Teammates Matty Beniers, Freddy Gaudreau and Ryan Winterton serve up burrito bowls and lively conversation, plus learn a lot, at young adult shelter for homeless in the University District
ByBob Condor /@bybobcondor / nhl.com/kraken
April 08, 2026
On a recent spring night, Kraken forwards Matty Beniers and Freddy Gaudreau are talking with a couple on the front patio of the ROOTS Young Adult Shelter in Seattle’s University District neighborhood. Beniers flashes a huge grin when the young man asks if he gets in fights on the ice. Gaudreau smiles when the female companion wants to know his number and why did he pick it? The veteran Gaudreau explained he prefers the number 11, but it was taken earlier in his NHL career, so he subtracted the “11” from 100 to arrive at his current jersey number 89.
The Kraken teammates, along with fellow forward Ryan Winterton, were on hand at ROOTS (Rising Out of the Shadows) to form an assembly line serving up customized burrito bowls for dinner. Director of development and engagement Tori Muzyk wanted the Kraken players to get to know some of the night’s shelter guests awaiting the dinner’s 8:30 p.m. open doors. The mingling was entirely on point because as the night unfolds it is clear Muzyk and Riley Pimentel, director of shelter and programs, and multiple staffers and volunteers are familiar with the young adults taking refuge at ROOTS.