News

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - June 22, 2011) - North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN)(OTCBB:WSCRF)(CUSIP:65704T 108) is pleased to announce assay results from exploration on its Woods Creek property.

High-grade assay results from trenches and outcrop at Woods Creek include:

3.03% copper, 1.32% nickel, 0.10% cobalt, greater than 10 g/t silver and 585 ppb gold + platinum + palladium from the first phase of prospecting on the property. For the full set of results, see table 1 below.

Recent work by North American Nickel field crews included prospecting with a Beep Mat, a shallow-looking electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical instrument, mechanical excavator stripping and sampling and assaying of mineralized rock. To date, near-solid to disseminated pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite mineralization has been uncovered and sampled. Assay results are summarized in table 1 and document the widespread presence of near ore-grade mineralization, in subcrop, outcrop and in historic drill core.

North American Nickel President and C.O.O., Dr. Mark Fedikow , states: "The tenor of base and precious metal contents in these near-surface subcrop and outcrop samples is very encouraging and confirms the potential of this NAN property for base and precious metal mineralization similar to that at Ursa Major's Shakespeare deposit. We will continue our basic prospecting approach with the aim of covering the remainder of the Woods Creek property using Beep Mat surveys prior to moving forward with deeper-looking geophysical tools and a planned drill program."

Historical Overview

Previous operators defined a number of mineralized zones on the Woods Creek property, but little follow-up exploration was undertaken. The Main Zone prospect discovered by Namex Explorations is a zone of 10-40% pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite mineralization exposed in surface outcrop that assayed 1.22% copper, 0.95% nickel, 354 ppb combined platinum and palladium and 136 ppb gold. Diamond drilling on this zone intersected a 6.5 m section of gabbro with pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite that assayed up to 1.09% nickel, 0.37% copper, 301 ppb combined platinum and palladium and 1110 ppm cobalt (0.11%). The Ravens Cliff prospect was also discovered by Namex Explorations Inc. in 2005 as a result of geological mapping and prospecting. It comprises near solid pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite in brecciated gabbro with assays of up to 0.66% nickel, 0.90% copper, 0.09% cobalt, 68 ppb platinum, 227 ppb palladium and 46 ppb gold in representative grab samples. To view the Woods Creek property page on our website, please click here: http://northamericannickel.com/Projects/Projects-Overview/Sudbury-Projects/Woods-Creek/default.aspx.

