Nanook hockey completes recruiting class with Interior Alaskans
May 8, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Alaska Hockey head coach Dallas Ferguson announced his final two incoming recruits, who will add a local touch to the 2013-14 team. Interior Alaska natives Justin Woods (Fairbanks) and Jarred Linnell (North Pole) have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Nanooks beginning next fall. They will enter the University of Alaska Fairbanks as freshmen with four years of NCAA eligibility remaining.
"It means a lot to me and the program that Jared and Justin have decided to return home to pursue their academic and athletic goals at UAF,” Ferguson said. “Watching their development as youth players to junior hockey players has been very rewarding. They are talented athletes but equally talented people who will impact our program both on and of the ice. They put the work in 12 months a year and because of their work ethic and commitment they are taking the next step in their careers by becoming Division I student-athletes.“
The duo, who played in the United States Hockey League this season, are the sixth and seventh players to sign on with Alaska Hockey's Class of 2017. They join forwards Marcus Basara, Shawn Hochhausen and Brandon Morley of the British Columbia Hockey League, Joey Davies of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Josh Erickson of the USHL.
The seven-member recruiting class will represent Alaska's first to play all four years as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Jared Linnell
A 5-foot-11, 178-pound center and son of Alaska Nanooks alumni Derek (men's hockey, 1988-92) and Patty (Zanazzo) Linnell (women's volleyball, 1985-88), Jared comes to Alaska after one and a half seasons with the Tri-City Strom. In 43 games this season, he wracked up 12 goals and 19 assists. He split time with the Storm and Cedar Rapids in 2011-12, scoring nine goals and 18 points in 49 outings.
“Jared is a tremendously talented athlete who made his presence known at Tri-City for the year and a half he was with us,” said Tri-City head coach and former Ice Dogs coach Josh Hauge. “I have had the pleasure of coaching Jared for a long time and he has been great to work with. He has the ability to score goals and produce offensively and I believe he will continue to be successful at the next level.”
Prior to moving to the USHL, Linnell played two seasons for the Ice Dogs. He was a member of the 2010-11 squad that won the NAHL Championships and the Robertson Cup. It was Linnell's best junior season offensively as he led all players with 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games with a plus-24 rating. He was rewarded with a spot on the NAHL's All-West Division Team.
“It comes in a variety of forms, but Jared has found ways to influence the game at every level he has played at,” Ferguson said. “He has proven he can create and make plays offensively and possess a strong game intelligence that makes him very responsible without the puck.“
Linnell initially signed an NLI with the Nanooks in 2009, but opted to defer his enrollment from the fall of 2010 until this fall.
“We have waited three years for Jared's arrival and are all excited to see where he can take him game at this level," Alaska assistant coach Lance West said. “Jared's hockey IQ is what separates him from others. He is a very smart player that also posses a very good skill set. Jared also has an outstanding work ethic and we feel these things will allow him contribute in all situations as a freshman."
A 2011 graduate of North Pole High School, Linnell plans to begin course work in general studies his freshmen year.
Justin Woods
Woods is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman, who skated with the Lincoln Stars this season. He tallied six goals and 18 points, good for third best among Stars' rearguards, and a plus 18 rating in 57 games. As a rookie in 2011-12, he played for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, scoring four goals and 10 assists in 54 games.
“Justin will bring the mobility and puck moving ability we want out of our defensemen,” Ferguson said. “He also bring a physical presence that has been proven to make playing against him very difficult. His development curve is going in the right direction and I'm excited to work with him and get him to the next level.”
This season's highlights include winning a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. He chipped in three assists in the Americans 7-4 semifinal victory over Switzerland that put them in the championship game. With Lincoln, he recorded a four-assist night as they beat Des Moines 6-1 Dec. 21.
“Justin is a big, strong and highly skilled defenseman who has tremendous upside,” West said. “We have watched Justin develop over last few years and he has displayed a strong work ethic and passion for the game. He represented his country in the World Junior A Challenge and has showed he is ready to step in and make an impact as a freshman.”
Woods also had the opportunity to play for the California Titans (Midget Major) in the North American Prospects Hockey League, where he led all scoring defensemen.
Woods played high school hockey at West Valley and was a 2010 second-team, all-state honoree and an All Mid Alaska Conference selection.