A coaching change involving the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and the UAF Nanooks hockey program took place Wednesday afternoon, as Dakota Bell was named head coach of the Ice Dogs following Ryan Theros’ departure to join the Nanooks as an assistant coach.

Both Theros and Bell were key figures in the Ice Dogs’ 2024-25 season, which saw the team go 37-16-3-3 under Theros’ leadership with Bell serving as an assistant. The Ice Dogs ended a playoff drought and captured the Alaska Airlines Club 49 Cup in what was a successful campaign.

After two seasons as head coach of the Ice Dogs, Theros departed to join the UAF Nanooks staff as an assistant under head coach Erik Largen.

In a corresponding move, the Ice Dogs promoted Bell, who has served as an assistant with the team since 2022. Bell steps into the head coaching role, a move general manager Rob Proffitt said was a clear decision.

“First of all, anytime one of our staff has an opportunity to move on to the next level, that’s what it’s all about. We’re super happy for Ryan. Obviously, him staying here in Fairbanks is super cool,” Proffitt said of the coaching change. “We’re grateful for the two years we had with Ryan, where we got the train back on track, so to speak.”

“When I learned about this news, typically in that situation — Junior A head coaching jobs are pretty coveted; in reality there’s only about 50 between the USHL and NAHL in the United States. But when I heard that news, it took me less than 30 seconds [to make Dakota the head coach]. I never put anything out or entertained anyone else. I knew he was the right man for the job … there’s no second guessing — I know he’s ready.”

Both coaches expressed excitement about their new roles. The Ice Dogs and Nanooks remain in their offseasons, with each program continuing to make moves.

What’s next for the teams

For the Ice Dogs, the coaching change came just weeks after the NAHL Futures Draft on June 10 and the NAHL Entry Draft on June 11, where the team added a new group of young talent. The next major event is the team’s main camp, scheduled for July 10-13, where the final roster will begin to take shape for the upcoming year.

Taking over during a busy stretch, Bell’s familiarity with the organization and existing relationship with players were seen as key strengths as he transitions into the head coaching role.

“I think the continuity in that is a huge part of it and makes it a little easier for the players — knowing who they’re going to play for,” Bell said. “From my side of things, it’s going to be exciting, because I was lucky enough to have a huge role in our player procurement process — the goaltenders, the draft picks, the returners – all of them have developed a deep relationship with me. I think you’re going to see guys who believe in what we’re going to do, and I think ‘trust’ is one of the most important words that can be used here.”

The recent group of talent joining the team consisted of eight Entry Draft players — Clarke Nehmens (defense), Luke Osborn (forward), Emmet McClaine (forward), Parker Nyitray (forward), Brice Bean (defender), Aidan Hesse (goaltender), Grant Barksdale (forward) and Jackson Lord (defense).

And two Futures Draft players — Bode Sarsland (defense) and Carter Lester (defense).

“You’re trying to plug some of the holes that you can foresee, trying to forecast things … we weren’t really specific to one position group. We wanted to make sure we had ourselves covered for whatever may or may not happen over the next couple months,” Bell said of the drafting strategy.

With new additions in place and a strong core established last season, Bell aims to maintain the team’s momentum through an aggressive coaching style that builds on the culture developed over the past two years.

As the Ice Dogs move forward under Bell’s leadership, Theros shifts his focus to advancing his coaching career at the collegiate level.

“It feels like the Ice Dogs are in a really good spot, and Dakota being there for three years, and this will be his fourth, he obviously has the tools and everything like that,” Theros said of the switch. “He knows exactly what we were striving for, and it was a perfect situation for me to hand over the torch to him as a take on a new gig.”

The UAF hockey program is coming off a 12-14-6 season, highlighted by its 14th consecutive Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup series win. That campaign followed back-to-back winning seasons, with records of 17-14-3 and 22-10-2.

Now under the continued leadership of Erik Largen, who has served as head coach since 2018, Theros steps into his new role — one he says he’s excited to embrace.

“To the new chapter, and jumping on with the Nanooks, it’s something for my career that I wanted to do. To have that be a possibility now, and locking that in is great,” Theros said. “But again, talking with coach Largen, it’s a lot about development; I think there’s a lot of development still there in the college ranks … ultimately, it’s about building on that history of the program, and with the new college landscape, there’s a lot of cool things that I think us as a staff can sit down and talk about, and really get some excitement around Nanook hockey.”