Almost five months have passed since Great Britain suffered a heartbreaking 5-3 loss to Austria.

That defeat ended a three-year run at the top level of World Championships for GB, who will now be looking to bounce back in 2023.

A bright spot in a tournament of disappointment was the play of Cade Neilson.

GB’s young gun made the hockey world stand up and take notice with excellent performances and a five-point campaign.

The challenge for Neilson is to move on from the Aberdeen Wings (NAHL), his exploits with Great Britain and succeed in collegiate hockey.

The 21-year-old will call the University of Alaska-Fairbanks his hockey home for the 2022-23 season.

Most hockey fans are familiar to varying degrees with the NCAA but the team with the nickname “Nanooks” is probably lesser known.

So let us start at the beginning, with some geography.

Fairbanks is the largest and coldest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the population of the city proper at 32,515, and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655 making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska after Anchorage (thank you Wikipedia).

Speaking of Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks is located 350 miles north of Alaska’s largest city and is approximately a six-hour drive away.

The University has competed in Divisions I and II during its history, in differing competitions.

The team won the 1987–88 Alaska Great West Hockey Conference regular season and were 1988 playoff championship.[4]

Alaska has also been a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) from 1995 until its dissolution in 2013. They would move on to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) until it folded in 2021.

The Nanooks now compete as an independent team but have found success hard to come by.

Alaska has struggled in the last six seasons, posting a winning record on just one occasion.
This is made worse by the fact that they’ve incurred twenty or more losses in four of those campaigns (36-game season)

Home is the Carlson Center, a 4,595-seat arena located along the banks of the Chena River.
It is the third largest arena in Alaska, behind the Sullivan Arena and Alaska Airlines Center, located in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Carlson Center opened on June 13, 1990, and is named after John A. Carlson (1920-1988), who served as Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor from 1968 to 1982.

The team colours are blue and gold. It is certainly a uniform that pops out at you!

Nanooks is the Inuit word for Polar Bears and it’s fitting that ‘Nook’ is the team mascot and a fearsome looking one at that.
The story goes that the team had no official mascot until two students started attending games dressed as polar bears. The rest, as they say, is history.

Erik Largen returns for his fifth season as Head Coach.

A former player for Alaska-Fairbanks, the 35-year-old has worked his way up the ranks in a twelve-year coaching career.

After starting as a goaltending coach with Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL), the native of Alaska has gone on to hold various positions.

They include head coaching jobs with Twin Cities Northern Lights (MNJHL), and assistant roles with Tri-City Storm (USHL) and Janesville Jets (NAHL).

Before heading back to Alaska, initially an assistant coach, Largen was the head coach for the NCAA Division III team, Marian University.

The season begins with a home doubleheader against American International College on October 1 and 2.

Games are exclusively played Friday-Sunday, with one Thursday game the exception to the rule.
Alaska-Fairbanks will face their rivals, the University of Alaska Anchorage, on six occasions.

There is a two-week break in the schedule for Christmas, with play resuming on December 31, 2022.
The 34-game regular season schedule culminates with a home doubleheader against Lindenwood University on March 3 and 4.

Though joining a new team, there will be some familiar names on the Alaska roster, which should help with the settling-in process.

Two former Aberdeen Wings players are a part of the Alaska-Fairbanks family.
Payton Matsui, with one NCAA season under his belt and Captain of the Wings last season, Kyle Gaffney.
Gaffney finished second in scoring in 2021-22, behind only Neilson.

Arvils Bergmanis is a sophomore who Neilson came up against at the most recent World Championships.
Bergmanis suited up for his native Latvia and recorded a narrow victory against Great Britain. I’m willing to bet the 22-year-old might mention this fact to his new teammate!

On a side note, Edvards Bergmanis, brother of Arvils, has committed to Alaska for 2023-24.

There is plenty of experience on the Nanooks roster, but also a plethora of rookies, including Neilson.

Goaltender Lassi Lehti, Defensemen A.J. Macaulay, Will Hilfiker, Ricards Landmanis and Forwards Braden Birnie, Zachary Power and Quinn Rudrud make up the novice contingent on the thirty-player roster.

Neilson’s career path has been varied and taken him to unusual spots in the hockey world.
Having succeeded this far despite the doubters, it would be no surprise if Neilson were to make waves in the NCAA and make some new fans along the way.

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