of how to be a pro from his NHL-tested teammates.
One of his fellow forwards, 37-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins center Brian Boyle, share the same hometown of Hingham, MA. Plus, both Donato and Blackwell grew up in the Boston area.
"He's a high-character kid at such a young age," Boyle said about Beniers during the tournament, "He puts the work in and wants to get better."
"It gets even faster at every level," said Beniers after the tournament. "I got to see where I fit. The men's championship was a good mark to see where I am at. I need to work on getting bigger and stronger."

July 2021

The Kraken's newest player under contract was drafted No. 2 overall during the first round of the NHL Draft July 23. Seattle front-office executives discussed Beniers' high potential and readiness for the NHL.
"We feel with the way Matty skates and how hard he competes each and every night, he certainly has a possibility of making our lineup in the fall [if he had decided to turn pro]," said Seattle GM Ron Francis, adding Beniers' style of play is "a perfect fit to set the tone" for how the Kraken hockey operations intends to develop its prospects.
"Matty is the kind of guy and draft pick you want to start a franchise with," said Francis. "A big part of what we look for not only is a good player, but we look for character. We think Matty exudes that."
Robert Kron, Kraken director of amateur scouting, called Beniers "very exciting to watch": "Matty has an ability to read the game than not many kids his age can do. He can read other players so well, especially down low in the defensive zone. He will only get better and better."

August 2021 to April 2022

Now a sophomore, Beniers made the decision, with full support from the Kraken, to return to Michigan to pursue a national championship that a squad with seven NHL first-rounders and 13 draft picks overall didn't get to chase the previous spring. No small thing: Beniers is the only non-senior to be named to Michigan's captaincy group.
Beniers was Michigan's leading scorer (20 goals, 23 assists in 37) and the team's only first-team All-American. He won all sorts of Big 10 honors and was a finalist for the NCAA Hobey Baker player of the year award. Michigan made it to Frozen Four but lost a heartbreaker in overtime to eventual champion Denver. Beniers finished his collegiate career with 67 points (30 goals, 37 assists) in 61 regular-season games.
"I tell people that when he walks in the door, he makes us a better team just on his attitude and outgoing personality - he's always positive," said Mel Pearson, Michigan's head coach.

December 2021

For the second straight year, Beniers is selected to represent the United States at the 2022 World Junior Championship. But he and Team USA only appeared in one game (the Kraken center notched an assist in a win) before two American players tested positive and had to forfeit a game to Switzerland. The tournament was soon shut down altogether due to COVID-19 concerns. There are plans for the tournament to be played in August but no rosters have been announced.

February 2022

Beniers is the youngest member of the Olympics team and one of 15 collegiate skaters selected to play for Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Beniers notched a goal and an assist in four games, receiving far and wide acclaim for his all-around play and especially his level of offensive energy and creativity in the quarterfinal overtime game against Slovakia. The game, a USA loss, was decided by shootout. Beniers led all USA forwards in time-on-ice, handling both power play and penalty-kill duties as part of his shifts.

April 2022

Beniers signs a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kraken. He is expected at practice Monday and will be accompanying the team on this week's road trip to Calgary and Winnipeg.
GM Ron Francis said Sunday the Kraken hockey operations group is "looking forward to working with him as he takes the next step in his development." Upon signing, Beniers said he, too, is excited about "the next step in my journey."
Key words there, "next step." All players drafted into the NHL require time and games to adjust and deliver on their potential. The remainder of the Kraken schedule affords a good start on that mission.
The young and promising forward has improved his game and gleaned important lessons about being a pro over the whirlwind last 12 months with four sets of teammates and four different coaching staffs. The NHL franchise phase of his development awaits.