Sports

Aces center Coffman owns postseason aspirations

Here it is late summer and Tim Coffman is already thinking about spring, the season of hockey's playoffs.

The center who didn't skate in a playoff game in his first two seasons with the Alaska Aces has the postseason atop his to-do list after the ECHL club Thursday announced he will return for a third season.

"That would be nice,'' Coffman said. "I think I've only played one playoff game (with Greenville, 2012) in the league.''

The Aces last season did not make the playoffs for the first time in their 12 ECHL seasons.

In 2013-14, Coffman's first year with the club, he missed one-third of the late regular-season with a broken foot and didn't make the playoff roster. By the time he was healthy, the Aces were loaded at center – pivots Nick Mazzolini, Jordan Morrison and Tyler Mosienko helped deliver the third Kelly Cup in franchise history.

Now, though, Coffman is expected to be a cornerstone for the Aces.

That prospect is based on his production last season, when he earned 13-27—40 totals in 48 games, which projects to a 60-point full season. Coffman missed one-third of the season with an upper-body injury.

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Provided Coffman can stay healthy, Aces coach Rob Murray views him as a go-to guy.

"He's only getting better,'' Murray said. "He's going to be a top-line guy. He has the ability and potential.''

Coffman likewise aims to be an impact player.

"I want to be more productive and I think I can be more productive,'' Coffman said in a phone interview. "I want to be a dominant player in the league and help Alaska win.''

Murray said Coffman has matured as he has gained experience. He said the center arrived at training camp last fall much better conditioned than in his first season. Coffman agreed, and said he has worked hard over the summer at home in Pennsylvania and will come to Alaska in mid-September to continue skating and working out two weeks ahead of training camp.

Coffman said his two seasons with the Aces have taught him how he needs to prepare himself to be a top-line player in the ECHL.

"I kind of know what it takes to be successful in the league, how to handle myself during a long (72-game) season of games and practices,'' he said. "And I've learned to not get too high about anything, or too down.''

Shuffling the deck

The Aces on Thursday also announced they traded the rights to defenseman Justin Harmonic to the Fort Wayne Komets for future considerations.

Harmonic joined the Aces for four games late last season after finishing his major-junior career in the Western Hockey League.

Coffman's announced signing gives the Aces nine players – four forwards, three defensemen, two goaltenders -- lined up for the upcoming season.

Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockeyblog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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