Avalanche trade local product

WASILLA — Of all his players, Jamie Smith has known none longer than forward Larry Kincaid.

But on Monday, Smith had to look past the player-coach relationship that has developed for the past 15 years and make a move in the best interest of both Kincaid and the Alaska Avalanche.

Smith, the head coach and the general manager of the Avalanche, traded Kincaid and defenseman Kevin Anger to the North Iowa Outlaws for forwards Brooks Dezellar and Kyle Politz.

Smith admitted it was tough to trade Kincaid, an athlete that he has coached since Kincaid was about 5 years old. But Smith said he also felt it was time for both Kincaid and the Avalanche organization to move in different directions.

Calling by cell phone from Wichita Falls, Texas, where the Avalanche are currently preparing for a two-game series against the Wichita Falls Wildcats, Smith said Kincaid — who starred for four years at Houston High School — had sort of fallen into a rut with his hometown team.

In two seasons with the Avalanche, Kincaid had bounced between roles with the club. In nearly two seasons with the franchise, Kincaid has served as a brawler, a grinder and a top-line forward.

Smith believes Kincaid is best as the hard-nosed winger who can hit, dish the puck and find the net.

“He needs to run up and down the wing, lay his body on people and be physical,” Smith said.

Smith said he believes Kincaid never really quite figured out where his place was on the Avs, and he’s hoping that a change of scenery will help spark the 20-year-old’s career.

Smith said Kincaid has also been frustrated by his role with the Avalanche, and had asked to be traded about a month ago.

Kincaid, reached by cell phone on Monday evening, said he’s looking forward to the chance to play with the Outlaws.

“I’m real excited,” Kincaid said. “It was definately time to leave (Alaska). I spent a lot of time up there.”

In 77 career games with Alaska, Kincaid posted 14 goals and eight assists.

He has eight goals and eight assists in 33 games this season.

Kincaid did enjoy his flashes of brilliance. He has three game-winning goals this season, and two of those came in shootout wins over intrastate rival Kenai River.

By heading to North Iowa, Kincaid now has the chance to play for one of the top teams in the North American Hockey League. The Outlaws are currently skating away with the Central Division lead, having posted a 24-8-1 mark so far — 10 points ahead of second-place Springfield.

“I’ve got a good shot at winning nationals,” Kincaid said.

Smith said playing for the Outlaws could be an excellent opportunity for Kincaid.

“The main thing is he gets an opportunity to be on a first-place team, which is huge,” Smith said. “He’ll have an opportunity to go to the playoffs and get all kinds of exposure.”

If North Iowa does advance to the Robertson Cup — the NAHL’s championship tournament — as expected, Kincaid could have the chance to play in front of scouts from more than 50 college programs.

“That’s why I’m down here. I’m an ‘87,” Kincaid said, referrng to his birth year.

Kincaid is up against the clock, as players born in 1987 are in their final year of junior hockey eligibility.

“I need the best chance to get as far (in hockey) as I possibly can,” he said.

Kincaid said there are several schools currently scouting him, and now he believes he will have the chance to have more contact with players from those schools.

Kincaid said his ultimate goal is to find a spot on a Division I roster next season.

Smith said he still feels Kincaid has the opportunity to play college hockey, most likely at the Division III level.

North Iowa currently has eight players with 20 or more points, and Smith said the Outlaw coaching staff is bringing Kincaid in to be the hard-nosed player on the third or fourth line.

“They want him to be the kind of player he is, the rough and tough corner man,” Smith said.

Kincaid will also have the chance to play with two former teammates in North Iowa. Forward Krystain Dziubinski and defenseman Reed Rushing, members of the 2006-07 Alaska squad, are in their first season in North Iowa.

“He’ll have a couple of his buddies down there,” Smith said.

Kincaid played for Smith as a young hockey player in the Big Lake Hockey Association and later in the Houston High School hockey program for four seasons.

Kincaid skated for three state championship teams while at HHS, and played for a half-season of Junior B hockey with the Peoria Mustangs of the Central States Hockey League after the end of his senior season at Houston.

Although he is moving on in his hockey career, Kincaid said he is very happy he got to play as long as he did in front of the hometown crowds.

“It was fun. I don’t regret one bit of it,” Kincaid said. “I love playing in front of Wasilla. It really made me the player I am today.”

The move of Kincaid to North Iowa also means all of the players who were brought in by the team’s former coaching staff — former head coach Dean Larson and general manager Corey Millen, who departed midway through last season — are now gone.

Only forwards Tyler Currier and Sean Ranum remain from the 2006-07 season. Both Currier and Ranum were signed by interim head coach Keith Morris after Larson and Millen resigned in November of 2007.

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