Sometimes the first offer can really be a really good one.

Derek Docken can attest to that. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Thunder defenseman gave a verbal commitment to the University of Alaska-Anchorage last week to become the first player in franchise history to sign with a Western Collegiate Hockey Association school.

Docken, in fact is in the minority of North American Hockey League players who make it to the WCHA. Fewer than 60 players from the NAHL will play Division-I college hockey and just 15 will play in one of the premier college hockey conferences.

“WCHA — that’s pretty incredible,” Docken said. “Never thought I’d be playing in the WCHA, that’s for sure. It’s such a far-fetched dream.”

Alaska-Anchorage was the first team to offer Docken a scholarship and he took it. Docken will likely play next season in the United States Hockey League before heading to Anchorage with a partial scholarship. The Seawolves gave him a 50 percent scholarship that will increase as his role with the team increases.

Docken bit on his first offer, but so did Anchorage. It took Anchorage assistant coach Regg Simon one look to decide to offer Docken a scholarship.

Simon traveled to Albert Lea after Thunder assistant coach Zac Headrick recommended that he take a look at Docken. Simon didn’t get to see Docken in a game, but after one practice and an hour-long chat Simon left impressed and called Headrick a few days later to offer Docken a scholarship.

“He (Simon) talked to him afterwards for about an hour,” Headrick said. “Then he called me up before the (NAHL) Prospects Tournament and said, ‘I like the kid and normally I don’t offer a kid just off of one practice,’ but he goes, ‘I saw something, it was a gut instinct.’”

It’s not hard to recognize Docken’s talent on the ice, but college coaches recruit for character just as much as talent and Docken’s character is as strong as his play.

Albert Lea head coach Chuck Linkenheld said that D-I deal is fitting for a person with the type of character Docken possesses.

“You couldn’t ask for a better result for a better person,” Linkenheld said. “I think it’s fitting. He’s the kind of kid you want your kids to grow up like.”

There’s an authentic humbleness to Docken, who seriously considered playing Division-III hockey following this season, when he says he planned on giving up the dream of playing D-I hockey after this season.

“Honestly I told myself at the beginning of this year that if I didn’t have anything locked up I was just going to go D-III, that I didn’t want to play another year of juniors,” said Docken, who has missed just two games in two years with Albert Lea.

His first season with the Thunder certainly served as a humbling experience after a 4-49-5 season and he tied for a team-worst minus-46 rating. Instead of asking for a trade or to be released Docken finished the season and decided during the summer to play another season in Albert Lea.

Docken has made significant strides in his second season with Albert Lea. As a first-year player Docken finished with a miserable plus/minus rating in a forgettable season, but now leads the team with an incredible plus-17 rating despite the Thunder having a losing record.

Docken leads the team by plus-10 as a defensemen, an incredible statistic given the amount of ice time he logs and that Albert Lea has given up the fourth-most goals in the league. His plus/minus rating is tied for eighth-best in the league and fifth-best among defensemen. He is the only player ranked in the top 10 on a losing team.

How he has amassed such a good plus/minus rating astonishes his coaches, too. Headrick works with the defensemen and shakes his head in disbelief when he thinks about it.

“He’s actually normally in position to recover if he makes a mistake and that’s part of the reason he doesn’t get scored on when he’s out on the ice,” Headrick said. “I think that right there is a stat that shows how good of a player he is.”

Docken envisions himself as an offensive-defenseman and though he spent much of his first season as a stay-at-home defenseman he’s grown more comfortable at the NAHL level.

“Being a first-year guy I was just getting used to the pace and stuff like that,” Docken said. “Where this year I wanted to come in and be a factor right away, make my presence felt. I just want to be a difference-maker. I tried to push myself to get out of my comfort level.”

The goals and assists aren’t eye-bulging, but it’s apparent Docken has made more of an effort to get into the offense. Often times Docken will lead a rush into the opponent’s zone because of his skating ability and puck-handling skills. Docken has 13 points, which is five more than he had all of last season and in 20 fewer games played.

Docken wasn’t initially thrilled with the prospect of playing in Alaska, but that given that he’ll play in the WCHA he quickly got over it.

“At first I wasn’t too thrilled about it, but the more I talked to everyone around me they just said it was a great opportunity,” Docken said.

Though Docken, a Northfield native, grew up with dreams of donning the maroon and gold of the Gophers he’ll get his chance to compete against Minnesota as a member of the Seawolves.

“I think it will be kind of cool,” Docken said. “It’s going to be weird to think I was just watching on TV, just wishing I could be there, playing on TV, playing on FSN and now I’m getting that chance.”