ULTIMATE GOAL: Former Wasilla hockey standout commits to Division I UAA

WASILA — Tanner Schachle had a great week.

Last Monday, Nov. 13, the former Wasilla High School standout now skating for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs announced his official commitment to attend UAA and play for the Division I Seawolves. Friday night, Schachle netted his first career junior hockey hat trick during a 5-2 win over Minot.

“I’m petty excited. It’s an awesome opportunity,” Schachle said of his chance to skate with the Seawolves, earlier this week by cellphone.

It’s an opportunity that’s just about a lifetime in the making.

“That’s kind of been the goal. Play college hockey,” Schachle said.

Schachle hails from a hockey household. His dad, Trent, the current head hockey coach at Wasilla High, spent four years with Division I UAF before a six-year career in minor league hockey.

Tanner started skating at 3 years old.

In high school, Schachle was among the top players in the North Star Conference before opting to make the jump to juniors following his junior season.

Now, he’s in his second season with the Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League, and officially a Division I commit.

Schachle said the UAA coaching staff has been in contact with him during each of his seasons in Fairbanks.

“We chatted last year a little bit, this year they were a lot more serious,” Schachle said.

Schachle said UAA was the first program to really go after him, and that was appealing.

“I talked to a few other programs, but UAA expressed the most interest,” Schachle said. “It’s the right fit for me as a hockey player.”

Now in his fourth year of junior hockey, Schachle said he’s also finding his right fit on a hockey team. Schachle exploded for the three goals during the NAHL win over Minot, but he said he knows what his role is, a power forward. That’s what he’s embracing, and looking forward to being at the Division I level.

“Don’t get scored on. Do my job. Do it well,” Schachle said.

Schachle credited the Ice Dogs coaching staff and organization for helping him develop into a Division I hockey commit., and said it has also taken years of work on and off the ice. He spent a season with Kenai River of the NAHL at the beginning of his junior career and spent another season with the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

“The first year with Kenai was a real eye-opener, to see what the next level was, how to really adapt to it,” Schachle said. “It’s a totally different level of hockey.”

Schachle said his year in Canada really forced him to mature.

“It helped me grow as much as a person. A huge amount, if not more than a hockey player,” Schachle said.

The 6-foot-3 forward skated in at least 50 games in each of his first three seasons of juniors, and has seven goals and nine assists through his first 18 games of the 2017-18 season.

Schachle finished with six goals and eight assists in 57 games with Kenai during the 2014-15 season. The following year, he logged 4-6-10 totals in 53 games with Okotoks.

Last season, Schachle scored a career-high 11 goals and 17 points in 50 games with the Ice Dogs. After four-point Friday, he is just a point shy of tying a career high in points this year.

Schachle said the chance to play close to home played a big part in his decision.

“I really happy about it. The majority of my family lives in Anchorage and Wasilla,” Schachle said. “Most, if not all, will be able to go to every home game.”

He’s also continuing the Schachle family tradition of competing at a high level. Last year, his younger brother Brayden signed with the University of Wisconsin and is now a Division I diver with the Badgers. But he’s also adding an in-state rooting interest to the Schachle family. Both of his parents are Nanooks. While his dad skated for the UAF hockey team, his mom, Holli, was a member of the UAF volleyball team.

“My mom jokes about it’s going to be hard to wear green and gold, but they know it’s a good opportunity for me regardless of the rivalry,” Schachle said.

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