Avs swing deal for blueliner

PALMER — The Alaska Avalanche swung a deal Monday to make sure the Avs aren’t left with a team full of right-handed defenseman.

Alaska swapped blueliners with the Odessa Jackalopes, acquiring Jordan Krebsbach in exchange for rookie Zach Mertes.

“We were kind of stuck with six right-handed defensemen,” Alaska assistant coach Josh Petrich said. “It came down to it where we had to make a decision.”

Petrich said the Avs are sorry to see Mertes, a promising young defenseman, go, but had to bring a left-handed shot to the back line. The need was especially apparent on the power play, Petrich said.

“It slowed things down having one off-handed defenseman,” Petrich said.

But the addition of Krebsbach should give the Avs a boost. The Virginia, Minn., native bagged more than half his points while skating on the power play last season with the NAHL’s Owatonna Express.

Krebsbach, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound blueliner, finished with five goals and 12 assists in 48 regular-season games last year. Krebsbach tallied three power-play goals and a half-dozen power-play assists.

Krebsbach also gives the Avs another veteran on the blueline. He’s now one of three defensemen on the squad with 1991 birth years, and in their final year of junior hockey, joining Joe Schmitz and Patrick Kinkopf.

“That’s one thing we lacked last weekend, a little more experience back there,” Petrich said.

Alaska finished 1-2-1 in the four-day NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn.

Mertes, a Lake Forrest, Minn., native, joins an Odessa team that finished 0-3-1 in the Showcase. The Jackelopes are in their first season in Odessa, Texas. The franchise was formerly known as the Express and had been based in Owatonna, Minn.

Avs add Anchorage skater to roster

The Avs added Anchorage native Cobi Smith-Mass to the roster before the NAHL Showcase, and the former Dimond High skater has already made an impact.

Smith-Mass, who skated for the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League last year, grabbed a goal and an assist during the Showcase.

He recorded a plus-1 rating and was part of Alaska’s most productive line alongside fellow forwards Evan Janssen and Ryan Dau.

“He’s a big pickup,” Alaska head coach Corey Millen said of the addition of Smith-Mass.

Millen coached Smith-Mass in youth hockey in Anchorage.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” Millen said. “He’s a 6-3 guy. He’s got some scoring touch, got some skill.”

Millen said Smith-Mass’ combination of size and skill can be dangerous.

“It’s not something you see every day,” Millen said. “He’s definitely a commodity if he plays well.”

Smith-Mass played in 37 games for Surrey, of Canada’s Tier II BCHL. He finished with 2-3-5 totals and 45 penalty minutes.

Smith-Mass is one of two forwards added before the Showcase. The Avs also brought on Kevin Novakovich, who played with the Topeka RoadRunners last season.

Petrich said Novakovich, who finished with 3-6-9 totals in 22 games last year, brings quickness and has great vision on the ice.

Novakovich’s 2010-11 season was cut short due to injury, but the Saratoga, Calif., native was productive when he was on the ice, Petrich said.

He was also a key player on the power play. Petrich said the Topeka coaching staff said the RoadRunners power-play percentage dropped after Novakovich was lost to injury.

In one other roster move, the Avs released Sam Khnogmok.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.