Month: March 2014

Game Recaps

Eh! Offense! Admirals win 5-1 in Toronto

Ford-32214-iPhone-1
The Marlies haven’t uploaded their photos yet. So let’s admire this iPhone screen-cap off my iPhone of today’s Scott Ford love fest following his third goal of the season.

The Admirals won 5-1 on the road against the Toronto Marlies Saturday afternoon.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HERE

“It’s amazing,” said assistant coach Stan Drulia of the Admirals rebound effort this afternoon. “To go from our effort and the way we played yesterday – to the way that we really competed. They played the game really, really hard. There wasn’t a weak link among us. Everybody did a really good job today.”

The Ads were able to flip the script in last night’s game by picking up two first period goals. They also jumped out in the second period with another two-goal period, taking a four goal lead, and finishing with that advantage.

The opening goal came from a power-play tally by Miikka Salomaki. Anthony Bitetto’s initial shot to the net spilled free and created a scramble in front of Marlies netminder Christopher Gibson. Salomaki was able to get the final decisive touch for his seventeenth goal of the season.

Taylor Beck was able to force an error out of T.J. Brennan that created a turnover and rush the Admirals way. Salomaki picked up the puck and then Austin Watson for the Admirals second goal in the first period. Watson now has a points streak of six games and the goal was his sixteenth of the season.

Last night the Admirals found an unlikely goal scorer in the form on Mike Liambas. Today they found another one, Scott Ford. An attack into the zone from the left wing by Joonas Rask led to a drop pass for the on-rushing Sheriff. His wrist shot beat traffic and the glove of Gibson – who was pulled following the goal in favor of Garret Sparks. The goal is Ford’s third of the season.

Sparks introduction to the game was met with some chaos on his part. First, he played the puck outside of the trapezoid. Then he misplayed a puck behind his net and it allowed Filip Forsberg to score one of the easiest goals he’ll score this season. Mark Van Guilder and Patrick Cehlin were there to set it up for him following Sparks mistake – but Forsberg had an open net to shoot on for his tenth goal with the Admirals this season.

Scott Darling’s shutout bid ended just eleven seconds into the third period. Korbinian Holzer was able to dink the puck behind the Admirals defense and Trevor Smith was off on a breakaway. He lifted a backhander past Darling to make it a 4-1 game on his seventh goal of the season.

For those who missed Aaron Sims discussion on Mark Van Guilder during the game – he made mention that Van Guilder was on crutches last night and when he entered the team bus for their trip to Toronto. He was injured following a blocked shot in Hamilton but played despite that today. Hockey players right?

Van Guilder’s response was to play through the pain and he was rewarded with his thirteenth goal of the season. His wingers, Forsberg and Patrick Cehlin, were buzzing around the cage and teed him up for the shot in front of the net. The Admirals lead extended back to a four-goal cushion, 5-1.

The game ended with a bout between Mathieu Tousignant and T.J. Brennan. Tousignant landed an uppercut but was polished off by Brennan. He never seems to do well in any fight he ever takes part in – but Tousignant tries.

Darling, playing in his twentieth game of the season, earned his tenth win of the season. He made thirty saves and the only goal he allowed came from the Smith breakaway eleven seconds into the third period.

Ramblings: Michael Young made his AHL and Milwaukee Admirals debut today. Zach Budish was listed as a healthy scratch in Young’s place – meaning the Admirals dressed seven defensemen for today’s game. The Admirals improved to 15-4-1-2 all-time against the Marlies this afternoon – including a 7-3-0-1 record in Toronto. ICEHOGS NEWS, Bobby Shea has been suspended eight games and Jared Nightingale six games for their involvement in one hilariously stupid display of Rockford logic.

Thoughts from the Admirals performance today? What changed yesterday to today? 

Scouting

Marlies: Scouting the Enemy
Salomaki-TOR-1
With the offensive flair of Calle Jarnkrok and Colton Sissons in Nashville camp – the team could use some production from Miikka Salomaki. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

The Toronto Marlies are 37-19-2-3 (79 points) which puts them at the top of the North Division and third overall in the Western Conference.

In their last ten games they have gone 7-2-0-1 (15 points). During that span they have scored 34 goals and allowed 22 goals from open play. They had three games spill into overtime including two that made it into the shootout. In those games only the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were able to grab the extra point, 3/9/14.

Part of what has made the Marlies one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season has been their play on home ice. They have a home record of 20-8-1-1 (42 points) and have a goal differential of +26 (95 GF, 69 GA).

While their home power-play might be rather average, thirteenth in the league with a 19.2 PP%, it is their penalty kill that buzz-saws games for them in Toronto: second best in the league – killing 130 of 147 chances for an 88.4 PK%.

In their previous ten home games they have gone 7-2-0-1 (15 points). The Admirals in their previous ten road games have gone 3-5-0-2 (8 points) – four of those games went to overtime or a shootout – and, in those three wins, only one wasn’t decided in overtime.

