DULUTH — “It’s just been fun to be a rookie again.”
That’s not something you hear very often in sports, but that was the response of Bulldogs freshman center Caitlin Kraemer when she was asked this week on the Duluth News Tribune Bulldog Insider Podcast about the start of her college career.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kraemer has three goals and an assist through eight games, with Minnesota State on deck this weekend for a WCHA series scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday in Mankato. She came to the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey program this fall as the all-time leading scorer on Canada’s Under-18 women’s national team with 37 goals and 53 points in 32 games.
“It’s good to be at the bottom again and have to work my way up and really earn my spot and respect,” Kraemer said. “It’s just been great to be in a new environment where everyone’s like minded and we’re all set on one goal, which is obviously to win the national championship.”
On the podcast this week, Kraemer spoke with the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and My 9 Sports' Zach Schneider about her path to UMD and how the Waterloo, Ontario native became a hockey star, while her sisters thrive in soccer.
Below is an edited excerpt from this week’s episode.
Bulldog Insider: Why did you choose UMD? What was it that stood out about this program back in the fall of 2022 when you made your commitment?
Caitlin Kraemer: Just the environment. Every girl is like-minded, and they're all great people, too.
I would say here it's good competition. We go really, really hard at each other at practice, but then we have the aspect of learning from each other and also respecting each other. Yeah, we go hard at practice, but then we're best friends off the ice. That's what really stood out to me, and just the coaches. You don’t get better than Laura Schuler. I just know I'm going to get the most out of my development here.
ADVERTISEMENT
BI: What's been your relationship with with with Coach Schuler and how far has that gone back over the years?
Kraemer: Another thing about Duluth is that they do such a great job of checking in on their players.
They also are in tune with how important mental health is in the game, in athletes and how that plays an aspect in the game. That was another aspect, just how often they checked in and how they cared about your opinion, too. You weren't just a player to them. You're also a person.
Schuler, I just love going in her office and talking about hockey, but then I know I can also go talk with her about life and what else I'm going through.
Me and coach Liv (Olivia Soars), we have this thing for cooking because I’m not the best cook. Every week I talk about something I’m going to cook. Last week was French onion soup with Clara (Van Wieren) and it went pretty good. So we’ve been able to have those outside hockey conversations, too.
BI: French onion soup sounds challenging. … That’s ambitious.
Kraermer: I don’t think I’m going to cut that much onion ever again.
ADVERTISEMENT
BI: The Bulldogs went through a transition at head coach this offseason. There was a month there where we didn’t really know who was going to replace Maura Crowell, though we had a good idea it was going to be Schuler. What was it like for you as a recruit going into your first year of college?
Kraemer: I was definitely disappointed. I was really looking forward to getting coached by Crowell, but also, Schuler was my main recruiter. I had the most conversations with her and I was also pretty confident that she was getting the head coaching spot. So it wasn't that difficult. I knew I always still wanted to spend four years at Duluth and wanted to go here no matter what. Obviously disappointing, but when you have such a deep coaching staff, it wasn't too concerning.
BI: Did you know Coach Schuler prior to being recruited by UMD? She has a long history going back with with Hockey Canada. Had you had a chance to work with her prior to UMD?
Kraemer: No, but another thing, why I chose Duluth is — it's a funny story. When Schuler coached the Olympic squad back then, I watched that and I said, ‘I want to get coached by her.’ And then it ended up happening. And I didn't connect the dots that it was Schuler until I was getting recruited. That's the coach that I saw on TV. So it was a cool connection.”
Check out the full episode for more from Kraemer. You can find the Bulldog Insider Podcast at DuluthNewsTribune.com/BulldogInsider , and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop almost every Thursday throughout the UMD men's and women's hockey seasons.
The Trust Project
