When Ian Perrier enters the crease for Åmåls Sportklubb this season, he will be making Yukon history.

The 24-year-old Whitehorse native will become the first goalie from the territory to suit up in a professional game.

Åmåls SK is a Division 2 team in Amal, a city of 9,000 in south Sweden.

The six-foot-two, 190-pound butterfly goalie says he expects the starting job is his to lose, noting a young Swedish goalie is also on the roster.

The season, including tournaments, will total about 40 games, he said.

Perrier said he is the first goalie from the Yukon to sign a professional deal and wants to continue climbing the hockey ranks.

“I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to continue doing what I love to do,” he told the Star Saturday, before leaving for Sweden Sunday. “I want to play until nobody wants me or my body can’t take it anymore.”

Perrier, the son of Gerry and Laura Perrier, is the only hockey player in the family of four.

He spent the last three seasons as a netminder with the Westfield State University Owls in Massachusetts, graduating with a business marketing degree.

His best statistical season came in 2012-2013, when he finished with a 12-7-2 record alongside a .921 save percentage and 2.93 goals-against average (GAA) – club records at the time.

His first year of college play was with the Northland College Lumberjacks in Wisconsin, where he set club records in GAA (3.60) and save percentage (.909).

“Without those opportunities, playing hockey at the next level would have been nothing short of a pipe dream,” Perrier stated in a note on his Facebook page.

“I can’t wait for this next chapter of my life to get started, and look forward to proving myself to those who believe in me. Even more so to the ones who don’t.”

Perrier’s former Lumberjack teammate Garrett Nystedt will also don Åmåls’ yellow, black and white jersey this season.

Nystedt reached out to Perrier, advising him to send a stats package and game tape to the club’s front office.

“I wanted to continue playing hockey,” Perrier said of his decision to try the European circuit.

“It’s definitely a stepping stone. ... I’ve never been to Europe and see it as a semester abroad. I feel like I’m very prepared for it. Every time I’ve gotten an opportunity to play, I’ve risen to the occasion.”

He expects to do the same in Sweden, where he will to play in arenas across the Scandinavian country.

While Perrier declined to reveal the monetary terms of his deal, he said the team will be taking care of his living expenses.

Perrier spent the 2010-2011 season with the Dryden Ice Dogs, carrying the team to the Superior International Junior Hockey League finals with a 26-13-2 record, alongside his lowest-ever GAA for a season at 2.41.

Former Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) head coach Clint Mylymok was behind Dryden’s bench that season.

Perrier also spent a junior season with the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2008-2009.

“It hasn’t been an easy ride to here. It’s been full of hiccups,” the Yukoner said. “But I couldn’t take no for an answer, basically.”

Perrier first started skating in Whitehorse at the age of four.

He continues to hold fond memories of his days with the WMHA, highlighting his peewee coach Dale McGowan as laying the foundation for his hockey career.

In bantam, Perrier led the Whitehorse Mustangs to a provincial silver medal. He also guided the Yukon to gold and bronze medal victories at two Arctic Winter Games tournaments.

A session with goalie coach Eli Wilson after getting cut by the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers as a 14-year-old helped refine Perrier’s butterfly style.

His parents were also instrumental in terms of his career advancement, and Perrier said his mother once served as WMHA president when it appeared no one else would take the position.

“They supported me in every way,” Perrier said. “It was unwavering. Thank you isn’t enough.”

At times Perrier felt like a “guinea pig” as a trailblazing Yukon goalie, but he said young players from the North can’t be afraid to put themselves out there.

“It’s much better to have failed attempts than being too afraid to try.”