The excitement was palpable from Seattle Kraken fans heading into the 2022-23 season as Matty Beniers was set to play in his first full campaign. He was the Kraken’s first-ever draft pick, taken second overall in 2021. He started his NHL career off with a bang, scoring nine points in his first 10 games to close out the Kraken’s inaugural season.
So far, he has lived up to the hype, and I’d wager that he still has a lot left to show. Yet, the successful start to his career culminated in his winning the 2023 Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.
Matty Beniers: Rookie of the Year
Following his 10-game stint to close out 2021-22, Beniers’ first full NHL season was an overwhelming success for both himself and the Kraken franchise. In 80 games, he scored 24 goals and 57 points to lead all NHL rookies. His 33 assists ranked second among rookies.
He scored a goal and an assist in the team’s opening game against the Anaheim Ducks. Roughly a month later, he embarked on a six-game point streak, scoring five goals and 12 points, contributing both at even strength and on the power play. He averaged 17:06 time on ice per game and had a 16.2 shooting percentage (S%). He also scored four game-winning goals on the season.
While he could’ve had better faceoff numbers (winning 42.2% of his attempts), he made up for it in his own zone. He only sat in the penalty box for two minutes, and he blocked 48 shots while throwing 79 hits; his 48 blocks were fourth and his 79 hits were third among Kraken forwards.
He saw time on both special-teams units but was more heavily utilized on the power play. He played nearly 188 minutes on the man advantage and scored four goals and 10 points. With 24 goals on the season, he could have done better than 28 shots on the power play, but that’s nitpicking. He did see over 24 minutes on the penalty kill and tallied an assist, but I’d like to see him earn more responsibility on that unit this season to help grow that part of his game.
Beniers’ Tale of Two Series
Beniers’ first Stanley Cup Playoffs featured two rounds of contrasting performances. Against the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1, he scored a lone goal in seven games and averaged over 18 minutes per game but only had 13 shots, with a minus-1 rating. The goal came in the second period of their 6-4 Game 3 loss to tie the game at three, so at least the goal came in a big moment.
Things turned around in Seattle’s Round 2 series against the Dallas Stars. He opened the series with an assist in their Game 1 overtime victory and finished the series with two goals and six points in seven games. He averaged over 17 minutes per game and had a plus-7 rating. Again, with only nine shots in the series, he should be shooting more. His faceoff percentage from the regular season followed him, as those numbers weren’t pretty either; his 46.2% in Game 4 was the best of the playoffs, and he never eclipsed 50% in either series.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition; the Kraken won the series he struggled in and lost the one he played well in. In terms of areas for improvement, he could have shot more and needed to win more faceoffs. However, I was happy with how he still managed to block a fair amount of shots for a forward, with five in each series.
Matty Beniers’ 2022-23 Player Grade: A
From the moment general manager Ron Francis drafted Beniers, everyone expected him to become the face of the franchise, even its future captain. What I didn’t expect was how soon, and his rookie season showed that he is capable of filling that role sooner than later.
Related: Kraken’s Beniers Showed Why He Is Future Face of Franchise
I went back and forth on this grade. Winning the Calder Trophy makes him deserving of a higher mark. Additionally, it’s hard to really knock a rookie for experiencing some difficulty in their first playoff run, let alone against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Though in fairness, he did bounce back from a difficult start to the postseason in Round 2 against the Stars.
All things considered, it was hard not to give the NHL’s Rookie of the Year an A player grade for his performance. So, I will hand him an ‘A’ in red ink, bright as the eye on his team’s logo, and I think he could exceed this mark in 2023-24.
Be sure to check out THW’s Draft Guide for everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft