Tech Tomorrow: Speedy forward looks to continue success at next level

By DAVER KARNOSKY – Daily Mining Gazette
dkarnosky@mininggazette.com

Editor's Note: This feature originally appeared in the August 12 edition of the Daily Mining Gazette.

RED DEER, Alberta - Growing up in the backyard of the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, incoming Michigan Tech hockey freshman Christopher Gerrie had an opportunity to get to games and see just what it took to play hockey at a high level from a young age. Using that as motivation, Gerrie worked hard over the years to refine his game, and after two seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and one in the British Columbia Hockey League, he feels ready to take the next step in his development by coming to Houghton starting this fall to join the Huskies.

While his grandparents were season tickets holders for the Rebels, it was another family member who helped initiate him in the sport he would grow to love.

"My dad was kind of a big hockey fan when he grew up, so basically when I started walking, he threw skates on me," said Gerrie. "I think I skated when I was two or three years old. It's been a long time."

The 5-foot-10 center has been an impact player at every level since playing for the Red Deer Steel Kings Bantam AA team in 2009-10. He scored 12 goals in 22 games with the Steel Kings. Two seasons later, he scored 19 goals and 45 points in 30 games for the Red Deer Northstar Chiefs Minor Midget program.

By the time he joined the Olds Grizzlys of the AJHL in 2013, he had become accustomed to scoring and wanted to be an impact player as quickly as he could.

"It was a good opportunity for me," said Gerrie. "It was what I needed. I kind of stepped in and played a big role from the start. It was something that I was wanting to do. I was ready for that jump. It was a perfect path for me, for sure."

In his first season with the Grizzlys, Gerrie was third on the team in goals with 18 goals, first in assists with 36, and second in points with 54. He earned a share of the Canadian Junior Hockey League Rookie of the Year award as one of the two best first-year players in all of Canadian juniors.

"I think I was prepared going in," said Gerrie. "I think I was prepared by watching previous junior games with the Rebels to kind of get the feel for it."

Unfortunately, the Grizzlys did not share in the glory, going 21-30-9 on the season, good for seventh in the South Division.

In his second season with the Grizzlys, Gerrie became the focal point of the offense and he shined in the role. He upped his goal total to 25 goals and added another 36 assists for a team-high 61 points. His goal total was second-highest on the Grizzlys.

The team improved as well, going 24-27-9, good for fifth in the South.

Gerrie played alongside Jade McMullen after a midseason trade with the Grande Prairie Storm. McMullan is now heading into his sophomore campaign with Western Michigan.

Rather than head to Houghton after two seasons with the Grizzlys, Gerrie decided he needed a little more seasoning with a different challenge.

"It was a pretty big change, definitely a better league," said Gerrie. "It was a step up. It was what I needed a step before college hockey."

Joining the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, Gerrie joined a loaded roster that included Colorado Avalanche 2016 first round draft pick Tyson Jost, Nashville 2016 first round draft pick Dante Fabbro, Easton Brodzinski, brother of former St. Cloud State standout Jonny Brodzinski, and University of Minnesota's Mike Brodzinski, and Owen Sillinger, son of longtime NHLer Mike Sillinger.

With that much firepower on the team, the Vees were the top team in the BCHL during the regular season with a record of 50-7-0, good for 101 points, 18 more than the next closest team.

Individually, Gerrie finished with 16 goals and 42 points in 56 games played. Eight of those 42 points came on the man advantage.

Despite not scoring as much as he would have liked, Gerrie found the season very rewarding as he had a chance to develop his skills alongside several high-end prospects, which should bode well for his transition to college hockey.

"It was good for me to play with elite players like Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbros," said Gerrie. "It was huge for me to look up to those guys and see what they do on and off the ice to make my game better."

Not blessed with a large frame, Gerrie likens his game to Edmonton's Jordan Eberle. The young Oilers veteran is described as a "small sniping forward who relies on his smarts and hockey sense to score goals," according to eliteprospects.com. That should make Gerrie a favorite of Huskies fans in a hurry.

Gerrie is excited about the direction the Huskies are heading and looks forward to adding his talents to the mix.

"The last five years, the leaps they have made are unbelievable," said Gerrie. "They have made a real name for themselves and I think that really comes from the coaching staff and that shows what they are about. I just cannot wait to be a part of it.

"It's awesome. It's exciting. I cannot wait to get down there. It is kind of one of those things where you have to go there and you have to play hard and try to keep pushing this program up. It's a pretty exciting experience for everyone, I think."

Given the losses of wingers Alex Petan and Malcolm Gould to graduation, Gerrie could go a long way towards filling the gaps left behind.