The vote has been unanimous for quite some time now. Matty Beniers is New England’s top prospect for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and could be selected as high as second overall by the Seattle Kraken when the annual lottery happens July 23.
The Hingham, Mass., native, who starred at Milton Academy before spending a couple of years at the U.S. National Team Development Program just completed a sensational true freshman season at the University of Michigan. Along the way, the two-way center won a gold medal for Team USA at the World Junior Championship in January and has continued to climb the draft rankings as a player who can skate, score and plays the game the right way. In short, Beniers has been New England Hockey Journal's top draft prospect all season.
If the intense attention he’s gotten in hockey circles as one of the best players available leading up to the first round tonight has impacted Beniers, you wouldn’t know it.
“It’s been pretty crazy, but not putting too much stress on myself for anything that’s going to happen,” he said earlier this month in a pre-draft media call. “Right now, I’m just working out, doing what I would do during a regular summer. Nothing too different.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Beniers was supposed to be at Harvard University this past season. The cancellation of the Ivy League hockey schedule meant a change of plan, and after being in Plymouth, Mich., for the previous two years, he made the switch to Maize and Blue down the road in Ann Arbor. He was a point-per-game player as a freshman and impacted NCAA hockey right away as one of a trio of gifted freshmen who are all expected to be drafted inside the top 10 tonight.
If there was a hockey learning curve in the Big Ten Conference, Beniers showed no signs of needing a tutor at any time.
“The game gets faster at every level,” he said. “You have to think faster and be faster in everything you do — skating, passing, shooting. I think that I’ve been fortunate that I’m pretty good at adapting to that. I think the game pretty well, so I think that helps a lot. I haven’t always been the fastest guy, but I think my edges and being able to turn and get on pucks quickly helped me get into those faster games because it helps me create space for myself.”
What has set Beniers apart from so many of his peers over the years and specifically in the past four seasons, when he emerged from the pack in New England and put himself on the path to Team USA, is his elite competitive drive. No matter who you talk to, scouts all rave about how hard he works and competitive he is.
“I don’t even know where to begin — he’s a special player, special person,” said an NHL scout. “He’s going to be a captain in the NHL. I think he’s going to be a Patrice Bergeron. He’s going to have that type of career, where he’s probably going to have 50 or 60 points a year, but he is going to help his team win so much.”
The Bergeron comparison is a good one, and Beniers has also been compared to Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. However, for his part, Beniers himself has always looked to No. 37 for inspiration and tried to model his own playing style after the future Hall of Famer. Therefore, there is no higher compliment for Beniers than for a scout at hockey’s highest level to compare him to his idol.
“Typically, I wouldn’t go in depth on any individual player, but I do believe Matty Beniers is a special player,” Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney told media during his pre-draft availability. “I won’t go into operations of the draft, (as) it would take significant assets for me to get up there I believe. I think very highly of the player. He’s got a great motor, got a great skillset. Any team would be very fortunate to add him to their list of players.”
Trust is so crucial for players at any level. Many times, the focus is on the skating and skills, and rightfully so — without talent, you can’t reach the highest leagues. However, Beniers has made a career in his young life of being so well-rounded, smart and adept at the details that coaches understand that putting him out on the ice in all situations is a recipe for success.
During the 2021 World Junior tournament last winter, USA coach Nate Leaman used Beniers on crucial defensive zone draws as the squad went deeper and the games took on greater meaning. When all was said and done, the youngest player on the roster earned the trust to be a critical component of a championship team, something that you don’t see every day.
“I just think Matty is one of the most effective players to come up from the USA in a while,” the scout said. “He’s for real.”
New England Hockey Journal draft prediction: Beniers’ Michigan teammate, defenseman Owen Power, is expected to be the first overall selection to the Buffalo Sabres, but the Bay Stater is solidly in play to become the earliest New Englander selected at No. 2 since Jack Eichel (Chelmsford, Mass.) in 2015. The biggest competition for Seattle’s selection is Swedish forward William Eklund, who played against men for Djurgarden in that country’s top pro league. Eklund is a smaller, but dynamic offensive player who also earned high marks from scouts for his complete, 200-foot game, much like Beniers. In the end, we’re putting the money on Beniers to land with Seattle because he’s a natural center with the size, skating, skill and character to be a franchise player. The Kraken likely know this, and have had an extra year to scout him. Beniers has done nothing but elevate his draft status this past season, and even if he doesn’t ever lead the NHL in scoring, he’s going to make an important impact for whichever team drafts him.
