Next stop for Wranglers”Train:’ Kelly Cup Finals

Don't be fooled by his nickname -- "The Choo Choo Train" -- Wranglers forward Kelly Czuy (pronounced chewy) hits more like a locomotive.

"Not a lot of players hit hard enough to actually hurt somebody, but he hits hard enough to hurt somebody," Las Vegas defenseman Jason Krischuk said after practice Tuesday at the Orleans Arena.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound Czuy has been a big contributor in helping the Wranglers advance to their first ECHL Kelly Cup Finals, set to start at 4:30 p.m. (PDT) Saturday at American Conference champion Cincinnati.

"He got that nickname because of some of the hits he's put on guys in the playoffs," Las Vegas coach Glen Gulutzan said. "It suits him. He's like a train. If you're in his tracks, he's a very, very strong and powerful guy."

Czuy, who said he earned his moniker because "I try to run people over, I guess," also can score.

After compiling 28 points in 55 regular-season games, he has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 15 playoff games, and his line, which includes Adam Cracknell and Bruce Mulherin, has combined for 45 postseason points.

"That line has helped us out a lot. They're physical, they get in on the opposing team's defense, and they've been scoring," Gulutzan said. "We do have a lot of guys stepping up here, and you need that in the playoffs.

"You can't win with one line. You need a whole team of guys and goaltending. You need everything, and right now we're getting that."

"The Choo Choo Train" took awhile to build up steam this season, in part because he was sidelined for close to two months with a broken leg suffered in late October.

Shortly after returning to the ice, Czuy, who also broke his arm last year, had three of his teeth knocked out when he took a puck to his face off the glass.

"I've had a few setbacks this season, that's for sure," said Czuy, who has yet to stay healthy for a full professional season. "It was a long process recovering from (the broken leg), but it's 100 percent now and I'm starting to get going again."

Gulutzan said Czuy is better suited for the playoffs than the regular season.

"He's a sprinter," Gulutzan said. "Come playoff time, when you're playing short stints, you really notice a guy like him. He's just built for the playoffs. He's a bull.

"Maybe over the long haul, he can't sustain that type of power."

Czuy, 25, grew into his role as a two-way player at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he was a linemate of Wranglers center Curtis Fraser.

Czuy has added weight and strength by working out four days a week.

"It's helped me," he said. "I grew a lot. I was a late bloomer. I just started hitting guys and felt it was working and helping the team, and I've just kept on in that role."

Czuy, in his second season in Las Vegas, scored 15 points in 39 games with the Wranglers last year and has three points in 14 games in the American Hockey League, though he didn't play there this season.

"I think I'm more prepared for that league now," he said.

If Czuy can stay healthy, Gulutzan said, he has a chance to return to the AHL.

"He's certainly got a role in the AHL," he said. "He can go in, bang bodies and be a third-line type player who can score a little bit. If a team needs that, he's a guy who can easily do that."

Czuy -- who chose hockey over baseball, against his father's wishes -- dreams of playing in the NHL and also has a degree in finance.

For now, though, all "The Choo Choo Train" wants is to help propel the Wranglers to the Kelly Cup crown.

"I've been close before, but I've never won a championship," Czuy said. "It'd be awesome, so I don't want to let this one pass up."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.