During the previous ten road games for the Admirals they have a goal differential of -2 (23 GF, 25 GA) from open play. They have the league’s fourth worst power-play on the road: 18 power-play goals from 138 opportunities, 13.0 PP%. With offense already lacking in the absence of Colton Sissons and Calle Jarnkrok – things have to change in that department if the Admirals are going to find success during the rest of this road trip.

The Marlies are led in scoring by 25-year old Spencer Abbott. In 58 games this season he has 68 points (16 goals, 52 assists). He currently leads the entire AHL in assists – besting the next closest to him, Travis Morin, by 5 assists.

Their top goal scorer is defenseman T.J. Brennan. He’s been a force for them at the blue line – and currently is running away in AHL scoring by a defenseman with 61 points (21 goals, 40 assists). He holds a 12 point cushion to the next d-man in line Adam Clendening of the Rockford IceHogs – who has played in two extra games than Brennan as well.

Where things get that little bit interesting for them is between the pipes. This season they’ve wheeled out former Admiral Drew MacIntyre for 72.1% of their games. Yet, he is currently up with the Maple Leafs and that’s allowing Garret Sparks and Christopher Gibson a shot in net.

Sparks was in net for the Marlies when they lost to the Admirals 3-2. In that contest he was brilliant: making 43 saves from 46 shots – and all 3 goals were scored on the power-play by the Admirals.

In Sparks last three appearances he has stopped 86 of 91 shots and won each of those three games. I fully expect him to get the start in net this afternoon against the Admirals.

Thoughts on this game? Can the Admirals get a season sweep of the Toronto Marlies? Who needs to step up for the Admirals on offense?

Game Recaps

Early Mistakes Cost Admirals in Hamilton

The Admirals lost on the road 4-2 against the Hamilton Bulldogs Friday night. Things started off badly with quick penalties taken and two power-play goals scored by the Bulldogs to give them an edge early on.

“When you have to kill six minutes in the first seven you lose a lot of guys,” cited assistant coach Stan Drulia after the game on Sports Radio 1250 WSSP. “You have to work so hard on the PK. We had a couple of guys miss some assignments and they were fortunate enough to score. We had a hard time recovering from that.”

The game started off poorly for the Admirals with two quick penalties taken inside of five minutes. The opening penalty kill from a Charles-Olivier Roussel hooking call went well – with no shots on goal. The following penalty kill from another hooking call, this time to Patrick Cehlin, led to the Bulldogs opening goal. Michael Bournival beat a sprawling Marek Mazanec for his first goal the season.

Then we had a fight between Mike Liambas and Nick Tarnasky following a hit along the boards. It ended with a takedown by Tarnasky and an additional roughing minor to Liambas.

With that extra roughing penalty to Liambas added – the Bulldogs were able to score their second power-play goal of the first period. Greg Pateryn’s shot from the blue line was able to whistle over Mazanec to make it 2-0 Bulldogs off of two power-play goals inside nine-minutes. It was Pateryn’s eleventh goal of the season.

In the second period the Bulldogs kept the pressure on. Taylor Beck was forced into a turnover and the puck came to the tape of Bournival on a breakaway. Miikka Salomaki took him down and Bournival was awarded a penalty shot. On his attempt, he beat Mazanec to the glove side with a wrister from between the circles for his second goal of the game to make it a 3-0 scoreline.

The Admirals finally had a response and a response from an unlikely source. Mathieu Tousignant held the puck behind the net after a Roussel feed down low. He passed it out in front of the net and picked up Mike Liambas who fired a quick shot for his third goal of the season.

Any momentum that could have been gained from that was quickly squashed when the Bulldogs tallied their fourth goal of the game less than two-minutes later. There was a small pile up around Mazanec and Tarnasky was able to slide a puck underneath the Czech netminder for his twelfth goal of the season.

“That’s tough,” said Drulia. “You just get a little bit of a spark there to make it 3-1. Even on their fourth goal we do a lot of good things. [Patrick Cehlin] gets in a shooting lane, blocks a shot, and [the puck] manages to find an open guy in the slot. Pretty tough to rebound from there.”

With the game winding down, Tousignant was getting his chirping game going and found himself on the receiving end of an elbow with a scrum unfolding around the incident. Subsequently, the Admirals wound up with a five-on-three power-play opportunity with 5:18 remaining in the game.

Taylor Beck was able to score quickly on the initial five-on-three to make it a 4-2 game. Beck received a pass from Bryan Rodney and flicked a wrister past Dustin Tokarski, off the post, and in for his thirteenth goal of the season.

That’s how this game would end. It would seem the real undoing in this game comes from a poor start that allowed the Bulldogs to grab three quick power-play chances and get two goals off of those chances. They might have entered the game with the second worst power-play in the AHL but, if you give any team chances like that in quick succession, it is asking for trouble.

Ramblings: Taylor Beck, who was questionable heading into this game, did play tonight. This meant the lone scratches were Michael Young (healthy) and Joonas Jarvinen (injured). In Calgary, Calle Jarnkrok made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators – and picked up his first NHL point with an assist. Also in Calgary, former-Admiral Victor Bartley scored his first career NHL goal. In Cincinnati, Magnus Hellberg made his first start returning from an ankle injury he sustained in January. Hellberg allowed four goals from thirteen shots, was pulled from the net, but did pick up the win in a 7-5 thrill ride in Cyclones-land.

