Preseason Power Rankings: No. 62 Alaska Anchorage
Plus: Changes coming to BC's staff, Lindenwood and Michigan make staff hires, and more
Opening Faceoff
— Today’s newsletter (finally) continues my preseason power rankings. I began this process a couple of weeks ago, and have been preoccupied with stories on eligibility lawsuits, pending changes to DHS student visa rules, and more off-ice stuff. Today we’ll take a look at Alaska Anchorage.
— Lindenwood hired a new assistant coach, while Vermont officially hired Adam Krug and Michigan hired its first general manager.
— In D-III news, Albertus Magnus hired Kyle Wallack’s replacement as head caoch. Wallack was hired by Jeff Hamilton to be on his staff at Yale.
To see my full preseason power rankings, including links to all of the breakdowns, use the link below:
Preseason Power Rankings: No. 62 Alaska Anchorage
Storylines
— It’s a new era in Anchorage, with Eric Rud now behind the Seawolves’ bench. This is Rud’s first head-coaching job on the men’s side of the NCAA — he previously spent five seasons as the head coach of the St. Cloud State women’s program — but he brings a wealth of experience as a longtime NCAA assistant. Most recently, Rud served on Brett Larson’s staff at St. Cloud State. He’s also been a head coach and GM in the USHL.
— Behind the scenes, UAA also has a new athletic director. Michael Bazemore was hired in June to lead the department after previously serving as the AD at Division II Montana State University Billings.
— UAA has a challenging schedule in 2026-27, highlighted by an opening-weekend home series against defending national champion Denver on Oct. 2-3. The following weekend, the Seawolves will travel to Michigan.
— The Governor’s Cup series between UAA and Alaska has been reduced by two games. The in-state rivals will now meet six times: twice in November, twice in December and twice in February.
Roster breakdown
In what has become somewhat of a yearly ritual, the Seawolves lost many of their top players from last season to the transfer portal. Some of the most notable departures include forwards Judah Makway (Maine) and Ryan Johnson (New Hampshire), defensemen Joey Potter (Lake Superior State) and David Jesus (Vermont), and goaltender Tyler Krivtsov (Denver).
