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Kraken forward Jordan Eberle named to All-Star team; prospect Matty Beniers one of 25 player to make U.S. Olympic roster

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) celebrates a goal against the Florida Panthers with center Yanni Gourde (37) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in Sunrise, Fla.  (Associated Press)
By Marisa Ingemi Seattle Times

DALLAS – Forward Jordan Eberle is the first Kraken All-Star, the NHL announced Thursday night when unveiling the league’s rosters.

He will represent the Pacific Division as the lone Kraken player in their inaugural season. Eberle leads the team with 24 points, is second with 12 goals and is tied for second with 12 assists.

Eberle, 31, was the Kraken’s expansion draft selection from the New York Islanders. It is his second All-Star appearance after he represented the Edmonton Oilers in his second season in the league.

The NHL All-Star Game is in Las Vegas on Feb. 5.

Beniers to the Olympics

NHL players won’t play in the Winter Olympics next month, and that has created an opportunity for others.

One of those is Kraken prospect Matty Beniers.

The chance for the 19-year-old comes less than a month after the World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, were canceled due to COVID-19 complications. It would have been Beniers’ second World Juniors after he helped lead Team USA to gold in 2021.

Beniers was one of the 25 players named to the U.S. men’s Olympics roster Thursday. He is joined by University of Michigan teammates Jake Sanderson and Brendan Brisson.

In 2018, Kraken forward Ryan Donato was named to the U.S. Olympic roster while playing with Harvard. He went overseas and made the most of another Olympics that didn’t have NHL players.

The Kraken’s Alexander True and Philipp Grubauer had originally been named to the Denmark and Germany rosters, respectively, before the NHL pulled out of the Beijing Games because of schedule changes caused by COVID-related postponements.