Coach calls new Avalanche captain an ‘obvious choice’

PALMER — Long before Alaska Avalanche blueliner Joe Schmitz had the “C” tattooed to his Avs sweater, Schmitz was acting like a captain.

Like every other skater on the ice, Schmitz — Alaska’s big veteran defenseman — was working to catch the eye of a brand new coaching staff during the team’s offseason main camp in Minnesota. But it wasn’t necessarily the play of Schmitz that really grabbed the attention of the new coaches.

It was his leadership.

First-year Avs assistant Josh Petrich said, during a camp where everyone was fighting for a roster spot, Schmitz was taking young players aside, pointing out things they were doing wrong and guiding them along the way.

When it came to naming a captain for the 2011-12 season, new head coach Corey Millen said it was a fairly easy choice.

“He’s about as obvious as it gets from where I stand,” Millen said recently. “There are other good kids, don’t get me wrong, but to me (naming Schmitz captain) is about as obvious as it gets.”

Schmitz — a 6-foot-3 and 210-pound defenseman from Lino Lakes, Minn. — is in his second season with the Avs. The 20-year-old skated in 55 of the Avs’ 58 regular-season games last year, posting five goals, 12 assists and a plus-3 rating. He added a pair of assists in three playoff games.

Schmitz’ strength is his play on the back line, and Millen said there are a variety of reasons why the NAHL veteran is a force on the blue line.

“He’s a competitor. He’s a guy who gets the game, brings intensity and tries to bring it every night,” Millen said. “He’s a big, strong guy.”

Schmitz has five assists in eight games this season, but Millen said leadership, strength and toughness on defense are the biggest assets Schmitz brings to the Avs.

Millen said he also believes Schmitz will bring those same things to a Division I program in the future.

Another veteran, Ross Pavek, has been named the Avs’ assistant captain.

“Ross is another big bodied kid who brings a lot of energy to the ice,” Petrich said. “Both (Schmitz and Pavek) are leaders and know when to speak. Both know when to let me and Corey speak.”

Pavek has collected 1-3-4 totals in eight games this year. Pavek, a native of Green Bay, Wisc., tallied 7-4-11 totals in 33 games last season after he was acquired in a trade with Janesville.

The Avs are only days away from the 2011-12 home opener. Alaska hosts Fresno Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the MTA Events Center in Palmer. For more on the Avs, see the Friday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.