Captain Kraus: Making His Mark:

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Captain Kraus: making his mark

by viper staff Added 2010-05-17

Kevin Kraus admits that replacing Chris Crowell as captain was not an easy task – “yep, big shoes to fill,” says the amiable Kraus. Chris had imposed his will upon the team in his two-year tenure. The big winger’s forceful style kept every one in line and contributed to a culture of accountability that contributed to a national title.

So how did Kraus the player become Kraus the captain? He says that a big part of it was paying attention to his own play: “I realized that I had to try to show up every night with my best effort.” He also says that making sure that everyone is involved in the group is important. He adds, “luckily, the vets here welcome new players with open arms. You gotta remember that we had 13 vets this year. We all made sure that newcomers understood the team culture and expectations; it wasn’t all on me.”

Kevin’s adaptability to his new role is not surprising when you know that he started skating at age 14 and within three years had made the Kamloops Blazers WHL team. Yes, he had learned the rudiments of hockey by playing roller hockey in California, but that’s a remarkable achievement!

Kevin calls it “a miracle,” but he thinks he got to that level too quickly. “I should have spent another year in Junior B because I sat in the stands a lot. Mind you, I did learn quite a lot by watching the good WHL players. At age 16, he played a year in the PIJHL, for a Seattle-area team), after Kamloops coach Mark Ferner had cut him at training camp. (Yes, our Mark Ferner!)

Kevin was subsequently traded to Tri Cities where he played 21 games in 2007-08 before asking Mark whether there might be a spot for him with the Vipers. He has subsequently suited up for 196 regular season and playoff games for Vernon. “Coming here was the best decision I ever made,” he says.

A big part of his decision to come in the first place was Mark Ferner, “the best coach I’ve ever seen,” says Kevin. “I owe my career and two championship rings to him. You learn so much from him and Willie (Jason Williamson).”

Captain Kraus describes his playing style as “controlled – in our end, I try to dictate where the play goes, into areas where I can check and control their forwards. My skating is fairly smooth now, but I’m not the quickest guy so I have to slow the play down and keep the play in front of me.”

He’s tried to use his big body as much as possible this year – we didn’t have huge guys like Brodie and Bigos this year, so I had to take up some of the slack.”

Kevin agrees with the assessment that he’s had the habit of stepping up his play in the playoffs. “I love the feeling you get with the guys when you go deep in the playoffs. To be honest, it still burns that we lost to Penticton three years ago, but we haven’t lost a playoff series since then! We surprised a lot of people this year I think, and we surprised ourselves at times, playing our best in game sevens and in the RBC final.”

With his NCAA eligibility shot, Kevin is considering a pro career this fall. “My older brother Tim is playing pro, so I’ll talk to him, and Ferns (Coach Ferner) has lots of contacts, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll tell you one thing – I don’t want to leave Vernon unless I absolutely have to.”