Max Vallis of the Omaha Lancers committed to Michigan Tech Friday. The 5’9″ forward played for P.F. Chang’s (Midget AAA hockey program in the western United States now known as the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes) for two seasons starting in 2008. In his last season with P.F. Chang’s, Vallis was second on the team in goals (19) and led the team in assists (28) in 48 games, averaging nearly a point per game. His play with P.F. Chang’s got him drafted by the Kenai River Brown Bears in the 2010 NAHL Entry Draft, but he chose to spend the 2010–11 season with the Merritt Centennials in the BCHL. Vallis finished the season tied for the team lead in goals (22) and was third on the team in points (38). That success prompted more draft selections for the Santa Clara, California, native: he was chosen by the New Mexico Mustangs in the 2011 NAHL Entry Draft and the Omaha Lancers in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft.
Vallis chose to sign with the Omaha Lancers, but that 2011 NAHL draft means former Mustangs coach and current Huskies assistant Bill Muckalt has had his eye on Vallis for some time. There is obviously a history there and that relationship continued after Muckalt joined the Huskies staff. With the Lancers this season, Vallis is currently fourth on the team in goals (11) and fifth on the team in points (21). In the middle of January, Vallis was named CCM Offensive Player of the Week (shared with with future Minnesota Golden Gopher Taylor Cammarata) by scoring 4 goals along with a plus-five rating to help the Lancers win a pair of games. During his game against Sioux Falls that week, he recorded his second hat trick of the season.
Vallis is an older player that will come in as a 21-year-old freshman next season. He joins fellow recruits Pheonix Copley, C.J. Eick, Walker Hyland, Jujhar Khaira and Alex Petan in replacing graduating players Jordan Baker, Alex MacLeod, Brett Olson, Bryce Reddick and Josh Robinson. Given the current 31-player roster and a net gain of one player for 2012–13, it is likely the addition of Vallis completes the Huskies’ 2012 recruiting class.
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Tim is a 2004 graduate of Michigan Tech. He is a co-founder of both Mitch’s Misfits and Tech Hockey Guide. With recent additions to the staff, Tim is again able to focus on his passion, recruiting. He currently works as an environmental engineer and resides in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Area.
