USHL: QA with Aaron Crandall

McKeen's had the opportunity to talk with Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Aaron Crandall only a few days after committing to the University of Wisconsin. Crandall discussed his college choice, his early experience in the USHL and in high school, playing for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, the aspects of his game he is working on, and his respect for a former Minnesota Wild goaltender.

McKeen's: First off, congratulations to committing to Wisconsin. What were some of the things that factored into making that decision?

Crandall: Well, I took a visit down there last weekend with our captain, Ryan Little. I had never seen the campus before and I went down there and it was awesome, real petty campus. I kind of knew the coaches already, but the coaches all seem awesome and then their goalie coach, Bill Howard, just reading stuff about him, I haven't even met him yet, considering some of the goalie's he's produced in the NHL has been awesome. And then the support and the aid they give to their athletes down there is second to none.

McKeen's: I take it the development of recent goalies like Brian Elliott and Bernd Bruckler helps too?

Crandall: Yeah, definitely.

McKeen's: I suppose it also helped that three of their four goaltenders are juniors this year and will have graduated by the time you go there, because you are 2009, right?

Crandall: Yeah, I'm 2009. They said that Connelly will be out and Gudmundson, who's their freshman, will be a junior when I come in as a freshman.

McKeen's: You were recently USHL Goaltender of the Week. Tell me about that weekend and how it felt to win that award.

Crandall: That was a real good week for us because we hadn't had a win yet, and we bounced back real well. Wednesday, a big win against Waterloo. I played pretty well. We were clearing shots, it was awesome. The same with Saturday, we came back fighting in Chicago. That was probably our best week of the season so far and it felt real good.

McKeen's: You've been at it with the Gamblers for about two months counting the pre-season and training camp. What's your assessment of the USHL so far?

Crandall: Coming from high school last year, it's a lot faster league. Things happen really quick. You've got to stay focused for all 60 minutes in this league. You can't let your guard down. Like Coach 'Maz' (Green Bay Gambles Head Coach Mark Mazzoleni) says, "If you lose focus at all, your flaws will be exposed in this league." And it's true.

McKeen's: You mentioned this a bit already, but tell me more about some of the differences between high school hockey with St. Thomas Academy and juniors in the USHL.

Crandall: I think that the depth in this league, I mean, first to fourth line, you've got guys that are going to play college hockey in this league. You only see a couple of the studs on each high school team, which makes a big difference. Like I was saying, you have to focus the whole time, because they keep coming.

McKeen's: What are some of the changes that you have had to make in your preparation and in your training?

Crandall: Our trainer, Dave Stahlke, he does a good job. We work out Mondays through Wednesday, and then I have a goalie coach too and we work out pretty rigorously on Mondays and Wednesdays. You have to get out more aggressive and you've really got to clean up your rebounds in this league.

McKeen's: You played for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. What was it like to play for Team USA in the Czech Republic and how did that hockey compare to what you have been playing in the USHL?

Crandall: First of all, it was awesome. Putting the USA jersey on was awesome. We didn't do as good as we thought, but the experience was second to none. The hockey over there, it's not as quick as the USHL, there's not much body contact over there. It's real open and an Olympic-sized rink. So, there's a lot less room in the USHL, things happen a lot quicker because of the contact and stuff.

McKeen's: With that Select Team, the USA Festivals kind of feed into it. How have the USA Select Festivals helped you over the years?

Crandall: Well, it's helped me kind of see who's all out there for my age and see what players there are, what I need to do to improve to get into the elite players of that group. I think USA Hockey does a real good job bringing everyone together and not just having you represent your state.

McKeen's: Playing in the Hlinka Tournament, did that give you a head start going into this season?

Crandall: Well, it was the best hockey at that time that I had played in and I think it definitely helped out, being with the caliber of guys I was with, just even with practices. This league is a little step above, I think. It helps you prepare, but just practicing with our team now, being on the ice every day, is definitely helping too.

McKeen's: You won the State Championship, Class A, in 2006. Tell me about that experience.

Crandall: Well, I was a sophomore and we had a real young team. Jordan Schroeder was on our team, we had some real good guys up front, probably one of the best hockey moments of my life so far. It was awesome. We had a tough go at it the next year. We still made it to State, we had a good year, that was by far one of the best hockey year's I've ever played.

McKeen's: You mentioned one of your teammates Jordan Schroeder, you also had a couple other really good teammates, one of who you would have played tonight, if he wasn't elsewhere, Ryan Walters, and then also Nick Larson. Tell me a bit about their games.

Crandall: Walters is a goal scorer, a flat-out goal scorer. He's got decent skating and decent hands, but around the net, he's awesome. And Larson, he's a grinder. He'll score, but he mixes it up real well. He gets into people's heads. They're different players, but they're both instrumental to a team I think.

McKeen's: And Schroeder?

Crandall: Oh, Schroeder? I mean, he's a stud. He does everything. He makes everyone on the ice better when he plays with them. I don't think his size is really a factor or anything. He's so hard to hit. His hockey sense is second to none.

McKeen's: How did coaches Tom and Greg Vannelli help prepare you for this level?

Crandall: Well, they had real intense practices. With the guys that they brought in that came to play for them, with the practice schedule, very rigorous on workouts and keeping your schoolwork up, they're really good coaches. It shows with some of the guys they've put through to the USHL and to the national program.

McKeen's: Do you feel going to an academy like St. Thomas was an advantage over going to, perhaps, a less-focused public high school?

Crandall: Well, I mean the academics is hard. It was harder for some people that actually played sports for St. Thomas because of the demand on athletics. For an advantage, we had a rink right on campus and, it was a small school, so we were tight with all our classmates. The atmosphere was real good in high school.

McKeen's: Obviously, players are trying to improve on all areas all the time, but what are some of the things you're really concentrating on this season to improve on?

Crandall: This season? I think you can always work on your movements around the crease, getting quicker, getting out more aggressive, because it keeps getting faster, and then rebound control is huge, because the guys are just hounds around the net.

McKeen's: On the flip side, what of the things you feel you already do well are strengths of your game?

Crandall: I would say some of my strengths are probably some of the things I'm still working on. I think my rebounds are pretty good. I still have to work on them. I handle the puck pretty well, I don't make too many mistakes doing that, and that's also because our d-men. We have good communication between the both of us. I think that I'm pretty aggressive. I stay out of my net while I'm challenging.

McKeen's: Lastly, who was your favorite player or goaltender growing up and why?

Crandall: My favorite goalie growing up? Probably Dwayne Roloson when he played for Minnesota, because he was awesome. I go to his camps in the summer still. I've met him, and he actually lives close to one of my friends, but 'Rolie' was definitely one of my idols growing up.