Inside Lacrosse confirmed last week what has been on Laxpower for several weeks now: CT A Peter Kraus has committed to Michigan for the class of 2012.
New Wolverine Peter Kraus (Photo by the New Canaan Advertiser)
Relevant Articles
From IL‘s commitment post:
A starter since his sophomore year for New Canaan, Kraus also plays club with the CT Chargers, playing at King of the Hill and Crab City Challenge. He was an All-Star at last year’s Maverik Showtime event. Also plays football as a WR.
For CT Chargers, he’s a teammate of fellow future Wolverine Charlie Keady. There’s one other IL post that mentions him, a recap from the Maverik Showtime Camp:
Peter Kraus (New Caanan, CT) had a nice goal taking it around from behind and pinging the top corner as he turned by GLE.
Not super-informative, though IL has also mentioned that his older brother is a “natural stick skills guy,” so hopefully it runs in the family. LaxPower message board poster said he was one of the best rising sophomores in Connecticut a couple years back.
He made all-FCIAC Honorable Mention this past season (he was listed as a key returner and “varsity veteran” for the team). He scored the first goal of the season for New Canaan, and the last as well, as they fell 12-2 to Wilton in the State Championship.
Kraus on the dodge.
He’s listed by Inside Lacrosse as an attackman, but LaxPower says he’s a midfield/attack, as does his LacrosseRecruits profile (which features photos and video of him taking a couple faceoffs, as well). The highlight videos on that site – linked below – show him performing both roles, but there’s much more emphasis on attack. At either position, he shows great lacrosse IQ and a feel for the game, probably his strongest asset. He’s patient – despite good quickness – and shows off good-not-great stick skills. His shot looks good, but it’s tough to tell from highlight videos.
His Maxpreps football profile lists him at 5-11, 165, so he’s no giant out there. That size could see him end up as a dodge-from-x attackman (which he does quite a bit of in the highlight videos), or an outside shooter from the midfield. Of course, it’s also possible that he grows a bit by the time he hits the field, and the size won’t be a factor.
Other Interest
The Inside Lacrosse post doesn’t mention other schools of interest, nor do any newspaper articles I could find.
Teammates of Note
Kraus is the fourth member of New Canaan’s class of 2012 to commit to a Division-1 school, following midfielders Tom Carey and John Brainard (Bryant and UMass, respectively) and goalkeeper Jimmy Joe Granito (!!!!), who will attend Loyola.
Only one member of New Canaan’s recently-graduated class will attend a D-1 school, but it’s a big one as midfielder Joe Costigan will attend North Carolina. Tim Fox will attend a postgrad year at Avon Old Farms, and Henry Eschricht is going to D-3 Washington College.
Two members of the class of 2010 are at Division-1 schools, with three players at D-3 schools, and another playing in Division-2. Peter’s older brother attended a post-grad year at the Brunswick School, and will play at St. Lawrence University this year.
Video
LacrosseRecruits has a trio of videos, both from scholastic and summer club competition. The longest clocks in at about three and a half minutes:
The other two are also worth checking out.
The Upshot
Kraus is a versatile, intelligent player, whose only real drawback at this point seems to be a lack of size. With more than a year to grow before he hits campus, it’s tough to project where he’ll end up.
With Michigan’s class currently heavy on attackmen (and a seeming focus on landing big attackmen), I would guess that he’ll end up playing in the midfield. He has all the tools to succeed, but it might take him a year or two to put on enough size to avoid getting beaten up on the field.
Down the road, he’s also a possibility for faceoff duty, as he’s performed that role in the past. However, I would guess he’s mostly used as an offensive midfielder who can also bump up and play a specific role on attack, as well.