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Aces Welcome Back Veteran Forward Justin Johnson

September 23, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska Aces, the 2014 Kelly Cup champions, have signed veteran free agent forward Justin Johnson, Aces head coach Rob Murray announced today.

Johnson, an Anchorage native who made his National Hockey Debut last season with the New York Islanders, has over 150 games of American Hockey League experience and returns to the place where he made his professional debut, with the Aces in 2005-06.

"An opportunity to add a player with Justin's resume doesn't come along very often," said Murray. "His track record of toughness and leadership helps preserve the standard of character in our dressing room and justifies his reputation as a fan favorite in Alaska. His skill set has evolved and he has the ability to contribute in many situations. We're extremely excited to welcome him back to his hometown."

Johnson, 33, has suited up in 345 professional games across the NHL, AHL and ECHL levels in the last eight plus seasons and appeared in his first career NHL game last season with the Islanders on Apr. 11 against the New Jersey Devils. The 6-foot-1, 220 pound forward followed up with his first career NHL fight at Buffalo on Apr.13, delivering a knockout against 6-foot-8, 260 pound counterpart John Scott.

"There's no better way to spend the late stage of my career and commitment to this game than at Sullivan Arena, the place where I fell in love with the game and began skating at eight years old," said Johnson. "I grew up on names like Dean Larson, Keith Street, Pete McEnaney, and more. I look forward to playing hard for the fans and my beloved Aces once again."

Johnson also spent the last four seasons in the AHL with Manchester and Bridgeport, collecting 16 points and 587 penalty minutes in 153 career games. In 2008-09, he split the season between the Utah Grizzlies and Cincinnati Cyclones, collecting career-highs in goals (13), assists (10), points (23) and penalty minutes (259) in 59 games. He also racked up six points in 13 Kelly Cup Playoff games that season with Cincinnati.

His 62 career games with the Aces, to date, have come over parts of three seasons and most recently had seven points and 249 penalty minutes in 54 games in 2009-10. His ties to Alaska's first Kelly Cup title were based in 2005-06 when he earned his first career point (assist) with the Aces, suiting up in four games after turning pro.

Johnson furnished a four-year college playing career as well at Sullivan Arena with the University of Alaska-Anchorage (NCAA) and left the program tied as the Seawolves all-time leader with 143 career games, also posting 35 points (13g-22a) from 2002-06. At the ECHL level, Johnson has posted 190 games of experience with 24 goals, 43 points and 669 penalty minutes from 2005-09.

The Aces will host the Indy Fuel in a two-game, "Paint The Rink Pink" preseason series at Sullivan Arena starting Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:15 p.m. and will unveil their third Kelly Cup championship banner on Opening Night at 7:15 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 17 against the Ontario Reign.

Aces training camp information will be announced soon.

Preseason tickets are on sale now and individual tickets for the regular season will go on sale on Oct. 1. For Kelly Cup championship merchandise, 2014-15 season tickets, corporate sponsorship packages, and more information, please call 907-258-ACES. The Aces, a proud affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild of the NHL, can also be visited on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alaskaaceshockey and on Twitter at @AlaskaAces.



ECHL Stories from September 23, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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