Anchorage Daily News

Former Alaska Aces coach Davis Payne, who guided the club to the ECHL's Kelly Cup in 2006, has been named head coach of the American Hockey League's Peoria Rivermen.

The parent St. Louis Blues of the NHL made the announcement today, elevating Payne from his position as an assistant coach with the Rivermen, who play in the league one rung below the NHL on pro hockey's ladder. The ECHL is one rung down from the AHL. Payne joined the Peoria staff prior to the 2007-08 season, when St. Louis created a position for him to keep him in the club's pipeline.

"Davis has a very impressive resume as a head coach, which includes an ECHL Championship,'' said Blues Ppresident John Davidson. "We are excited about him developing our youth in Peoria and providing leadership for our veteran players.''

The Rivermen and Aces are both affiliates of the Blues, and the two minor-league organizations basically keep in daily contact. Players in the Blues organization routinely split time between the AHL and ECHL, both of which are developmental leagues designed to mold players for duty in the NHL, the world's best league.

Payne, 37, has ascended quickly in the coaching ranks. The former NHL winger was bench boss of the Aces for four seasons and won nearly 70 percent of regular-season games in that span. He took the Aces at least as far as the league's conference finals in each of his last three seasons and compiled a 185-75-28 (.691 winning percentage) with the club.

As well as driving the Aces to the Kelly Cup in 2006, Payne also was named the ECHL's Coach of the Year in 2007.

Payne replaces Dave Baseggio, who coached the Rivermen the last two seasons. Despite a winning record in those two campaigns - 75-66-19 - the Rivermen did not qualify for the playoffs in either season, and Baseggio was fired after the 2007-08 season. Payne was a finalist for the Peoria job in 2006, when it went to Bassegio.

In Payne's seven seasons as an ECHL coach - he spent his first three seasons guiding the Pee Dee Pride - his clubs advanced past the first round of the playoffs every season. His overall record in the ECHL is 289-142-45 (.654), and he never suffered a losing record.

With the Aces, Payne carved a reputation as a coach with both an uncanny knack for making subtle lineup changes that prompted prosperity and a strong feel for which players needed a pat on the back and which needed a skate to the butt.

Payne's ties to Anchorage remain strong. He visited here last month with his family and ran the Mayor's Marathon.

Payne recently helped direct St. Louis' developmental camp, which served as an audition of sorts for the head job in Peoria.

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