» MAIN » 2005-06 Schedule

Published Thursday February 16, 2006 Baines arrives to help Knights kick in offense BY JOE CLARK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

		RELATED LINKS
		»	AHL
		»	Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights
		»	W-H News Extra: Omaha Ak-Sar Ben Knights

The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights will have some new blood in their lineup tonight when they try to extend their American Hockey League winning streak to four games against the last-place San Antonio Rampage.

Omaha announced Wednesday it acquired Norfolk Admirals captain Ajay Baines, a center, in exchange for defenseman Brandon Rogers. Baines became Norfolk's all-time leading scorer on Jan. 13 - the same night he played in his 400th AHL game. He's expected to be in the lineup tonight at the Civic Auditorium.

"He's a real character guy," Knights President Doug Soetaert said. "And our goal is to make the playoffs. We wanted to upgrade in that position a bit, and it's a good fit for us."

AHL tonight • What: Knights vs. San Antonio • When: 7 p.m. • Where: Civic Auditorium • Records: Omaha (21-23-2-7, 5th in division); San Antonio (15-30-1-4, last in division)

Technically, the transaction does not go down as a trade. Soetaert this week worked a deal that had the Chicago Blackhawks reassign Baines to Omaha, while the Knights reassigned Rogers to Norfolk. Baines remains under contract with Chicago, while Rogers remains under contract with Omaha.

"This will be good for Brandon, too," Soetaert said. "He wants to play more regularly, and with him being in and out of our lineup, it's been tough . . . especially with him being a young guy."

Baines has skated in 409 AHL games and accumulated 68 goals and 175 assists, but had seen his ice time diminish in Norfolk when then-coach Trent Yawney was promoted to the Blackhawks. When new coach Mike Haviland arrived, things were different.

"I'm really excited about going to Omaha," Baines said. "I was in a situation where I wasn't playing a lot here, and it was time for a change."

Contact the Omaha World-Herald newsroom

Copyright ©2006 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or distributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.