Anchorage Daily News

Wednesday morning brought the ECHL's deadline for submitting season-opening rosters, and tracking the Alaska Aces' myriad moves practically required an organizational flow chart and a traffic cop.

The minor-league hockey club released two returners, saw another scheduled for assignment elsewhere and placed five guys on the 21-day injured reserve list, including new center Curtis Fraser, the former UAF pivot. The Aces also stashed two other players on short-term injured reserve.

Those gambits left the Aces with a 19-man active roster that fit under the league salary cap of $11,800 per week. That group will carry them into a season-opening, three-game home series against the Victoria Salmon Kings that begins Friday night.

In all, the Aces still have 26 players, an exceptionally high number -- last season, the club's season-opening roster featured 21 players.

The Aces retained such depth, at least temporarily, for two reasons: They have several injured players they foresee as key contributors when healthy, and they think their roster sports so much quality that players inevitably will be called up by American Hockey League teams.

The Peoria Rivermen are the Aces' affiliate, and six current Aces are either under contract to Peoria or the parent St. Louis Blues of the NHL. Also, players under ECHL contract to the Aces, like No. 1 center John Lammers, can be poached by any AHL team.

"We all know the season is long and AHL teams want the best players they can get,'' said Aces first-year coach Brent Thompson. "(Aces owners) are making a commitment to the fans and the players that they want to win.''

Aces managing member Terry Parks said Wednesday's moves were designed to keep the club competitive -- the Kelly Cup runners-up have advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs a record six straight seasons -- and from being thinned out by call-ups.

"The issue we have is we know we're going to have some guys called up and we're trying to protect ourselves from getting skinny,'' Parks said. "We are committed to winning.''

The Aces released returning center Luke Erickson and goaltender Kevin Nastiuk, who played briefly for the club last season. Erickson bagged 21 goals for Alaska last season and was the league's best shootout sniper, scoring on all five of his chances in the post-overtime skills competition.

But with a No. 1 center in Lammers and a No. 2 pivot in Alexandre Imbeault, Thompson said he couldn't see Erickson in a defensive role as the third center.

"In my mind-set, he's more of a top two-line center with an offensive side,'' Thompson said. "I'd have to put him in a defensive, checking center role and I don't see him as that.''

Also gone is defenseman Alexander Hellstrom, who Thompson said will likely be assigned by the Blues to his native Sweden. Hellstrom is in the third and final season of his NHL entry contract, but has never cracked the Peoria lineup with regularity.

The Aces placed five forwards on the 21-day IR: Left wing Jason Ryznar (broken hand), right wing Justin Johnson (broken hand), Fraser (shoulder), Tomas Kana (shoulder) and rookie Nick Mazzolini (knee).

"All those injuries are kind of a blessing in disguise,'' Thompson said.

Fraser dislocated his shoulder in training camp with AHL Wilkes-Barre, Thompson said. When healthy, he will give the Aces yet another player with considerable AHL experience. Of Fraser's 133 regular-season and playoff games as a pro, 112 were in the AHL.

Returning right winger Brett Hemingway was placed on the three-day injured reserve and returning defenseman Lee Green hit the seven-day injured reserve.

Thompson said returning defenseman Derick Martin and returning winger Colin Hemingway, the former NHLer who led the Aces in scoring last season, will each wear an "A'' as an alternate captain. Veteran winger Scott Burt returns as captain.

"I'm very comfortable with my leadership,'' Thompson said. "I'm happy with the way all the guys compete. Like I told the guys, our season will be a work in progress, building toward the playoffs.''

Shuffling the deck

Parks said the Aces' two "Paint The Rink Pink'' exhibition games last week to raise funds for cancer awareness and benefit Breast Cancer Focus, Inc., and the Alaska chapter of the American Cancer Society, generated $75,650 for the groups.

About $32,000 of that came from an auction of the Aces' special pink game sweaters after the team split two preseason games with the Kalamazoo Wings.

In three years, the Aces' cancer benefits have raised nearly $247,000 for the groups.

"I'm pretty happy with that,'' Parks said.

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

Season-opening roster

Active players (19)

Forwards (10) — C Patrick Brosnihan, LW Scott Burt, LW Jack Combs,LW Lance Galbraith, RW Colin Hemingway, C Alexandre Imbeault, C John Lammers, C Chris Morehouse, RW Anthony Peluso, RW Matt Stefanishion.

Defensemen (7) — B.J. Crum, T.J. Fast, Tyson Marsh, Derick Martin, Bryan Miller, Ryan Turek, Nick Tuzzolino.

Goaltenders (2) — Sebastian Dahm, Scott Reid.

Inactive Players

21-day Injured Reserve (5) — LW Jason Ryznar, C Curtis Fraser, RW Justin Johnson, C/W Tomas Kana, C Nick Mazzolini.

7-day Injured Reserve (1) — D Lee Green.

3-day Injured Reserve (1) — RW Brett Hemingway.

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