Daniels returns, Reichmuth shores up goaltending situation

Published on August 31, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska Aces have reached an agreement with another key component to their ECHL championship team, veteran Kimbi Daniels, as well as rookie netminder Isaac Reichmuth, both of whom have signed one-year deals for the 2006-07 season.

For the third straight season, his sixth in Anchorage, Daniels played a vital role in Alaska's playoff run, finishing second on the club in scoring with 20 points (5g-15a) and tying for the team lead with a +11 rating in 22 postseason contests. He scored twice with the Aces in a three-on-five shorthanded situation during the playoffs, including the back-breaking goal in an eventual 5-4 win over Gwinnett in Game 3 of the Kelly Cup Finals. The 33-year-old Daniels also scored the tie-breaking goal with 46 seconds left in Game 1 of that series, giving Alaska a 3-2 victory.

Originally a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers (for whom he played 27 NHL games) in 1990, last year's championship was the third for Daniels, who was part of Swift Current's 1989 Memorial Cup team and scored eight goals in 16 playoff games for the Charlotte squad that took home the 1996 ECHL title. He missed the first 39 games of last season recovering from surgery but averaged a point per game over the final 33 and played his 700th pro game in Alaska's regular season finale at Bakersfield. Entering his seventh year with the Aces, Daniels ranks fifth in club history in goals, assists, and points.

Alaska also signed goalie Isaac Reichmuth out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a complement to Derek Gustafson, whose deal was announced earlier this week. The 24-year-old Reichmuth earned all-WCHA honors twice in his four years with the Bulldogs and led them to their first NCAA Frozen Four berth in 19 years in 2004, when he finished 23-9-4 with a school-record 2.64 goals against average. As a freshman, he went 18-11-3 with a 2.68 GAA and landed on the WCHA all-rookie team while earning team MVP honors, the first freshman in 40 years to do so at UMD. Reichmuth completed his career with a 56-47-15 mark and as the school's all-time leader in GAA (2.91) and save percentage (.898).

Reichmuth will attend training camp with Peoria, Alaska's AHL affiliate, who also announced the signing of defenseman Steven Later to a two-way AHL/ECHL contract. Later, a 6-4, 200-pound defenseman who played 11 AHL games last year as a rookie and contributed 21 points (7g-14a) and 176 PIM in 40 ECHL contests with Pensacola, also will be in camp with St. Louis, the NHL parent club for the Aces. He scored 14 goals, assisted on 49 others, and piled up 220 PIM for Brandon (WHL) in 2005.

Alaska's regular season opener has been scheduled for Friday, October 20, at 7:15 p.m. against the Victoria Salmon Kings. The Aces and the American Conference finalists from a year ago, the Toledo Storm, will play two pre-season games October 10-11, with tickets available at a special price of only $10. For more information on 2006-07 season tickets, sponsorships, and off-season signings, please visit www.alaskaaces.com or call 258-ACES.

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