Whether he plays or not, Riley Krane is in for one heck of a hockey experience.
Krane, a rugged winger for the major midget Cariboo Cougars this season, has been called up by the Regina Pats for the Western Hockey League playoff final. The powerhouse Pats host the first game of a best-of-seven series on Friday, with the Seattle Thunderbirds as their opponent.
"The opportunity is great," Cariboo head coach Trevor Sprague said of Krane's addition to the Regina roster. "That's what he's worked for the whole year."
Krane is a 17-year-old from Dawson Creek. He plays even bigger than his five-foot-11, 185-pound frame and also brings some offensive ability to the ice. In 27 regular-season games with the Cougars, he had eight goals and 10 assists. Krane also added an assist in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League playoffs and got another helper during last week's Telus Cup national tournament at CN Centre.
The Pats, who rolled to a WHL regular-season banner with a record of 52-12-7-1 and are now four wins away from a Memorial Cup berth, already know Krane well. He was with them toward the end of the season as an injury replacement, saw action in five games, and scored his first goal - a game-winner - on March 8 against the Swift Current Broncos. The Regina coaches, according to Sprague, were "very happy" with Krane's contributions.
"Right off the bat, he's got great leadership," Sprague said. "He's one of those guys that keeps everybody loose in the dressing room - a happy guy all the time - and it doesn't matter what's going on, he's always ready to play.
"He can hit, he can backcheck, he's a full 200-foot guy," Sprague added. "If he has to drop the mitts, he can handle himself pretty good and he's got a little bit of a scoring touch. He's been really good on the PK and (the Pats) can utilize him in most situations when they need him. He's especially good defensively."
In another piece of news from the Cariboo club, 18-year-old forward Tyler Maser has signed with the B.C. Hockey League's Nanaimo Clippers for next season. With the Clippers, he'll join fellow Cougars graduate Jeremy Gervais, a skilled defenceman who committed to the Vancouver Island team in the days leading up to the Telus Cup tournament.
Maser, a six-foot-three, 200-pounder from Houston, started this season with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL but then came back to the Cougars. As a member of the Cariboo squad, he was a constant physical presence and put up 10 goals and 21 points in 31 regular-season games. Maser then added one goal and four points in eight playoff contests and had a team-high four points (two goals, two assists) in five Telus Cup games.
"He's a guy that can play big minutes against top teams in our league," Sprague said. "He's going to be able to do that coming into the B.C. Hockey League. He's a hard guy to play against. When he hits, he hits you hard and you feel it.
"He competes every game. He can play on the PK and, again, he's another guy that can play a 200-foot game and be responsible."
Prior to the Telus Cup, the BCHL's Trail Smoke Eaters signed Cariboo forward Daine DuBois. The 18-year-old Williams Lake product led the Cougars in scoring this season with 27 goals and 67 points in 40 games.
