Ryan Kraft (born November 7, 1975) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

Winger who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) with the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

. He is currently an assistant coach for the

Minnesota Magicians The Wisconsin Windigo are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division. Based in Eagle River, Wisconsin, the Windigo play their home games at Eagle River Stadium, affectitionately referred to as the "D ...

of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

Playing career

Kraft played collegiate hockey with the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

(WCHA) before he was selected in the eighth round, 194th overall, in the

1995 NHL Entry Draft The 1995 NHL Entry Draft was the 33rd NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. The drafting order was now set partially by a lottery system whereby teams would not be guaranteed first pick if they finished last. I ...

by the

. As a member of the Sharks'

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

affiliate, the

Richmond Renegades The Richmond Renegades were an ECHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia that played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1990 until 2003. The Renegades played at the Richmond Coliseum, which they marketed in later years as ''the Freezer''. Th ...

, Kraft was named to the ECHL All-Star Team during the 1998–99 season and the 1999–2000 season. Kraft would finish his rookie season as a point-per-game player, scoring 64 points in 63 games during the regular season. Kraft would also go on to score 20 points in 18 post-season games in that same season. Richmond would go on to lose to eventual Kelly Cup Champion Mississippi in overtime of the seventh and deciding game of the Finals. Kraft had previously played for the

of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

, scoring one assist in seven games.

Coaching career

On January 29, 2013, it was announced that Kraft would serve as assistant coach of the

in the

. On June 24, 2019 Kraft was named head coach of the Moorhead Minnesota High School girls varsity hockey team.

Personal

Kraft was born in Bottineau,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

and raised and currently resides in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraft, Ryan 1975 births American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey left wingers Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Cleveland Barons (2001–2006) players Cleveland Lumberjacks players Ice hockey coaches from Minnesota Ice hockey people from North Dakota Kassel Huskies players Kentucky Thoroughblades players Living people Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players People from Bottineau County, North Dakota People from Moorhead, Minnesota Richmond Renegades players San Jose Sharks draft picks San Jose Sharks players Ice hockey players from Minnesota