ORONO, Maine — Even though University of Maine senior defenseman Dru Krebs is only 23 years old, Black Bear head coach Ben Barr said he is like a “grandfather on the team.”
“He is extremely mature and he’s a great human being,” said Barr.
Krebs’ resume is different from most college hockey players’.
He came to UMaine after playing 142 professional games: 140 in the ECHL and two in the American Hockey League. He has also played in a National Hockey League exhibition game.
“I thought it was an opportunity to get some school done and also elevate my game play,” said the 23-year-old Krebs, who has been a steady stay-at-home presence on the blue line paired with offensive-minded Lukas Peterson. “There is a lot more practicing (at the college level) and the games are (more) high-intensity. This puts me in position to re-enter pro after a year and make a step forward.”
Krebs, who is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, said he needed to gain weight, and the additional workouts at the college level help him do so and put him in a better position to be a pro hockey player.
“I’ve heard from other guys that playing in the NCAA is an unbelievable experience,” he said. “I knew some guys who played at Maine and they absolutely loved it here so I said there is nothing to lose coming to play for Maine.”
Even though he has yet to register a point, he is plus-one in plus-minus and is averaging 18 minutes and 9 seconds of playing time per game. He has three blocked shots.
Players receive a plus-one when they are on the ice when their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the other team scores one.
While the ECHL plays 72 regular season games, there are only 34 in college hockey.
“For college games, everybody is so pent up to play these two games a week. And every game is so much more important. There are a lot more games in pro hockey so the players play a little bit more passively and tend to play within the system a little bit more,” Krebs said. “College is kind of run-and-gun. It resembles how playoff games are in pro hockey in terms of the intensity for every single game.”
He played his first two games at Alfond Arena two weekends ago when the Black Bears split with nationally ranked Quinnipiac, and he said he will never forget the experience.
“It was unbelievable. For the first warmup, I had some shivers and goose bumps,” said the Okotoks, Alberta, native. “To see everybody around and hear the band was really cool to experience for the first time. It was pretty sweet.
“I really enjoy playing with these guys. And playing with my partner (Peterson) has been good.”
Peterson said he feels the same way.
“It has been awesome. It has been a pretty smooth transition for him. He is honestly very easy to play with,” Peterson said. “He plays a very simple game. He knows his role out there. After playing with (Brandon Holt) last year, he’s kind of a similar player. It has been an easy transition.”
UMaine graduate student left wing and captain Owen Fowler said when Peterson and Krebs are on the ice “it’s always a good thing.”
Barr called Krebs’ game “very efficient.”
“He does really well getting the puck out of our zone. He has a good stick,” Barr said. “He has been a great addition not just as a hockey player but as a person for our locker room.”
“He’s a good leader out there, a veteran guy,” said senior center and alternate captain Max Scott. “He makes good plays and a good guy to have in the locker room. He is a very well-spoken guy. He holds down the back end with (Peterson). We love having him.”
Krebs played in 67 regular season games and 15 playoff games for the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets a year ago. He had 4 goals and 15 assists during the regular season and was plus-31 and had a goal and two assists in the playoffs and was a plus-four.
He had played in 58 regular season games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the ECHL in 2024-25 and had 2 goals and 10 assists. He also played in two games for the AHL’s Ontario Reign and didn’t register a point.
Krebs has two older brothers, Dakota and Peyton, who both played hockey. Peyton is a forward with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres with 400 career NHL games to his credit between Vegas and Buffalo.
He said both have been major influences in his career.
Krebs was a sixth round draft choice of the Washington Capitals in 2021, and Peyton was a first round choice of Vegas in 2019. They wound up playing against each other in an NHL exhibition game.
“I had to defend him. It was all good. I didn’t get scored on. He doesn’t have anything on me. It was pretty fun,” Krebs said. “I always watch him play and he watches me and gives me some pointers. He has been such a big influence on me. I look up to him and model myself after him. He is such a great human being.”
The 2-2 Black Bears entertain 0-4 Colgate for a two-game series this weekend.
Krebs said his goal for the rest of the season is to “play a simple game, support my teammates and play the way I can to earn my coaches’ trust and work off of that.”
Fowler said Krebs is “unreal.”
“He has a lot of experience at a different level, and he is wise in his play and his off-ice habits,” Fowler said. “He knows what it takes. He has been a great add.”