Matty Beniers and Shane Wright provide hope for the present and the future of the Seattle Kraken.
Beniers, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and the first selection in Seattle history, made a noticeable impact in the final 10 games of last season.
Wright, the no. 4 selection of the 2022 NHL Draft, is expected to join his fellow center with the Kraken this season. He looks on track to make his NHL debut Tuesday when Seattle hosts the Calgary Flames (10 pm ET; NHLN, KONG).
“We’re both still so young but I think we’re both excited for what’s to come, ready for whatever tasks are going to get thrown at us,” Beniers said this month at the NHL Players’ Association Rookie Showcase. “Whether we do well or we fail, we’re going to be doing it together, so it’ll be fun.”
Beniers, 19, and Wright, 18, did not know each other before arriving in Seattle but have mutual friends in the Buffalo Sabers defenseman. Owen Power and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson. Power and Johnson played with Beniers at the University of Michigan last season and with Wright for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship when it was initially held in December 2021 (it was postponed because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus).
But the relationship has grown since Beniers texted Wright not long after Seattle drafted him. They were together on and off the ice at the Kraken development camp in July and at the Rookie Showcase in Arlington, Virginia.
“It’s great getting to know Matty,” Wright said at the showcase. “To be able to build that relationship with him and get to know him a lot better has been awesome. He’s a great guy off the ice and on the ice as well.”
The next step in their partnership is helping the Kraken (27-49-6) improve on their last-place finish in the Pacific Division in their inaugural season.
Beniers started that process when he made his NHL debut on April 12. He finished with nine points (three goals, six assists) and had at least one point in nine of his 10 games.
His arrival also sparked the Kraken offensively. They averaged 2.90 goals per game and converted at 17.2 percent on the power play after Beniers made his debut, up from 2.56 goals per game and 14.1 percent on the power play in their first 72 games.
“Matty came in and he looked comfortable,” coach Dave Hakstol said prior to training camp. “Obviously under a fair bit of spotlight in Seattle, he came in and he played very well. He’s very comfortable with who he is as a person, as a player. [and] that showed on the ice. … There’s going to be ups and downs as he grows as a player, but we’re really confident in his ability to come in and be a real good player for us right away. A lot of that is both his maturity as well as his ability.”
Video: Wright on Kraken drafting him with the 4th overall pick
To maximize that ability, Beniers (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) said he spent the offseason getting bigger and stronger, adding 11 or 12 pounds, and that it has him more confident about being able to handle the rigors of an 82- game NHL season.
“I feel a lot stronger,” he said. “I was able to put on weight. Now the thing is making sure you keep the weight and doing the right things not just in the offseason but in the season, eating well, working out, whether it’s after games, after practice, making sure you get in there. It’s all kind of in the transition of becoming a pro, all those things those guys do so well.”
Wright (6-0, 185) also said he feels stronger after an offseason of training, and that development camp gave him a good idea of what he’ll have to do to earn a spot with the Kraken.
“I put in a lot of work this summer,” he said. “I feel like I really worked hard. I think that I’ve also had other opportunities to play and compete against NHL players and guys who are high-level players, so I feel like I’m really well prepared to … earn my spot on the team just like any guy coming to camp.”
Hakstol said Wright will have every opportunity to show he belongs in the NHL during training camp.
“There’s a great opportunity, and a great opportunity for him to be part of it,” he said. “We’re going to give him every opportunity to do that without keeping any kind of extra pressure on him. Just going to give him the opportunity to go out and play and be at his very best and continue to grow.”
That growth will come together for Beniers and Wright in Seattle. The Kraken added forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andrey Burakovsky During the offseason, but their two young centers likely hold the key to Seattle’s present and future.
“You’re playing hockey your whole life, that’s the whole goal, you want to win,” Beniers said. “I think we put pressure on ourselves to do that. I can speak for myself and I think he would probably say the same, we’re just going to do everything we can to win as many games as possible, hopefully make the playoffs and hopefully win a (Stanley) Cup.”
NHL.com staff writer Jackie Spiegel contributed to this report
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