NA Now: Fairbanks Ice Dogs
The NA Now video series features an in-depth look into all NAHL teams as they prepare for the 2025-26 season. One team will be highlighted every day, leading up to the start of the regular season on September 12, 2025. Each interview features each team’s head coach, as they dive into detail on the expectations and outlooks for this upcoming season.
Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Head Coach: Dakota Bell (1st season)
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 37-16-3-3 – 80 points (2nd in the Midwest Division)
2024-25 Leading Scorer: Kyle Rohrer (20-38–58)
2025 Playoffs: Lost Midwest Division Semifinals 3-0 against the Anchorage Wolverines
2025-26 Division: Midwest Division
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Formation Year: 2003 (23rd season)
Regular Season Titles: Three (2014, 2016, 2018)
Division Titles: Nine (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022)
Robertson Cup Championships: Three (2011, 2014, 2016)
Dakota Bell shares what additions they have made to the roster.
“We've added a ton of hockey sense this year. I think we've tried to target that with some of our tenders and find guys that really are cerebral and think the game well.”
Bell went on to share more about what the Fairbanks fan base is like.
“Whether we have a success or failure, they're there until the very end, and there are hundreds, if not a thousand people, standing in the lobby after the game, win or loss.”
Dakota Bell heads into his first season as the bench boss of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. He has spent the past three seasons on the coaching staff and is ready and equipped to take the next step as the Head Coach. Bell shares more about what is ahead for the Ice Dogs and why the organization remains a destination for hockey players.
Next up: Janesville Jets
