UAA’s hat trick of recruits is an interesting (and familiar) bunch

The Seawolves scored an interesting hat trick of recruits this week.

The daughter of the man who holds the UAA men's basketball record for career steals is joining the women's basketball team. The son of a man who played four seasons of hockey for the hated Nanooks is joining the hockey team. And the last of an extended family's long line of Anchorage high school sports stars is joining the men's basketball team.

Jahnna Hajdukovich of Dimond, Tanner Schachle of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (via Wasilla High) and Tobin Karlberg of Grace Christian each made commitments to play for the Seawolves this week.

Hajdukovich is a high-scoring senior guard for the Dimond Lynx girls basketball team, the runner-up at last season's Class 4A state tournament.

From 1995-99, her dad Jim was a high-scoring guard for the Seawolves. He owns the career record for steals (192 in four seasons) and ranks third in assists (238), fourth in 3-pointers (238) and sixth in scoring (1,472 points).

"When I was little I always said I was going to beat my Dad's records," Hajdukovich said via Twitter. "Now I hope I can make that true."

Hajdukovich said she picked the Seawolves in part because of her family's ties with the school — both of her parents played basketball there (Michelle Titus-Hajdukovich played from 1997-99).

But what really sealed the deal for her was the program itself. The UAA women are a perennial powerhouse and are ranked fourth in the nation.

"Honestly what really sold me was how dedicated and solid the UAA women's basketball program is," Hajdukovich said. "The coaches always give their full commitment and I'm more than prepared to give them mine."

[Talking sports with … Dimond guard Jahnna Hajdukovich]

Like Hajdukovich, Schachle is the son of two former collegiate athletes — both of them Nanooks. His dad, Trent, played hockey for UAF from 1992-96 and his mom, the former Holli Pulver, played volleyball for UAF from 1994-96.

"(My dad) jokes about it with me and says it's gonna be tough wearing the green and gold, but my family supports me," Schachle said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Schachle, 20, will join UAA after four seasons of junior hockey — one with the Kenai River Brown Bears, one with the Okotoks Oilers of Alberta, and two with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. In 16 games this season with the Ice Dogs, Schachle has scored four goals and eight assists.

Schachle skipped his senior year at Wasilla High to play junior hockey. In his final year of high school hockey, he was coached by dad Trent, who was a star for the Warriors back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

After four years at UAF, Trent Schachle played several years of minor league hockey, even after he and Holli began their family. Tanner remembers being a toddler back when Trent played for the Adirondack IceHawks of the old UHL.

"He's the biggest influence in my life, in my hockey career, in everything," Tanner said. "When he was playing pro we lived in New York for a couple years and what I remember, being 4, 5, 6 years old, is it was just super awesome.

"He played college hockey, then he played semi-pro and made money at it, and that planted the seed for me. It's what I want to do."

A big power forward, Schachle said UAA coach Matt Thomas was the first college coach to reach out to him.

Schachle boasts size — he's 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds — and the skills to skate with the puck. He said he needs to improve his play in the defensive zone, "but my play with the puck is what UAA wants me to come in for."

The family-ties theme continues with Karlberg, who is entering his senior season with Grace Christian as the reigning Class 3A Player of the Year. His cousin, Colton Lauwers, played for the Seawolves from 2011-14.

Karlberg is part of an extended family that over the years has produced four Players of the Year — he and his brother Leif both won Class 3A Player of the Year honors in basketball, Lauwers was the Class 4A Player of the Year in 2009 and another cousin, Kayla Sims, was the 2013-14 Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball.

The youngest of the combined Karlberg, Lauwers and Sims clan, Karlberg is the first member of UAA coach Rusty Osborne's current recruiting class.

"Tobin has had great role models and mentorship from both his family and the coaching staff at Grace," Osborne said in a press release.

"… He has the IQ and leadership ability to play point, but he also possesses the shooting and scoring ability needed from a 2-guard. In addition, he has worked hard to develop his body physically and should have little trouble transitioning to the college level."

[Karlberg keeps up family tradition for Grace Christian basketball team]

At Grace Christian, Karlberg has started every game of his career at the varsity level and has piled up 1,637 points through three seasons.

As a junior, he shot 60 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range while averaging 23.8 points per game. He led the Grizzlies in steals and assists and carried them to their first Class 3A state championship in 16 years.

Here's a list of Alaska high school athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent to play college sports:

Hockey

Tanner Schachle, Wasilla (UAA, Division I)

Boys basketball

Kamaka Hepa, Barrow (Texas, Division I)
Tobin Karlberg, Grace Christian (UAA, Division II)

Girls basketball

Jahnna Hajdukovich, Dimond (UAA, Division II)

Volleyball

Zoey Keene, South (UAF, Division II)

Track and field/cross country

Emma Nelson, Chugiak (Oregon State, Division I)
Tessa O'Hara, Anchorage Christian (Union University, Division II)