Plus, One Thought On Shane Wright, & Yanni Gourde Cleans Up
On this first big football weekend of September, we've watched the video, and have this scouting report: Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers has no future as a defensive back, but his wide receiver stop-and-go move is all-pro.
Check out the video below and judge for yourself. The quarterback is Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, and Beniers' fellow wideout/DB is Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils.
This trio of young stars have quite a lot in common. All three are American, all three are centers, and all three were first round draft choices; Hughes and Zegras in 2019, Beniers in 2021.
For a time in 2018-19, all three were teammates with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Further, Jack Hughes' younger brother Luke, also a N.J. Devil, was a teammate of Beniers at the University of Michigan. AND, Zegras played one season at Boston College, very close to Beniers' hometown.
One Thought About Shane Wright
During their latest 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman spend one of those thoughts on Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright.
Kraken prospect Shane Wright could be back in a Coachella Valley Firebirds sweater to start the 2023-24 season.Why not? As we've previously noted, just about everyone has weighed in on where Seattle's 2022 first round draft pick is, or should be, headed.
Wright's landing spot is complicated by the NHL-CHL transfer agreement; technically, if Shane doesn't stick with the Kraken out of training camp, he can't be sent to AHL Coachella Valley.
However, we've suggested that the NHL and CHL will both allow an exception in Wright's case. Marek and Friedman apparently agree. As always, you should treat yourself to their full podcast, but you can listen to their relevant "thought" in the audio below.
Adding New Meaning To "Garbage Time"
Score! Kraken forward Yanni Gourde puts the bottle in the bin.Yanni Gourde is inviting all Washingtonians to do more scoring at garbage time.
The Kraken forward is a spokesperson for the state's new initiative to combat roadside littering. At a press conference outside Climate Pledge Arena, KING 5 reported that "he engaged with fans and even demonstrated a few slap shots, sending debris into garbage cans and cans in to the recycle bin."
Gourde told KING 5, “It’s important because I live here and my family is here, so we can all help keep this place beautiful.”
You can learn more about the "We Keep WA Litter Free campaign" at the Department of Ecology website.
