At a very young age, Jared Pike was introduced to the game of hockey and like most, the love affair started then and continues to this day.

Now 20 and playing in his second season for the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), Pike was recently named to the NAHL’s Top Prospects Tournament (TPT), which will be held Feb. 15-16 in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Mich.

“It means a lot being able to be selected for Top Prospects,” said Pike, a Sandy native. “I have worked extremely hard to earn this opportunity, but more importantly, my teams’ success is what made this happen for me. Without my teammates laying it on the line every day, I wouldn’t have been given this opportunity.”

Pike said his main goal in Plymouth is to get noticed by NCAA Division I college scouts.

“The scouts want to see winning hockey teams play, so I need to contribute by playing a full, 200-foot team game,” Pike said.

Starting out playing local hockey for Salt Lake County when he was four, there was already a background in the sport as Pike’s father, James, played high school hockey for Cottonwood High, just outside Salt Lake City, and his uncle, Kerry Karinen, played NCAA Division III at St. Scholastica. Pike also skated for the Utah Stars, Utah Jr. Grizzlies, Davis County Youth Hockey Association, Davis County Golden Eagles and the Team Northwest Regulators. Three years ago, he left home to play for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 18U AAA squad.

Now with a chance to advance up the hockey ladder, Pike is hoping to make that happen in short order.

“Guys like the Halloran brothers (Alex and Nick), Daniel Brickley, Nash Worden, Anea Ferrario and Garrett Metcalf are great examples of guys coming from Utah and giving what it takes to play Division I college hockey and beyond,” said Pike. “They serve as role models not just to me, but to the state of Utah, and I hope I can join that list of names in the near future.”

— Matt Mackinder