By Jim Hoehn, 07/21/25, 12:15PM MDT
Kris Knauss first played hockey as a 7-year-old in Alaska.
Some of his fondest memories came from playing outdoors in the Last Frontier. As long as the temperature was above 10 degrees, he and his teammates could practice and play outside.
Knauss’ love for the game led him to begin student-coaching at 11 years old. Since then, he’s added decades of experience as a player, coach and administrator.
A director in the Pacific District of USA Hockey since 2014, Knauss hopes all of that experience — as well as his passion for the sport — will help him in his new role as vice president and chair of USA Hockey’s International Council.
Despite learning to play the game in the freezing temperatures in Alaska, Knauss attended college at Arizona State. There, a knee injury helped derail his desire to play collegiate club hockey, although he continued to compete in adult leagues.
He settled into his career field of campaign politics at school. He continued that career path to Washington, D.C. before returning to work in Alaska.
“I did step away for a few years from hockey,” Knauss said. “I kind of became career focused, but I definitely came back and had that bug and started coaching it again, starting at 14U Tier II.”
Knauss continued coaching with several levels of the Alaska Junior Aces, including coaching director from 2014 to about 2016, which led to him working at USA Hockey’s Player Development Camps.
“Coaching was one of my passions and then, obviously, the player development side,” Knauss said. “That is really my passion, and I want to make sure that in this new capacity, I really want to make sure that USA Hockey particularly has a strong player development presence that ties in with our international success.”
An increase in physicality and fitness has led to corresponding improvement in play, Knauss said.
“The development of the American player has increased significantly,” Knauss said. “I have run player development camps for years. You could always identify that top three or four in certain age levels that really stand out. But now you’re identifying those top six or seven that truly stand out.”
While Knauss’ role as chair of the USA Hockey’s International Council is focused on national teams, he’s also involved in grassroots hockey with his son playing on an 8U team.
“I want to make sure he's having fun,” he said. “And with that, just kind of let him enjoy the game I think he's having a fun time with. His big thing is he goes to the rink to see his friends. That's a good thing.”
Knauss, now 48, remains passionate about the sport at all levels of the game.
“Hockey’s still a sport that I enjoy greatly,” he said. “Now I get to stay involved at the highest levels. It’s fun seeing some of your old players have great success and playing on national teams and whatnot. It makes it rewarding.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
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