Photo credit: Jim Hockley
Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees are excited to announce 1999-born goaltender Derek Krall has committed to the Vees for the 2018-19 season.
Krall, from Nanaimo, spent the majority of last season with the Nanaimo Buccaneers in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. In 27 games, Krall posted a record of 18-7-0 with a 2.76 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. For his efforts, he was awarded the VIJHL’s goalie of the year award.
He also appeared in the BCHL as an affiliate player for the Powell River Kings. In four games, all starts, Krall had a 3-1-0 record with a 2.08 goals against and a sparkling .947 save percentage.
His finest performance came February 16 when he made 46 saves in a 2-1 win against the Vernon Vipers in Powell River.
Krall also had three playoff appearances for the Kings last season, starting games one and two of their opening round series against the Nanaimo Clippers along with a relief appearance in game two of the Mainland Division final against the Prince George Spruce Kings. He was 1-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .923 save percentage in those three appearances.
Krall will join the rest of his Vees teammates for training camp in Penticton in August.
Vees play-by-play broadcaster caught up with Derek Krall for this feature story
Often times goaltenders have an origin story about transitioning from defence or forward to goalie when they were kids. While that holds true for Derek Krall, he also has a interesting story about how he became a hockey player.
“When I was younger I only played baseball and soccer,” Krall recalled. “Every morning I’d get up super early and watch NHL highlights. It eventually caught my parents attention and they thought ‘maybe we should put this kid in hockey.’ I started out on defence in atom and saw my friends playing in net. I thought it was cool, you’re kind of in your own little world. I started playing goalie in peewee.”
There’s no reason to doubt Krall would have become a successful defenceman as he grew older, but the switch to goaltender has proven to be a smart decision so far.
After two seasons with the North Island Silvertips Major Midget team in his hometown of Nanaimo, Krall elected to head to Shawnigan Lake School for his final year of midget eligibility in the 2016-17 season.
“I just thought it was a good opportunity for me, I couldn’t pass it up,” Krall said. “I wanted that school aspect of it, junior ‘B’ wasn’t really what I was leaning towards while I was still in high school, I wanted to make sure I had that taken care of.”
After graduating, Krall then looked to Junior ‘B’ as he latched on his with hometown Nanaimo Buccaneers in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. While he split the net with Blake Wood, it was clear Krall was the number one goalie as the season progressed, culminating into being named the VIJHL’s top goalie.
“I’m so fortunate I got to play alongside so many great 20 year olds,” Krall said of his season in Nanaimo. “It definitely exceeded my expectations, not only with what the team was able to do but with my own personal stats as well. I didn’t expect the award at all. I’m totally happy to get it but that wasn’t in my mind at all, it was definitely a team effort.”
Krall finished the season with an 18-7-0 record, 2.76 goals against average and .921 save percentage in 27 games. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as he appeared in five games with the Powell River Kings as an affiliate player.
“I backed up a bunch of games for them and unfortunately both of their goalies got hurt,” Krall said. “I knew I had to wait for my chance and knew that it was a chance to showcase myself. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity they gave me.”
Krall’s first BCHL game didn’t quite go as expected, 5-1 loss in Victoria December 10. He had to wait two months before getting another start, and he hit the ground running. Krall made 25 saves in a 4-1 win over Alberni Valley February 12, and followed that up with a monstrous 46 save performance in a 2-1 win over the Vernon Vipers four days later.
“You can mark that one down. That was a pretty cool feeling after the game to be able to say I beat the Vernon Vipers,” Krall said. “That’s something that I want to build off of but definitely was the pinnacle of my hockey career so far.”
Two nights after that game Krall was at it again, turning away 39 Chilliwack shots in a 7-1 drubbing of the Chiefs. His efforts again didn’t go unnoticed, this time by the BCHL as he was named the league’s player of the week.
“That week was pretty cool. I was just blown away with what was happening,” Krall admitted. “I didn’t feel like I was changing much in my game, things just kind of fell together. I felt great from there and want to keep working toward what’s next.”
All told, he posted a 3-1-0 record with a 2.08 GAA and .947 save percentage with the Kings.
Krall’s time in the BCHL didn’t end with the regular season coming to a close. With the Kings starting goalie still injured and given Krall’s recent performances, he was given the reigns to open the Fred Page Cup playoffs for Powell River, in his hometown.
“That was the cherry on top,” Krall said. “In front of my home crowd was insane. It’s a night and day difference between the BCHL and VIJHL. I’m thankful for getting that kind of experience for coming to a team like Penticton that always showcases themselves in the playoffs.”
Looking to make the jump to the BCHL for the 2018-19 season, Krall came to the Vees spring camp at the end of May hoping to make an impression. After having some discussions with Vees head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson leading up to the camp, Krall was given the good news during the camp that he would be a Penticton Vee next season.
“I can’t ask for much more, it’s something that I’m taking in stride,” Krall said. “Having a chance with Penticton is something that I’ve kind of dreamt of. I got to see them win the Fred Page Cup in Nanaimo in 2015, so to see that and now to be able to throw on the jersey is pretty special to me. I just want to do everything I can for the team to help them win.”