There was plenty of ECHL news coming out of Alaska today, but not from the visitor’s locker room.
Reign head coach Karl Taylor did not make any roster moves prior to the ECHL trade deadline at noon. That means, as unlikely as it might have seemed as little as three weeks ago, nobody’s getting traded. Any roster change for the Reign will result from injuries, AHL call-ups, amateur or free-agent signings, or junior players being assigned by the Kings.
Any player who signs a pro contract must appear in at least five regular-season games to be included on the Reign’s playoff roster. Amateurs aren’t bound by the same rule.
The Alaska Aces made one deadline deal in advance of tonight’s game against the Reign, trading defenseman Derick Martin to the Elmira Jackals for left wing Jarret Konkle.
The Aces also made headlines in the Anchorage Daily News by announcing they will be forced to host games 40 miles away from their home arena in first round of the playoffs. A look at the ECHL standings reveals that this isn’t likely to impact the Reign, who are probably in the running for one of the National Conference’s final three playoff positions along with the Aces.
Also worth noting: The AHL’s Manchester Monarchs were left down a goalie for tonight’s game when Jonathan Bernier was recalled by the Kings. But the Monarchs signed former Bakersfield Condors goaltender Josh Johnson – and neither of the Reign’s two goalies – to back up Jeff Zatkoff.