The Aberdeen Wings, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce that forward Peter Krieger as committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Krieger, 19, is slated to play for Alaska-Fairbanks beginning in the 2014-15 season. Alaska-Fairbanks is a member and will compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) beginning in the 2013-14 season.
“Alaska-Fairbanks has a great school and great hockey program, so I am very excited about the commitment,” said Krieger. “I liked everything about it, from the guys on the team, the coaching staff, the town and I think it is going to be a great fit and next step in my hockey career.”
The native of Oakdale, Minnesota, is coming off his first season playing in the NAHL. Krieger (5’11/180) appeared in all but one game for the Wings during the 2012-13 regular season as he led the team in scoring with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 59 games played.
“We are very excited for Peter and his opportunity to continue his hockey career and study at the University of Alaska Fairbanks,” said Aberdeen head coach Travis Winter. “Peter is a hardworking, dedicated hockey player who is going to have a great college career.”
“Being able to play junior hockey in Aberdeen was a great experience for me. I owe a lot of credit to the Wings organization including Greg Odde, Travis Winter, Pete Sauer and all my teammates,” continued Krieger. “Aberdeen has the best fans in the league and the team was very close with the community. That was one of the really special things about playing there. We were also really proud of what we were able to do the second half of the season and the entire experience of playing in the NAHL taught me a lot.”
For his efforts throughout the 2012-13 regular season, Krieger was named to the All-NAHL Rookie 1st team. Krieger was twice named as the NAHL’s Central Division Star of the Week during the 2012-13 regular season. On February 4th, Krieger netted the honor as he helped the Wings sweep the Coulee Region Chill with six points in two games. He was honored again on March 18th as he recorded five goals in three weekend wins that kept the Wings in the playoff race until the very end of the season.
Krieger also was selected to take part in the 2013 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Troy, Michigan as a member of Team Dakota. Krieger posted an assist in the three games and said that the experience was one he wouldn’t forget.
“Top Prospects was such a great experience. You are playing with and against some of the best talent that the NAHL has to offer and you take one look in the stands and it is just a sea of scouts, so you know you are getting a lot of exposure,” said Krieger. “It really makes you want to go out there and show what you can do and it really adds a competitive element to the event. In my talks with the staff at Alaska-Fairbanks, they mentioned they saw me play at the Top Prospects event and liked the pace of the game and the competition on the ice.”
Krieger is the fourth Aberdeen Wings player this season to earn an NCAA commitment, joining teammates: Jordan Kaufer (Concordia College, NCAA DIII), Zach Nagelvoort (University of Michigan, NCAA DI) and Justin Parizek (University of Nebraska-Omaha, NCAA DI).
