Posted : : 08/04/2005
ANCHORAGE CONNECTION SUITING UP FOR ACES
Heisten returns, UAF stand-out Corbin Schmidt signs
Alaska Aces Press Release
Anchorage, AK - The Alaska Aces have secured forward Chris Heisten and defenseman Corbin Schmidt to one-year contracts for the 2005-06 season.
Playing on Alaska's third line last season, his second year as a pro, the six-foot, 195-pound Heisten scored 15 goals during the regular season, including five two-goal games, and added two more goals in the Kelly Cup semi-finals against Trenton. He grew up in Anchorage and attended Dimond High School before heading to the USHL in 1997 to play for the Lincoln Stars.
That season in juniors helped prepare him for the rigors of NCAA Division I powerhouse Maine, where he scored 35 goals and 47 assists in 128 games for the Black Bears, including a 31-point campaign (15g-16a) in his senior season of 2002-03. The 27-year-old Heisten was part of two Maine teams that reached the Frozen Four, including the 2001-02 squad that lost 4-3 in overtime to Minnesota in the national championship game.
Schmidt, who will turn 25 next month, joins the professional ranks after four successful years at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where in his senior season, he helped lead the Nanooks to the school's first-ever top three finish at the CCHA Tournament in Detroit, with wins over nationally-ranked Northern Michigan and Michigan State.
He also was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week with two assists and a +4 rating in a January sweep of Ferris St. In 117 college games, Schmidt scored four goals and assisted on 19 others with 42 minutes in penalties. 15 of his 23 points at the collegiate level came as a senior (1g-14a). He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at UAF while earning CCHA All-Academic recognition twice in four years.
The 5-11, 190-pound Schmidt graduated from East High School in Anchorage in 1999, winning a state title with the Thunderbirds in 1997. He has played forward at times during his career, including the 2000-01 season with Tri-City in the USHL, when he scored 11 goals with 31 assists in 56 games.
Alaska opens defense of its 2005 West Division Championship on Friday, October 21 against the San Diego Gulls at Sullivan Arena. The Aces, who were eliminated in Game Seven of the National Conference Finals last year, are proud affiliates of the St. Louis Blues (NHL) and the Peoria Rivermen (AHL). For 2005-06 season ticket information, please call 258-ACES.
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