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.
