Originally started in 1997 in the Tier III Junior B Western States Hockey League (WSHL) as a hockey program to replace the Alaska Gold Kings and give Alaskan players a chance to play after they finished high school and/or midgets.

The Ice Dogs won the Northern Division its inaugural season, but lost to the Southern champs the following year in exhibition games.

In 2000, the Ice Dogs became a member of the Tier III Junior B Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac) and also played sixteen games[1] in the Tier III Junior A America West Hockey League (AWHL) to help fill out their schedule in the 2000–01 season.

The following season the Ice Dogs won the Robertson Cup for the first time in a come from behind win over the Michigan Warriors 4–2.

The Ice Dogs had continued success, leading their division in four of the next five seasons and winning a third Robertson Cup in 2016.