2025–26 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season

2025–26 Alaska Nanooks
men's ice hockey season
2025–26 Alaska Nanooks; men's ice hockey season
Adirondack Winter Invitational, Champion
Conference	Independent
Home ice	Carlson Center
Record
Overall	5–13–1
Conference	N/A
Home	1–3–0
Road	1–10–1
Neutral	3–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Erik Largen
Assistant coaches	Matt Curley; Ryan Theros; Sean Walsh
Captain	Chase Dafoe
	Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey seasons; « 2024–25 2026–27 »

The 2025–26 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season will be the 76th season of play for the program and 41th at the Division I level. The Nanooks will represent the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their games at the Carlson Center and be coached by Erik Largen in his 7th season.

Season

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Kyle Gaffney	Forward	United States	Transferred to Minnesota Duluth
Nicholas Grabko	Goaltender	United States	Graduation (signed with Idaho Steelheads)
Will Hilfiker	Defenseman	United States	Transferred to Utica
Matt Hubbarde	Forward	Canada	Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders)
Luke Johnson	Forward	United States	Transferred to Alaska Anchorage
Matt Koethe	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Tulsa Oilers)
Luke LaMaster	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (signed with Utah Grizzlies)
Bryce Monrean	Forward	United States	Left program (retired)
Brayden Nicholetts	Forward	Canada	Graduation (signed with Utah Grizzlies)
Matteo Pecchia	Forward	Canada	Graduation (retired)
Cole Plowman	Goaltender	Canada	Transferred to Manitoba
Matt Rickard	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (retired)
Brendan Ross	Forward	Canada	Transferred to Providence
Anton Rubtsov	Forward	Russia	Graduation (retired)
Broten Sabo	Defenseman	United States	Transferred to Ohio State
Tyler Waram	Defenseman	United States	Left program (retired)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Jackson Anderson	Defenseman	United States	21	Prior Lake, MN
Zak Brice	Goaltender	United States	22	Fairbanks, AK; transfer from Arizona State
Beau Courtney	Forward	United States	21	Parker, CO
Tommy Cronin	Forward	United States	21	Edina, MN
Liam Fleet	Defenseman	United States	21	Denver, CO
Jhett Larson	Forward	Canada	21	Delisle, SK
Alexander Malinowski	Forward	Sweden	21	Linköping, SWE; transfer from American International
Kyle Miller	Defenseman	United States	20	San Jose, CA
Rylen Roersma	Forward	Canada	21	Lethbridge, AB
Calvin Vachon	Goaltender	United States	20	Redondo Beach, CA

