So where does that confidence come from? All his hockey experiences have played a part in that but probably none more than playing that second season at Michigan, when he had 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 37 games. But it wasn't really about the points.
"Another year of getting bigger, stronger, just playing those games, getting confident," he said. "We had a good team, so I was playing with really good players as well. You were able to step in [to the NHL] when you were a lot more ready instead of hopefully not going too early. That was always the worry. You never hear guys say, 'I went too late.' They always say 'I go to early.'"
Providence College hockey coach Nate Leaman, who had Beniers with the United States under-18 team, added a few other reasons for Beniers' smooth transition to the NHL.
"A, he has a very high work ethic," Leaman said. "B, he's moving his feet and he's around the puck a lot. His vision and his IQ are really good but he can dog it. He can drive a line and dog it and those are things that all translate.
"It's never been about a soft stick or a skilled stick with Matt and finding open ice, things like that. He's the one who drives the line, that can be the first guy on the forecheck, the first guy back, he can transport the puck. He's the guy who's always been driving the line that he's on. That's why, what he does translates."
Leaman said the first chance he got to watch Beniers this season was when the Kraken defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 8-5 on Jan. 14 and Beniers had a goal and an assist. The player Leaman compared Beniers to was an opponent that day: Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
"He drives, he cares about both sides of the puck, he can drive the play," Leaman said. "He's that type of player that is always going to make guys around him better."
Hakstol, who coached Toews at the University of North Dakota from 2005-07, saw the same.
"A little bit of different players but in some respects, there are definitely some similarities on the ice in terms of their will to be responsible two ways, and that doesn't mean that their defensive minded," Hakstol said. "Because if you ask both players, they would want to talk about their offensive abilities and their capabilities on that side of the puck.
"The mental ability to really take care of the game at both ends of the ice, an ability to handle difficult situations and want to be out there in those situations and know you're going to be successful, I see that in both. Obviously, Jonny's done it. He's been a success in this League on all different levels. Matty's just starting out and you can see some of those qualities and the drive that a young Jonathan Toews had."
Who knows what future seasons bring for Beniers, but he's off to an excellent start. Thanks to his work this season, so are the Kraken.
"It's exciting," he said. "I think we're playing well and winning a lot of games right now. It's a lot of fun and it makes coming to the rink a lot of fun."
