Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.bucshockey.com
- Name: Chad Rau
- Position: C
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Birthdate: 1987-01-18
- Eligible for Draft: 2005
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
- Acquired: 228th overall, 2005 NHL Entry Draft by Toronto
- Playing In: NCAA
Chad Rau
Prospect Grade: 7.0 D (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: DJ Powers
History
The Eden Prairie, MN native’s sensational season led to the USHL’s Rookie of the Year honor in 2004-05. He led the Buccaneers in virtually every offensive category including points (71), goals (31), assists (40) and power play goals (12). His 71 points also led all USHL rookies. One statistic that is perhaps the most telling of all about Rau’s importance to Des Moines was the fact that he averaged nearly 1.25 points per game while the rest of the team averaged less than half a point. Rau was the lone USHL player to be a part of Team USA’s gold-medal winning squad at the recent IIHF World U-18 Championship in the Czech Republic. Rau’s season performance earned him numerous honors including selections to the All-USHL First and All-Rookie Teams. He also earned a selection to the USHL Prospects/All-Star game but did not play due to his participation in the Five Nations Tournament in Sweden, where helped propel Team USA to victory.
2005-06: This young center has displayed impressive offensive talents during his freshman season with the Colorado College Tigers. He ended his first season with 30 points in just 47 games, building upon the offensive success he enjoyed in Des Moines of the USHL.
2006-07: As a sophomore, he tallied 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 39 games. He led Colorado College in faceoff win percentage last season and led the team with 18 power play points. His ability to step up at critical times in the game is his best attribute, as evidenced by the fact that he factored in on eight game-winning goals (one goal, seven assists).
Talent Analysis
Des Moines assistant coach Brad Frattaroli’s insights on Rau: “Chad is definitely a natural goal-scorer. He has that game breaking ability. He’s got a good and quick release that’s pretty accurate. He’s got a knack for being in the scoring areas and being able to quickly get his shots off. He’s also a creative goal scorer. He can score from pretty much anywhere in the offensive zone. Chad isn’t a bad skater but he could improve his first couple of steps. Once Chad gets going, he’s fine, but it’s just that initial burst of speed that he needs to improve on. Chad leads by example and is the type of player who can jump start his team if necessary. He’s very smart and can make things happen.”
Des Moines head coach Regg Simon’s insights on Chad Rau: “Chad has great hockey sense in the offensive zone and around the net. He’s able to put himself in positions to score. There’s no question that he carried our team offensively. We lived and died by Chad Rau for much of last season. He was very durable and, especially being a marked man for us, was able to still carry our team. Chad plays a lot bigger than his 5’11/175 lbs. frame. He’s a strong 5’11. His weight will come with some age and maturity. I don’t see size ever being a factor with Chad. He’s got a big enough heart and he’s a strong enough competitor that the height issue rarely factors in. I would venture to guess that with his tremendous work ethic and the skills that he’ll bring to the team Chad will find a way to get into the Colorado College lineup right away.”
Future
Rau attends Colorado College.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: April, 27th 2008
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