Top prospect

WASILLA — Jeremiah Dargis didn’t immediately believe Jamie Smith when the Alaska Avalanche head coach and general manager told the young forward he was selected to compete in the upcoming North American Hockey League Top Prospects Tournament.

“I didn’t believe him at first, to be honest,” Dargis said on Wednesday. “I thought he was just trying to get me going.”

But after he saw a press release on the Internet, Dargis knew it was for real. And on Saturday, Dargis and teammate Alex Young will depart for Ann Arbor, Mich., and participate in the inaugural three-day Top Prospects Tournament, slated to start Sunday at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor.

“I thought he’d pick the older guys,” Dargis, who turned 19 on Jan. 27, said. “I was shocked at first.”

After the initial surprise wore off, it didn’t take long for Dargis to realize how big of an opportunity this is for a athlete with the aspiration of playing Division I hockey.

“This is the biggest thing in my life right now,” Dargis said. “This is the biggest opportunity anyone could ever ask for.”

Representatives of more than 50 college and junior hockey programs will scout the event, giving Dargis, a player determined to go as far in hockey as he can, an excellent opportunity to be seen.

“Coaches will get a good look at him right off the bat,” Smith said late last month.

For Dargis, the opportunity to play in a tournament of this caliber couldn’t have come at a better time. The former Wasilla High School standout has stood out in his first season at the Junior A level, and is trying to position himself in a place that could lead him to his ultimate goal — an offer from a Division I program.

Dargis said he really wanted to play college hockey next year, but with it being very late in the recruiting season, he has now turned his focus toward the United States Hockey League.

The USHL, a Tier I league compared to the Tier II NAHL, is considered the top junior hockey league in the United States, and the 12-team league is a virtual feeder program for Division I hockey squads.

Dargis, an athlete who brings size, speed and skill to the ice, is also a student-athlete who brings relentless determination and desire to achieve his goals. He consistently contacts coaches of Division I programs and is currently corresponding with 10 teams in the USHL. He also has his own Web site, jeremiahdargis.com, which is complete with video highlights, and academic and athletic accomplishments.

Although the local product has been thrilled with the chance to play another season in front of a hometown crowd, Dargis has conceded to the fact he’ll need to play Outside to give him the chance to achieve his Division I dreams.

“All of the coaches I’ve talked to said they don’t want to come up here,” Dargis said. “They want to see me down in the USHL. My immediate plan is to go play in the Lower 48.”

Ideally, Dargis would like his hockey career to lead him to Minnesota, the state where much of his extended family lives.

It would not be the first time Dargis left Alaska to play hockey. After three seasons with the Wasilla Warriors varsity squad, Dargis spent his senior year at St. Mark’s Prep School in Massachusetts. At St. Mark’s, Dargis amassed 23 goals and 24 assists in 22 games.

Dargis is also producing at the Junior A level. Now 38 games into the season, Dargis leads the Avs with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists). He’s also a top man on special teams, with five power-play goals and a team-high 10 power-play assists.

Prior to the season, Dargis said he and his head coach talked about personal goals for his first junior season.

“(We thought) if I could get 40 or more points in this league, I’d be doing good for myself,” Dargis said. “I’ve been hoping for 40.”

He’d actually like 50, but Dargis also knows scouts are looking at more than just his knack for getting the puck in the net.

“I think colleges look at points, but more they want guys to skate fast, hit hard and play defense,” Dargis said. “You gotta have everything.”

Regardless of where Dargis’ hockey career takes him, he has forgotten to savor the chance to play junior hockey in his hometown.

Dargis said at times he’ll be, “sitting here, looking at my jersey with my name on it. And I’m thinking this is my dream. I love it. Even though we’ve lost 11 games in a row, we got a team of guys, we’re all desperately trying to win. We’re together on this trying to win. It’s just so fun.”

Dargis and Young are among 12 forwards on the 20-man South Division all-star squad. The South team opens tournament play on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. AST against a squad from the United States National Developmental Program. On Monday, the South faces the North all-stars at 1 p.m. AST, and concludes play on Tuesday against the Central all-stars at 9 a.m. AST.

Each game during the tournament will be broadcast live via the Internet through the B2 Networks.

Games can be viewed for $10 at www.nahl.com or www.nahltopprospects.com.

Tournament packages are available through B2 for $40.

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