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Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Dru Krebs took part in the Florida Panthers development camp in early July.
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Dru Krebs made his first trip to Florida count.
The Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman took part in the Florida Panthers development camp this summer as he continues to work toward his goal of getting a pro contract.
The 20-year-old says it was an opportunity that presented itself and he was honoured to be able to skate and showcase his skills at the camp.
“I was able to meet some new people I would’ve never met otherwise and it was really fun, I learned a lot and it was a really good opportunity for myself,” Krebs said.
It wasn’t the first NHL development camp the Okotoks product has attended. Krebs took part in the Washington Capitals development camp in 2022 after being selected 176th overall by the NHL club in 2021.
Krebs took part in two Capitals’ training camps, skating at games and playing preseason games ahead of the Tigers’ 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He did not sign with Washington this offseason, making him an NHL free agent heading into his age-20 season in the WHL, which allowed him to don the Panthers’ jersey.
He saw a lot of similarities between the Capitals’ and Panthers’ development camps when it came to on-ice work, but says there was more off-ice activities at Florida’s.
“Washington was more hockey orientated and focused, we had two ice times a day and then a workout so that it made a little bit harder, whereas Florida was just one ice time, one workout a day and then we did a lot of extra curricular type stuff,” Krebs said. “We went to a Blink 182 concert, we did a sushi crafting. There’s a lot of different activities we did with Florida, we didn’t quite do as many activities with the Caps but either one was really good and really enjoyable for myself.
“They’re both positives and sometimes negatives but a lot less negatives with Florida with the beach right by me and being able to go into the ocean and hanging out there with some new guys.”
He enjoyed the Blink 182 concert, even though a majority of their songs all sounded the same, he says. When they took part in the sushi making lessons, Krebs was able to showcase some skills as it wasn’t his first time making the Japanese cuisine.
“The head chef was giving me props. I was pretty dialled in,” Krebs said.
While he showcased his self taught sushi skills off the ice, Krebs was able to demonstrate his on-ice abilities at the camp as well. He hopes to be able to get more opportunities to show what he can do at the NHL level and get closer to that professional opportunity.
He says he tried to be himself and let the Panthers see both his personality and hockey skills. With WHL training camp just over a week away and NHL teams getting close to getting their training camps started, Krebs says he’s ready to showcase his skills wherever he can, whether that means a pro opportunity or donning the orange and black for what would be his fifth and final season of junior hockey.
“It’s really up to me and the way I play and coming up into rookie camp wherever that is, and hopefully main camp as well with an NHL team,” Krebs said. “Hopefully I can earn myself an NHL contract or I’m coming back to Medicine Hat and having a really good 20th year.
“That’s my goal is to earn myself NHL contract, and whether that’s through a NHL camp or through a season with the Tigers, that’s just my end goal and what I’m striving to do.”
