Just talked to Charlie Effinger about becoming the latest in the a long line of great goaltenders to join the Komets.

"To be a part of a great organization, you wouldn't want it any other way," he said. "You don't want to go to a place with a history of bad goalies. That's exciting. ... I'm a very simple hard-working guy. I come to the rink and take it one day at a time and work hard. It's about reaching and striving for greatness and I will have that mindset."

Will it be weird playing for the hated Komets, who have had goalies like Chuck Adamson, Robbie Irons, Kevin St. Pierre, Pokey Reddick and Nick Boucher?

"I'm really excited," said Effinger, 26, who played last season for Missouri. "Obviously, Fort Wayne has such a long tradition, not only of great hockey, but really in the last few years, it's been such a winning tradition. I play to win hockey games. I'm a competitive guy."

Why did he choose Fort Wayne?

"My conversations with (general manager) David Franke and (coach) Al Sims were really great and they had a lot of great things to say about the team and the group of guys and how big a role the Komets play in the community. My experience against Fort Wayne in the playoffs, even though we came up on the short end, it was a great series. We went into the third period of Game 7 tied and to see the support they have there is amazing. You drive on the bus and every small business would have a 'Go Komets' sign on the billboard. You get a good idea of what the team means to that community."

Does he like the roster?

"I can tell you they've done a great job. Brandon Marino is a huge signing. Brent Henley (would be) a huge signing. And I know they have a great core. It will be interesting to see how the team translates over to the ECHL style of play. I played my first year in that league. There are some differences but I think a good hockey player is a good hockey player anywhere. I can't wait to kind of get going. The last few weeks of the summer will drag by here."

While the Komets aren't arranging it, Effinger, 26, may get an invite to an American Hockey League training camp.

Remember, Effinger has pledged a cool item for Ice Chips for Aurora: Click here.