Sharks’ Smith Consulted Help Of Kraken Star About Decision to Turn Pro

SEATTLE – San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith and Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers have built a terrific friendship.

The duo lived together over the summer. Beniers, 23, was taken second overall by the Seattle Kraken in 2021. The Sharks selected Smith No. 4 in 2023, establishing a connection between the two players.

Smith and Beniers also played for San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky for Team USA at the 2025 World Championship.

“He was awesome to play with. Really smart player,” Smith said. “We had a lot of fun over there, and then just kind of led right into the summer.”

Like Smith and many other Sharks players, Beniers is from Massachusetts. Although Beneirs attended the University of Michigan, his route to the NHL was very similar to Smith’s.

Smith’s decision to leave Boston College and sign with the Sharks was a heavy debate. While he was debating whether to sign, Smith called Beniers for help.

“‘I’ve known him for a bit now. We had the same route. Going through the [USNTDP] and then college. I called him when I was thinking about signing,” Smith said. “It was just asking his opinion. I mean, he went through the same exact thing. I just asked him some questions, and he was really helpful.”

Warsofsky & Smith speak highly of Beniers’ play; Beniers returned the favor

Beniers is off to a solid start offensively for the Kraken in 2025-26. Through 12 games, the center has two goals and six assists.

San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky gave high praise to the Kraken’s top forward before the game on Wednesday.

“The one thing with Benny is he’s got a great engine. He goes. He’s got a good motor on him, doesn’t take a breath, works on both sides of the puck,” Warsofsky said. “I think he’s one of the most underrated centers.”

Beniers was also very complimentary of the Sharks’ head coach, saying during Worlds that Warsofsky did a great job of keeping the roster structured while allowing for free-flowing plays.

As it pertained to Smith, Beneirs highlighted the forward’s play on the ice.

“An extremely smart player. I liked playing with him, too. I really like playing with him because he thinks the game at a really, really high level. He’s obviously got elite skill. Those are the first two things that everyone notices,” Beniers said.

“He’s also pretty hardworking. Tries to win puck battles, is responsible in the D zone, and tries to come back. He does a lot of good little things, and he’s getting better at them. At the end of the day, he’s just an elite, skilled player.”

The Kraken forward didn’t hesitate to talk about what it was like to live with Smith.

“He was a good roommate. He kept his stuff clean. I appreciated that. We golfed a lot,”

Beniers did admit that the San Jose Sharks star is the better golfer between the two of them.

Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on Sharks Hockey Digest! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest!