Photo by: David Stluka
Badgering: Claudia Kepler
April 02, 2020 | Women's Hockey
Former captain reflects on time at UW and experience playing pro hockey in China
MADISON, Wis. – Former Wisconsin women's hockey captain Claudia Kepler has gained valuable international experience after her time at UW as the Verona native has played two years overseas, spending the first year in Sweden before playing the 2019-20 season for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays, a team based out of Shenzhen, China, in the Russia Women's Hockey League (WHL).
Kepler took time out of her day to share about her experience playing in China, her favorite memory while at Wisconsin and what's next for her in this edition of "Badgering".
This past season you played for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays, a team based in China. What was your experience with COVID-19?
"My experience with COVID-19 has been quite the journey. Our team in Shenzhen found out about this virus when we first came back to China after Christmas break. Everyone associated with the team has had this virus in the back of their mind since the beginning of January. On Jan. 23, our team decided it would be best for all of us to move to Russia for the remainder of the season. Before we all left for our Chinese New Year break (Jan. 24 - Feb. 4), we were told to pack accordingly, to make sure we had enough clothes to live in Russia for six weeks, because we all had to meet in St. Petersburg instead of Shenzhen. We are all thankful for our GM, coaches and people working behind the scenes to make this possible. Had they not reacted as well as they did, we could have been stuck in China and not been able to finish out the rest of our season. After our last game, we had a day to celebrate, and then we all had to pack up and leave Russia because the virus was starting to grow in other places around the world, including the United States."
"We all arrived home safely around March 13 and started our self-quarantine when we arrived. We knew that traveling as much as we did could have possibly exposed us to the virus. After being home and reflecting, I can't help but think how we are living through this twice. When we arrived back to the U.S., we had found out that our country was starting to implement social distancing regulations, something that we had already experienced before in China. But through it all, I also can't help but think how lucky and grateful I am that we were able to make it home safely. We have been getting updates from all those who had to travel back to China, and they are safe and virus free as well."
Your team was a mix of players from China and players from the U.S. and Canada, how was the team chemistry?
"Our team chemistry was different than what most people are used to. A little over half of us were from North America, and the rest were from China. It was a fun experience to get to know people from a different culture. The language barriers were something we were always trying to work through. We had to learn to be patient and to help one another out when it came down to learning a different language and culture. A majority of the time it was fun trying to find different ways to communicate. A lot of inside jokes and light-hearted conversations arose from trying to communicate with each other, which bonded us even more as a group."
You capped off the season winning the WHL, how was that experience?
"It was a fun yet tough experience. Playing professionally now for two years, I have been able to experience the true grind of pro hockey. Both in my time with the WHL and SDHL, we had to play in best-of-3 and best-of-5 series all the way until the end. Playoffs is a tough grind for every team, but with the added stress of moving to Russia because of the virus and living in hotels for six weeks, our team had a lot of adversity to overcome. With that being said, it felt amazing to have all of us pull through and win it all at the end. We even did it without losing a single game during the playoff stretch. That is something we all should be proud of, because the last team we played had beaten us three out of four times during the regular season."
What advice to do you have for those in the U.S. after your experience with COVID-19 overseas?
"My advice is to listen to the CDC and Public Health suggestions. Now more than ever, it's important that we put the physical and mental health of ourselves and others first, before anything else. Meaning that it's important we know our role and the impact we have on making sure we help stop the spread as much as we can. I also think it's important for all of us to make sure we are finding things to do during this time to keep busy while at home. Things such as working out, cooking, getting fresh air (while social distancing), calling loved ones and friends, studying up on new topics, reading, or picking up projects around the house are some things I have been doing to stay active during this time. I think it's important we try to find as much positive as we can through all of this.
"For all the people staying at home, I encourage you to use this time for personal growth, learning and picking up new hobbies or knowledge you wouldn't normally have time to learn. For all the people who are working tirelessly in hospitals, grocery stores, health care offices, school systems, etc. I want you to all know how much we all appreciate you and the hard work and sacrifices you are putting in on the frontlines. You are the true heroes and we can't thank you enough."
You started your collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Wisconsin. What drew you to come to UW after spending your first three years as a Buckeye?
"At Ohio State we went through a lot of coaching changes. Had I stayed at Ohio State for a fourth year, I would had gone through having three different head coaches and five different assistant coaches, all under one program. Every time there is a coaching change, the program changes. I transferred because I wanted to enjoy the game of hockey again and I wanted to go to a place where I was going to pushed to grow as a hockey player. Every practice at Wisconsin, I got to play with players who are now considered some of the best players in the world. They made me better every day and helped me grow to where I am now."
