Five More Streaming Into Aces Camp

Published on October 3, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Alaska Aces News Release


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu, a perfect 7-0 last year and 23-1-2 in an Aces sweater, joins defenseman Bryan Miller and forwards Josh Soares, Francois-Pierre Guenette, and Ryan Reaves in a group of players assigned to Alaska by the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL.

The 23-year-old Beckford-Tseu went 8-4 with three shutouts, a 2.04 GAA, and a .930 save percentage in Alaska's run to the 2006 Kelly Cup, including three straight wins over Las Vegas when the Aces trailed 2-1 in the West Division Finals. He also stopped 37 shots, including nine in overtime, as Alaska beat Fresno 3-2 in double overtime in Game 7 of that year's conference finals. Last year, while playing out his NHL contract (he was selected by St. Louis in the fifth round in 2003), the Toronto native posted a 1.27 GAA and a .950 save percentage in winning all seven of his starts for the Aces. Beckford-Tseu was 12-12-4 with a 2.72 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 29 appearances for Alaska's AHL affiliate in Peoria last season; he signed a two-way deal with the Rivermen this summer.

Miller attended training camp with both the Blues and the Rivermen before reporting to Alaska. The 24-year-old defenseman hails from New Jersey and spent most of last season with nearby Trenton in the ECHL, scoring six goals and assisting on 22 others in 53 games. He also was a teammate of former Ace and ECHL goal-scoring champion Chris Minard with the Lowell Devils in the AHL, with whom he spent 12 games last year.

Guenette originally was drafted in the seventh round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2003, and last year played for the Victoria Salmon Kings, scoring 13 goals during the regular season and handing out four assists in six games in Victoria's first-round playoff loss to Alaska. The 23-year-old Guenette was acquired by St. Louis as part of a deal that included former Ace Zack Fitzgerald this summer and attended training camp with both the Blues and the Rivermen, for whom he scored twice during the AHL pre-season schedule.

The 25-year-old Soares grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and played four seasons at the University of Maine before making his pro debut with Peoria at the end of last year, appearing in just one game. Soares, a six-foot, 195-pound winger, scored 47 goals and handed out 62 assists over his final three seasons as a collegian, finished tied for the team lead in points as a senior with 45 on a team-leading 20 goals and 25 helpers. He had a goal and an assist as the Black Bears saw their 2007 season end at the NCAA Frozen Four for the second year in a row with a loss to eventual champion Michigan State in the semi-finals. As a junior, Soares finished second on the club with 41 points, including a team-leading 26 assists, helping Maine reach the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four before losing to eventual champion Wisconsin, 5-2, in the semi-finals.

The 6-2, 204-pound Reaves, selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Draft by St. Louis, will turn 21 in January and arrives in Anchorage after three seasons with Brandon in the Western Hockey League (36g-43a in 201 games).

Alaska, coming off its third straight trip to at least the conference finals, will play host to a pair of pre-season games against Texas October 10 and 11 at 7:15 p.m., with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Alaska chapter of the American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Focus, Inc. The Aces open the regular season at Fresno October 23 and their home schedule against Florida on November 2 in the opener of a three-game series at 7:15 p.m. For more information, please call 258-ACES.

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