QA with Kevin Gravel

The name Kevin Gravel may be mispronounced over the PA system at nearly every rink in the USHL, but it's definitely known in the scouting community. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound defenseman instantly grabs attention with his size, keeps it with his raw tools, and then garners even more with his resume. Gravel nearly made the U.S. National Team Development Program's 1992 team (a team that features one of, if the, best d-corps the program has ever had). He was called upon by the NTDP to play with the U-17 team at the 2009 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament, and has twice played for Team USA since, at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Tournament in August with the U-18 Select Team and the 2009 World Junior A Challenge in November with a collection of prime American-born junior A talent. He's also already committed to a respected college program in the WCHA. With that combination of size, raw tools, and resume, even though Gravel has had very modest offensive production with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2009-10, it's a near certainty that his name will be called at some point in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft come June, and hopefully with correct pronunciation.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to talk with Kevin Gravel after a game in late January. The young defenseman discussed his selection to skate in the USHL All-Star Game, his development in both the USHL and the NAHL, his exploits with Team USA thrice, his commitment to St. Cloud State, his youth hockey in the UP of Michigan, and the NHL defensemen he looks up to (figuratively, for the most part).

McKeen's: To start off, do I have that right, Gra-VELLE?

Gravel: Yep, Gra-VELLE

McKeen's: Oh, good. That's what Chris Peters from the Development Program told me, and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. So, I'm glad I got that right.

Gravel: More times than not, everyone says "gravel" (such as for roads).

McKeen's: That's what they said tonight.

Gravel: Oh, yeah. They do it everywhere.

McKeen's: This wasn't the planned first question that I had, but how long does the team expect you to be out?

Gravel: I'm hoping I can go tomorrow. My trainer, he didn't want to take any chances, which is understandable, because you don't want to really take chances with a head injury. But, I think it's real minor. I was feeling a little jittery, kind of a little shakey, so he just didn't want to take any chances. But, hopefully I'm good to go tomorrow. We'll see how I wake up tomorrow morning.

McKeen's: So far in this interview, you seem pretty lucid.

Gravel: Yeah, yeah.

McKeen's: Chronologically, going through the USHL All-Star Game, on January 22 you were named as a replacement for Eamonn McDermott, who's out injured. So, when did you learn that you'd been named to the team, who told you, and what was your reaction?

Gravel: Actually, we were packing and getting ready for a road trip to Green Bay, we were leaving Wednesday night for Green Bay. Just as I was about to walk out of the house, my assistant coach called me and said I was named to the All-Star Team, so I had to scramble to pack another week's worth of clothes, get my suit done and all of that. I was a pretty big mess there when I was trying to get ready, but it was worth it. It was a real fun time.

McKeen's: You did play in the game and Montreal Canadiens' scout Pat Westrum was the head coach for your team. What did he say to you guys before, during, and after the game?

Gravel: Well, obviously, he knows what he's talking about, he's a scout for Montreal. So, whenever he talked, we paid attention. He just kind of told us to go out there and actually play hard, don't take it like a regular all-star game, because there's a bunch of people here watching, and we're not in the NHL yet. So, we still've gotta go out there and play hard like it's a regular game.

McKeen's: That goes well into my next question, how did the All-Star Game compare to a typical USHL game?

Gravel: There was (pauses), I mean, obviously there were no penalties called, so the refs kind of laid-off the penalties a little bit, but it was up-and-down offense. A little bit less stress on the defense, everybody was offensive. But, I think it still resembled it, because there was still hitting out there. So, it resembled a game a little bit. It was pretty good.

McKeen's: What did you take away from the experience?

Gravel: I thought it was really fun. Not a lot of guys get to do that, only 40 guys a year. So, I'll definitely take it.

McKeen's: Earlier this month, Central Scouting came out with their mid-season rankings and, if I remember right, you're slotted right about at 60th overall amongst North American skaters, which isn't too bad. What's your reaction to being ranked such by Central Scouting?

Gravel: It's obviously a big honor. I try not to look too much into rankings, because it's still so far away. Hopefully I can keep working hard and everything works out and maybe I can move up a little bit.

McKeen's: What are your plans for next year? Does it look like you're coming back next year?

Gravel: I'm not sure yet. I'm still talking to St. Cloud a little bit, they're still watching me, deciding what's best for my development and if I go there next year or not. If not, I'll come back another year here, and it won't hurt me.

McKeen's: It's your rookie season in the USHL, after playing in the North American Hockey League. So, what have been the biggest adjustments for you and how does the play here compare to North American League?

