Zak Brice concludes his junior hockey career with his name peppered throughout the New Jersey Titans record books. Now, the 21-year-old is off to tend the crease of Arizona State.
The Fairbanks, Alaska native made his NAHL debut with the Aberdeen Wings in 2021, securing his first junior hockey win by stopping 25 of 29 shots in a 5-4 Aberdeen victory. His first full season of junior hockey came in the BCHL with the Powell River Kings, where he made over 1000 saves in 35 games played. Joining the Titans after their Robertson Cup championship in the summer of 2022, Brice was expected to back up Harvard commit Ben Charette for the 2022-23 season. Instead, the Little Caesar’s product seized the New Jersey crease, becoming the starter and putting up a 25-8-1 record, with a goals against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .921 with 3 shutouts.
Firmly entrenched as the starter for his age-out year, Brice recorded another 22 wins last season. With a 5-4 shootout victory over the Maine Nordiques on March 8th, Brice surpassed Brandon Perrone to become the franchise’s all-time leader in wins. The left catching goaltender then shut out the Philadelphia Rebels on March 26th for his sixth career NAHL shut out, setting another franchise high. He also spent time volunteering with the New Jersey Titans youth teams, helping to guide and teach the next generation of goaltenders.
“I am super thankful for my time in Middletown. It’s a place where you come to develop, win, and be a part of a family environment,” said Brice. He continued, “From the coaches to the facilities, everything was first class and helped me get to where I am today.”
Brice now heads to Arizona State University, one of the newest NCAA Division I programs. The Sun Devils play out of Mullett Arena, a facility previously shared with the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL. Beginning their program as an Independent school, ASU will play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning this season, against storied opponents such as North Dakota, Denver, and Colorado College.
“Bricer was such a great part of our team over the past two seasons,” said Head Coach and General Manager Craig Doremus. “He came to New Jersey at a time when we needed a guy to stabilize our crease after Andrew Takacs departed following the Robertson Cup. Zak came to work each day eager to improve and bring a professional mindset to our club. Zak was a big of our success over the past two season and I only wish he would’ve been healthy for the playoffs this year as I thought he was playing his best hockey for us down the stretch. I greatly look forward to watching his career at Arizona State and can never thank him enough for all of his work and efforts in New Jersey.”