Avalanche aim to be aggressive on offense, tough on defense

WASILLA — Jamie Smith spent a good part of the offseason in front of the television with a note pad and a stop watch.

The first-year head coach and general manager of the Alaska Avalanche worked through every minute of video of each one of Alaska’s 62 regular season games from the 2006-07 season.

With his stop watch, the new head coach of the Avalanche timed exactly how long the Avs would have the puck in their own zone, and how long it was in the opponent’s zone. It didn’t take long for Smith — the longtime head coach of the perennially successful Houston High School hockey program — to figure out that the Avalanche spent much of the time with the puck closing in on their own net.

That led to a league-high 2,540 shots against and 39 losses, another league worst.

But that’s the past.

And as Smith looks toward the future — a future that starts tonight when the Avs face the expansion Kenai River Brown Bears at the Soldotna Sports Center at 7 p.m. — he’s confident he has a squad that won’t surrender a league-high number in shots or lead the league in losses.

Smith hopes to use the mix of size, speed and skill that’s common on the Alaska roster to play an aggressive style of offense that’s benefited by a stiff defense. He wants his players to forecheck, win the battles in the corners and put the puck in the net.

That could help erase another statistic from the 2007-08 the Avalanche staff wants to quickly forget — Alaska’s goals per game average

“We’ll be better than 2.31 goals per game,” Smith said after practice on Thursday. “I can tell you that.”

Smith and Alaska director of hockey operations Keith Morris brought back only five players from a squad that finished 16-39-7 last year — players that bought into the new staff’s blue collar approach to the game.

Four of those players are forwards — Travis Stevens, Larry Kincaid, Sean Ranum and Tyler Currier .

Stevens, Kincaid and Currier are on the top line, Smith said.

“We’re going to have a chip on our shoulder,” Smith said, referring to Alaska’s struggles on the offensive end last year. “We have a good mix of speed and size.”

Stevens, a 5-foot-9 playmaker who tallied 12 goals and 16 assists in 54 games last year, is among Alaska’s top talents up front.

“We’re going to highlight him,” Smith said.

Kincaid, a former standout at Houston scored six goals in 44 games last season. But Smith, Kincaid’s former high school coach, has urged the veteran to make the transition from third-line grinder to top-line scorer.

Currier, an Anchorage native, notched three goals and three assists in only 12 games last season.

Beyond the first line, Smith is stoked about his team’s depth at the forward position.

“On any given day, our fourth line could be as good as our second line,” Smith said. “I feel pretty good about that.”

Among the new additions to the squads are several junior hockey veterans.

Alex Young (9-36-45) skated for the Princeton Posse of the tough Kootney International Junior Hockey League in Canada.

Michael Frei (31-42-73) led the Eugene Generals of the Junior B NOR PAC Hockey League in scoring.

Micheal McCurtain (29-31-60) led the NOR PAC’s Tri-City Titans in scoring. McCurtian, an Eagle River native, also brings a 6-foot-4 frame to the squad.

The Avs also have a handful of talented Alaska products making the transition from the high school level — Dylan Jones (South Anchorage), Kyle Pichler (South Anchorage), T.J. Wilson (East Anchorage), J.J. Waldrop (Dimond) and Jeremiah Dargis (Wasilla).

Also on the Alaska roster is a pair of forwards from Hermantown, Minn., Ryan Schmidt and Tommy Engseth — and two forward making the move from the midget AAA ranks — Alex Rasmussen and Grant Highly.

Ranum, a former Houston standout with Junior B experience, returns for his second season with the Avs.

Smith said he’s penciled in Jones, Pichler and Dargis on the third line to form a unit of young, skilled players who could surprise.

“They conceivably could be our leading line,” Smith said. “If I can match up them with the other (team’s) third line, I’ll feel pretty good about it.”

Alaska’s fourth returner, J.C. Richardson, leads the Alaska defense.

The 6-foot-2 blueliner was arguably Alaska’s most steady player last season.

“He’s the unsung guy,” Smith said. “You can count on him for 58 games. He’s steady and doesn’t make mistakes. That’s what we want on our blueline.”

Richardson also represents the size Alaska can boast on the blueline. Only one defenseman — 5-9 Nick Kelly — stands under 6-feet.

The biggest is J.P. Boucha. The son of former NHL standout Henry Boucha stands at 6-6, 210 pounds.

The Avs also have Alex Winnick (6-4, 210) Kevin Anger (6-2, 200), David Peterson (6-1, 205) and Teddy Zierden (6-0, 200).

Zierden acquired in a trade from Alexandria will also be a top blueliner on the squad.

Smith is also excited about his goaltenders, Dusan Sidor and Nathan Corey.

Smith said he wanted to bring in a veteran, and has been scouting Sidor — a native of Slovakia who played in Caldaro, Italy last season — for the last two years.

“He’s the guy who’s going to come in and be steady,” Smith said.

But not only steady, Sidor is skilled.

“He’s about as athletic as they come,” Smith said.

While Sidor is the veteran, Corey is the young goaltender on the rise. The Anchorage native was nearly unstoppable last season as he led South Anchorage High School to the large-schools state championship.

“That’s the thing about those South players, they don’t know about losing,” Smith said.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.