Brandon Knelsen

Brandon Knelsen, a 5'10", 190 pound right wing from Three Hills, Alberta, played one season and served as assistant captain for the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 60 games Knelsen scored 16 goals, added 37 assists for 53 points and was +12 with just 16 penalty minutes. He played two seasons for the Red Deer Optimist Rebels of the Alberta Midget Hockey League. He totaled nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points with 54 penalty minutes in 35 games during the 2004-2005 season and was alternate captain for the South Team at the AMHL All-Star Game. In the 2003-2004 season he scored nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points with just six penalty minutes in 35 regular season games and added one goal and four assists in eight playoff games.

"Brandon Knelsen is a heady player," said UAF Head Coach Tavis MacMillan. "He consistently produces night in and night out. He's the type of kid who doesn't necessarily have to score to be effective. The closer and tighter the games, the better player he is. He's been a leader on every team he's been on. He's wearing a letter for Drumheller this year as a rookie and he's the type of kid that will someday wear a letter at UAF."

"Brandon Knelsen is gonna be a great two-way college hockey player," said UAF Assistant Coach Wade Klippenstein. "He's very responsible defensively and he has some offensive ability as you see with his numbers this year. What I like about him most is he's going to be a great character player that is a big student of the game. If you want to know something about hockey any team any league Brandon Knelsen knows that information and I like that. He is a hockey player through and through and he's going to be a great asset to our program both on and off the ice."

Dion Knelsen

Dion Knelsen, a 5'9", 180 pound center from Three Hills, Alberta, completed his rookie season for the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League with 39 goals and 35 assists for 74 points with 47 penalty minutes in 60 games. He was named to the South Division Team roster for the 2006 AJHL All Star Weekend on January 21 and 22. After the season he was named to both the AJHL South All-Rookie Team and the AJHL South Second Team All-Stars. He was also Drumheller's Rookie of the Year and runner-up for AJHL Rookie of the Year.

Knelsen played the 2004-2005 season for the Red Deer Optimist Rebels of the Alberta Midget Hockey League and in 35 games had 17 goals and seven assists for 24 points with 14 penalty minutes. He had four game winning and five power play goals.

Knelsen played two years for the Red Deer Chiefs of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. In 2002-2003 he scored 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points with 10 penalty minutes in 36 games. In 2003-2004 he had 42 goals and 54 assists for 96 points with 14 penalty minutes in 37 games. That season he was recipient of Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League's Most Sportsmanlike Award.

Knelsen was the 73rd (fourth round) overall choice in the 2004 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft by the Portland Winter Hawks.

"Dion will be a great asset to the Nanooks program as he is a top end player and a fantastic person. He comes from a great family and has shown that with his work ethic and his abilities as a player, along with his great attitude and strong morals he will, with out a doubt, be successful with what ever he does in life and hockey. This 16-year-old is one of the most dynamic players in the entire AJHL. He jumps on every opportunity he gets to become a better player. He is always one of the hardest working players on the ice," said Drumheller head coach Rob Hegberg.

"Dion represents everything you want in a student-athlete," said UAF head coach Tavis MacMillan, "academically, athletically, and socially. When I first saw Dion play, his stick skills and hockey sense separated him from the 16-20 year olds he plays with in the junior league. He has a presence on the ice that very few players at that level have."

"We feel Dion Knelsen is the best 16 year old Junior `A' player in Western Canada," said UAF assistant coach Wade Klippenstein. "Dion is a dynamic player that will have Nanook fans on the edge of their seats."

Jeff Lee

Jeff Lee, a 6'2", 210 pound center from Calgary, Alberta, is the younger brother of Nanook left wing Aaron Lee. He finished his second season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Sherwood Park Crusaders after starting the season with the Drayton Valley Thunder. In 54 regular season games he scored 12 goals and added 21 assists for 33 points with 40 penalty minutes. He played for the West team in the CJAHL Prospects Game on December 7 where he finished second in the Fastest Skater competition and also scored in the Breakaway competition.

In 54 regular season games for Drayton Valley in 2004-2005 Lee scored six goals and added ten assists for 16 points with 54 penalty minutes. He led the Southern Alberta Midget League in scoring while playing for the Calgary Stampeders during the 2003-2004 season with 26 goals and 31 assists for 57 points in 32 games. He was a seventh round selection of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2003 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

Lee was ranked 163rd among domestic players in the NHL Central Scouting Service Mid-Term Rankings and 128th in the Final Rankings.

“Aaron Lee has been an upstanding player, student, and quality person.” said UAF head coach Tavis MacMillan. “He comes from a great family and Jeff is right along those same lines. It was a no-brainer for us. Jeff is a big kid that skates really well, he’s a great skater and a great forechecker much like his brother is. He’s going to be a good player for us on the Olympic sheet because he’ll be able to get around the ice and to create havoc on a forecheck, and he’s got the skill level to compliment our team and our style of play. He's got a huge upside; the fact that he's 6'3" and can skate is going to open up doors for him.”

