The Seattle Kraken have seen enough from top prospect center Matty Beniers to know he’s ready for the challenges in the NHL. The franchise announced over the weekend that they had signed Beniers to a three-year entry-level contract.
Beniers was Kraken’s second overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and the first draft selection in the franchise’s history.
Beniers is coming off a productive season with the Michigan Wolverines, where he scored 20 goals and added 23 assists for a total of 43 points. He was also part of Team USA in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where he scored one goal and dished one assist.
The Kraken general manager Ron Francis said that the organization is “excited” to welcome Beniers and that the 19-year-old player impressed Seattle’s staff “with his leadership and strong two-way game.”
“We’re looking forward to working with him as he takes the next step in his development,” Francis added.
It remains unclear when could Matty Beniers have his NHL debut in Kraken uniform. The organization doesn’t have a timeline set, although they revealed that Beniers would immediately join the team practices.
The Seattle Kraken are 23-46-3 in 2021-22, which is one of the worst records in the NHL. They are currently sitting at the last spot in the Pacific division.
