Gerald Coleman

Gerald Coleman (born April 3, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He predominantly played in the minor leagues, most notably with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL.

Playing career Coleman was drafted 224th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2003 NHL entry draft. Selected from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, Coleman was awarded the Dave Pinkney Trophy on his way to capturing the Memorial Cup the following season in 2003–04. He is the first graduate of the NHL Diversity Program to be drafted and to play in the NHL, making his debut for the Lightning, in relief, on November 11, 2005.

On February 24, 2007, Coleman was traded with a 1st round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Shane O'Brien and a 3rd round draft pick. He was then assigned to the Ducks AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates.

Coleman attended the Chicago Wolves training camp for the 2008–09 season, before he was released. After starting the year in the ECHL with the Phoenix RoadRunners, Coleman was recalled to the Worcester Sharks but upon his return was traded to the Trenton Devils on November 21, 2008. Coleman was then credited as a major influence in the turn around Trenton Devils season going 27-8-2 for the remainder of the year.

Coleman was then invited to the New Jersey Devils training camp for the 2009–10 before he was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils. Coleman appeared in just three games with Lowell before he returned to Trenton for the season.

After attending the St. Louis Blues training camp, Coleman played the 2010–11 season with the Alaska Aces, posting a 2.19 GAA and a save percentage of .913, earning a record of 30-15-1-0 with 4 shutouts. In the Kelly Cup Playoffs, Coleman, along with the rest of the Aces set a playoff record with a 12-1 record to capture the cup. Coleman earned 11 of those 12 wins and did so with a .938 save percentage and a 1.73 GAA and 3 shutouts. In the end, Coleman lead the Alaska Aces win their second Brabham Cup and second Kelly Cup in franchise history. The Alaska Aces are also the only team to win the Brabham Cup and Kelly cup in the same year twice. He also captured goaltender of the year.

Coleman returned to the Aces the following season and after 23 games was signed to a professional try-out by the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. Coleman enjoyed a prominent role with the Monsters, winning 11 of 17 games before returning to the Aces to finish a second consecutive year with the lowest goals against average in the ECHL.

With off-season surgery and a forecasted lengthy recovery limiting interest from the AHL, Coleman re-signed with the Aces for his third season with the club on July 12, 2012.

After his fourth season with the Aces, and backstopping the club to their second Kelly Cup Championship in his successful tenure, Coleman retired from professional hockey due to persisting hip injuries on August 1, 2014. He intended to pursue studies in physical therapy.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2002–03 London Knights OHL 26 6 9 3 — 1074 59 1 3.30 .892 — — — — — — — — 2003–04 London Knights OHL 33 24 8 0 — 1852 68 5 2.20 .931 8 5 2 442 19 1 2.58 9.12 2004–05 London Knights OHL 38 32 2 2 — 2224 63 8 1.70 .941 8 7 1 455 13 0 1.71 .935 2005–06 Springfield Falcons AHL 43 14 21 — 3 2413 156 2 3.88 .880 — — — — — — — — 2005–06 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 2 0 0 — 1 43 2 0 2.79 .882 — — — — — — — — 2006–07 Springfield Falcons AHL 3 2 1 — 0 179 6 0 2.01 .940 — — — — — — — — 2006–07 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 17 7 9 — 0 914 52 0 3.41 .902 — — — — — — — — 2006–07 Portland Pirates AHL 11 4 5 — 0 603 29 0 2.89 .895 — — — — — — — — 2007–08 Portland Pirates AHL 18 8 6 — 2 968 47 2 2.91 .896 1 0 0 39 4 0 6.09 .789 2007–08 Augusta Lynx ECHL 9 2 5 — 0 500 22 0 2.64 .902 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 Phoenix RoadRunners ECHL 4 2 1 — 1 244 6 1 1.48 .950 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 Worcester Sharks AHL 3 0 2 — 0 112 6 0 3.23 .854 — — — — — — — — 2008–09 Trenton Devils ECHL 40 27 8 — 2 2322 92 3 2.38 .915 3 1 2 246 15 0 3.66 .888 2009–10 Lowell Devils AHL 3 1 2 — 0 182 13 0 4.28 .873 — — — — — — — — 2009–10 Trenton Devils ECHL 30 11 9 — 7 1563 94 0 3.61 .887 — — — — — — — — 2010–11 Alaska Aces ECHL 47 30 15 — 1 2735 100 4 2.19 .913 12 11 1 729 21 3 1.73 .938 2011–12 Alaska Aces ECHL 27 18 5 — 4 1644 53 1 1.93 .926 10 5 5 569 19 1 2.00 .925 2011–12 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 17 11 4 — 2 963 41 0 2.56 .922 — — — — — — — — 2012–13 Alaska Aces ECHL 32 23 6 — 3 1907 69 2 2.17 .918 9 4 5 548 21 0 2.30 .911 2013–14 Alaska Aces ECHL 25 14 6 — 5 1504 60 2 2.39 .910 14 10 4 814 18 2 1.33 .942 NHL totals 2 0 0 — 1 43 2 0 2.79 .882 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honors Award Year OHL Dave Pinkney Trophy 2004, 2005 Third All-Star Team 2005 CHL Memorial Cup (London Knights) 2005 ECHL Second All-Star Team 2009 First All-Star Team 2011 Goaltender of the Year 2011 Kelly Cup (Alaska Aces) 2011, 2014