How was it playing for Coach Johnson?
"Playing for Coach Johnson and playing for the Badgers was something I had always dreamed about as a kid. I grew up playing hockey with Mikayla and Megan Johnson and had Doug Johnson as a coach for a good chunk of my childhood and teenage years. The thing I had always known about the Johnson family growing up was that they just wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy the game of hockey, and that's what we did. They put being a good person and having fun first, before anything else. When I decided to transfer from Ohio State, I knew that if I went to Wisconsin, I would get that again under Coach Johnson. Playing for Coach Johnson and for the University of Wisconsin was exactly that. It was some of the best years of my life and I had a blast while I was there."
How was it playing for the Badgers after growing up minutes away from campus?
"Like I said earlier, it was a dream come true. My family and friends could come and watch me every home weekend in front of sold out crowds. Playing for my home city also brought on an extra sense of pride. I was very proud to put on a Badger jersey before every game, knowing I was playing for my hometown and representing something bigger. I still get chills thinking about playing in LaBahn Arena. We had the best fans in college hockey and I got to enjoy all of that with my teammates and my family. Looking back on it now, it was a truly incredible experience and I wish I could live it over again."
What was your favorite memory playing at the University of Wisconsin?
"As a team, we had accomplished a lot. I got to play in a Frozen Four for the first time and was able to win a WCHA regular-season championship. But my absolute favorite memories at Wisconsin were the fun times I had with my teammates, whether it was during practice, at the rink, or anywhere on campus. Even during my redshirt year when I wasn't allowed to play in any games, I would show up to the rink and leave the rink with the biggest smile on my face. I think that says a lot about the characters we had in the locker room. Playing for Wisconsin brought me back to my childhood, playing for the love of the game and enjoying the company of the people in the locker room as much as possible. I sure do miss all of them."
What are your future plans?
"I'm not quite sure right now, but I have a couple of ideas in mind. The COVID-19 virus has created some uncertainty in my future plans, but has also allowed me to take the time to reflect on the different career paths I could take. I have thought about playing, I have thought about coaching and I have thought about wanting to pursue careers completely unrelated to hockey. I guess a lot of time at home allows me to explore the different avenues I could take. I definitely see coaching in my near future, teaching skills sessions is something I have done in the past. But wherever life takes me, I know I will want to give back to the game in some way, shape or form."
Kepler took time out of her day to share about her experience playing in China, her favorite memory while at Wisconsin and what's next for her in this edition of "Badgering".
This past season you played for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays, a team based in China. What was your experience with COVID-19?
"My experience with COVID-19 has been quite the journey. Our team in Shenzhen found out about this virus when we first came back to China after Christmas break. Everyone associated with the team has had this virus in the back of their mind since the beginning of January. On Jan. 23, our team decided it would be best for all of us to move to Russia for the remainder of the season. Before we all left for our Chinese New Year break (Jan. 24 - Feb. 4), we were told to pack accordingly, to make sure we had enough clothes to live in Russia for six weeks, because we all had to meet in St. Petersburg instead of Shenzhen. We are all thankful for our GM, coaches and people working behind the scenes to make this possible. Had they not reacted as well as they did, we could have been stuck in China and not been able to finish out the rest of our season. After our last game, we had a day to celebrate, and then we all had to pack up and leave Russia because the virus was starting to grow in other places around the world, including the United States."
"We all arrived home safely around March 13 and started our self-quarantine when we arrived. We knew that traveling as much as we did could have possibly exposed us to the virus. After being home and reflecting, I can't help but think how we are living through this twice. When we arrived back to the U.S., we had found out that our country was starting to implement social distancing regulations, something that we had already experienced before in China. But through it all, I also can't help but think how lucky and grateful I am that we were able to make it home safely. We have been getting updates from all those who had to travel back to China, and they are safe and virus free as well."
Your team was a mix of players from China and players from the U.S. and Canada, how was the team chemistry?
"Our team chemistry was different than what most people are used to. A little over half of us were from North America, and the rest were from China. It was a fun experience to get to know people from a different culture. The language barriers were something we were always trying to work through. We had to learn to be patient and to help one another out when it came down to learning a different language and culture. A majority of the time it was fun trying to find different ways to communicate. A lot of inside jokes and light-hearted conversations arose from trying to communicate with each other, which bonded us even more as a group."
You capped off the season winning the WHL, how was that experience?
