Houston product makes his junior hockey debut

WASILLA — There was no shortage of smiles as Alaska players milled outside of the locker room after a 4-0 win over the North American Hockey League-leading Wenatchee Wild Friday night.

But the excitement of one Avalanche skater in particular was especially apparent.

Micah Ranum made his Alaska Avalanche debut during the win, and recorded a +1 plus-minus rating in his first career Junior A hockey game.

“I love it,” Ranum said afterward, hardly able to contain his grin.

Ranum skated several shifts with linemates Blake Huppert and Tyler Schwartz, and had one shot on goal.

“He did a good job,” Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said. “He played tough.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward makes the move to the Junior A level after spending his first two years of high school with the Houston Hawks varsity program. The 17-year-old Houston junior said he’ll most likely forgo prep hockey in order to focus on juniors.

“Houston’s great, but being able to play with these guys is phenomenal,” Ranum said.

Ranum has been practicing with the Avalanche, and is a veteran of the organization’s U-18 midget program, but Friday was his first chance to crack the lineup.

Ranum said he thought he’d have the chance to pull the Alaska sweater over his shoulder pads and take the ice, but he just wasn’t sure when.

Now, Ranum said he wants to continue working for a spot on the ice.

Boitz said he thinks Ranum has what it takes to compete at this level.

“He’s a big, strong kid. He works hard in practice. We think he can be really good,” Boitz said.

Ranum said he has his sites set on the opportunity to play Division I hockey. In the meantime, he’s focused on keeping a spot on the Alaska roster.

“I’m giving it all I can to make it work here,” Ranum said.

Ranum is one of several Mat-Su Valley players to skate for the hometown Avalanche. Ranum’s older brother, Sean, hit the ice in 57 games over two seasons.

Houston graduates Jake Williams, Larry Kincaid, Dillon Styers and Kaleb Westfall also appeared in at least one game for the Wasilla-based Junior A hockey team.

Ranum is one of three Valley players currently on the roster. Forwards Matthew Friese (Wasilla) and Blake Huppert (Colony) also hail from Mat-Su programs.

The list of former Avalanche players with Mat-Su roots includes Adam Friese (Wasilla), Jeremiah Dargis (Wasilla) and Ryan Pauling (Colony).

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