Anchorage Daily News

A contractual bummer for sniper Josh Soares could turn into a bonus for the Alaska Aces.

Unable to secure a one-way contract in the American Hockey League despite his eye-popping, All-ECHL first-team numbers for Alaska last season, Soares has signed a deal to return to the Aces.

But there's a caveat -- Soares first will attend training camp with the AHL's Houston and try to make that club in the league one rung higher than the ECHL on pro hockey's ladder.

Even though Soares did not gain a one-way AHL deal in the offseason, should he start the season with the Aces, he will be available to be promoted by any AHL team. Soares last season played under a one-way AHL contract with the Peoria Rivermen, Alaska's AHL affiliate. That basically meant he could only be promoted to Peoria.

Such a one-way deal guarantees the player the same salary whether he plays in the AHL or ECHL.

Soares, 26, said he fielded several two-way offers from AHL teams. Those deals pay the player one salary when he skates in the AHL and a lower figure in the ECHL.

"I basically had a bunch of two-way offers on the table, like three or four teams,'' Soares said by cell phone from Orono, Maine, where he is training. "Some had the options to go to NHL camps, but I'd have to go to certain ECHL teams if I ended up in the ECHL.

"I didn't feel comfortable signing a two-way contract. Last year was OK because I was on a one-way AHL deal and I made my money, I guess. In a sense, I didn't want to get stuck with one AHL team. I wanted some flexibility.''

Soares, who played college hockey at Maine, last season played 61 games for the Aces and led the club in goals (36) and points (81). He was selected to the ECHL's First-Team and its All-Rookie Team. He also scored two goals and four points in seven games with Peoria.

Given those numbers, and Soares' remarkable consistency, Aces coach Keith McCambridge figured some AHL club would reward the sniper with at least a one-year, one-way deal.

"Seeing him first-hand and having coached him and seen his skill level and competitiveness, how good he is at both ends of the rink, it's surprising he didn't get a one-way deal,'' McCambridge said. "For some reason, everyone passed.

"It's definitely a huge bonus, a huge asset if we get Josh back. He competes so hard every night. There just are no nights when he doesn't show up -- you get his best every night.''

Soares said he felt like Houston's camp presented the best opportunity for him to make an AHL club.

"I'm going to go in there and give my best effort and, hopefully, make the team,'' he said. "They felt like the best situation. This chance felt a little better, a little more comfortable.''

Should Soares begin the season with the Aces, he said he would take the same approach he did as a rookie -- work hard, produce, and hope someone at the next level takes note.

"I thought Mac was a good coach, and the organization is great,'' Soares said. "If I end up in Anchorage, I'm comfortable there and I'll just keep working to get to the next level.''

While the Aces may get back their sniper, they have also signed a rookie goaltender who has snuffed his share of snipers.

Former North Dakota backstop Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, who last season was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's best player, will begin his play-for-pay career with the Aces.

"I'm excited to get a deal with Alaska," Lamoureux said by cell phone from Grand Forks, N.D. "They're consistently one of the perennial winners in the league."

Lamoureux (pronounced LAM-er-oo) last season started 42 of 43 games, went 27-11-4 with a 1.75 goals-against average and school-record .932 save percentage, and bagged six shutouts. He started a school-record 55 straight games bridging his junior and senior seasons, the third-longest such streak in NCAA history.

"The more I play, the more comfortable I get,'' Lamoureux said. "I can be comfortable in a (two-man) rotation, like my freshmen and sophomore years, but I really relish being the guy.''

Lamoureux, 24, attended an off-season rookie camp with the St. Louis Blues, who are the Aces' NHL affiliate.

The only knock on Lamoureux has been size -- he's 5-foot-8. But all McCambridge sees is a winner, a guy who went 60-38-10 (.602 winning percentage) in college and 64-38-8 (.607) in the junior hockey.

"The biggest thing that stuck out for me with Phil is his desire to get to the NHL, how driven he is,'' McCambridge said.

While Lamoureux's considerable athleticism has sometimes buttonholed him as a goalie who relies on reflexes, he sees himself as a fundamentally-sound backstop who can mix in a spectacular save. He said he has benefitted from working the last two summers with Ian Clark, goaltending consultant for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.

"It's kind of odd to me that I've got this label as a flashy goalie,'' Lamoureux said. "If you break my style down, I've very much a positional goalie.''

Shuffling the deck

While Soares will attend Houston's camp, at least six other players signed by the Aces will attend Peoria's camp. Those players are Lamoureux, sibling forwards Colin Hemingway and Brett Hemingway, winger Bo Cheesman and defenseman Bryan Miller. Also, defenseman Derick Martin will attend camp with the AHL's Providence Bruins.

For what it's worth, Lamoureux went 5-2-1 against UAA, with two shutouts, a 1.86 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. He went 1-1 at Sullivan Arena, with the win coming in a 5-0 Sioux victory in which he stopped 23 shots as a sophomore.

Lamoureux said his friends call him Phil. He introduced himself as J.P. in a phone call. "I've got about 12 different nicknames,'' he said.

Lamoureux comes from a fairly jaw-dropping athletic family. His father, Jean-Pierre, played goalie at North Dakota. His mother, Linda, swam there and is a marathoner. His brother Mario will play hockey at North Dakota as a freshman this season. His brother Jacques will play as a sophomore at Air Force. His brother Pierre-Paul will play at the University of Manitoba. And his twin sisters, Jocelyne and Monique, will be freshmen forwards at Minnesota.

And at least a couple of faces with the Aces will be familiar for Lamoureux. He played at North Dakota with forwards Luke Erickson and Erik Fabian, both of whom have signed with the Aces.

The Aces have signed 11 players -- 7 forwards, three defensemen and a goalie. The forwards -- Brett Hemingway, Colin Hemingway, Soares, Erickson, Fabian, Cheesman and Scott Burt. The defense -- Miller, Martin and Lee Green. The goalie -- Lamoureux.

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

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