By Bob Eley, Fairbanks News Miner
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs, proud members of the North American Hockey League, are pleased to announce that forward Jayson Angus became the ninth member of this year’s team to commit to a NCAA Division I college on Wednesday when he announced he will attend Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Angus, 20, will join his Ice Dogs’ teammate Garret Clemment on a Lakers squad that will be playing in the revamped Western Collegiate Hockey Association along with the Alaska Nanooks and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
“He’s very consistent in his game,” Ice Dogs coach Trevor Stewart said. “He’s consistent in a way that he’s not noticed in any way, shape or form for being negative.”
Angus played in the 2013 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in February in Troy, Michigan as a part of the Frontier team. While at the tournament, Angus (5’7/165) had two goals in three games as the Frontier team captured the Top Prospects title.
Angus is the fourth-leading scorer for players who played the entire season with the Ice Dogs, who head to Soldotna to continue their best-of-five North American Hockey League first-round playoff series against the Kenai River Brown Bears at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The series is tied 1-1 after last weekend’s games in Fairbanks.
Angus registered 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points in 59 regular season contests.
“He’s a great secondary scorer and he’s always on the right side of the puck,” Stewart said. “He understands where the puck needs to be and he’s always aware of his teammates are on the ice.”
Stewart said Angus is a perfect fit for Lake Superior State, which will be joining the Alaska schools, Northern Michigan, Ferris State, Bowlng Green State, Alabama-Huntsville, Michigan Tech, Bemidji State and Minnestoa State in the revamped WCHA.
“They like players who are accountable and skate well,” Stewart said. “Being in the new WCHA with several Olympic-size sheets of ice, I think his skills are applicable on both size sheets.”
In addition to Angus and Clemment, other Ice Dogs who have made college commitments this season are Tayler Munson, Alaska Nanooks; Max Birkinbine, Air Force Academy; Preston Hodge, Nebraska-Omaha; Buggie Lagrone, Colorado College; Devin Lee, Miami (Ohio); Patrick Newell St. Cloud State; Steve Perry, Clarkson University; and Doug Rose, Sacred Heart University.
Click here for the complete list of 2012-13 NAHL college commitments