UAF assistant coach Wade Klippenstein said, “Jeff is a very good skater for a player of his size. He probably covers more ice than most players in the AJHL. He’s very good at pursuing the puck and has a good skill set that goes with that size. He’s a power forward who’s going to be a very good college player.”

Dustin Molle

Dustin Molle, a 6’2”, 214 pound, physical defenseman from Anchorage, Alaska, will join the Nanooks this season but will be ineligible to play until the 2007-2008 season after transferring from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Molle played just three games for UAA during the 2005-2006 season including his first two against the Nanooks with no points and four penalty minutes. After the first semester he returned to the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League and played in 32 games scoring three goals and adding nine assists for 12 points with 81 penalty minutes.

Molle also played the three previous seasons with Waterloo totaling one goal and 14 assists for 15 points with 116 penalty minutes in 60 games in 2004-2005, six assists with 75 penalty minutes in 47 games in 2003-2004, and one goal and six assists for seven points with 99 penalty minutes and a +19 rating in 58 games in 2002-2003. Molle was selected for the USHL’s 2004 Prospects / All-Star game and received the Black Hawks’ Most Improved Player Award in his first season.

Prior to his career in junior hockey he played two seasons for Service High School in Anchorage where he graduated in 2004 and for the Anchorage Hockey Association North Stars and one season for the Alaska AAA All Stars.

He went unselected during the 2004 NHL Entry Draft but was ranked #239 at mid-season and #214 in final rankings among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau.

Although Dustin Molle’s career with the Seawolves was short, he was viewed as a defenseman with a lot of leadership potential at the time he was recruited. The Anchorage Daily News reported that Waterloo coach P.K. O'Handley said, “I've never seen a kid with more passion. He brings his game to the rink every day. He plays with such an edge and plays so hard, I think the sky's the limit. As far as leadership goes, he can be vocal, and he holds his teammates accountable.''

Jordan Pernarowski

Jordan Pernarowski, a 6'1", 188 pound right defenseman from Dauphin, Manitoba, played two years with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He is considered a good leader with outstanding character off the ice. He was named to the MJHL Sherwood Division All-Stars in 2005-2006 and the MJHL Rookie First All-Star Team in 2004-2005. During the 2005-2006 regular season he played 62 games totaling eight goals and 41 assists for 49 points with 142 penalty minutes and in 13 playoff games he had three goals and six assists for nine points with 26 penalty minutes. Pernarowski played for the Parkland Rangers in 2003-2004 and was named to the Manitoba Midget AAA All-Star team.

Cody Rymut

Cody Rymut, a 6'1", 195 pound left wing from Bonnyville, Alberta, played three seasons of junior hockey and has been called an energetic, fiery, gritty and hard-nosed player. Rymut started the 2005-2006 season as assistant captain with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League and totaled four assists and 26 penalty minutes in eight games. He was then traded to the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League where he played two games with one assist and two penalty minutes. He finished the season back in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs scoring eight goals with 13 assists for 21 points with 110 penalty minutes in 45 regular season games and four goals and four assists with 18 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games. He shared the Chiefs' Most Improved Player award and won the shooting accuracy competition at their annual skills competition.

Rymut played the 2004-2005 season with the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL scoring nine goals and adding 19 assists for 28 points with 91 penalty minutes in 49 games. He was recipient of the Eagles' Hardest Worker award. In 2003-2004 he started his junior career with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the AJHL and had one goal and seven assists for eight points with 111 penalty minutes in 23 games.

Eric Largen

Eric Largen, a 5'11", 183 pound goaltender returns to his hometown of Fairbanks to play for the Nanooks after a single season in junior hockey. Largen started the 2005-2006 season with the Twin Cities Northern Lights in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League where he gave up just a single goal in three games finishing with a 3-0-0 record, 0.33 GAA and .984 save percentage. He then moved up to the North Iowa Outlaws of the North American Hockey League where he played 14 games with a 4-7-2 record, 3.46 goals against average and .893 save percentage. He was then picked up late in the season as a backup goaltender by the Southern Minnesota Express in the NAHL. He played in four games during the regular season finishing with a 1-2-1 record, 2.31 GAA, and .911 save percentage. Largen was undefeated during the playoffs finishing 6-0 with a 1.39 GAA and .963 save percentage including a 68-save performance that advanced Southern Minnesota to the Robertson Cup tournament.

Prior to last season Largen played four years for West Valley High School in Fairbanks where he set school records for career goals against average and save percentage. In 45 career games he was 24-16-1 with 10 shutouts, a 2.03 goals against average and .917 save percentage. He was named to the Mid-Alaska All-Conference Team his final three seasons and received the Most Dedicated Player Award in both 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 and Top Freshman Award in 2001-2002. He made the 2002-2003 Alaska State Championship All-Tournament Team. Largen was also named to the Alaska All-State Third Team in 2002-2003 and was an honorable mention selection in the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons.