The Wildcats have helped themselves to more home cooking with the addition of local power-forward, Christopher Fritz.

Fritz, standing at 6’3” 200-pounds, comes from Surprise, AZ. His junior experience includes a brief stop with the Northern Cyclones (USPHL-PR) and Helena Bighorns (NA3HL).

Before his time in juniors Fritz played for the Mission Arizona 18U, which is the local travel program located in Peoria Arizona. Mission Arizona was founded  in 2006 by legendary Wildcat Hockey defensemen, Jeremy Goltz.

Goltz (1990-94) is wildly considered to be one of the best, if not the best, defensemen in Wildcat Hockey history. Beyond the production, his physical style of play made him a fan favorite during his time at the TTC. This foundation eventually lead to a  brief professional career in the (ECHL) East Coast Hockey League before returning as an assistant at the U of A under former Ice Cat head coach, Leo Golembiewski. Ironically, Goltz eventually got his first head coaching opportunity with local rivals, Arizona State, where he was directly responsible for turning their program around and went on to win ACHA Men’s Division 1 Coach of the Year in 2010.

“I am extremely excited to be able to have the opportunity to play for the University of Arizona for the next 4 years,” said Christopher Fritz. “It has been a goal of mine to play for this program and follow in the footsteps of Jeremy Goltz, Manny Rowe, Trey Decker, and many more. Being able to play in front of the best fans in college hockey is something that will be very special. Not only am I fortunate enough to play for a National Championship contending program, I am also able to pursue a degree from a very prestigious University. I am beyond excited to have the amazing culture and winning atmosphere that coach Berman has built. I can’t wait to get started.”

Fritz is another big body with a lot of upside, but it’s his character and work ethic that attracted coach Berman the most.

“First and foremost, we are adding a really great kid in Fritz,” said coach Berman. “In recruiting, you always try to do your homework to ensure you bring in the best quality of people possible. Winning starts and ends with culture. But at the end of the day, you near really know what you have until those recruits land on campus. That’s not the case here. I’ve gotten to know Fritz over the last few years through Goltzy. Fritz is easy to invest in because of his character and work ethic. He will immediately fit our championship mindset. We are going to have a very competitive lineup to crack again this year, but I am confident enough in him and his potential to know that in due time he will make a tremendous impact on our program.”