Wenatchee Forward Sam Elliott Announces NCAA Division I Commitment to Alaska Fairbanks
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Wenatchee Wild, proud members of the Western Hockey League (WHL), are excited to announce that 2005-born forward Sam Elliott has committed to continue his hockey career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the 2026-27 season. The Alaska Nanooks compete as an independent NCAA Division I member.
Elliott spent only one season in Wenatchee, but made a sizable impact with the club on and off the ice. The White Rock, British Columbia native stepped onto the ice for his first Western Hockey League season as a 20-year-old and earned 16 points, including five goals, in 45 appearances. He came to the Wild from the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he spent two years and contributed 11 goals and 17 assists over 68 appearances. He signed with the Wild last June, one year removed from earning the Eagles’ Scott Gomez Rookie of the Year award and helping Surrey win its first BCHL Fred Page Cup championship since 2013.
The Alaska Nanooks recently celebrated their 100th anniversary as a collegiate hockey program, first taking to the ice in Fairbanks in the 1925-26 season. This year’s team finished with 15 wins and won the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup, a de facto “conference championship” tournament played among the five independent NCAA Division I hockey institutions. 12 Nanooks players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including St. Louis Blues defenseman and Olympic silver medalist Colton Parayko.
Elliott becomes the eighth player to announce an NCAA Division I commitment while with the organization since Canadian Hockey League players were granted NCAA eligibility in November of 2024, and plans to pursue a business degree while in Fairbanks.
The Wenatchee Wild congratulate Sam Elliott on his commitment to the NCAA Division I hockey program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and wish him all further success as he takes the next step in his hockey career.
