By Avery Williamson
Fourteen new players joined the Seawolves for the 2024-25 season. Fans, here’s what you need to know about the first group.
J.P. Steele, #12
J.P. Steele, a freshman defenseman majoring in finance, left the Maine Nordiques (NAHL) and committed to the team without ever visiting Alaska. He chose to join the Seawolves because he likes the coaching staff and thinks UAA is the best option for him.
So far, the biggest shock J.P. has faced in Alaska is the cold. “It just seems like two months ahead of where I’m from in Michigan (Franklin),” he said.
Yet, enduring the cold is a small price to pay for the UAA hockey brotherhood. “The guys on the team are just great,” said J.P. “I truly mean that when I say it. It’s the best group of guys.”
J.P.’s dad put him in skates when he was two years old. However, he needed extra motivation to use his blades.
“I never really wanted to skate,” he said. “I would always complain about skating to him, so he bought a huge bag of Skittles and would bribe me with Skittles. He’d hold it up and I’d go right to him.”
While his dad no longer gives him Skittles when he skates, team equipment manager Ronan Klancher said he’d buy J.P.’s Skittles for future games.
This season, J.P. is most excited about the atmosphere that comes with playing bigger schools. “I’m also excited to get to know the guys better,” he said.
Joey Potter, #3
Defenseman Joey Potter is a sophomore majoring in economics from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. After playing for Union College last year, he joined the Seawolves for his sophomore season.
Joey is familiar with Alaska since he’s played 45 games for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL) in the 2022-23 season.
When he first came to Alaska to play for the Ice Dogs, he was shocked by the lack of city lights. “The first day I got to Fairbanks, I took the red-eye flight in the middle of the night,” he said. “I remember landing and not seeing any lights. I thought we were landing in the ocean.”
After sleeping off his jet lag, Joey awoke with surprise at Alaska’s beautiful scenery. “It was so pretty. It was so green. It hadn’t even snowed yet…” he said. But that was short-lived. “The next day it snowed. I didn’t see anything but snow for the next year.” Luckily for Joey, he enjoys the snow.
Joey chose UAA because of the coaching staff. “I was in the transfer portal and they called me the morning I went in. They stayed with me and helped me go through my process. It really was a no-brainer.”
Joey started his hockey career when he was six years old. “It was 2009. The Pens (Pittsburgh Penguins) were on their first Stanley Cup run. That’s what got me into it. Once I started, I never stopped.”
This season, Joey is eager excited to play the bigger schools. “We play a pretty good schedule and we’re looking to upset some teams,” he said. “Not every team gets to play those big dogs.”
Tyler Krivtsov, #30
Tyler Krivtsov is a goalie joining the pack from Santa Clarita, California. He’s a freshman majoring in finance who played two seasons (2021-23) for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL) before coming to UAA.
Tyler fell in love with Alaska while he was in Fairbanks. After visiting UAA, he was impressed with the university campus. “Even the dorms are really nice,” he said.
Tyler started playing hockey when he was six years old. “My dad got me into it. He’s from Russia, so I grew up playing,” he said.
“When I first went on the ice, I just couldn’t leave. I fell in love with it.”
Part of the reason he was drawn to become a netminder was having his own gear. “On my brother’s team, this kid had a really cool mask. That drew me towards it. I wanted that mask.”
Looking forward, Tyler wants to play the bigger schools. “We play a pretty tough schedule, so I’m really excited for those games,” he said.
“I’m excited to test our competition and play as a team.”
Nolan Gagnon, #19
Defenseman Nolan Gagnon joined the pack for his freshmaen year because of UAA’s strong academic programs. “They had the program I was looking for and I’ve heard great things about UAA,” he said. Nolan is majoring in construction management.
Before coming to UAA, Nolan played 58 games for the Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL) in 2023-24.
Originally from Metcalfe, Ontario, Nolan had never visited Alaska before this season. He was surprised by the wildlife. “Apparently there’s moose everywhere,” he said.
“I saw one just the other day. They’re huge.”
Nolan started playing hockey when he was two years old. “My parents were really into hockey and, coming from Canada, hockey is kind of a given thing.”
This season, Nolan looks forward to the fans. “I want to hear the pack cheering loudly for us.”
Pavol Funtek, #5
Pavol Funtek is joining the Seawolves all the way from Bratislava, Slovakia. The freshman defenseman is majoring in finance. He played 54 games for the Minot Minotaurs (NAHL) in 2023-24.
Pavol said the biggest cultural shock coming to the United States was the lower-quality food. “The good thing is there’s a lot of different kinds of food, so I like that,” he said.
“But, overall, it’s better back home.”
One of the main reasons he chose UAA was the weather. “I’m a huge fan of the hot summers and the cold winters.”
Pavol started playing hockey when he was four years old. “My older brother and my cousin played, so I wanted to try it too.”
He quickly fell in love with it. “It’s just fun,” he said. “Skating and being with the guys is really good. It’s something that’s hard to find outside of hockey.”
While he envisioned hockey in his future since he was 14, his plan wasn’t always to come to the United States. “The first time I thought about coming to the United States and playing college hockey was about two years ago.”
He said he made this decision because of how risky hockey can be. “Having the opportunity to do school and play hockey at the same time just makes it less risky.”
This season, Pavol is most excited about playing at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex. “I’m excited for the home games and having that energy.”