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T ODD AND KIM KRYGIER out- lined a few simple requests of their five children when they signed them up for athletic teams in Novi, Mich. Work hard. Compete. Strive to be better people than athletes. The formula led to NCAA Division I opportunities for all five Krygier children. And the youngest of the bunch, 17-year- old twins Christian and Cole, have created enough buzz in the hockey world to potentially follow in the footsteps of their father in the National Hockey League. C h r i st i a n a n d C o l e K r y g i e r, s e c o n d -y e a r defensemen for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, represented their country in August at the pres- tigious Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and recent- ly earned invitations to play in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo. Both events serve as key early season evaluations for the 2018 NHL Draft. "We don't live our lives through our kids," said Todd Krygier, who scored 100 goals in in a career that spanned 543 NHL games with Hartford, Washington and Anaheim. "We support them and enjoy them and we're proud of all of them for what they 've done in sports and academics, but it's up to them to accomplish what they're going to do. We never put a huge e m p h a s i s o n t h e m p l ay i n g Division I. It just kind of hap- pened because their sports have been their passions." B r o c k K r y g i e r p l a y e d three seasons of hockey at Michigan State and fourth at Arizona State while pursuing a p o st - g r a d u a t e d e g r e e . N a t a l i e Krygier played one season of soccer at the University of Connecticut and three at the University of Iowa, and Grace recently began her freshman season of soccer at the University of Wisconsin, where the twins will play following their stints in the USHL. "It's a little crazy when the whole family is together, because we're all so competitive and we're always kind of battling, so it can get a little heated," said Christian Krygier, who was a member of the U.S. squad that won the gold medal at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games. "There's never a dull moment in our house. It's just kind of how our family is made up. " With both hockey and soccer, you have to put in a lot of time and effort away from the rink or the field. When we were little, there was never a time when my sisters weren't helping us with hockey or we weren't helping them with soccer. Through everything and how competitive we were, we always supported one another." Todd Krygier also brings the perspective of a coach to the athletic dynamic in his household. Following a successful run as the hockey coach at Novi High School, he spent three seasons as head coach of the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks and recently began his second year as an assistant coach at Western Michigan University. "It helps a lot to have a guy to go to, let alone your dad, who has gone through it and knows 42 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM 2017-18 NHL Preview