Aces Lose Three in Hudson Valley Draft, Another Ace Joins the Fold

The newest team in the EPHL, the Hudson Valley Bears, concluded their player draft earlier in the week and three players from the Aces were lost in the process. Defensemen Joe Lyle and Gabe Yeung and goaltender Len DiCostanzo will all have some Uhauls to rent in the next few days on their ways to their new club. While Lyle and DiConstanzo have minimal professional hockey experience, so it’s impossible to know what they would have done this season in Brooklyn, it would have been nice to see the 6′5, 230 pound Yeung [who has skated for 13 teams over the past five seasons in 10 different leagues] in Brooklyn this season, especially with the gritty Dan Rohanna as his partner.

Nevertheless, in spite of those losses, you have to like the direction this team is going. With only three players announced thus far, the Aces have already addressed several key roles, which could play a pivotal role in their success this season.

In Rohanna, the Aces have a wily veteran who has everything to prove. Underrated offensively, but with plenty of upside, Rohanna could see time on the powerplay as well. Playing against several NHL and AHL players in Kansas City in 2005, Rohanna has the leadership ability and experience to be a great addition to the Aces this season.

Aside from being the team’s poster boy this season, James Brannigan has the offensive ability to be a force in the EPHL. Used to the limelight from his time at Colorado College, big things are expected from Brannigan this season. Comparing his game to NHL superstars Alexander Ovechkin and Jarome Iginla, the 24-year-old gives the team their first big time offensive star.

Nick Grove is also going to be a fun guy to watch. A converted forward, Grove is going to be the guy who’s game a lot of fans are going to fall in love with. Adept at making the first pass out of the zone and priding himself on shutting down the opposition, Grove is built in the mold of someone like former Islander Adrian Aucoin or current Ranger Dan Girardi, meaning you’re going to see him on the ice quite a bit this year.

However, while these three players will be counted on this season to make sure the team makes it out of their inaugural season in one piece, there is another Ace who will play a crucial role in the team’s success as well. Brick, NJ-Native and forward Chris Holmes who scored 41 points with the Valley Forge Freedom last season in the short-lived MAHL, before playing 10 games with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals, is the newest member of the Aces to be announced. While it’s impossible to see where he fits on the team just yet, it looks like Brannigan has a competent line mate already, giving the Aces an edge on offense as the season opener draws near.

If you’d like to know more about Holmes, stop by the site during the week, where you can read his first interview as an Ace.

Photos by the Brooklyn Aces and the ECHL

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