Wasilla standout selected by USHL’s Lincoln Stars

WASILLA — Colton Fletcher has long hoped for a chance to play hockey at the next level. But the Wasilla High School standout may have an opportunity sooner than he expected.

Fletcher, an incoming junior, was recently drafted by the Lincoln Stars of the Junior A Tier I United States Hockey League, and will participate in a team tryout camp, which begins Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minn.

“It’s definitely a great honor. It’s pretty exciting to get drafted,” Fletcher said recently.

Lincoln grabbed Fletcher, a 5-foot-10 center, in the 25th round of the USHL draft. He was one of 28 selections made by the Stars, and one of only six Alaska players picked in the draft.

Fletcher said he had talked to Lincoln officials prior to the draft, but his selection came as a surprise.

“I never expected to be drafted right away,” Fletcher said. “I’m definitely lucky, very thankful.”

Fletcher was part of a deep freshman class that hit Wasilla High for the 2 011-12 season. Last year, as a sophomore, Fletcher helped lead the Warriors to the 2012-13 to a North Star Conference title. He bagged the game-winning goal during a win over Soldotna in the final. Fletcher has long had aspirations of playing junior hockey, but figured he’d have to wait until at least after his junior season of prep hockey to make the move. But now there is a chance he may skip two years of high school hockey in favor of playing at the junior level.

Attracting the attention of a team in the USHL — the pinnacle of junior hockey in the United States — as a 16-year-old goes way beyond Fletcher’s expectations.

“I thought maybe as a senior I’d go to an open camp,” Fletcher said.

While many Alaska players have made their mark in the USHL, it is still rare to find Valley talent hit the highest level of U.S. junior hockey. Lincoln was recently the home of two Valley players, who have since graduated to the Division I level. Former Palmer High standout Jared Hanson spent two seasons with the Stars before committing to Division I power Colorado College. Hanson will begin his sophomore season at CC in the fall. Former Wasilla High standout Matt Friese spent a season with Hanson in Lincoln before committing to UAF. Friese will also be a sophomore next season. Former Wasilla resident Dan Hacker, and former Colony standouts Jake Luthi and Nathan Schwartzbauer, are among the other athletes on the short list of Valley players to make the jump from the Mat-Su to the USHL. Hacker played two seasons with the Omaha Lancers before skating for Division I Nebraska-Omaha. Luthi played with Sioux City and Sioux Falls before a stellar career with Division I RPI. Schwartzbauer followed a season in the British Colombia Hockey League with two years at Sioux City, before his career at Division I Bemidji State. Schwartzbauer played four years of minor league hockey. Hacker recently completed his fourth year of professional hockey in Germany.

Fletcher’s selection in the draft does guarantee him a spot on the Lincoln roster. He will still have to make the team. Even if Fletcher is not on Lincoln’s regular season roster, the team will still own his USHL rights. Fletcher said he may also have an opportunity with the Kenai River Brown Bears of the Junior A Tier II North American Hockey League. Fletcher recently attended the team’s Alaska tryout camp and was invited to Kenai’s main camp, he said.

“It definitely leaves doors open for me,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher led the Warriors with 37 points as a sophomore, finishing with a team-high 21 goals. He was also tied for second on the squad with 16 assists. Fletcher was named first-team All-North Star Conference as a sophomore.

Fletcher, the second youngest player selected by the Stars, has spent his entire youth hockey career with the Mat-Su Amateur Hockey Association. Fletcher said he has been playing hockey since he was 4 years old.

In 112 combined games at the Tier II U-12, Tier II U-14, Tier II U-16 and Tier I U-16, Fletcher has tallied 113 goals, 103 assists and 216 points. Most recently, he collected 5-4-9 totals in 10 games for the Tier I U-16 MAHA Eagles.

Fletcher said there was opportunity to play comp hockey in Anchorage, but stayed in the MAHA programs so he could continue to be coached by his longtime youth coaches, Dan Massie and Trent Schachle.

“I’d really like to thank Dan Massie and Trent Schachle. They’ve really pushed me to succeed and are two of the biggest reasons why I am where I am today,” Fletcher said.