VETERAN NEW MEXICO ICE WOLVES DEFENSEMAN JACK DALTON COMMITS TO PLAY NCAA DIVISION 1 HOCKEY FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
Dalton Departs the NM Ice Wolves After Three Stellar Seasons Playing in both NAHL and NA3HL
(Albuquerque, NM) January 11, 2024 – The New Mexico Ice Wolves® organization today announced that Jack Dalton, 2023-34 captain of the New Mexico Ice Wolves, has commited to play NCAA Division I hockey for the University of Maine and will be joining the team immediately for the second half of the season. The entire New Mexico Ice Wolves organization wants to congratulate Jack as well as look back on his fantastic Ice Wolves career.
“I’m extremely happy for Jack Dalton to continue his hockey career at the University of Maine and thank him for his contributions over the last two and a half years to the New Mexico Ice Wolves organization,” said Phil Fox, Head Coach of the New Mexico Ice Wolves. “I’m excited to see Jack play alongside four former Ice Wolves and his college career ceiling is unlimited.”
NM Ice Wolves Defenseman Jack Dalton
On July 14, 2021 the NM Ice Wolves would use their first round, 17th pick in the NAHL draft to select a defenseman out of River Forest, Ill. by the name of Jack Dalton. During his first season Jack would play in nine regular season games before briefly joining the Minnesota Loons in the NA3HL to improve his game and get the game experience he needed to be a key contributor on the NAHL team in the years ahead. During his time with the Loons, Dalton would tally two goals in just four games as he gained confidence that prepared him for success in the NAHL and beyond. Dalton would rejoin the NM Ice Wolves for the team’s first experience in the playoffs. Dalton would play in six total games that postseason, making his mark during game three of the Robertson Cup semi-final game against the New Jersey Titans as he scored his first NAHL goal which put the NM Ice Wolves ahead in the deciding game. Although New Mexico’s hopes of a Robertson Cup would end later that night in double overtime there was a hunger left in young Jack that would inspire him to continue to work even harder to be a leader and even more successful player.
The following season Dalton would create his place with the NM Ice Wolves finding earning a spot as one of the top four defenseman on the team and playing 58 of a possible 60 games that season, scoring seven goals with 25 assists. Dalton further improved his game as he entered the final year of his eligibility in junior hockey ready to take on a leadership role.
During the 2023-2024 season Dalton was ready to lead the NM Ice Wolves to the promise land that he experienced during his rookie season. He would score the game-winning goal for the team against the Danbury Jr. Hattricks at the NAHL’s annual showcase in Blaine, Minnesota. The game, however, would not end without a devastating blow to his final junior season as he suffered a lower body injury that would cause him to miss nearly two months of action. During his time away from the ice the team voted on captains and it was announced that there would be only one captain this season and it would be Dalton. In only his seventh game back, Dalton would score the game-winning goal against the Colorado Grit putting the league on notice and letting his team know he was back and meant business. One month later Jack would score the game-winning goal against the defending champion Oklahoma Warriors in his team leading third game-winning goal during the season.
With a heavy heart, Dalton sets his sights on an immediate report to the University of Maine where he will join former NM Ice Wolves teammates Cole Hanson, Sully Scholle, and Brandon Holt. Dalton leaves New Mexico having played in 86 total games scoring 13 goals and 37 assists for a total of 50 points. The mark he leaves on the organization and the growing game of hockey in New Mexico will last forever.
Dalton joins an illustrious list of former NM Ice Wolves NAHL and NA3HL players who have continued on the hockey ladder of development who are now playing at NCAA Division 1 and 3 as ACHA levels. Those players and are listed below.
