First the Calder, then the Cup? Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers is just getting started

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
First the Calder, then the Cup? Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers is just getting started
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE – Matty Beniers has had plenty to smile about early on in his hockey career.

He’s only 20, but over the past three years, he has won at the world juniors, bronze at the World Championship, and an NCAA Big 10 scoring and league championship title. And nearly two years to the day that the Seattle Kraken took him with the second overall pick behind Owen Power, Beniers beat out his former University of Michigan teammate for the all-elusive Calder Trophy on Monday night.

Beniers was a favorite to win the Calder from the get-go and was consistently one of the top rookies every month despite never receiving any in-season honors for it. He wobbled a bit in the second half but was the only freshman to break the 50-point barrier with 57.

But most importantly to Beniers, he helped the Kraken win their first playoff series in the team’s second year. It wasn’t the electric start that Vegas had over half a decade prior, but it still exceeded all expectations for the sophomore club. And in Beniers, the team has their first true star.

As a late-2002 birthday, Beniers entered his draft year as a freshman at the University of Michigan. He put up a point-per-game through 24 contests with the Wolverines, making him one of the best rookies in the league. There were rumblings that maybe he’d go straight to the NHL for whoever selected him. But like Power, Beniers decided the extra year of development would be best, especially with Seattle being a new team trying to figure everything out.

It was for the best.

One of the biggest advantages of college is getting significant time in the weight room. He was drafted at 6-foot-1, but only 174 pounds, and he never used that to his advantage. That extra year in college allowed him to figure out how to use his size effectively. But he also had unfinished business: he wanted a chance at the national title before turning pro in the spring. He came up short, but his time in the NCAA was exactly what he needed for his development.

“Another year of development, another year of being a kid, being in college, was really important. Getting another year of education. It worked out great.”

By the time he was full-time with the Kraken, he looked like a seasoned veteran. He rocketed all the way to the top line alongside veteran Jordan Eberle, and the wins kept racking up. Suddenly, the Kraken were being led by a 20-year-old from Hingham, Massachusetts, the home of just three previous NHLers – Tony Amonte, Brian Boyle and Marty McInnis. Seattle’s first-ever pick was living up to the hype.

Beniers took the scoring lead early in the season and never looked back. He had his cold stretches near the end, but for a player that was averaging between 18-20 minutes a night against other team’s top lines as a rookie was impressive.

But the job has just begun. The personal hardware is nice, but Beniers already has high hopes for his Kraken teammates. Beniers doesn’t believe what happened this season was a fluke. He believes the Seattle Kraken are real contenders.

“We started to really identify a culture in our locker room and our team,” Beniers said. “We’re a hard-nosed team and we’re going to try and outwork every team what we play. That’s what we’ve established and what we’ve had success with and we’re going to continue.”

As a new team, expectations are low. The team has $20.3 million in cap space, with Vince Dunn, an RFA, being the most notable free agent. They could make a big splash to build upon a core group that beat the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in style in the first round. But Beniers is the face of the franchise.

So it’s only fitting that he became the first player in franchise history to win an NHL award.

There’s a youth movement brewing in Seattle. Shane Wright and Tye Kartye will look to challenge for the Calder Trophy, while Jagger Firkus, Jani Nyman and Ty Nelson aren’t too far away. Eventually, the “old” guard will move on as the Kraken solidify themselves near the top of the NHL standings. And by then, Beniers will be the grizzled vet leading the charge.

If Kraken fans get their way, they’ll be cheering on No. 10 for another two decades. And Beniers will have a few larger, more important trophies on his mantle, too. Only time will tell, but his journey has just begun.

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