Jordan Kremyr sacrificed his body last season for the Alaska Aces, and now he's coming back for more.
Kremyr, whose season ended prematurely when he broke his wrist while clearing the puck in Alaska's penultimate regular-season game this year, is returning for a third straight season with the Aces.
A checking-line winger and outstanding penalty killer, Kremyr battled through injuries last season to register 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 45 games. In his rookie season, he put up 14-10--24 totals with 50 penalty minutes in 52 games.
"Jordan has had a tough time the last two years and has had to deal with a lot of injuries," Aces coach Rob Murray said in a press release. "But he keeps on fighting, and provides a big boost to our hockey team when he's in the lineup.
"The way last season ended for him, I know he's going to be as motivated as ever."
Kremyr missed the playoffs because of the injury.
He got off to a slow start last season, scoring just two assists in his first 13 games. A concussion shelved him for 24 games, or one-third of the ECHL's regular season.
He didn't turn into a scoring machine upon his return, but he was a big reason why the Aces finished first in the league in penalty killing.
"We have really liked what we have seen from him the last two years, and I still don't know that anybody has seen his best yet," Murray said. "Hopefully, he can catch a break this season, because we know he can be a terrific asset to our team when he's healthy."
Kremyr, a 27-year-old from Cloverdale, British Columbia, came to Alaska after a four-year college career at Providence. Last season he joined the Aces after attending training camp with the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League, the final step before the NHL on the hockey ladder.
The Aces begin the 2013-2014 season Oct. 18 against the San Francisco Bulls at Sullivan Arena.
Anchorage Daily News