NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN - Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Dru Krebs skates by the bench after scoring a goal in a Western Hockey League game against the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at the Canalta Centre.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Dru Krebs made a memory he’ll never forget on Tuesday night at the Canalta Centre.
The 16-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman netted the first goal of his Western Hockey League career in his 11th game on the ice with a well-placed wrist shot in a 3-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. Given the time he spent imagining how the moment would unfold, Krebs was all smiles when asked about the highlight reel tally.
“Had to make it nice, can’t be off four different skates,” said Krebs, adding the puck will likely have a prominent spot in his family’s home. “Probably just on my cabinet or hanging up on my wall. My mom is pretty creative with that stuff so she’ll find something.”
Krebs picked up the first two assists of his career in a 6-2 win over the Pats in Regina on Oct. 4 before adding another in Saturday’s 9-1 routing of the Red Deer Rebels, but when he picked up the puck off a bank-pass from Corson Hopwo in Tuesday’s second period, Krebs only had one thing on his mind.
“Hopwo passed it across ice, it missed a guy and bounced off the boards right to me and then I just buried it,” he said. “Any time you get a goal it’s a huge confidence booster.”
Krebs is the third brother in his family to compete in the WHL alongside 20-year-old Calgary Hitmen defenceman Dakota and 18-year-old Winnipeg Ice captain Peyton – a first-round Vegas Golden Knights draft pick – but he’s been doing well to forge his own path as a blueliner in the Gas City.
The 5-foot-11, 167-pound Okotoks product has been in the lineup for all 11 of Medicine Hat’s games this season, providing a steady presence and plenty of promise.
“Dru is such a good skater, his hockey sense is off the charts,” said Tigers assistant coach Joe Frazer. “You forget he’s 16 because he’s playing so well. To see him score that goal (Tuesday), he roofed it and he shot it hard. It was a great goal. He’s going to be a heck of a player, he already is for us.”
Krebs added he credits a good deal of his success to the supporting cast around him, from the help of coaches like Frazer to the guidance and positive reinforcement provided by his teammates through the first few weeks of his career.
“I think that really goes to Joe and the coaching staff. They’ve really pushed me, as well as the guys on the ice,” he said.
“They’ve really pushed me to find ways to physically adapt to the other players around the league.”
The Tigers open a nine-game road trip Sunday in Calgary against the Hitmen at 2 p.m.
