FAIRBANKS - Head coach Erik Largen and the Alaska Nanooks hockey program have announced their final additions to the roster for the upcoming 2022-23 season. This group of commits is made up of four incoming freshmen and four transfers. 

Braden Birnie
6'3" 187 lbs | Fr. | Forward | L | Weyburn, Sask. | Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) & Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
Braden Birnie joins the Nanooks after spending the 2021-22 year with both the Weyburn Red Wings of the SJHL and the Steinbach Pistons of the MJHL. He began the season with the Red Wings and saw time in 32 games, scoring nine goals and assisting on 12 others for 21 points. He added 20 penalty minutes before joining the Pistons. In 24 games with Steinbach, he posted 10 goals and assisted on 21 for 31 points and over a point a game. He saw 26 minutes in the box for the Pistons. The Pistons played 18 playoff games with Birnie on the team and in those 18 he scored 11 times and tallied 14 assists for 25 postseason points. 

Largen's Thoughts
"Braden is a throwback player of sorts. He has only one speed to his game which is fast and never takes a shift off. There is a competitiveness to his game which will allow him to step right in at the college level. We believe he represents exactly what it is to be a Nanook and can play up and down in the lineup and in all situations."

Cade Neilson
6'0" 196 lbs | Fr. | Forward | L | Lafayette, La. | Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)
Cade Neilson joins the Nanooks after spending the past three years with the Aberdeen Wings in the NAHL. In his final season, the 2021-22 season, he wore the assistant captain 'A' and scored 75 points in 58 games played. He lit the lamp 26 times while tallying 49 assists. In his first two seasons with the Wings, Neilson picked up 27 points on nine goals and 18 assists (19-20) and 45 points behind 12 goals and 33 assists (20-21). This year he represented Great Britain at the World Championships in Finland. There he scored two goals and tallied three assists for five points in seven games. 

Largen's Thoughts
"Cade has an elite brain and stick. His game was on display this summer at the World Championships where he led his home country in scoring. Cade is someone who is good in the face off circle and is someone who can be relied on in all situations."

Jonny Sorenson
6'1" 176 lbs | Gr. | Forward | L | St. Louis Park, Minn. | Minnesota (Big Ten)
Jonny Sorenson comes back to Fairbanks from the University of Minnesota in the NCAA's Big Ten Conference. Sorenson played one year in the NAHL in 2018-19 for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and in 60 games, he posted 17 goals, 39 assists and 56 points for just under a point a game. Sorenson joined the Gophers for the 2019-20 season and saw action in 35 games in his rookie season. He scored six goals and tallied five assists for 11 points. In his sophomore year he posted seven points behind five goals and two assists through 28 games played. His final year with the Gophers was 2021-22 and he scored four points, all coming on goals.

Largen's Thoughts
"We are excited to have Jonny back in Fairbanks. Jonny plays the game with a ton of pace, talent and grit. He will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact into our lineup. Jonny represents what it takes to be a Nanook."

Matt Radomsky
6'2" 185 lbs | Sr. | Goalie | L | Winnipeg, Man. | Holy Cross (Atlantic)
Matt Radomsky joins the Nanooks after three years with the College of the Holy Cross of the NCAA's Atlantic Hockey Association. Radomsky was a staple between the pipes for Holy Cross, playing in 64 games over the three-year span. In year one, 2019-20, he played in 34 games, holding an 11-18-4 record with a 2.90 GAA, a .903 save percentage and posting two shutouts. Radomsky saw time in only six games in 2020-21 before coming back and playing in 24 games in 2021-22. He posted a 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage while holding a 8-14-2 record. Prior to starting his career, he spent three seasons with the Steinbach Pistons of the MJHL. In his three years he went 58-19-4.

Largen's Thoughts
"Matt is a big athletic goaltender who has a very high ceiling. We believe he has the ability to be a difference maker in the net for us this year. He exudes professionalism in what he does and we are excited for him to be joining our group of goaltenders."