Gravel: It's a lot more skilled here, definitely. The North American League is a lot more older guys, kind of grinding it out, rough hockey. Here, there's a lot more skill offensively, and it's a lot faster game. There's a lot more talent here.

McKeen's: Some players decide instead of making the jump to the North American League, as you did, to continue playing midget triple-A. Tell me about your decision to play Tier II juniors and make the jump sooner rather than later.

Gravel: Well, I'd played hockey there the last three years. I had a family up there, and it's only an hour and a half from my hometown. So, it was an easy transition, I didn't move there. I lived there the year before that. I talked to the head coach at the tryout to make sure that I was going to get ice, because if I wasn't going to get ice, I'd go back for another year of midgets. So, that was the most important thing for me. He said I was going to play.

McKeen's: Tell me about your role with the [Marquette] Rangers last year and in what areas you feel you improved the most last year?

Gravel: I started out (pauses), I was obviously a really young kid, so I was limited in the beginning, but as the year went on I kind of got my feet under me. By the end of the year, I was out there in key situations, powerplay, penalty killing. So, I feel like I improved in pretty much everything. I think I grew a lot last year, particularly confidence wise.

McKeen's: Similarly, what would you say your role with the Musketeers has been so far this season and in what areas have you improved the most here?

Gravel: This year, I'm relied on pretty heavily defensively. I have three points, so that kind of shows it a lot right there. I just try to make sure that I don't get scored on when I'm on the ice, and the points will take care of themselves, I guess. I think I've gotten a lot stronger defensively, my skating, and my puck movement.

McKeen's: Along the lines of improvement, what are the areas that you feel you still need to improve on to take your game to the next level?

Gravel: I definitely need to get stronger, that's a big thing for me right now. Then, try to chip in a little bit offensively and move my feet a little bit jumping into the play when I have the opportunity. When I'm wheeling around the net sometimes, I have the tendency to stop moving my feet when I'm looking for a play. So, I think I need to focus on moving my feet and getting a lot stronger for the next level.

McKeen's: That's not an uncommon problem, or habit, for players to have, to stop moving the feet before they make that breakout pass. You mentioned gaining size, you're listed at 6-foot-4, but what is the weight at nowadays?

Gravel: Like, 185, 190, around there. It kind of fluctuates.

McKeen's: They have you at 175 on the line charts. I'm like, "He doesn't look quite that light."

Gravel: Yeah, I was 175 at the beginning of the year. They haven't really updated it I guess. It'd be kind of nice if they did.

McKeen's: (Chuckles). On the flipside, for someone who hasn't seen you play, what would you say are the strengths of your game and the style you play?

Gravel: I'm a defense-first kind of guy. I think I'm pretty reliable in the defensive zone. I try to make that good first pass to breakout. Then, I skate pretty well for my size. So, like I said, I try to move my feet a little bit and make some plays, but I'm a defense-first kind of guy.

McKeen's: Last season the National Team Development Program called upon you about this time last time, for the Vlad Dzurilla Tournament. What was it like to get that call, how did you find out, and how did you feel when you did?

Gravel: My coach pulled me aside after practice and let me know that I was going to go over to Slovakia with them in a week or two. We actually played them on a Saturday night in Marquette, so I just got on the bus with them after the game and drove down to Ann Arbor. It was a little awkward, but I knew most of the guys. I was there for tryouts, and I'd played against a couple of them, but it was definitely a great honor going over there. Obviously, wearing the USA logo on your chest definitely means something.

McKeen's: How did you find the Vlad Dzurilla Tournament compared to what you had been playing in the North American League and how did you feel you did?

Gravel: A lot less hitting. Those European teams, it's a lot more moving the puck, creativity offensively. I thought I played pretty well. It was my first time playing internationally, so obviously I took a little time to adjust to it, but I thought I played pretty well at the tournament.

McKeen's: You played again with Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge. Similar to the previous questions, how did you find out you'd been named to that team, who told you, and what was your reaction?

Gravel: Coach [Luke] Strand actually told me that. He told me in the office, me and Will Yanakeff, we're roommates, so he told us both at the same time and let us know we'd be going up there in a week or so for a couple weeks. It was a real fun time. I was a little more prepared. I'd played Russia twice before, not twice, but once, and I played them in the summer, too. I'd played all those teams before, so I definitely knew what to expect a little more.

McKeen's: That's right, because you played at the Hlinka Tournament as well, kind of giving you the trifecta. How did the Hlinka Tournament compare to the Challenge and the Dzurilla Tournament?

