ANCHORAGE, Alaska - ECHL All-Star forward Judd Blackwater (in mid-air vs. Las Vegas) headlined a group of eight Alaska Aces who played for the club in 2009-10 to receive a qualifying offer from the team prior to the July 1 deadline.

Players who had already signed a contract by July 1 did not need to receive a qualifying offer.  Curtis Fraser, Alex Imbeault (who finished the season in the Czech Republic), and John Lammers (who completed his year in Abbotsford) were the other forwards to receive qualifying offers from the Aces.  Defensemen Nick Tuzzolino, Tyson Marsh, and Nils Backstrom, along with goaltender Frank Doyle (reportedly set to play in Italy during the upcoming season) round out the list of eight players whose ECHL rights will remain with Alaska for the 2010-11 playing season.

Each ECHL team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2010-11 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until Aug. 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until Aug. 1. After Aug. 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by Aug. 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

The Alaska Aces are now taking orders for 2010-11 season tickets.  For more information, please call 258-ACES, or drop by the team offices at the corner of 15th & Gambell between the hours of 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.