Kruzel is back for another season with Mustangs

The Ogden Mustangs have power forward Kerry Kruzel back for 2018-19.

Kruzel had a solid first campaign with the Mustangs last season. He  had 20 goals and 10 assists in the regular season. It took him a little  while to get going, held off the scoresheet through his first seven  games. He then picked up three points in each of his next three games to  get himself going. He finished the season strong with some huge points  in late-season and playoff games against the Colorado Jr. Eagles.

In the penultimate games of the season, on the road in the Thorne Cup  Finals at El Paso, Kruzel had two goals and two assists in five Thorne  Cup Finals games. Kruzel played well on the league’s biggest stage, but  ultimately didn’t get the team result he wanted to end with, coming up  just short in the championship game.

“Last year is in the past,” Kruzel said. “This is a new team, with a  new identity, new leaders — new everything, really. I think this is  going to be a hard-working year. Obviously the end goal is to bring home  the Thorne Cup. I’m really excited to get started on this season.”

Born in 1999, Kruzel will have another season of junior hockey  eligibility remaining after this one. At 6-feet and 220 pounds, he’s a  powerful skater, with a lot of speed, who can grind in the dirty areas  and also put the puck in the net.

Kruzel officially calls Atlanta, Georgia home and is part of a  pipeline of TPH Thunder alumni who have been key contributors in Ogden,  including Max Dorfman, Zeke Zeier, Ryan Mascali and Ian Currie.