Avalanche blueliner nets golden opportunity

WASILLA — Jake Parenteau has been waiting for the opportunity to play hockey for the University of Minnesota all of his life.

Parenteau’s boyhood dreams may not have differed much from the average young Minnesota hockey player who wanted to one day wear the maroon and gold. But Golden Gopher hockey is in Parenteau’s blood. Parenteau’s father, Tom, was a University of Minnesota defenseman for four seasons in the early 1980s. And now, Parenteau will have the chance to carry on the family tradition.

Late last week, the Alaska Avalanche defenseman committed to the University Minnesota and will play hockey for the storied Golden Gophers program.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Parenteau, who has skated for the Wasilla-based North American Junior Hockey League team for the last two seasons.

The Shafer, Minn., native, who currently leads the Avalanche with 43 points and is the NAHL’s top scoring defensemen, received interest from a number of college programs. St. Cloud State, another Minnesota school, made a late rush at Parenteau to land the versatile blueliner. But Parenteau’s heart was always with the maroon and gold.

“It’s every kid in Canada’s dream to grow up and win a Stanley Cup. It’s every kid from Minnesota’s dream to grow up and play for the Gophers,” said Alaska head coach Dave Boitz, another Minnesota native.

Boitz called Parenteau’s opportunity to play for the Gophers, a program that has 32 NCAA tournament appearances, 19 trips to the Frozen Four, 14 conference championships and five national titles to its credit, as the biggest player commitment in the five-year history of the Wasilla Junior A hockey franchise.

“It couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Boitz said. “He came up here from Minnesota, basically under the radar, and he’s absolutely worked his tail off.”

Boitz discovered Parenteau more than two seasons ago when Boitz was still head coach of the North Iowa Outlaws. Parenteau attended a North Iowa training camp and caught the eye of Boitz.

Boitz would soon decide to leave North Iowa to become head coach of the Avalanche. Once that happened and he learned North Iowa opted not to offer Parenteau a spot on his roster, Boitz gave the defenseman a call.

“I was shocked. He was terrific,” Boitz said. “I told him ‘don’t go to any other tryout camp, you’re on my team next year.’ He committed right there. I knew right there he had the potential to be a very good hockey player.”

When he got that call from Boitz, Parenteau said he didn’t have to think much about it.

“I jumped at it right away,” Parenteau said. “I wanted to come up to Alaska.”

Since joining the Avs, Parenteau has become one of the top scoring defensemen in the 19-team NAHL. Last season, Parenteau led NAHL defenseman with 10 goals. He posted 21 points overall. This year he leads all NAHL blueliners with 14 goals and 29 assists (14-29-43).

Parenteau has been a force on the power play with 22 points (9-13-22). He’s also no slouch at the defensive end, a fact proven by his team-leading +26 rating.

Parenteau, who attended Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom, Minn., said he really didn’t start to post the huge offensive numbers until he hit the junior hockey level.

“I can see the ice better, move a lot better,” Parenteau said.

Boitz said the offensive numbers are certainly appealing for a program like Minnesota, but his +26 also stands out. Judging by what Parenteau has done at the junior level and how much he has improved, Boitz said he sees Parenteau making an early impact for the Gophers.

“He can step in and play a lot of hockey for Minnesota,” Boitz said. “We might be watching him play in the NHL someday if he continues to improve.”

Meanwhile, Parenteau is still waiting for it all to sink in. For a while, Parenteau said he thought his dream may not come true.

“To be honest, I thought I didn’t have a chance,” Parenteau said.

But that feeling will change next fall when he’s wearing that maroon and gold jersey and wearing the same No. 6 his father did.

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