MINNEAPOLIS -- Hockey players can be a boisterous bunch, often chirping at each other constantly both on and off the ice.
Not Kyle Rau.
The Gophers senior captain doesn't say a whole lot on the rink, and he's quiet away of it, too. Yet even though the 5-foot-8 forward is one of the smallest and most soft-spoken players on Minnesota's roster, there's no question he's the team leader.
"He's an extremely hard worker in practice, and he's a winner," said Minnesota head coach Don Lucia. "I think that's why he was probably so ticked off that we lost that final game last year, a chip in his basket for what he's been able to accomplish. Kyle is a team guy. He is a winner. He's driven. He's not a guy that talks a lot. He's just a guy that does it."
Leading by example on the ice has led to good results for Rau during his first three seasons at Minnesota. As a junior last year, Rau led the balanced Gophers roster in scoring with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists). On top of that, six of his goals were game winners (most on the team), and he never endured a stretch of more than two straight games without a point. As both a freshman and sophomore, he finished second on the team in points with 43 and 40 points, respectively, finishing behind former teammate and current Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula in both of those years.
After three seasons of pretty good individual success at one of the top college hockey programs in the country, Rau could have turned pro. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft, just before Rau arrived on the Minnesota campus. His point totals have continued to be at or near the top of the Gophers' leaders, and he returns to Minnesota as the second-highest active scorer in Division I hockey with 123 career points.
Given what he's achieved on a personal level, a professional career would have been tempting.
But Rau and his fellow Gophers teammates have unfinished business to attend to. That would be winning a national championship, something Minnesota hasn't done since before Rau's time in Dinkytown. The Gophers came so close to achieving that ultimate team goal last year but loss 7-4 to Union in the championship.
Instead of leaving with that taste still in their mouths, several Gophers players decided to return to school instead of turning pro.
"Once the first guy said, 'I'm staying,' then it kind of made it easier for the next guy," Rau said. "We've got something special. Everyone loves that. Hopefully we can make another run."
If Minnesota does make another deep tournament run -- the Gophers were picked No. 1 overall in two preseason polls -- Rau will likely be a big reason why. Including Rau and his 40 points, the Gophers returned their top seven scorers from last year's team that finished 28-7-6.
Yet for as much as Minnesota will rely on Rau for his contributions to the box score, the Gophers will need their senior leader for much more than just that.
"I'm not the most vocal guy, so I do what I can to try to be a leader," Rau said. "That's why I lead by example. I think that's doing it the right way, and making smart decisions and choices."
During last year's junior campaign, Rau was a co-captain along with then-senior Nate Condon. Now Rau will be on the only Gopher this year wearing the "C" on his maroon and gold jersey, with Seth Ambroz and Ben Marshall joining Rau as alternate captains.
Rau joined the 100-point club last year and has a chance to surpass 150 career points during his senior year, something achieved by only 26 other players in Gophers history. If Rau can help guide Minnesota to a national championship on top of that, he'll go one step further in cementing himself into the school's history books.
"I like to use the term the Gopher Way. He does everything the Gopher Way that we'd like to see it done -- the way you conduct yourself, the way you handle yourself, whether it's with the media and teammates and school, practice and games," Lucia said. "You just know what you're going to get from Kyle Rau every day. It's nice to have those guys in your program."
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