Avs set to make 2008-09 season debut

WASILLA — After a busy offseason, which includes a change in leadership both on and off the ice and the recruiting of an assortment of new talent, the Alaska Avalanche are finally ready to drop the puck on the 2008-09 season.

New head coach Dave Boitz will lead the Avs onto the ice when the Wasilla-based Junior A squad opens the season against the Alexandria Blizzard on Wednesday during the first day of the 2008 North American Hockey League Showcase at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn.

Boitz expects his Avalanche squad to take a blue collar mentality to the rink for the four-day Showcase, which includes games against Alexandria, Traverse City, Springfield and the US National Developmental Program.

“They are extremely hard working type of guys,” Boitz said late last week. “I’ve been really happy with the way they’re working.”

Alaska features 18 newcomers and eight veterans of the Avalanche program. Six of those eight veterans are forwards, giving the Avalanche arguably their most depth on the front line at the start of the season in franchise history.

Four of Alaska’s top five scorers from the 2007-08 season return. Alaska’s leading goal scorer, Kyle Pichler, is back. The former South Anchorage High School standout buried 20 pucks last season and added 12 assists. Alaska’s leader in assists, Alex Young, returns. The Anchorage native dished out 25 helpers to add to his 18 goals.

Tyler Currier (18 goals, 22 assists) and Dylan Jones (2-16-18) are back on the squad.

Forwards Alex Rasmussen (5-6-11) and Adam Friese (4-4-8) also return.

“I think we have got quite a few guys with the ability to score,” Boitz said. “We definitely have the ability to score, but we want to make sure the same guys play defense.”

Boitz said he and his coaching staff — which includes former Houston High School standout Jake Williams — will stress not only hard work, but the importance of playing solid on the defensive end.

“I like everybody to buy into playing good defense,” Boitz said.

With that in mind, Boitz said he wants to use that depth at forward to run a full four lines to ensure his players stay fresh and have the energy to play the hard-nosed defense.

The Avs open the season against an Alexandria squad that finished in third place in the NAHL Central Division with a 29-25-4 record and used a late-season run to advance to the Robertson Cup.

Among the returners for Alexandria is forward Brandon Bahnemann, who recorded 22 goals and 22 assists in 55 regular season games last year.

Also returning are forward Noah Demgar (14-24-38) and defensemen Garrett Grimstad (10-25-35) and Taylor Vichorek (9-10-19).

Also back is goaltender Ryan Leets, who was 20-12-3 with a 3.46 goals against average in 41 games last season.

The Avs and Blizzard hit the ice at 3:30 p.m. AST on Wednesday.

Alaska continues play against Traverse City on Thursday, the USNTDP on Friday and Springfield on Saturday.

Local players in VIJL

Four local players are currently playing in the Junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

Former Colony standout Blake Huppert is skating for the Peninsula Panthers in the Canadian junior league. Huppert has appeared in two games, but has not registered a point according to the VIJL league Web site, www.vijl.com.

Two of Huppert’s teammates at Colony — forward Andrew Bargelski and defenseman Chris Breck — are playing for the Westside Stingers.

Also on the Stingers’ squad is former Houston standout Jake Henkel.

Bargelski has two assists in three games, while Henkel has one assist and 29 penalty minutes in three games.

A pair of former Palmer players are skating in the NORPAC, a Tier III Junior A league based in the Pacific Northwest.

Defenseman Cody Gable is back with the Billings Bulls. He posted six goals and 35 assists in 84 games last season.

Forward Spencer Galvin, who suited up with the Moose as a freshman and also played briefly at Wasilla, is skating for the Seattle Totems. Galvin collected 13 goals and 15 assists last season for Seattle.

A pair of former Avalanche players are also in the NORPAC. Defenseman John Strahle, of Anchorage, is skating for the Eugene Generals, where he posed five goals and 15 assists in 20 games last year.

Michael Frei, who played in six games for the Avs last year, is also returning to the Generals.

Frei scored 37 goals and 34 assists last year and has 242 points in 112 career NORPAC games.

Random shots

Former East Anchorage defenseman David Picard, who was selected by the Avs in the 2008 NAHL draft, is on the reserve roster of the Westside Warriors of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League … Paulos Shiferaw, who played in Wasilla for two seasons, is also in the BCHL, skating for the Quesnel Millionaires. Shiferaw, who is in his second season in the BCHL, recorded 12 goals and 13 assists for Surrey last year … Former Alaska captain Reed Rushing is skating for the Motor City Machine, a first-year NAHL franchise. Rushing, who posted 20 points in 60 games for the Avs during the 2006-07 campaign skated at North Iowa last year … Nathanial Pellegrino, a member of Alaska’s 2006-07, is back in goal for the Alpena IceDiggers of the NAHL. Pellegrino was 12-9-1 with a 2.93 GAA last season for Alpena … Forward Scott Barrera, who played briefly for Alaska last season, is skating for North Iowa this year.

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