Crookston High School seniors, Greyson Ecker and Jay Reese, signed to play junior hockey for the Gillette Wild in Gillette, Wyoming. The Wild are a member of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), which stands as the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior league in the country. Widely recognized as one of the premier development platforms at its level, the NA3HL offers unmatched coaching, exposure, and advancement opportunities for student-athletes.
“I’m excited for those two going to continue to play at the next level, but it’s pretty cool,” said Crookston Pirate Boys Hockey Coach Josh Hardy. “It’s exciting that they get to go experience it together as they have for the past, you know, 14 years here together, and to go play some junior hockey together out in July, I think it’s a really good opportunity for them.”
Hardy added that he is excited to see how Reese and Ecker continue to get better. “You know, both are just great kids. They played a ton of hockey for us all the way up and were big-time contributors,” said Hardy. “Those two are going to be fan favorites out in Gillette and I think they can contribute right away. I’m excited to watch and see. I think they’re both going to be better 19-year-olds than they were 18 and better 20-year-olds than they were 19. And I think the sky’s pretty high for both of them.”
Jay Reese was second on the team in scoring with 56 points. He scored 20 goals and added 36 assists during his senior year. He had two power-play and two short-handed goals.
In his three varsity seasons, Reese recorded 122 points, scoring 47 goals and adding 75 assists. “It’s going to be fun, get away from home a little bit, and explore the world a little bit. It’s a really good opportunity to really showcase my skills and really grow as a person and as a hockey player too,” said Reese, who added what he hopes will happen. “I hope to showcase my skills and hopefully make it to college one day and get a scholarship.”
Greyson Ecker was third on the Pirate team with 43 points. He scored 17 goals and recorded 26 assists. He scored three power-play goals and had only three penalties this past season. In three seasons of varsity, Ecker recorded 91 points with 41 goals and 50 assists. “They had a good recruitment process, and I was out there for a couple of weeks at the end of their season, and I really liked what I saw there,” said Ecker. “It’s going to be really exciting. Meet new guys and get a chance to play with different coaches, different players. It’ll be good.”
