It’s time for another PWHL Minnesota report card, and while the focus is still on the defenders, this time, it’s on Dominique Kremer. Like her former teammate Emma Greco, she struggled offensively, which might have contributed to her only playing half of the regular season and none of the postseason.
In this article, we’ll examine her regular-season performance since she missed out on the postseason. We’ll examine a rough part of her game and a strong part of her game and then give her an overall grade. We’ll start with how she struggled offensively and move on from there.
Kremer’s Offensive Difficulties
Kremer played 12 games during the regular season but couldn’t tally a single point and only had one shot on goal. She’s not the most confident skater, and that played into her offensive game as well. She didn’t eagerly jump into the play when she had the chance; instead, she elected to stay back defensively, which isn’t bad, but it’s also good to take some risks.
Going forward, she needs to be a little more confident in her offensive game and carry the puck a little more. Her ice time was all over the place, and that could’ve contributed to her play not being stronger. The more ice time players get, the more confident their game typically is. She clearly has confidence in her defensive game but not so much in her offensive game, and she could use to learn from her former teammate Taylor Heise.
She should try to be more offensive in the future because her team may need that spark to get them going. However, she makes sure her defensive game takes priority, which is more important. The one offensive thing she could easily try moving forward is taking shots from the point which can help improve her shot total but also give her team more scoring chances.
Kremer’s Defensive Priorities
She didn’t have the biggest offensive presence, but she made herself known defensively. She was always right in front of the net, keeping their opponents out of the crease and surrounding area and away from Maddie Rooney or Nicole Hensley. When an opposing player did manage to break into the zone, she worked hard to keep them to the outside and forced the puck into the corner rather than allowing them to take a shot.
Kremer does have to be a little bit more careful with her stick in the future. She did take her opponent down once, but she wasn’t called. The next time, she might not be so lucky. She’s not the strongest skater, but when she gets the puck in the defensive zone, she makes sure to break it out quickly and efficiently by passing it quickly up the wall to her waiting linemate.
She worked hard to beat her opponents to the puck and used her body to win the board battles. She was pretty physical and did attempt to go high in the defensive zone, but only to block any shots she could and not to get out of the zone, something she could change for the better.
Kremer’s Overall Grade
Unlike most of her teammates, Kremer didn’t participate in the postseason, so her grade will be based on her 12 games during the regular season. She didn’t play a big part in the season, but she still helped them make it to the postseason, even if she didn’t make a huge impact.
While her former defensive teammate Greco earned an A-, Kremer earned a B+. Her grade was lower than her former teammates’ because she played less of a role in their regular season and wasn’t present in the postseason. However, her grade wasn’t any lower because she was still a part of the team and contributed defensively.
Related: PWHL Minnesota Report Cards 2023-24: Nicole Hensley
Kremer won’t be able to improve that grade for PWHL Minnesota this coming season. During free agency, she signed in Sweden and will be playing overseas instead. It’s not completely surprising since she only played 12 games during the season, but it’s unfortunate that fans won’t see her game improve. Hopefully, she can do well in Sweden and maybe come back to the PWHL in the future.
