The Alaska Aces today traded right wing Ross Ring-Jarvi to the Missouri Mavericks for the ECHL rights to defenseman Colten Hayes in an effort to give their thin blue line some depth and also stabilize the back end.
Hayes is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Thursday night, said Aces coach Rob Murray, and will be in the lineup Friday night against visiting Bakersfield. Hayes is under contract to AHL Chicago, the affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, who the Aces are affiliated with.
The acquisition of Hayes became even more vital -- the deal already was in the works, Murray said -- when defenseman Corbin Baldwin (one assist in four games and, at +4, the only Aces defenseman with a plus rating) was recalled to AHL Iowa.
Hayes had one assist and a +1 rating in five games with Missouri. Last season, when the Mavericks were in the Central Hockey League, he delivered 5-15--21 totals and a +31 rating in 57 games. Two seasons ago, he played with ECHL Stockton, under current UAA head coach Matt Thomas, and went 2-6--8 and -1 in 33 games.
Ring-Jarvi, a member of last season's Kelly Cup-winning crew, had only played two games this season. The arrival of many forwards from AHL affiliations squeezed him out of the lineup most nights.
Look for more on today's trade later online at adn.com/sports and also in Friday's edition of the dead-trees paper.