Roster

As of August 20, 2025.^[1]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2	Carson Reed	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	2004-04-20	Warroad, Minnesota	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	—
4	Noah Barlage	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2003-03-28	Humboldt, Saskatchewan	Madison Capitols (USHL)	—
5	Liam Fleet	Freshman	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2004-04-19	Denver, Colorado	Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)	—
6	Jhett Larson	Freshman	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2004-02-03	Delisle, Saskatchewan	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)	—
7	Jackson Anderson	Freshman	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2004-02-26	Prior Lake, Minnesota	Surrey Eagles (BCHL)	—
8	Braden Birnie	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2001-08-19	Weyburn, Saskatchewan	Steinbach Pistons (MJHL)	—
9	Dean Spak	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2003-02-21	Calgary, Alberta	Okotoks Oilers (BCHL)	—
10	William Lawson-Body	Junior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2002-04-04	Grand Forks, North Dakota	Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)	—
11	Haden Kruse	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2003-03-25	Nisswa, Minnesota	Janesville Jets (NAHL)	—
12	Adam Cardona	Junior	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	2003-10-05	Beaconsfield, Quebec	Massachusetts Lowell (HEA)	—
13	Fyodor Nikolayenya	Junior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2003-02-28	Minsk, Belarus	Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL)	—
14	Tommy Cronin	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	2004-09-10	Edina, Minnesota	Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)	—
16	Trenton Penner	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2003-02-23	Winkler, Manitoba	Winkler Flyers (MJHL)	—
18	Rylen Roersma	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2004-07-25	Lethbridge, Alberta	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)	—
20	Cade Ahrenholz	Senior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	2002-11-30	Lakeville, Minnesota	Colorado College (NCHC)	—
23	Caelum Dick	Sophomore	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2003-11-21	Sherwood Park, Alberta	Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)	—
24	Peyton Platter	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2003-11-02	Eau Claire, Wisconsin	Chippewa Steel (NAHL)	—
25	Alexander Malinowski	Senior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-02-07	Linköping, Sweden	American International (AHA)	—
26	Nathan Rickey	Sophomore	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2003-11-20	New Lenox, Illinois	Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)	—
29	Beau Courtney	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2004-01-12	Parker, Colorado	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	—
31	Zak Brice	Freshman (RS)	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	2003-01-25	Fairbanks, Alaska	Arizona State (NCHC)	—
32	Calvin Vachon	Freshman	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	2005-07-19	Redondo Beach, California	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	—
34	Kyle Miller	Freshman	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	2004-10-14	San Jose, California	St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL)	—
35	Lassi Lehti	Senior	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2001-11-29	Espoo, Finland	Minot Minotauros (NAHL)	—
37	Chase Dafoe (C)	Senior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2002-02-25	Peachland, British Columbia	Providence (HEA)	—

Standings

2025–26 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standings
	Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Alaska	10	2	8	0	21	39
Alaska Anchorage	6	1	5	0	9	33
Lindenwood	10	5	5	0	30	37
Long Island	7	2	5	0	21	21
Stonehill	8	1	7	0	16	32
Championship: March 7, 2026 * indicates tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated November 3, 2025

