Despite offseason losses, Warriors stocked with depth

WASILLA — Losses of a team captain, leading scorer and top goaltender during an offseason may lead to a few headaches for some coaches.

The Wasilla Warriors had that type of offseason, but head coach Bill Sturdevant didn’t feel a need to dive for the bottle of Ibuprofen.

“We knew what we lost from last year, but really, we have the core of our team coming back,” Sturdevant said early in the 2010-11 season.

The Warriors did have to wave goodbye to graduated seniors such as former captain Eric Marshall and sturdy goaltender Chris Yaskus, players who helped Wasilla win the North Star Conference crown. Wasilla saw all-state forward and 2009-10 leading scorer Trent Wohlers forgo his senior season to grab the chance to play at the Junior A level.

But Sturdevant and his assistants also welcomed the return of a load of veteran talent, players who have seen a significant amount of varsity ice time during their time with the Warriors.

“We knew the kids we had coming back were going to be better, they had a year of growth under them,” Sturdevant said.

Three games into the season, Sturdevant said he’s been very pleased with a few aspects of his roster. First, is the depth.

Wasilla has skated a full four lines during the early stretch of the season.

“I’m definitely happy with the depth,” Sturdevant said.

Contributing to that depth are 13 upperclassmen, many of whom have been staples in the varsity program in recent seasons.

“Most of them have played a significant amount of varsity time since they were freshman,” Sturdevant said. “If not freshman, sophomores.”

Zach Korsmo, Mike Edwards and Eric Johnson are among the seniors who will line up at forward for the Warriors. Sturdevant said these seniors will be asked to help provide offense for the Warriors.

“We lost some key scorers from last year. This is an opportunity for those kids to step up,” Sturdevant said.

Nico Ransom-Cederholm and Darryl Bailes are among the seniors on the blue line.

Captain Chancie Hanson and assistant captain Michael Johnston are among the leaders in the junior class. Hanson and Johnston are among defensemen who will see the most ice time for the Warriors, and will also be seen as contributors on offense, Sturdevant said.

“We’re not going to sneak up on anybody with those two guys,” Sturdevant said. “They’ve been doing this since they were freshmen. Now juniors, everyone knows what they’re capable of.”

Forward Dylan McRee is also among leaders in the junior class.

Goalie Zach Eastham leads a group of underclassmen on the varsity squad. The sophomore inherited the starting spot left by the graduated Yaskus, and despite Wasilla’s 1-2 record, Sturdevant is thrilled with the work of the 10th-grader.

“I think he’s done fantastic,” Sturdevant said.

Sturdevant is also pleased with his freshmen on the varsity squad, forwards Cooper Hanson and Troy Verplanke and defenseman Andrew Cooley.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Follow him at Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.