For a while there -- a long while, actually -- it seemed the only thing Garry Nunn might lead the Alaska Aces in was unfulfilled potential or number of meetings with head coach Brent Thompson.
The little rookie winger with the surpassing speed rarely announced his presence with an appearance on the score sheet through more than half the ECHL season. He produced just three goals and 11 points in the club's first 45 games.
Still, Nunn was doing enough for Thompson to keep penciling him into the lineup. But for a guy who had furnished nearly a point per game in his last two major-junior seasons in the Western Hockey League, a scoring pace of .24 points per game proved frustrating.
"I was having meetings with coach earlier in the season,'' Nunn recalled. "A couple times, I went in and said, 'I don't know what to do.' He said, 'Keep playing, keep working -- that's the reason you're in the lineup.' He said, 'It's going to come.'
"I almost got to the point where I accepted (not scoring). It got ridiculous, and I wondered if it was ever going to come. Then, we got a spark, and we got rolling.''
Playing on an all-rookie line with center Chris Langkow and Kory Falite, Nunn in the last month has emerged as a consistent scoring threat.
In the last 13 games, Nunn has doubled his previous goal production and more than doubled his previous point production -- he has put up 6-9--15 scoring totals in that span.
No Ace has scored more points in that stretch.
Nunn thinks part of his breakthrough stems from concentrating on playing sound defense, which translates into offensive opportunity. Part of his recent success no doubt comes from burgeoning confidence. Thompson thinks Nunn's improved willingness to hit, even though he's listed at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, and battle has fortified the rookie's game, as has occasional penalty-killing duties.
Whatever the case, Nunn feels like he's turned a corner. Ditto for his club, which is 10-2-1 in the last 13 games.
"My confidence is sky-high right now because we're playing well and the team's having success,'' Nunn said.
Nunn prospered even when Langkow moved up to the American Hockey League last week, and that departure and injuries prompted Thompson to juggle his lines. Playing with rookie center Ethan Cox and winger Curtis Fraser last Sunday, Nunn racked his first two-goal game as a pro and added an assist in a 5-2 win at Stockton.
"His speed is dynamic, and now he's going to the hard areas and winning battles, and that's, I think, why he's scoring,'' Thompson said. "You'd see flashes of it, but not consistently. Lately, he's been shooting more and that helps because he's got a good shot.
"Now, he's using his assets. He's also starting to get rewarded for doing the little things well. He's a player who, if you challenge him, responds well.''
Nunn, who joined the Aces late last season but technically remains a rookie, said he felt things turning his way during a three-game series last month in Victoria, British Columbia, his hometown. That series preceded his 15 points in 13 games since.
"I might have only had an assist, but I thought I played well,'' he said. "I felt like I had a lot of jump. And then (the Langkow line) had a good series against Stockton. It seemed to start rolling from there.''
Shuffling the deck
Aces captain Scott Burt used to refer to Nunn as "young Jerry Seinfeld'' for the rookie's resemblance to the comedian.
But that was when Nunn's hair was short. He hasn't had a full haircut all season -- just a couple of minor trims -- and his curly hair has grown long. Nunn said he considered a haircut when he was slumping.
"I was thinking, I'm just gonna cut it and start fresh,'' Nunn said. "Now, I'm going to keep it. People kind of know me for it. Can't switch it up now.''
Besides, Nunn joked, having long hair serves a purpose in Anchorage.
"In Alaska, it's kind of a neck-warmer,'' he said.
Veteran goaltender Gerald Coleman is headed back to town from Peoria of the American Hockey League.
Coleman, who was up with the Rivermen for nearly three weeks but did not play a game, was returned after the parent St. Louis Blues activated Jaroslav Halak, which in turn prompted them to return Ben Bishop to Peoria and Peoria to send Coleman back to Alaska.
First-line center Brian Swanson probably won't play tonight. His absence would leave Nunn and first-line right wing Wes Goldie has the only skaters who have played in every Aces game this season.
Swanson, who did not practice Tuesday, is suffering a sore neck after taking a hit in Sunday's 5-2 win at Stockton. Swanson said he was fishing for the puck in his skates when he was hit in the top of the head, which compressed his neck.
Winger Scott Howes, who missed the last two games in Stockton after taking a hit to the head in the opener, is questionable for tonight.
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
NUNN: Diminutive winger putting up big numbers
Alaska Aces rookie winger Garry Nunn didn't savor much statistical success through nearly two-thirds of the ECHL season, but he's been on a tear since. Check out his increased production in the last month:
Multi-Point
G-A—P PPG +/– Games
First 45 Games 3-8—11 .24 -2 0
Last 13 Games 6-9—15 1.15 +10 4
By DOYLE WOODY
dwoody@adn.com