Rookie Watch: Beniers, Thompson among best in Pacific Division

The impact several rookies are making on the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2022-23 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch.
This week, the top five rookies in the Pacific Division (in alphabetical order):

Matty Beniers, F, Seattle Kraken: The left-shot center, who turned 20 years old on Nov. 5, leads all NHL rookies with nine points (five goals, four assists) and 25 shots on goal in 13 games. Beniers changed up his workout routine and added 10 pounds in the offseason, spending a month and a half training in Massachusetts. "To allow my body to build muscle and not work out and just burn it right off," Beniers told The Seattle Times in September. Building muscle has enabled him to work the tough areas of the ice in the early stages this season. He leads Pacific Division rookie forwards with 12 blocked shots and is second in hits (13) while averaging 17:55 of ice time centering left wing Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle. He scored his first NHL game-winning goal with 6:34 remaining in the third period of a 5-4 win at the Calgary Flames on Nov. 1.
"Matty plays the game the right way," Kraken director of amateur scouting Robert Kron told Seattle's website. "It comes naturally to him. He's a very honest kid and loves to play hockey. There's a right way and a less right way to come in [to an NHL locker room]. A sense of entitlement is one thing some young players bring. Matty doesn't have that. He knows being part of the team is something to be earned, not to be given. He respects the game."
Brandt Clarke, D, Los Angeles Kings: The No. 8 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft leads all Pacific defensemen with two points (two assists) and 14 blocked shots while averaging 13:39 of ice time in nine games. The 19-year-old right-hand shot has been on the third pairing with Alexander Edler when in the lineup. He was a pleasant surprise at development camp in July and has continued to earn the trust of coach Todd McLellan. Clarke also is a good candidate to play a key role for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
"[There were] lots of expectations when he came into camp and lived up to it," Kings general manager Rob Blake told the 'Kings Of The Podcast' program in October. "I think one of the big things going forward was the way he played - very creative, very deceptive. But what we wanted to make sure, 'Is he going to compete hard enough? Was he going to be coachable? Was he going to listen to what [assistant coach] Trent Yawney and [head coach] Todd McLellan were preaching? Would he buy into the system?' And that's been way above, I think, any expectations any of us had on him. So, he's earned his chance."
Mason McTavish, F, Anaheim Ducks: The 19-year-old, selected No. 3 in the 2021 NHL Draft, is second among Pacific Division players with seven points (one goal, six assists) in 12 games. McTavish had quite an impressive 2021-22, being named the Most Valuable Player of the IIHF 2022 World Junior Championship after leading all skaters with eight goals and 17 points in seven games for gold medal-winning Canada. He also represented his country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and scored 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 24 regular-season games and 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 19 playoff games for Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton.
"He has zero fear of being first on a puck in the corner," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "The majority of the game today is played along the walls within three feet of the boards, and he's great on the walls and continues to get better."
Stuart Skinner, G, Edmonton Oilers: Skinner, who turned 24 on Nov. 1, is 2-2-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in five games (four starts) as backup to Jack Campbell. His presence was needed after Mike Smith was placed on long-term injured reserve on Sept. 21, and Mikko Koskinen opted in June to sign with Lugano in Switzerland. The third-round pick (No. 78) of the 2017 NHL Draft is 2-1-0 in his past three starts with a 2.36 GAA and .943 save percentage.
Skinner won a Western Hockey League championship with Swift Current in 2017-18 and worked his way up the Oilers pipeline before spending time in the American Hockey League and playing 13 NHL games last season (6-6-0, 2.62 GAA, .913 save percentage).
"It's been a fun start; the wins are the biggest thing," Skinner said. "Having a winning record (6-3-0), that's the biggest thing. We're winning games. The guys have been playing great and since the start of the preseason, the coaches, players, everyone has done a great job of preparation and bringing that into the season is huge."
Logan Thompson, G, Vegas Golden Knights: He earned his opportunity this season after injuries to Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit, and is 6-2-0 with a 2.01 GAA, .934 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games. Thompson has helped Vegas to first place in the Pacific with a 11-2-0 start under first-year coach Bruce Cassidy. He is 4-0-0 with a 1.74 GAA and .941 save percentage in his past four starts, making an NHL career-high 42 saves in a 5-4 win at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
After going undrafted following four seasons with Brandon of the Western Hockey League, Thompson attended Brock University to play in a Canadian university league, U Sports, which provides opportunities to Canadian Hockey League and Canadian Junior Hockey League graduates. He finished 18-6-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .934 save percentage in 24 games and was named U Sports rookie of the year and goalie of the year in 2018-19. After two seasons in the ECHL, the 25-year-old signed a two-year entry-level contract with Vegas on July 13, 2020, and then a three-year contract extension on Jan. 30, 2022.
"I didn't see him last year play other than in film in the summer, but what's impressed me is his confidence," Cassidy said. "He's got some swagger in the net. He's a good athlete in there, yet he's still composed and, for a young guy, has good technical merit in his game."