Schedule and results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Site	TV	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Exhibition
September 26	7:07 pm	UNLV*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition)	FloHockey		W 3–0	1,779
September 27	7:07 pm	Briercrest*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition)	FloHockey		W 8–0	1,738
Regular Season
October 3	7:07 pm	Minnesota Duluth*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	L 1–5	2,220	0–1–0
October 4	7:07 pm	Minnesota Duluth*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Vachon	L 1–4	2,700	0–2–0
Ice Breaker Tournament
October 10	4:00 pm	vs. #8 Quinnipiac*	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Ice Breaker Semifinal)		Lehti	W 2–1	300	1–2–0
October 11	8:00 pm	at #15 Arizona State*	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Ice Breaker Championship)	Fox 10	Lehti	L 2–5	—	1–3–0
October 17	7:07 pm	Michigan Tech*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	L 1–3	2,164	1–4–0
October 18	7:07 pm	Michigan Tech*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	W 5–1	3,120	2–4–0
October 24	4:00 pm	at #17 Wisconsin*	Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin	B1G+	Lehti	L 3–5	8,190	2–5–0
October 25	3:00 pm	at #17 Wisconsin*	Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin	B1G+	Vachon	L 1–4	10,584	2–6–0
October 31	3:00 pm	Princeton*	Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey	ESPN+	Lehti	L 2–5	920	2–7–0
November 1	3:00 pm	Princeton*	Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey	ESPN+	Vachon	L 3–6	1,159	2–8–0
November 4	3:00 pm	#5 Quinnipiac*	M&T Bank Arena • Hamden, Connecticut	ESPN+	Lehti	T 2–2 ^OT	2,511	2–8–1
November 8	7:07 pm	Simon Fraser*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition)	FloHockey	Vachon	T 1–1 ^OT	2,702
Adirondack Winter Invitational
November 28	12:00 pm	vs. St. Lawrence*	Herb Brooks Arena • Lake Placid, New York (Adirondack Game 1)	ESPN+	Lehti	W 2–0	1,067	3–8–1
November 29	3:30 pm	vs. Clarkson*	Herb Brooks Arena • Lake Placid, New York (Adirondack Game 2)	ESPN+	Lehti	W 3–2	1,598	4–8–1
December 6	7:07 pm	Grand Canyon*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition)	FloHockey	Vachon	W 4–2	2,290
December 12	3:00 pm	at Union*	M&T Bank Center • Schenectady, New York	ESPN+	Lehti	L 1–5	1,702	4–9–1
December 13	1:00 pm	at Union*	M&T Bank Center • Schenectady, New York	ESPN+	Vachon	L 2–3	2,002	4–10–1
January 2	3:00 pm	at #16 Providence*	Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island	ESPN+	Lehti	L 2–5	2,134	4–11–1
January 3	1:00 pm	at #16 Providence*	Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island	ESPN+	Vachon	W 5–1	2,442	5–11–1
January 9	3:00 pm	at #14 Cornell*	Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York	ESPN+	Vachon	L 1–7	2,108	5–12–1
January 10	3:00 pm	at #14 Cornell*	Lynah Rink • Ithaca, New York	ESPN+	Vachon	L 2–5	2,874	5–13–1
January 16	7:07 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	FloHockey	Lehti	T 1–1 ^OT	2,343	5–13–2
January 17	7:07 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	FloHockey	Lehti	W 4–1	3,401	6–13–2
January 23	7:07 pm	Lindenwood*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	W 5–2	1,663	7–13–2
January 24	7:07 pm	Lindenwood*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	L 4–7	1,792	7–14–2
January 30	7:07 pm	Long Island*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	W 5–1	1,887	8–14–2
January 31	7:07 pm	Long Island*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Lehti	W 5–1	2,185	9–14–2
February 6	7:07 pm	at Alaska Anchorage*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)		Lehti	W 4–1	4,595	10–14–2
February 7	7:07 pm	at Alaska Anchorage*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)		Lehti	L 2–3 ^OT	4,865	10–15–2
February 20	7:07 pm	at Alaska Anchorage*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)
February 21	7:07 pm	at Alaska Anchorage*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)
February 27	7:07 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	FloHockey
February 28	7:07 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	FloHockey
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Alaska Time. Source:^[2]

Scoring statistics

^[3]

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	–
USA Hockey	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	–

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12.^[4]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
^ "Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[1] "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 20, 2025.

[2] "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 3, 2024.

[3] "Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2022.

[4] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey
Formerly the Alaska Agricultural College Polar Bears, Alaska–Fairbanks Polar Bears and Alaska–Fairbanks Nanooks
Playing venues	Carlson Center (1990–present)
Head coaches	Alfred Bastress (1935–1939) Joe Gerlach (1940–1941) Jim Welsch (1949–1950) Coach Urick (1950–1951) Coach Gilhooley (1953–1954) Chris Christensen (1954–1955) Ken Smith (1956–1957) Bill Borland (1957–1958) Bill Daltri (1960–1963) Larry Bidlake (1963–1964) Jack Peterson (1964–1965) Ed Armstrong (1965–1966) Jim Perry (1967–1969) Fred Stevenson (1969–1971) Gary Weitz (1971–1972) Ray Korkiala (1972–1973) Bob Gaddis (1973–1974) Tim Homan (1977–1978) Ric Schafer (1980–1987) Don Lucia (1987–1993) Dave Laurion (1993–1999) Guy Gadowsky (1999–2004) Tavis MacMillan (2004–2007) Doc DelCastillo (2007–2008) Dallas Ferguson (2008–2017) Lance West (2017–2018) Erik Largen (2018–present)
Seasons	1925–26 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1950–51 1953–54 1954–55 1956–57 1957–58 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1977–78 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	Great West (1985–1988) CCHA (1995–2013) WCHA (2013–2021)
Rivalries	Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
NCAA Tournament appearances	2010 (vacated)
University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK