Justin Krueger

Justin Krueger
Krueger playing with the German National Team
Born	6 October 1986 Düsseldorf, West Germany
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
NLA team Former teams	SC Bern Charlotte Checkers
National team	Germany
NHL Draft	213th overall, 2006 Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career	2010–present

Justin Matthew Krueger (born 6 October 1986 in Düsseldorf, Germany^[1]) is a German-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who signed a contract in May 2013 to return to SC Bern.^[2] Previously he played for the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes.^[3] He was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 7th round (213th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Krueger begann his ice hockey career at Duisburger SV in Germany, where his father Ralph Krueger had his first stint as a coach in 1989.^[4] After his father had signed with the Austrian club VEU Feldkirch in 1991, Justin continued his career in the Feldkirch youth setup. He then joined the HC Davos junior team, after his father had been named head coach of the Swiss Men’s National Team.

In 2004, Justin recorded 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 38 games for HC Davos in the Swiss Junior League.^[5] Krueger moved after one year from Davos to North America and signed with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. After this season he was named the Best Conditioned Athlete by Penticton Vees and was drafted in the seventh round, 213th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.^[5] Justin was then recruited to play collegiate hockey, joining the Cornell Big Red as a freshman in 2006.^[6] In his final season at Cornell (2009–10), Krueger was named ECAC Hockey Defensive Defenseman of the Year.^[7]

Krueger played for the SC Bern team in the 2010–11 season, and began playing in North America within the Carolina Hurricanes' farm system for the 2011–12 season.^[8] After two years in the American Hockey League, he returned to SC Bern on a two-year deal in May 2013^[9] and in November 2014 had his contract extended through the 2017–18 season.^[10] He won the Swiss championship with SCB in 2016.

International play

Krueger landed a spot on the roster of the German under-18 Men's National Team in 2003^[11] and represented Germany at the 2004 under-18 and 2005 under-20 World Championships. At the 2005 tournament, he served as captain of the German squad.^[12]

He first tried out for the German Men's National Team before the 2009 Deutschland Cup held in Munich, Germany,^[13] but did not play for that tournament. He was chosen to play for Team Germany for the first time in April 2010^[14] and then participated in the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.^[15]

Personal life

Justin is the son of the former ice hockey player Ralph Krueger.^[16] In 2010 he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management at Cornell University.^[17]

His grandparents come from Düsseldorf, Germany, and emigrated to Canada in 1952.^[18]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Penticton Vees	BCHL		55	7	15	22	25		15	3	6	9	13
2006–07	Cornell University	ECAC		31	1	5	6	24		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Cornell University	ECAC		35	4	5	9	33		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Cornell University	ECAC		35	1	4	5	24		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Cornell University	ECAC		34	1	11	12	22		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	SC Bern	NLA		50	1	10	11	61		11	0	2	2	8
2011–12	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		58	2	11	13	36		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		69	1	14	15	31		5	0	2	2	0
2013–14	SC Bern	NLA		48	3	5	8	26		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	SC Bern	NLA		41	3	14	17	43		9	0	0	0	2
AHL totals				127	3	25	28	67		5	0	2	2	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004	Germany	WJC18-D1	11th		5	0	1	1	4
2006	Germany	WJC-D1	11th		5	0	1	1	2
2010	Germany	WC	4th		9	0	1	1	0
2011	Germany	WC	7th		7	0	1	1	8
2012	Germany	WC	12th		7	1	0	1	2
2013	Germany	WC	9th		4	0	0	0	0
2014	Germany	WC	14th		6	0	0	0	4
2015	Germany	WC	10th		7	0	2	2	2
Junior totals					10	0	2	2	6
Senior totals					40	1	4	5	16

Awards and honors

Award	Year
ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team	2010	[19]

References

1. "NEWS SINGLEVIEW". www.iihf.com. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
2. Justin Krueger Signs In Switzerland. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
3. Checkers set lineup for first preseason game. Official website of Charlotte Checkers, 30 September 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
4. Thelen, Friedhelm. "Die Heimkehr des Justin Krueger". WAZ. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
5. Eliteprospects.com – Justin Krueger
6. College Hockey News: Justin Krueger
7. "Krueger Named League's Best Defensive Defenseman – ECAC Hockey". www.ecachockey.com. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
8. "Canes Agree to Terms with Justin Krueger". Carolina Hurricanes. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
9. "Justin Krueger kehrt zum SCB zurück". bernerzeitung.ch/. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
10. "Meldung". SCB Eishockey AG. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
11. "RODI-DB – Die deutsche Eishockey-Datenbank". www.rodi-db.de. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
12. "Justin Krueger – 2009–10 Men's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 2016-02-12.
13. Krupp testet Spieler beim Deutschland-Cup mit Blick auf Olympia: "Niemand hat einen Freifahrtsschein"
14. Heinrich, Marc (2010-04-22). "Eishockey-Nationalmannschaft Wie der Sohn, so der Vater?". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
15. Alan Adams (2010-05-10). "Krueger cheers for son". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
16. "Cornell University – 2009–10 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Cornell Big Red. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
17. "Justin Krueger im SPOX-Interview "Mein Bachelor in Hotelmanagement"". spoz.com. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
18. "Justin Krueger: «Beim SCB gefiel meinem Vater alles»". bernerzeitung.ch/. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
19. "All-Tournament Honors" (PDF). ECAC Hockey. Retrieved 2014-05-12.

External links

• Justin Krueger's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
  
• Justin Krueger's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database