Avs forward bound for UAA

WASILLA — Tyler Currier grew up following the University of Alaska Anchorage hockey team. Now he is part of the program.

The Anchorage native and former Alaska Avalanche standout has committed to UAA, and will join the Division I program in the fall, the Avalanche organization announced early in the week.

“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to play for UAA,” Currier said earlier this week.

Currier, who set a number of Avalanche franchise record during his three seasons with the Wasilla-based North American Hockey League, had initially given Division III Wisconsin-Stout a verbal commitment following the 2008-09 junior hockey season. But even when it looked like he’d be lacing up his skates in Wisconsin, he still hoped the Seawolves would come calling.

And they did.

“I always hoped (to play for UAA), but as I started getting older, I realized playing Division I hockey was hard to come by,” said Currier, who played at Dimond High School for four years. “It takes a lot of work, but that’s what I wanted and I set my mind to it.”

Alaska head coach Dave Boitz and Avalanche president Jamie Smith had long been in talks with the UAA coaching staff about the prospect of the Seawolves adding Currier to the roster.

Smith said it was a long process and the Seawolves needed to make decisions regarding other players before officially making on offer to Currier.

But finally, the Seawolves did open a spot for Currier, and the 6-foot, 180-pound forward didn’t hesitate.

“I told them I was really eager to play there,” Currier said. “I’ve wanted to play there my whole life.”

Now Currier is the third Avalanche player in two seasons, and the fourth in franchise history to commit to UAA.

Wasilla’s Matthew Friese, who made his Avalanche debut as a 16-year-old last season, announced earlier this summer that he had made an early commitment to UAA, and is slated to take the ice for the Seawolves during the 2010-2011 campaign.

Goalie Dusan Sidor, Alaska’s backstop during the 2007-08 season, is now a reserve goaltender with UAA.

“It’s fantastic,” Smith said of the list of Avalanche players who have committed to UAA. “That’s kind of what we want to do. We want to have a pipeline of guys we can develop and then go to UAA.”

In three seasons at the Junior A level, Currier posted a franchise record 84 points for the Avs. He played in a franchise-best 124 games, and also left as the career leader with 48 assists.

Currier posted 36 career goals, second on the franchise list.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Smith said. “A guy like that, with that size and that ability to handle the puck, he’ll be very valuable to UAA.”

Arguably more remarkable than his offensive production, is Currier’s improvement at the defensive end of the ice.

During his second season in Wasilla, Currier posted a horrific -18 plus-minus rating. But in his third and final year, he pushed that number up to a much more respectable -3.

Currier gave much of the credit to the guidance of his head coach throughout his final junior season.

“Coach Boitz did an amazing job with me this year,” Currier said. “He pushed me to become a two-way player. He worked with me on my defense and made me 10 times better as a hockey player.”

Currier will redshirt during the upcoming season, but Smith sees that as a positive.

“It’s the best move for him,” Smith said. “They don’t have a lot of spots right now, but they have a lot of guys leaving next year. Now he can develop a year.”

Currier is just excited to be a part of the program, even though he might have to wait a season to pull the green and gold sweater over his shoulder pads before he skates on to the ice of Sullivan Arena for the first time.

“Not a problem, anything I can do to be a player in the (West Coast Hockey Association),” Currier said of a redshirt season. “It’s the best college hockey conference in the country. I can learn the basics of Division I hockey.”

Currier is the third Avalanche player to commit to a Division I program during the offseason. In addition to Friese, defenseman and Anchorage native Jason Cohen signed with American International College.

Forward Justin Giles, and defensemen Beau Braun and Shawn McNeely are bound for Division III programs.

Giles is headed for Wisconsin-Stout, McNeely will play at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Braun will suit up for St. Mary’s in his home state of Minnesota.

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