Posts on ‘February 18th, 2009’

According to a press release by the EPHL, the Brooklyn Aces have signed 34-year-old forward Vladislav Kouroedov.

Originally hired by the New Jersey Rockhoppers as their assistant coach in August, Kouroedov becomes the second former coach to lace up the skates for Brooklyn this season.

According to HockeyDB.com, his last professional action came in 99-00 with the Knoxville Speed of the UHL, where he scored three points in nine games. Before that, he played with the Spartak Moscow team in the Russian Professional Elite League. He also played his junior hockey in the Russian Junior League.

While the Brooklyn Aces struggles as of late have had more to do with a lack of team-wide grit and the ability to produce offensively, it’s fair to say the defense hasn’t been on it’s best behavior either.

Veteran Nick Grove has been battling injuries for most of the season and Doug Hoffman has been battling offensive consistency for the past few weeks. Dan Carney is still getting in the thick of things after being out of hockey for a few months. Chris Robinson has quietly carved out a solid niche for himself as a stay at home defenseman and can even land a big hit when he has to, but hasn’t been as noticeable the past few games. The forward turned defenseman combination of Ian McLoughlin and Mike Thomson has been eerily solid, but may be served better on the forward lines, especially considering how inconsistent the offense has been lately, against every team not named the Hudson Valley Bears.