Iceman, Kyle Rau

by Kolbe Nelson
May 02, 2011 8:44 PM


In just eleven regular season games with the Sioux Falls Stampede, Kyle Rau was able to pick up four goals and six assists. Not a bad opening act for a high school kid from Minnesota, but when the USHL playoffs rolled around, that's when Rau really took center stage, pouring on six goals and four assists in just his first six games of the postseason.

"He's been a huge addition, he came in," Teammate Connor Reilly says, "Having a great high school career and he's playing some awesome hockey right now. He's got a great nose for the net, he's been tremendous to our success lately."

A great high school career would be an understatement. Rau scored the game winning goal in the third overtime of his Eden Prarie Eagles' state title game this season against Duluth East. That capped off a year where he scored 33 goals and 36 assists in just 25 games played. Now he's joined a Stampede team that was already good, and has gotten even better.

"I think there's been a lot of areas where this team has continued to grow and I think when we added Kyle Rau, obviously he's taken us to another level again," Stampede Head Coach Kevin Hartzell said. "He's maybe the best fore checker I've ever seen, he just pounces on situations and competes for every puck, and he's got special ability around the net so he's a special player."

And how does Rau feel about his most recent success on the ice?

"I'm just another part of the puzzle on this team," Rau says. "Linemates have just been throwing it to me in front of the net and I've just been putting it in."

Rau hopes he's able to keep doing that as the Stampede look to dig themselves out of the two-nothing hole they've found themselves in with Dubuque.

Follow KDLT Weekend Sports Anchor Kolbe Nelson on Twitter at @KolbeNelson