James Kerr Adjusts To New Role:

This is on the Vipers web site:

James Kerr adjusts to new role

by don klepp Added 2009-06-10

When James Kerr was traded to Vernon for veteran Ryan DePape on November 12, he had to make some major adjustments. He went from a last place team to a squad with a lot of talent and big ambitions. Also, his role was to change drastically.

In Alberni Valley, Kerr had been the captain and one of its top scorers. He played on the power play and on the team’s top line, where he had excellent chemistry with Evan Witt. He was a leader on a young team, a main stay.

Alberni Valley had projected big things for Kerr after the 2007-08 season when, as a 17-year old, he had been third in team scoring behind two 20-year olds. So, many observers were surprised at the trade. Ironically, DePape refused to report to Alberni Valley, who eventually had to surrender his rights to the Winnipeg Saints, where DePape was able to play on a line with his younger brother, Jordan.

James agrees that coming to Vernon required a big adjustment: “it took a little while, until I began to understand what the team required of me, but gradually I figured out where I fit in and, as the season wore on, I felt that I contributed more and more.” Part of that adjustment involved playing with new line mates. When he first arrived, he played mostly at centre with a variety of wingers. His role had become the good-sized centre on a checking line.

He really started to hit his stride when he moved to the right wing on the “Special K” line with Cory Kane and Bruce Kakoske. With those offensively talented players, James feels that they “developed a pretty good chemistry.” The line had some big goals in each of the playoff series versus Penticton, Salmon Arm, Powell River. And, even though the line produced just 5 goals in the 10 games of the Doyle Cup and RBC Cup, they were seldom scored against.

In retrospect, James Kerr is very happy about the trade that brought him to Vernon. “Winning that championship is a great way to finish your junior hockey career.” When asked about the secret to this year’s Viper success, he refers to “the team depth. We had no real weaknesses in the lineup. Even the guys playing lesser roles had opportunities to make a difference because Coach Ferner believes in playing all his players. We had an overall good group, with excellent chemistry and good leadership.”

The son of Alan Kerr, who played nine 9 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, and Winnipeg Jets, James feels that being the son of a well-known hockey player has been mostly a positive experience. He feels that he’s learned a lot from his dad and that he hasn’t had to live up to the expectations that come with being Alan Kerr’s son. If anything, having those blood lines gives James confidence that he, too, can succeed in hockey.

He next gets to ply his hockey skills in the Ivy League. Last spring, Princeton University offered James a scholarship. At Princeton, he will study economics and, if everything goes according to plan, he will eventually enrol in the Harvard Business School. He says that “Princeton is a terrific opportunity; it has an up-and-coming hockey program and it’s one of the best undergraduate schools in the U.S., so I was very happy to accept that offer.”

Meanwhile, another Kerr will try out for the Vipers this fall. Younger brother Nicholas, a 6’2”, 205 lb. forward, impressed at the spring camp.

Next week’s “Departing Heroes” story will feature Hammerin’ Cameron Brodie.