Matteo Pecchia
5'11" 192 lbs | So. | Forward | L | Nobelton, Ont. | Western Michigan (NCHC)
Matteo Pecchia joins the Nanooks after spending time with the Western Michigan Broncos of the NCHC. He did not play in any games while at WMU. He was with the Mississauga Chargers of the OJHL for parts of three seasons from 2018-2021. In 2018-19, he played in 20 games, scoring four goals and assisting on two for six total points. In his next season, he wore the 'A' and played in 44 games, scoring 21 goals and tallying 29 assists for 50 points. He was with the team in 2020-21 but did not play in any games.

Largen's Thoughts
"Matteo has the ability to change games with his pace and his stick skills. He fits into our culture with his dedication on and off the ice and is someone who can be trusted in all situations."

Quinn Rudrud
6'2 185 lbs | Fr. | Forward | R | Farmington, Minn. | Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
Quinn Rudrud joins the Nanooks after spending the previous two seasons with the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL. He first joined the Bobcats in the 2020-21 season after spending the previous year with Waterloo in the USHL. In his first year at Bismarck, Rudrud skated in 37 games, scoring four goals and tallying nine assists for 13 points. He was +3 on the ice and tallied two points in six playoff games, one goal and one assist. In his second season he played in 60 games and scored nearly a point a game, posting 50 points on 30 goals and 20 assists. He held a +9 on the ice and spent 10 minutes in the penalty box. He picked up one assist in two postseason games. 

Largen's Thoughts
"Quinn has an ability to finish and is someone who can get up and down the ice with good pace. He is someone we hope will be able to take another step as he gets into the college game to be an effective 200 foot winger."

T.J. Lloyd
5'9" 172 lbs | Sr. | Defenseman | R | Lloydminster, Sask. | Bowling Green (CCHA)
Lloyd comes to Fairbanks after spending the previous three seasons with old WCHA-foe, Bowling Green. After spending part of four seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints in the AJHL from 2015-2019, Lloyd took his talents to BGSU where he played in 104 career games. In his first year, he played in 38, scoring three goals from the blue-line and assisting on eight for 11 points. He skated to a +3 and saw 12 minutes from the box. His second season saw him distribute 14 assists for all of his points. He also tallied a +14 while upping his penalty minutes to 26. In his final season with the Falcons, Lloyd played in 35 games, lighting the lamp once and assisting on 12 other goals for 13 points. 

Largen's Thoughts
"TJ is what it means to be a professional. Everything he does is detailed and allows for him to play at an elite level. He has elite feet  and competes extremely hard. We expect TJ to fit right into our program's culture and provide leadership to the group."

Xavier Jean-Louis
6'4" 190 lbs | Fr. | Defenseman | L | Miami, Fla. | Austin Bruins (NAHL)
The Nanooks final commit came from Xavier Jean-Louis. He joins the Nanooks after spending the 2021-22 season with the Austin Bruins in the NAHL. Prior to Austin, he spent two years with the Carleton Place Canadians in the CCHL where he skated in 42 games, scoring a pair of goals and tallying seven assists for nine points. In his lone-year with the Bruins in the NAHL, Jean-Louis played in 53 games, scoring one goal and assisting on 17 others from the blue-line for 18 points. He held a +7 on the ice and spent 69 minutes in the penalty box. He saw time in three postseason games in 2021-22. 

Largen's Thoughts
"Xavier is an all-around defenseman with good hockey sense and high level of competitiveness. We believe he is only scratching the surface with his size and length. Xavier has all the characteristics of a Nanook we are looking for and he is someone who will fit in nicely to our locker room."

These eight join the first six signees. To read more about that group, click here.

The Nanooks season officially kicks off Sept. 24, 2022 with an exhibition game against Simon Fraser at the Carlson Center. Season tickets are still available for purchase, click here to buy your 2022-23 Nanooks tickets.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Instagram or Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.