Houston junior named top player

WASILLA — Longtime Houston hockey coach Mike Styers has high praise for Reed Humphreys, Houston’s standout on the blue line.

“I think he’s the best defenseman I’ve coached,” Styers said.

That says a lot coming from Styers, who has served as the head coach of Houston, annually one of the state’s top small-schools hockey programs, since 2007. That promotion came after a long tenure as an assistant at HHS.

But Styers is not the only one who is recognizing the talent of the Houston junior. Humphreys has been named the Greatland Conference Player of the Year.

Humphreys was named Alaska’s top player in small-schools hockey after helping the Hawks score a runner-up finish in the 3A state tournament earlier this month in Fairbanks. In his three seasons with the Hawks, Humphreys has led his team to three straight trips to the state title game, including a state championship in 2015.

Humphreys has also put up consistent numbers during his prep career. Through three years, Humphreys now has 84 points, 48 goals and 36 assists.

“He’s always doing things to improve himself,” Styers said.

Humphreys has the physical attributes, Styers said.

“He’s speed and size. He’s a big, strong player,” Styers said.

But there’s something else that separates Humphreys from the pack, his head coach said.

“His effort,” Styers said. “He always gives everything.”

Humphreys was one of three Houston players to earn All-Greatland Conference honors. Forwards Isaac Smoldon and Kai Kingery was also named to the all-conference team. The duo finished tied with a team-high 42 points. Smoldon scored a team-best 23 goals and tallied 19 assists. Kingery added a team-high 23 assists to his 19 goals.

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