Former NAHL NM Ice Wolves:
Griffen Sanom- Lake Forest College D3
Spencer Rudrud-Saint John’s University D3
Michael McCosh- Buffalo State College D3
Jackson Willie- Hammond University D3
Taylor Ewing- SUNY-Canton D3
Cooper Anderson- Saint John’s University D3
Nikolai Dulak Hamline University D3
Jack Bayless- Bethel University D3
Evan Carroll- Trine University D3
Aidan Emerson- University of Mississippi AAU
Liam Guerin- Hamline University D3
Wilmer Svensson- Gustavus Adolphus College D3
Tony Leahy- St Olaf College D3
Jake Keller- University of Mississippi AAU
Camden Benson-St Olaf College D3
Andrew Carls- Hamline University D3
Christian Wong-Ramos – Trine university D3
Brandon Holt- University of Maine D1
Keegan Langefels Canisius College D1
Cole Hanson University of Maine D1
Alex Gomez University of Alaska-Anchorage D1
Joe Prouty- Lindenwood University D1
Mitch Becker- UMass Lowell D1
Dillan Bentley – UMass Lowell D1
Joey Larson- Michigan State University D1
Jeff Hutchinson-Augustana University D1
Will Howard -Augustana University D1
Peter Muzyka- Long Island University D1
Gustav Blom RIT (Rochester institution of technology) D1
JD Metz- University of St. Thomas D1
Sully Scholle- University of Maine D1
Hunter Hastings- Stonehill College D1
Alfred Lindberg- American International College D1
Ryan Seelinger- University of Miami Ohio
Rasmus Leijonhielm-American International College D1
Josh Graziano- University of Notre Dame D1
Beni Halasz- Northern Michigan University D1
Carsen Stokes- Northern Michigan University D1
Keenan Johnson- UW-River Falls D1
Will Craig- University of Nebraska-Omaha D1
Former NA3HL NM Ice Wolves:
Ryan Kerr – Purdue University Northwest ACHA
Evan Axell- University of Wisconsin-Superior D3
Eric Larsen- Hamline University D3,
Maxim Chagovets- Johnson & Wales University D3
Despite the loss of Dalton the NAHL NM Ice Wolves continue with their 2023-2024 season beginning a six-game road trip through January. The team returns to Outpost Ice Arenas in Albuquerque for a two-game homestand starting Friday and Saturday, February 2-3 against South Division rival Shreveport Mudbugs with both games starting at 6:30pm MT.
Single game, season tickets and Flex Plan ticket packs for the NAHL NM Ice Wolves are available at tickets.nmicewolves.com or at the Outpost Ice Arena. Every NM Ice Wolves NAHL game can also be watched exclusively on the new NAHL TV streaming service (nahltv.com) where fans can experience the quality of NM Ice Wolves TV productions and the fun of watching hockey on television. Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Android smart TV apps are available for NAHL TV.
Click here for New Mexico Ice Wolves NAHL ticket packages for remaining home games:
February 2 -3 vs Shreveport Mudbugs
March 1 -2 vs Odessa Jackalopes
March 8 -10 vs Colorado Grit
March 29 – 30 vs Corpus Chisti IceRays
Click here for NM Ice Wolves NA3HL ticket package options for remaining home games:
January 26 – 28 vs Texas Roadrunners
February 1 -2 (11am game) vs El Paso Rhinos
February 24 – 25 vs Atlanta Capitals
Keep up to date with the NM Ice Wolves NAHL team by visiting their NAHL Team Page or follow the team on social media via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and the arena at www.outposticearena.com. Keep up to date with the NM Ice Wolves NA3HL team by visiting their NA3HL Team Page or follow the team on social media via Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Pocket schedules can be picked up at Outpost Ice Arenas and many other locations around the community.
About NAHL
Entering its 49th season in 2023-24, the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 32 teams from across North America, prides itself on the social maturity and skill development of student-athletes ages 16-20 with aspirations of advancing to collegiate and/or professional hockey. During the 2022-23 season, the NAHL recorded 363 NCAA commitments, including 256 NCAA Division I commitments. In addition, 38% of all NCAA Division I freshmen played in the NAHL and seven players with NAHL ties were selected in the 2023 NHL Draft.
About the NA3HL
Entering its 14th season in 2023-24, the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior league and serves as one of the top training grounds in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in its classification. The primary mission of the NA3HL, which is managed organizationally by the North American Hockey League (NAHL), is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes who have aspirations of playing in Tier I or II junior hockey and eventually the NCAA or American College Hockey Association. For more information, visit www.na3hl.com
About NAHL TV
Starting with the 2023-24 season, every game and all of the action of NAHL and its development partners in the NA3HL and NAPHL can be watched exclusively on NAHL TV. NAHL TV is the exclusive television home of all three leagues with flexible subscription options that include single game, monthly or annual subscriptions. NAHL TV is available at www.nahltv.com and will soon be available on an NAHL TV app on Roku, AppleTV, FireTV and Chromecast for additional convenience.