"It was a fun yet tough experience. Playing professionally now for two years, I have been able to experience the true grind of pro hockey. Both in my time with the WHL and SDHL, we had to play in best-of-3 and best-of-5 series all the way until the end. Playoffs is a tough grind for every team, but with the added stress of moving to Russia because of the virus and living in hotels for six weeks, our team had a lot of adversity to overcome. With that being said, it felt amazing to have all of us pull through and win it all at the end. We even did it without losing a single game during the playoff stretch. That is something we all should be proud of, because the last team we played had beaten us three out of four times during the regular season."
What advice to do you have for those in the U.S. after your experience with COVID-19 overseas?
"My advice is to listen to the CDC and Public Health suggestions. Now more than ever, it's important that we put the physical and mental health of ourselves and others first, before anything else. Meaning that it's important we know our role and the impact we have on making sure we help stop the spread as much as we can. I also think it's important for all of us to make sure we are finding things to do during this time to keep busy while at home. Things such as working out, cooking, getting fresh air (while social distancing), calling loved ones and friends, studying up on new topics, reading, or picking up projects around the house are some things I have been doing to stay active during this time. I think it's important we try to find as much positive as we can through all of this.
"For all the people staying at home, I encourage you to use this time for personal growth, learning and picking up new hobbies or knowledge you wouldn't normally have time to learn. For all the people who are working tirelessly in hospitals, grocery stores, health care offices, school systems, etc. I want you to all know how much we all appreciate you and the hard work and sacrifices you are putting in on the frontlines. You are the true heroes and we can't thank you enough."
We're SO thankful to those leading the fight against COVID-19 (especially @brittacurl's family members) pic.twitter.com/T8RklrmQ6k
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 28, 2020
You started your collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Wisconsin. What drew you to come to UW after spending your first three years as a Buckeye?
"At Ohio State we went through a lot of coaching changes. Had I stayed at Ohio State for a fourth year, I would had gone through having three different head coaches and five different assistant coaches, all under one program. Every time there is a coaching change, the program changes. I transferred because I wanted to enjoy the game of hockey again and I wanted to go to a place where I was going to pushed to grow as a hockey player. Every practice at Wisconsin, I got to play with players who are now considered some of the best players in the world. They made me better every day and helped me grow to where I am now."
How was it playing for Coach Johnson?
"Playing for Coach Johnson and playing for the Badgers was something I had always dreamed about as a kid. I grew up playing hockey with Mikayla and Megan Johnson and had Doug Johnson as a coach for a good chunk of my childhood and teenage years. The thing I had always known about the Johnson family growing up was that they just wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy the game of hockey, and that's what we did. They put being a good person and having fun first, before anything else. When I decided to transfer from Ohio State, I knew that if I went to Wisconsin, I would get that again under Coach Johnson. Playing for Coach Johnson and for the University of Wisconsin was exactly that. It was some of the best years of my life and I had a blast while I was there."
How was it playing for the Badgers after growing up minutes away from campus?
"Like I said earlier, it was a dream come true. My family and friends could come and watch me every home weekend in front of sold out crowds. Playing for my home city also brought on an extra sense of pride. I was very proud to put on a Badger jersey before every game, knowing I was playing for my hometown and representing something bigger. I still get chills thinking about playing in LaBahn Arena. We had the best fans in college hockey and I got to enjoy all of that with my teammates and my family. Looking back on it now, it was a truly incredible experience and I wish I could live it over again."
What was your favorite memory playing at the University of Wisconsin?
"As a team, we had accomplished a lot. I got to play in a Frozen Four for the first time and was able to win a WCHA regular-season championship. But my absolute favorite memories at Wisconsin were the fun times I had with my teammates, whether it was during practice, at the rink, or anywhere on campus. Even during my redshirt year when I wasn't allowed to play in any games, I would show up to the rink and leave the rink with the biggest smile on my face. I think that says a lot about the characters we had in the locker room. Playing for Wisconsin brought me back to my childhood, playing for the love of the game and enjoying the company of the people in the locker room as much as possible. I sure do miss all of them."
From today's @WiStateJournal: Former #Badgers captain Claudia Kepler has a lot to share after her pro season:
— Todd Milewski (@ToddMilewski) March 23, 2020
"I know it was kind of a rocky road with a bunch of different stressors, but it was still a great experience and I'm glad I did it."https://t.co/No2TUdlOGO
What are your future plans?
"I'm not quite sure right now, but I have a couple of ideas in mind. The COVID-19 virus has created some uncertainty in my future plans, but has also allowed me to take the time to reflect on the different career paths I could take. I have thought about playing, I have thought about coaching and I have thought about wanting to pursue careers completely unrelated to hockey. I guess a lot of time at home allows me to explore the different avenues I could take. I definitely see coaching in my near future, teaching skills sessions is something I have done in the past. But wherever life takes me, I know I will want to give back to the game in some way, shape or form."
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