Gravel: I think the Hlinka Tournament was (pauses), it was obviously all 1992s, and it's the best in the world from each country. So, it was a good tournament, a lot of good players there. At the Junior A Challenge, Canada doesn't have their big boys up there, they're all playing major juniors, they don't go. I found a lot of teams were younger. Like, Russia was a lot of 1992's and 1991's. I think we were definitely the best team up there, though. So, it definitely went well.

McKeen's: Tell me about your role on the Challenge team and who you paired with the most.

Gravel: I was with Kevin Albers from Green Bay for the whole tournament. We were pretty much relied on defensively, like I am here. We penalty killed and we got a pretty consistent shift, so it was a good time.

McKeen's: I was talking with Kevin Lind the other week and he brought up Kevin Albers, how he thought he (Albers) played pretty well up there.

Gravel: Yeah, he's a good player. It was bad to see him get hurt, he's a fun kid, but he's definitely a good player.

McKeen's: As we've noted, you're committed to St. Cloud State, and it's fairly well-known that's where your father played. Going back to the whole college thing, when did colleges first start contacting you, what other programs were in the running, and then what made you decide on St. Cloud in the end?

Gravel: About a quarter of the way through my midget year, I started getting calls from schools and all of that. Northern [Michigan] was obviously on me pretty heavily, they're right in my backyard, or I was right in their backyard, whatever way you want to look at it. The decision was between Northern, Michigan State, and St. Cloud. I liked the WCHA a lot as a league, and obviously my dad played at St. Cloud, which turned me on a little bit to it, and then just the school as a whole, it's definitely a hockey school. The atmosphere there was unreal in the rink, and they're doing the renovations to it right now. They have a good team, the coaches, they have everything.

McKeen's: Hockey is king at St. Cloud.

Gravel: For sure.

McKeen's: No doubt about it. Going back to the beginning of your hockey career, when did you first start playing and, although I think I know the answer to this, how did you get that start?

Gravel: Obviously my dad for that one, yep. But, I think I started, first time skating, when I was three. I started to get on the ice a little bit. Competitive, as young as you can get, mini mites, I don't know what they call it now, but something like that.

McKeen's: Yeah, it kind of changes depending on what organization you're in, with stuff like atoms, mini mites, and etcetera. For what organizations did you skate for coming up through the ranks? I'm aware you played for the Electricians prior to the Rangers, but who all did you play for?

Gravel: My pee wee years, I played Double-A over in Escanaba, Michigan. Then, my two bantam years, I played Double-A up in Marquette. Then, I stuck around there and played my only year of Triple-A for the Electricians, and then I played for the Rangers.

McKeen's: Prior to pee wee?

Gravel: Just house hockey, Dickinson Amateur Hockey Association in Iron Mountain.

McKeen's: We've touched upon how it's your draft year, but if I were a director of amateur scouting advising my GM on draft day, what are some reasons I should consider drafting Kevin Gravel in the third round or early fourth, going by Central Scouting?

Gravel: Well, I think I'm only going to get better. I'm still developing as a player. Like I've said, I think I'm pretty responsible in the defensive zone, I'm a big guy, and I'm only going to add strength as I get older, and I skate pretty well for my size. So, hopefully teams notice that and I can be drafted.

McKeen's: This may not be a fair question to ask you, but what would you say to scouts who really still look at you as more of a fifth-or sixth-rounder?

Gravel: I don't really know if there's anything you can say. You've just got to go prove it to them on the ice, I guess. Just go out there and play my game and show them that I should be a higher pick than what they think.

McKeen's: A prospect like yourself that's going to go somewhere in the draft oftentimes has representation. Do you have, in your case, a family advisor?

Gravel: I do. Eddie Ward, from Newport Sports.

McKeen's: A highly regarded agency. Lastly, who were some of your favorite players earlier in your youth and who are some players today that you feel you equate to or would like to be similar to?

Gravel: My favorite player, I don't resemble him at all, so it's kind of weird that he's my favorite, would be Dion Phaneuf. He's a lot more physical than I am. So, I think I would compare to either Brent Burns from Minnesota or [Ed] Jovanovski a little bit, they're both pretty big skating defensemen who move the puck pretty well.

McKeen's: Favorite earlier in your youth?

Gravel: Well, obviously, being a Michigan boy, I'd say [Nicklas] Lidstrom, just everything about Nicklas Lidstrom.

McKeen's: I'm getting some Niklas Kronwall these days, too...

Gravel: Yeah, yeah.

McKeen's: … but Lidstrom still shows up a lot.