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Mighty Mouse Sharks' prospect a little guy who won’t go away
Updated: Monday March 26, 2001 10:10 PM
by Steve Kournianos and Josh Goldfine SportsTicker Staff Writers They always want the bigger guys. It is the case in nearly every sport, and hockey is certainly no different. It is for this reason that Ryan Kraft was given every opportunity not to make his living as a professional hockey player. Yet, the 5-foot-9 Kraft has proven all of his doubters wrong and now leads all American Hockey League rookies in scoring. Born in North Dakota and now a native of Moorhead, Minnesota, Kraft began his hockey career at the tender age of three. By the time he reached Moorhead Senior High School, Kraft was already on the radar screen of college recruiters, and the calls started coming in his junior season. Like many young Minnesotans before him, Kraft wound up a Golden Gopher, choosing the University of Minnesota over both Notre Dame and the University of North Dakota. Kraft made an immediate impact at the collegiate level by placing second on the team with 46 points (13 G, 33 A) in his freshman season. The performance was enough to warrant a draft selection by the San Jose Sharks that summer, though Kraft feels that his talents merited a selection well before the eighth round. “I thought I would go higher,” he said. “I watched the first day of the draft and saw guys from Minnesota that were picked, and I compared myself to them. I said to myself, ‘I’m just as good as he is.’” “I think [size] went against [Kraft’s draft selection],” said Sharks Assistant General Manager Wayne Thomas. “Scouts look at a lot of things, and that was probably one of them.” The diminutive center thought that he had proved his doubters wrong by tallying 166 points (61 G, 101 A) in 159 games over his four-year Gopher career. But when the time came for Kraft to move from the college game to the professional ranks, the Sharks did not have a contract with his name on it. So, Kraft did what any other kid in his situation would and went to Sharks camp –- without a contract. Despite a solid performance, he was bound for Richmond of the ECHL and competition which Kraft likened to the college game. Kraft, however, used the slight as motivation and put up big numbers in Richmond. After piling up 131 points in 107 games over a season-and-a-half, he was bound for Kentucky of the American Hockey League, where Kraft has shredded defenses ever since.
“He’s a kid that just won’t go away,” said Thomas. “He just kept on getting better and better. He got an opportunity in [the AHL] and did well.” That would be quite an understatement. Kraft made a nice first impression with 13 points in 15 games to close out this past season (and another four points in five playoff contests), and the Sharks rewarded his efforts with an NHL contract last summer. Kraft spent his first two professional seasons proving that he belonged at a higher level, and he is doing so again this year. The league’s top rookie scorer –- fifth overall -- with 71 points (29 G, 42 A) in 67 games, Kraft has spearheaded the Thoroughblades’ ascent to the top of Southern Division standings with his all-around skill package and savvy playmaking abilities. Aside from being the league's top point-producing rookie, Kraft has recorded an astounding 20 multi-point games. On the weekend of March 10-11, he had back-to-back four-point nights (2 G, 6 A) and has sizzled this month with 15 points (4 G, 11 A) in 10 games. Kraft’s game, though, revolves around more than just putting the puck in the net. “He’s a good two-way player, and he’s a responsible kid with an excellent work ethic.” said Thomas. “There aren’t a lot of flaws there. He has put in his time.” For now, Kraft continues to do what he can, realizing that his fate rests in the hands of the San Jose front office. “Some things are out of your control,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep plugging away and working hard, I guess, improving my game every day. As long as I show them that I can keep improving every year, I think that eventually I am going to get my shot.” He is 25 years old, and time is running out on Kraft’s time as an NHL “prospect.” But, as Thomas said, “Some kids just need an opportunity.” With that chance, Ryan Kraft has proved the experts wrong at every level. Next stop: San Jose.
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