Nine veterans and 13 newcomers were named to the 2010-11 squad following the team’s invitation-only final camp in Andover, Minn., on Sunday.
“Overall, I like where we’re at right now,” Alaska head coach Brian Huebel said by phone from Minnesota on Monday. “I think we’re going to have a good mix of skill and grit, and some pretty smart hockey players.”
  
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“I do like the makeup of the veterans,” said Huebel, a first-year head coach who served as an Avalanche assistant and head recruiter last year. “They’ve all been together a year, they’re all tightly knit. What’s good, is they’ve already grabbed on to the new guys. I think as far as chemistry on our team, it’ll be a very short learning curve.”
Among the forwards back is Anchorage’s Zach Smith, who finished the season with a team-high 48 points (30-18-48). He was also third in the North American Hockey League with 30 goals and second in the league with 228 penalty minutes.
Former Colony High School standout Blake Huppert returns after posting 13-21-34 totals during his rookie season. Huppert was sixth on the team in scoring.
Forwards Seth Johnson (6-11-17), Andy Pearson (2-10-12), Tyler Schwartz (2-8-10) and Jacob Barber (5-3-8) also return.
Taylor Wolfe, who put together 3-4-7 totals in 42 games with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League, is among seven newcomers at the forward position.
Brandon Hogrefe, who posted 19 points and 121 penalty minutes for the Flint Jr. Generals of the Tier III Central States Junior Hockey League, made the cut.
A pleasant surprise was forward Derek Whitehill, who made the team after an impressive weekend at the team’s camp, Huebel said.
“He definitely played his way in,” Huebel said of Whitehill, who was recommended to the Avs by a colleague. “He’s a very good, very poised player. He really stood out at camp.”
Whitehill, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, posted 7-13-20 totals during 45 games with the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Forwards Charlie Borer (Minneapolis, Minn.), Evan Hesse (Monticello, Minn.), Will Martin (Clear Lake, Iowa) and Dane Morin (Superior, Wisc.) will make the jump from high school hockey to Tier II Junior A.
“We’ve got a really good blend of skill and great grit,” Huebel said of the 13 forwards currently on the roster. “Speed won’t be a problem. The physical play will be good.”
Huebel said he’s very excited by his defensemen, a group of seven blueliners. Only two, Jake Williams and Chase Van Allen, return from the 2009-10 squad. But two others, Tyler Briola and Joe Schmitz also skated in the NAHL last year.
Briola — a 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman — posted 1-8-9 totals and 19 penalty minutes with Wichita Falls last season. Schmitz, saw played in five games for the Owatonna Express.
The Avs also have three high school products — Buzz Tryggeseth (Buffalo, Minn.), Casey Nelson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc.) and Nick McLain (Delano, Minn.) to add to the Junior A veterans.
“We’ve got some good size, and I like the skating ability of our defense,” Huebel said. “I like our defense.”
Williams posted 5-22-27 totals and was a +20 as a rookie. Van Allen had 2-5-7 totals in 39 games. Tryggeseth was Alaska’s No. 1 pick in the May’s NAHL draft.
Veteran Landon Peterson enters the season as the team’s No. 1 goalie, Huebel said. In 31 games last year, Peterson was 13-9-5 with a 2.94 goals against average. He led the team with a .911 saves percentage and two shutouts.
Former West Anchorage High School standout Blake Mendenhall, the 2009-10 Alaska Player of the Year, joins Peterson in the Avalanche net.
The Avs currently have 22 players on the roster and can go into the regular season with 23. The Avs first practice is scheduled for Aug. 26 and they open the 2010-11 season against the Kenai River Brown Bears on Sept. 10.
Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.
Comments
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