Nate Thompson is happy to return to his roots with the ECHL's Alaska Aces. He will play for a team he grew up watching, while the NHL lockout drags along, in front of friends and family. "I went to games every weekend," Thompson said. "I was part of the booster clubs. To be able to play in the rink I grew up in is going to be pretty neat." Thompson is looking forward to helping out on the team in a leadership capacity and he is open to learning new things himself.