Garrett Pyke embraced his opportunity at UND to the fullest

WEST FARGO – Garrett Pyke was not the first nor last defenseman to transfer to North Dakota from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks.

After appearing in 83 games and nearly leading the Nanooks to the NCAA tournament as captain, Pyke entered the transfer portal and landed at UND. 

“It was a great four years at Alaska, but I wanted something different,” Pyke said. “Going into the portal, I knew I wanted to play for a program that would develop me and give me a good chance to make a run at it (National Championship).”

Pyke was the second defenseman in three years to transfer from Alaska to North Dakota. Following the 2020-21 season, Chris Jandric transferred to UND to play his senior and COVID fifth year.

When Pyke had made up his mind to transfer to North Dakota, Jandric, a friend and former teammate, reached out. Pyke and Jandric had played together for the Nanooks for two years.

“I knew Chris Jandric,” Pyke said. “He was one of my good buddies. Speaking with him, he spoke highly of North Dakota.”

Pyke visited UND shortly after having conversations with the coaching staff.

“I came down for a visit, saw the facilities, and there was no place like that,” Pyke said. “You see the facilities, meet the coaches, meet the guys. I almost knew right away; it felt like a good fit for me, and it felt like home.”

Boston University, Omaha, and Minnesota-Duluth all reached out, but Pyke was set on North Dakota from the get-go.

Joining a new team can always be stressful or have problems, but for Pyke, everything went smoothly. 

“I got to Grand Forks, and right away, all the guys made me feel at home,” Pyke said. “I was living with Griffin Ness, who had played three years at North Dakota; he showed me what it was like to be a part of the culture.”

From the moment he stepped onto campus, Pyke felt the significance of North Dakota hockey in the city of Grand Forks. 

“You could tell how much this city loved hockey. You go around town, and you’re seeing the Fighting Sioux and Fighting Hawks everywhere,” Pyke said. “Right away, I understood the importance of the hockey program to the city.”

Ralph Engeslstad Arena is considered one of North America's best hockey arenas. Over the last 10 years, UND has constantly upgraded the Ralph to ensure it is state-of-the-art.

“I am sure everyone has seen videos on YouTube and Instagram of the facilities, but the videos don’t do it justice,” Pyke said. “It's a world-class facility. You talk to guys in the pros, they’ve got top-end facilities, but even they say that nothing compares to the Ralph.”

In 39 games for the Fighting Hawks. Pyke scored three goals and notched 22 assists, surpassing his point total of the previous season at Alaska (19). Like many athletes, he was superstitious.

“I was a little bit superstitious,” Pyke said. “There was a group of us, Ludvig Persson, Jake Schmaltz, Riese Gaber, Griffin Ness, and myself would always do the walkthrough, and it had to be the same way. Gaber would always park in the same spot; we’d walk past the students and through the rink a certain way.

“My routine was that I always put on the headphones,  went into the shooting room and took my shots, went on the turf, and warmed myself up before any special team meetings.”

Before UND hits the ice, the players always stand in the tunnel looking out into the arena. The Ralph always plays a video montage with any sort of pump-up music that helps set the tone for the game.

“The adrenaline is definitely pumping,” Pyke said. “But what helps is going back to the superstitions. I had a few handshakes with the guys that were around me. When you’re in the tunnel, you can hear the crowd, especially right before you go out, the lights go dark, and when you’re skating out, you see green lights, and it’s a surreal feeling, to be honest. It's something you dream about.

“When you’re on the line (red line behind UND’s net), and they are announcing the starting lineup or even the intro video on the jumbotron, it just–I can speak for all the guys in the team–it gives us chills every time. It’s the coolest thing.”

Looking back on his season at UND, Pyke remembers multiple times when the atmosphere in the Ralph was unmatched.

“The game where we pumped Denver, I wanna say it was maybe 5-2; I remember just how good that felt; the crowd was just behind us. Obviously, I can say the Minnesota series. All the guys knew the rivalry there, and in the second game, when we got to win, it was definitely really cool.”

Pyke came to UND to play in the NCAA tournament, but unfortunately, that never happened. During the second period of the Frozen Faceoff semifinal against Omaha, Pyke suffered an injury that kept him out of the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Pyke played more minutes for UND than anyone else on the team; losing him challenged UND in their game against Michigan, which they fell 4-3. Had UND advanced to the Frozen Four, Pyke believes he would have been able to come back.

“It’s hard to know, but my mindset was I was getting ready for the Frozen Four,’’ Pyke said. “I was doing everything off the ice, recovering mentally. I was staying sharp, getting reps in, and doing what I could. I like to think that I would have been playing.”

 Although UND lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, there was never a shadow of a doubt that the team was not locked in and ready to play.

“The guys definitely understood it was time to dial down,” Pyke said. “Everyone understands that it's elimination, that there's no second life. The leadership group and older guys did a great job of making everyone on the same page and understanding how important the games are.

“I remember before we got in the plane, and we were packing up at the Ralph, the coaching staff–they never released this video, but it was so cool. They made a little montage of our season. They put it up on the jumbotron and dimmed the lights in the Ralph. It gave all the guys chills; it was so cool, and it pumped us all up.”

Once the season concluded, Pyke signed a pro deal with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL). He plans on preparing for the upcoming season this summer and rehabbing his shoulder injury.

“My main goal right now is making the team,” Pyke said. “It gets so competitive. You get to pro, and all these guys are such great players. I think it was great for me to go to Colorado and see the level of play and how guys handle themselves. My main focus right now is to have a good development camp this next week, showcase well at the rookie and team camps, and make the team for next year.”

Alaska Fairbanks players that transferred to UND

• Chris Jandric 2021-23 (D)

• Garrett Pyke 2023-24 (D)

• Caleb MacDonald 2024- present (D)

• Chris Jandric’s stats

• Garrett Pyke stats

• Caleb MacDonald stats