Anchorage Daily News

Between injuries, call-ups, suspensions and, well, life, the ever-evolving Alaska Aces roster rarely stays static these days. Wednesday was no exception.

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Tomas Kana

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As the Aces (5-3-1) prepared to leave town today and open a three-game California road trip Friday, they remained in pucks flux.

Three forwards -- Curtis Fraser, Tomas Kana and rookie center Nick Mazzolini -- are coming off the 21-day injured-reserve list and will be shuffled into the lineup to make their season debuts.

Meanwhile, veteran forward and former NHLer Eric Boguniecki, who auditioned for the ECHL hockey club last weekend, was placed on the seven-day injured-reserve list. And rookie winger Jack Combs, who has played in all nine games to date, was put on the three-day injured reserve.

Aces coach Brent Thompson said Boguniecki returned this week to his home in Massachusetts and will be back soon with his wife and three children. Boguniecki, who scored two goals and added an assist in two games, still needs time to get in game shape, Thompson said. The 13th-year pro will also help out Scott Burt, the Aces' captain and player-assistant coach.

"He's signed, sealed and part of our team,'' Thompson said of Boguniecki, 34. "Obviously, he's first and foremost a player. He'll help Scott Burt with what Scott needs. He's committed.''

Fraser, the third-year pro and former UAF skater who has played primarily in the American Hockey League, will immediately get time on a top line. Fraser played last season for AHL Peoria, where Thompson was an assistant coach.

Fraser suffered a dislocated shoulder during a preseason fight Sept. 19 while playing for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Though he has often played center, he'll make his Aces debut on the wing, where he will seldom have to take face-offs -- draws can be hard on the shoulders -- and won't be required to cover as much ice as a center.

Getting Kana (shoulder) and Mazzolini (knee) into the lineup will give Thompson a chance to finally evaluate them.

At some point, the Aces, who released winger Moises Gutierrez of Anchorage earlier this week, will likely have to jettison more bodies. They currently have 24 players on their overall roster -- 15 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders -- and two others (center John Lammers and defenseman T.J. Fast) on AHL call-ups.

ECHL teams are allowed 20 players on their active roster. They can have any number higher than that on their club, but the 20 active players must fit under the league's weekly salary cap of $11,800.

Alaska's 24 players are exceeded only by Trenton's 25. Throw out those two clubs, and the remaining 18 ECHL teams average 21.28 players, according to rosters on the league Web site.

Shuffling the deck

Aces leading scorer Colin Hemingway missed practices Tuesday and Wednesday with illness, but is expected to travel with the team today.

Hemingway, who owns 4-9--13 totals in nine games and has scored at least one point in eight straight matches.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

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