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Matthew "Matty" Beniers (born November 5, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kraken drafted Beniers second overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft with their first ever selection in an entry draft. He played college ice hockey at Michigan.

Matty Beniers
Beniers with the Seattle Kraken in 2022
Born	(2002-11-05) November 5, 2002 (age 20) Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Seattle Kraken
National team	United States
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 2021 Seattle Kraken
Playing career	2022–present

Playing career

Junior

During the 2018–19 season, in his first season with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program of the United States Hockey League (USHL), Beniers recorded 10 goals and 13 assists in 42 games. During the 2019–20 season, Beniers was alternate captain for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he ranked second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 23 assists in 44 games.[1][2]

Collegiate

Beniers was committed to play ice hockey for Harvard, however, after the Ivy League (which participates in the ECAC for hockey) cancelled their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he enrolled at Michigan in August 2020.[3][4] Beniers began his collegiate career for the Michigan Wolverines during the 2020–21 season. During his freshman season, he recorded 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games. He led the conference in on-ice rating with a +21, ranking him eighth nationally. He led first-time NHL Draft-eligible NCAA players in goals, goals per game (0.42) and shots on goal per game. His 24 points ranked third in the league in freshmen scoring and fourth nationally.[5] He recorded his first career goal in his first game of the season.[6]

On February 26, 2021, he recorded his first career hat-trick in a game against Arizona State.[7] He was subsequently named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week for the week ending March 1.[8] On March 5, he recorded his first career four-point game, with one goal and three assists in a game against Minnesota. He was subsequently named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week for the week ending March 9.[9] Following the season, he was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and the College Hockey News All-Rookie Team.[10][11]

On August 20, 2021, the Wolverines announced that Beniers would return for the 2021–22 season.[12] During his sophomore year, he was the Big Ten Scoring Champion, as he recorded 27 points in 20 conference games. He had 10 multiple-point conference games. He led Michigan in scoring with 20 goals, and 23 assists for 43 points in 37 games.[13] Following an outstanding season, he was named a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team, and a finalist for the Big Ten Player of the Year.[14] He was also named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and an AHCA West First Team All-American.[15]

Professional

Beniers entered the 2021 NHL Entry Draft as one of the consensus top prospects, and was ultimately selected second overall by the Seattle Kraken, becoming the expansion team's first-ever draft selection.[16][17] On April 10, 2022, Beniers signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kraken.[18][19] He had been uncertain whether he would turn professional or return to the University of Michigan for another year, but ultimately opted to sign, following discussions with his family, Kraken general manager Ron Francis, and new teammate Ryan Donato.[20]

Making his NHL debut on April 12, 2022, two days after the signing of his contract, Beniers recorded his first NHL assist in a 5–3 loss to the Calgary Flames. He described being "excited about how all right I felt" during his first appearance in the league.[21] Beniers scored his first NHL goal in an April 16, 2022 win at home against the New Jersey Devils.[22] Beniers ended the season with three goals and nine points through 10 NHL games.[23]

International play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2021 Latvia
World Junior Championships
	2021 Canada
World U18 Championships
	2019 Sweden

Beniers represented the United States at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he recorded two goals in seven games and won a bronze medal. Beniers represented the United States at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he was the youngest player on the roster, scoring one goal and two assists and averaging 17:05 of ice time in seven games as a second-line center, helping the United States win gold.[24]

Beniers represented the United States at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, where he was the only draft-eligible player on Team USA and won a bronze medal. He became the fifth Wolverine to represent their country at both the World Junior and World Championship in the same season, following Jack Johnson (2007), Jacob Trouba (2013), Dylan Larkin (2015) and Quinn Hughes (2018 and 2019).[25]

Beniers represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics[26] where the team finished 5th.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018–19	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		42	10	13	23	16		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		44	18	23	41	24		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	University of Michigan	B1G		24	10	14	24	0		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	University of Michigan	B1G		37	20	23	43	16		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Seattle Kraken	NHL		10	3	6	9	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				10	3	6	9	0		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2019	United States	U18			7	2	0	2	4
2021	United States	WJC			7	1	2	3	2
2021	United States	WC			6	1	1	2	2
2022	United States	OG	5th		4	1	1	2	4
Junior totals					14	3	2	5	6
Senior totals					10	2	2	4	6

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-Big Ten Freshman Team	2021	[27]
College Hockey News All-Rookie Team	2021	[11]
All-Big Ten First Team	2022	[14]
Big Ten Scoring Champion	2022
Big Ten All-Tournament Team	2022	[28]
AHCA West First Team All-American	2022	[29]

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by None	Seattle Kraken first round draft pick 2021	Succeeded by Shane Wright
Preceded by Cole Caufield	Big Ten Scoring Champion 2021–22	Succeeded by Incumbent

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