By Abby Doperak · KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- Tennessee Club Hockey serves as a way for athletes to continue competing during college. For Connor Frazer and Tyler Iles, the Ice…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- Tennessee Club Hockey serves as a way for athletes to continue competing during college. For Connor Frazer and Tyler Iles, the Ice Vols are more than a club – they’re the full-circle ending to a 16-year-long story.
From learning to skate to holding the positions of captain and alternate captain, Frazer and Iles have been side by side for nearly two decades, both on and off the ice. Since starting hockey at the age of 4, the pair has continually found their way back to each other.
Their story began at the Ashburn Icehouse in Ashburn, Virginia, where the two toddlers started skating as Mini Mites. They excelled early on, moving up to Mites as the youngest players on their team.
As they continued advancing, the boys played together on Ashburn Xtreme, traveling locally to other ice rinks in the area. Their time in Ashburn was critical for their hockey fundamentals, credited to their coach, Bill Iles, Tyler’s dad.
From teaching the basics to helping execute line changes by shouting “Bingo!,” Coach Iles had a heavy influence on the team. Even from the stands, Christy Frazer, Connor’s mom, could see the impact.
“Tyler’s dad has been very involved in their development as hockey players from the very, very beginning through when they departed Ashburn,” Christy Frazer said. “Tyler’s dad was critical for their development.”
Today, Coach Iles still plays a role, even years after stepping away from the bench.
“When I line up for a draw, he looks at me and he will start pointing to places where he wants us to go or giving recommendations,” Connor said. “It’s crazy that we know each other for so long that I see him in the stands or on the wall, and he will still practically be a coach.”
Hockey became a way of life for both the Iles and Frazer families. But as the sport became more serious, the friends found themselves on separate paths for the first time in their careers.
Connor stayed with Ashburn Xtreme an additional year to serve as captain, while Tyler moved up to AAA hockey to play for the Washington Little Capitals, advancing a year ahead of Connor.
“He deserved everything he had when he was younger. He worked his tail off for everything, and I have the utmost respect for that,” Connor said.
When Connor joined the Little Capitals the following year, Tyler had already moved to Team Maryland, extending their time apart.
With one on Little Caps and one on Team Maryland, the boys faced a new challenge – playing against each other.
“It sucked,” Tyler said. “He was probably 6 feet tall when we were 14, so he would just run people over. I was always afraid that I was going to have my head down and Frazer was going to steamroll me.”
Yet, even as competitors, they still found ways to remain present in each other’s lives.
“We were always friends away from hockey,” Connor said. “It was never that I had to be on the same team to be friends with him.”
Two years later, they reunited on Team Maryland – joined by future Ice Vol teammate Tyler Rose.
The trio’s time together at this young age impacts their game to this day, as they have a special play designed by Team Maryland that they still utilize on the ice in Tennessee. While not obvious to the rest of the team, they can execute this play as if no time has passed.
“We have that connection from youth hockey,” Connor said. “It’s a connection that we know how to run this play, and no one else does.”
For hockey players, the senior year of high school can be a pivotal moment. Connor and Tyler were no exception.
Tyler decided to take his senior year at South Kent School in Connecticut, as Connor moved with his family to Michigan to play for Victory Honda. Neither expected to share the ice again.
After strong senior seasons, both had to decide between pursuing junior hockey or attending college.
In the fall of 2022, Connor enrolled at the University of Tennessee, choosing to prioritize education while making hockey fun again. Tyler was still undecided, contemplating signing a junior's contract to pursue Division I hockey, until a visit to see Connor changed everything.
“Seeing him play and have fun with it again…I was like, ‘Wow, I really want to play hockey in college,’” Tyler said.
By spring 2023, they were teammates once more – this time as Ice Vols. The reunion was meaningful not just for them, but also for their families.
“Knowing he [Tyler] was going down there to someone he’s been friends with for so long was very special,” Heidi Iles, Tyler’s mom, said. “It was really amazing he had that opportunity to play with Connor again.”
From the very start of their time together at Tennessee, it was evident that the dynamic duo had undeniable chemistry on the ice.
“As soon as I came in, we were on the same line, and I feel like that was kind of given just because they knew we were on the same teams,” Tyler said. “It’s funny because he plays the same way he played years ago.”
This is head coach Drew King’s third season coaching, having experience both playing with and coaching Frazer and Iles. Si…