Nikolas Koberstein’s professional hockey ambitions have received another big boost.
Just months after he joined Olds Grizzlys in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), the Barrhead teenager has been accepted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the 2015-16 season.
The Alaska offer was one of many he received in his efforts to further his education and hockey career.
It means he will follow in the footsteps of former Grizzlys Ian Perkins, Jim Lawrence, Darcy Campbell and others who have gone to Fairbanks.
Grizzlys head coach Brett Hopfe said he could not be more thrilled for Nik.
“Nik has had many generous offers to move on to the next level and has chosen UAF, which is a great school with a brand new state of the art dressing room,” he said.
Hopfe said the Grizzlys had been happy to help Nik develop into a force for the Alaska Nanooks.
“With Nik’s skill set and work ethic I would not be surprised to see him playing at the professional level when his time with UAF is done,” he said.
He added that the Grizzly organization wanted to congratulate Nikolas and his family on the teenager’s latest accomplishment.
Nikolas was one of 13 players to make commitment to Division 1 programs since the league held its AJHL showcase last September in Spruce Grove.
“It’s fantastic,” Nikolas said of the exposure in the AJHL. “There’s always people watching you, every game. The showcase was crazy. You couldn’t really let it distract you because you wanted to play your best, but there were a ton of schools watching.”
A 17-year-old rookie in the AJHL, Nikolas has adjusted well, leading Grizzlys’ defensemen in scoring. Immediately after the showcase he was in contact with multiple schools, but a visit from Alaska head coach Dallas Ferguson clinched it for him.
“He showed a lot of interest, and my family and I really liked him,” said Nikolas. “He’s a Western Canadian guy, a farm boy, just like me. When he came down to visit it just felt right.”
For Nikolas, who attended a College Hockey Inc. summit in Spruce Grove two years ago, college hockey has always been a goal, even after being drafted in the seventh round by the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats in 2011.
“I tried to keep all my options open,” he said. “Schooling has always been important to me, and it makes sense to pursue it while playing hockey at such a high level.”
In February, Nikolas was flown up to Fairbanks for a couple of days to meet the players, see the campus and watch a game.
“He was totally excited,” said Nikolas’s father, Brian.
In March, Nikolas had another reason to celebrate: he was named in the 2013-14 Reebok AJHL League teams and CCM AJHL All-Rookie teams.
He was selected for the CCM South Division All-Rookie team.
Nikolas also made news when he was picked to play in the 2013 Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Prospects Games in Nova Scotia, an event created to showcase 40 of the top National Hockey League prospects in the CJHL
The Prospects Games – hosted for a second straight year by Digby and Yarmouth – were held in conjunction with the 2013 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth. Player selection for the games is a joint initiative of the CJHL and NHL Central Scouting. The 6 ft. 2 in., 185 lb. Nikolas was one of three AJHL players chosen.
It was on June 1, 2013, that Barrhead-raised Nikolas signed a one-year contract with the Grizz, who compete in the southern division of the AJHL.
His decision was based on a belief that it would help him go to a U.S. college and experience top-level coaching. News that he is Alaska-bound has vindicated that decision.
Over the last few years the former Barrhead Composite High School student’s hockey star has shone brilliantly.
In 2009 he joined the Spruce Grove PAC Saints’ ‘AAA’ bantam team, ending the 2010/11 season with a record of four goals and 19 assists for 23 points through 28 games.
On May 5, 2011, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League and last season he played for St. Albert Raiders.
Going to Alaska will broaden more than Nik’s sporting horizons.
Alaska is a U.S. state in the northwest extremity of the North American continent. Bordering the state is Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
One of Alaska’s landmarks is Mount McKinley, which is 20,320 ft. above sea level, making it the highest peak in North America. Other features include the 2,000-mile long Yukon River, an estimated 100,000 glaciers, 6,640 miles of coastline, and more than 70 potentially active volcanoes.
According to the official Alaska state website, many visitors have pleasant surprises in store: weather, road conditions and prices are better than many think.
During summer, for instance, average daytime temperatures range from the 60s to the 90s. Motorists are also relieved to discover that almost the entire length of the Alaska Highway is asphalt-surfaced, and about half of the roads in the state’s highway system are paved.
Contrary to popular belief, prices in the state are generally reasonable.
