Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
Prince Albert product Jayden Kraus went from one end of the WHL to the other in the span of just one day last summer.
The former Prince Albert Minto suited up for 46 games with the Victoria Royals in 2024-25, but found himself a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings when training camp opened after being dealt over the summer.
Going from the WHL’s furthest outpost in the west to the farthest reaches of the east may have made for a challenging travel schedule, but Kraus said it’s been a fantastic experience.
“I’m grateful for everything that Victoria did for me over the four years and I’ll continue to be in touch with all the people who were there and helped me along the way,” he said during a phone interview on Wednesday. “I’m very grateful for Victoria in so many ways. Now, obviously, this is a great opportunity to be in Brandon and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.
“The group of guys here is amazing,” he added. “The coaching staff has treated me outstanding. I have great billets. The move, … it’s even better than I imagined. Being in Brandon, they’ve treated me amazing.”
While Kraus has come to love playing in Brandon, the results haven’t been as good as he’d hoped. The Wheat Kings have posted a 10-9-1-0 record through 20 games, and sit seventh in the WHL’s eastern conference. Their high-powered offence has scored the second most goals in the league this season (102), but defensively they’ve surrendered the fourth-most (94).
Kraus had a couple of rocky starts, and has a 5.14 GAA and .863 save percentage in 10 games. However, 6’2 stopper said he knows he can do better, as shown by the 2.86 GAA and .908 save percentage he posted in Victoria last season.
“Obviously, the results for me personally haven’t been exactly how I want them to but we’re just building every day, and (I’m) looking to be a better version of myself each and every day,” he said.
“Honestly, there was a three game span where I thought I was back to being me and back to my game where I was pretty happy with the results I was producing. Obviously, I took a little bit of a dive over the last couple of weeks where I’m not exactly where I want to be. At the end of the day, there’s ups and downs in hockey and I know I’m here for a reason. I know I’m an elite goalie and I’m just working each and every day to get back to that.”
The Wheat Kings and Prince Albert Raiders have only met once this season, but Krause was in the net for the controversial finish. On Sept. 27, the Wheat Kings entered the third period with a 4-2 lead, only for Prince Albert to roar back with two third period goals, plus an overtime winner courtesy of Aiden Oiring.
Oiring’s goal brought plenty of boos from the Brandon crowd after he appeared to upend Wheat Kings defenceman Dylan Ronald while chasing a loose puck behind the net. It was the second close non-call of the overtime, and seconds later Oiring wheeled in front and beat Kraus for the overtime winner.
While the non-calls generated plenty of controversy at the time, Kraus said it’s all in the rear-view mirror. Instead, the he said Prince Albert’s No. 2 ranking in the CHL Top 10 has given them more motivation.
“We have an opportunity to do something special and make a statement,” Kraus said. “Honestly, I think we have an amazing group here. All of us in the locker room would say we’ve underachieved from where we should be and we’re only on the way up.
“Now that we’re in November, I think that (overtime) game is long gone,” he added. “I think something like a controversial ending is, at the end of the day, out of our control. We’ve just got to focus on what’s in our control.
“I think we played a really good hockey game last time we played PA. It was back and forth all night. Ultimately it didn’t end up going our way, but we knew we were right with them. We’ve had two months to build this team and click as a group and gel. I think we’re really excited to see where we match up against the number two team in Canada.”
Kraus and the Wheat Kings face the Prince Albert Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, Nov. 21. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
News and Notes:
• The Wheat Kings enter Friday’s game with the second best power play in the WHL. Through 20 games, Brandon has scored on 33.8 per cent of their power play chances. Only the Prince George Cougars (37.8) have been better.
• While their power play has soared, Brandon’s penalty kill has struggled. They have the second worst PK in the WHL (66.7). Only the Vancouver Giants are worse (65.9).
• The Prince Albert Raiders have the 15th best power play, and eighth best penalty kill.
• The Raiders will be without forward Alisher Sarkenov for the foreseeable future after he was named to Kazakhstan’s roster for the Division I Group A U20 World Championships in Bled, Slovenia. Sarkenov has six goals and eight assists in 14 games with the Raiders this season. Kazakhstan opens the tournament on Dec. 7 against Ukraine.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