Table 1  Summary of assay results from stripped bedrock and outcrop rock
         chip samples, Woods Creek property.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYTE           WtKg    Trench   UTM East   UTM North        Cu        Ni
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
METHOD           WGH79                NAD83     Zone 17    ICM40B    ICM40B
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DETECTION        0.001                                        0.5       0.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITS               kg                                          %         %
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105411          1.817         1     454402     5140549      0.15      0.06
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105438          0.917         1     454402     5140549      0.15      0.11
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105410           1.47         2     454386     5140675     0.84%      0.02
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105415          0.957         2     454382     5140666      0.13      0.04
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105416          1.429         2     454382     5140666      0.18     0.21%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105417          1.363         2     454383     5140678      0.05      0.04
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105418          1.203         2     454382     5140666     0.46%     0.25%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105421          2.144         2     454381     5140671     0.48%      0.11
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105439          3.321         2     454382     5140672     2.68%     0.34%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105440          1.096         2     454382     5140675     0.94%     0.33%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105441          1.018         2     454382     5140681      0.11      0.06
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105422          1.326         3     454382     5140731     0.008     0.007
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105424          1.901         3     454382     5140731     0.006     0.006
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105423          1.104         4     454387     5140745      0.02      0.02
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105442          0.722         4     454389     5140747      0.18      0.13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105425          2.832         6     454527     5140630     1.09%     0.43%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105426          1.682         6     454527     5140630      0.28     0.31%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105436          2.364         6     454527     5140630      0.02      0.13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105437          1.974         6     454527     5140631     0.36%      0.24
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105414           2.42         7     454563     5140846     1.44%     0.45%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105427          1.367         7     454570     5140840     3.03%     0.96%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105428          1.593         7     454561     5140839      0.12      0.17
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105429          0.833         7     454560     5140841     0.56%     0.52%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105430          1.084         7     454559     5140843      0.24     1.32%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105433          0.833         8     454502     5140841      0.27     0.87%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105434          1.831         8     454507     5140847     0.40%     0.92%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105435          1.657         8     454506     5140847      0.19     0.55%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105431           1.25         9     454508     5140835      0.11      0.14
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105432          1.024         9     454512     5140844      0.18     0.34%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105412          1.015   outcrop     454469     5140570     2.38%      0.02
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105413           0.59   outcrop     454573     5140698      0.18      0.05
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105419          1.688   outcrop     454409     5140717      0.07      0.07
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105420           1.53   outcrop     454418     5140714      0.05      0.06
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYTE             Co        Ag        Au        Pt        Pd          TPM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
METHOD          ICM40B    ICM40B    FAI515    FAI515    FAI515   (Au+Pt+Pd)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DETECTION          0.1      0.02         1        10         1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITS                        g/t       ppb       ppb       ppb          ppb
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105411           0.01      0.89        31        30        56          117
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105438           0.02      1.27        51        30       103          184
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105410          0.008      3.61        10         5        37           52
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105415           0.01      0.94        60        10        31          101
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105416           0.03      1.04        84        10        61          155
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105417          0.009      0.22         7        10        14           31
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105418           0.05      2.39        93        10        64          167
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105421           0.02      2.36        14        10        10           34
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105439           0.07   greater       101        30        79          210
                         than 10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105440           0.08      4.45        13        10        27           50
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105441           0.01      0.52         6        10        19           35
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105422           56.6      0.11         2         5       0.5          7.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105424           52.5      0.09         1         5       0.5          6.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105423           63.7      0.16         7         5         8           20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105442            275      1.02        12         5         7           24
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105425           0.06      6.81        26        40        50          116
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105426           0.04      1.83        14        30        36           80
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105436           0.02      0.15         8         5        24           37
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105437           0.03      1.82        16        30        64          106
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105414           0.04      1.18        37        80       173          290
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105427           0.08      2.86        45       170       124          339
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105428           0.02      0.18        11        30        44           85
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105429           0.05      0.67        15        50       116          181
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105430           0.10      0.29        12       210       363          585
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105433           0.10      0.42        31       130       176          337
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105434           0.10      0.73        24       140       228          392
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105435           0.06      0.28        23        80       114          217
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105431           0.02      0.23        26        30        53          109
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105432           0.03      0.45        22        30        26           78
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105412           0.05   greater       182        10        16          208
                         than 10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105413            100      0.88        13        10        29           52
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105419           59.1      0.09         5         5         1           11
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5105420           50.9      0.06         3         5         1            9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Woods Creek property is located in Hyman Township about 50 km west of Sudbury and consists of eight contiguous unpatented mining claims covering 1,264 hectares. North American Nickel is exploring the property for disseminated to near-solid sulphide nickel-copper-cobalt-PGM mineralization hosted within Nipissing Diabase dykes that underlay 50% of the area of the property. This style of mineralization is currently being mined by Ursa Major Minerals at their Shakespeare deposit located 15 km southwest of the Woods Creek property.

Sample Preparation and Assay

Rock Preparation "PRP89" (SGS Mineral Services-Rock Preparation Facility in Garson): Dry less than 3 kg, crush to 75% passing 2 mm, split to 250 g and pulverize to 85% passing 75 micron.

Analysis:

1. ICM-40B:49 elements by four-acid digest with ICP-AES and ICP-MS finish; over-range results for Cu (ICP90Q), Pb, Zn, Ni and Co by fire assay.

2. Fire Assay FAI313/FAG303: Au, Pt and Pd

Qualified Person

All technical information in this release has been reviewed by Dr. Mark Fedikow , P.Geo, who is the Qualified Person for the Company and President and Chief Operating Officer, North American Nickel Inc.

About North American Nickel

North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with properties in the Sudbury, Ontario and Thompson, Manitoba mining camps. The Company's initial focus is on two Sudbury, Ontario properties. The Post Creek property is strategically located adjacent to the producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of Quadra FNX Mining. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure, which is a major geological control for Ni-Cu-PGM mineralization. The Bell Lake property is a 256-acre property that covers approximately one kilometre of the Mystery Offset dyke or MOD. The MOD is interpreted to be an extension of the Worthington Offset dyke which is a 10 to 11 kilometre-long mineralized structure that extends from the southwest margin of the Sudbury igneous complex. The Company also has option to acquire 100% ownership in the Woods Creek and Halcyon properties in the Sudbury area; and has acquired 100% ownership in the high-grade Ni-Cu-PGE South Bay property near Thompson, Manitoba and the large grassroots Thompson North and Cedar Lake properties, which are part of the world-class Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba. North American Nickel Inc. is a member of the North Shore Mining Group.

Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
        North American Nickel Inc.
        Rick Mark
        CEO and Chair
        604-986-2020 or Toll Free: 1-866-816-0118
        nan2015.q4web.com

Source: North American Nickel Inc.

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