The Allen Americans of the ECHL announced a trade on Tuesday afternoon. The Americans are sending right-handed defenseman Nolan Kneen in exchange for forward Alex Aleardi of the Florida Everblades.
In 31 games played, Kneen scored 12 points with 5 goals and 7 assists. Kneen also spent 18 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL while on loan, scoring 6 points (1G,5A). In the playoffs, Kneen skated in 3 games with 2 assists.
In return, the Americans receive a seasoned forward in Aleardi who is coming off a Kelly Cup Championship season where he played in 61 games with 59 points (31G,28A). Aleardi is a speedy forward with a touch for scoring and spent 4 of his last 5 seasons playing professionally in France for Rouen and Grenoble of Ligue Magnus. Aleardi is no stranger to winning as he has played in the Kelly Cup playoffs as well as the French Cup and Champions HL tournaments while overseas as of late.
First-year head coach Chad Costello continues to fill out the roster with speed and scoring as Aleardi joins Marcel Godbout and Hank Crone who both are under 6 feet tall, but show a defining ability to create offense and move swiftly on the ice.
While the Americans are generally known for their aggressive style of play, Costello is building a team that on paper shows the type of offensive explosiveness to make create space from end to end while opening up the ice in a way the Americans fans haven’t seen in a few years.
The Morning Skate 