Thoughts on tonight’s performance? Was the absence of Calle Jarnkrok and Colton Sissons that big of a factor? What needs to change by tomorrow afternoon’s contest against the Toronto Marlies to change the tide?

Scouting

Bulldogs: Scouting the Enemy
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The last time the Milwaukee Admirals played against the Hamilton Bulldogs – Vinny Saponari did this. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

Before we go anywhere with today’s Scouting the Enemy – let’s set the mood for this post with some appropriate music:

There we go! Much better.

Anyways, there is plenty to discuss when it comes to the Milwaukee Admirals in tonight’s game. Calle Jarnkrok up. How will the forward lines look as a result? Will the offense be as potent with him and Colton Sissons in Nashville?

The Admirals currently have a record of 29-20-6-6 (70 points). That’s good enough for third place in the Midwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference. In their last seven games they have gone 6-1-0-0 (12 points) while scoring 37 goals.

Who has been contributing to the offense during that span?

Calle Jarnkrok, 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists)

Colton Sissons, 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists)

Miikka Salomaki, 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists)

Vinny Saponari, 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists)

Bryan Rodney, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assist)

Patrick Cehlin, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists)

Filip Forsberg, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists)

Austin Watson, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists)

Taylor Beck, 7 points (0 goals, 7 assists)

Joe Piskula, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists)

Mark Van Guilder, 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists)

Mathieu Tousignant, 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists)

Charles-Olivier Roussel, 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist)

Anthony Bitetto, 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists)

Scott Ford, 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists)

Joonas Jarvinen, 2 points (2 goals, 0 assists)

Joonas Rask, 2 points (2 goals, 0 assists)

Francis Wathier, 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist)

Scott Valentine, 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist)

Kevin Henderson, 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist)

Pretty even. Pretty balanced. In fact, with all the attention put towards Jarnkrok and Sissons, it is pretty incredible to look back and realize how productive Piskula and Rodney have been in this stretch for the Admirals.

Still, with Nashville nursing some banged up bodies, it means a depleted center spot for the Ads – as well as the subtraction of its top two points producers: Jarnkrok and Sissons. How will the lines end up looking tonight? If I had to hazard a guess I would expect the following lines.

Forsberg-Salomaki-Cehlin
Saponari-Watson-Beck
Wathier-Van Guilder-Budish
Liambas-Tousignant-Rask

Valentine-Ford
Bitetto-Piskula
Rodney-Roussel

I think it is a pretty safe bet we end up going with this – but there is no given. Remember, when I visited with the team before they traveled up to Canada, Dean Evason told me that Beck was questionable for tonight’s game. He is traveling with the team, unlike Jarvinen, but is still considered questionable.

Should Beck be a scratch tonight with that hand injury of his – I wonder if the team would be willing to roll with Valentine on the Tousignant line and then a rotation on the right wing. That would look like this:

Forsberg-Salomaki-Rask
Saponari-Watson-Cehlin
Wathier-Van Guilder-Budish
Liambas-Tousignant-Valentine

Young-Ford
Bitetto-Piskula
Rodney-Roussel

If Beck is indeed out of the mix – I could see this working. It would also give a quickfire introduction to the recently signed ATO defenseman Michael Young. He was limited in practice on Tuesday but did spend the majority of Wednesday’s practice at the Kern Center playing alongside Ford. Perhaps they had that in mind with the “no Beck” scenario possibly playing out.

Will either of these lines produce to the same level as the ones used during the last seven games? Unlikely, but I do feel it still offers a glimmer of the same depth that has been the key standout for the Ads during the run: two skill lines up top, two checking lines down low, and a defensive group with two-way balance throughout.

Let’s go back to that music from the top of the story and jump into today’s enemy.

The Hamilton Bulldogs are 27-30-1-4 (59 points) and sit at the bottom of the North Division and are second to last, cheers San Antonio Rampage, in the entire Western Conference. The Bulldogs are one of only two other teams (Toronto Marlies and Oklahoma City Barons) to have more penalty minutes (1177 PIMs) than the Admirals (1029 PIMs) in the Western Conference.

In the previous encounter between these two, on 2/5/14 in Milwaukee, the Admirals came out with a 4-2 win. It looked a little something like this:

In that game Marek Mazanec got the call in net and is more than likely the man getting the start tonight. In that game he stopped 28 of 30 shots on goal in his ninth win of the season. The game also saw goals scored by Van Guilder, Watson, Roussel (PPG), and Sissons (EN).

The leading scorer for the Bulldogs is ex-Rockford IceHogs forward Martin St. Pierre. This season he has 42 points (10 goals, 32 assists) and is a full 10 points clear of the next closest scorer on the team: Sven Andrighetto 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists).

St. Pierre was a thorn in the Admirals side last season with the IceHogs. In twelve games against Milwaukee he scored 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists). No one in last seasons match up, Admirals or IceHogs, scored more goals than St. Pierre.

Additionally, during the 2007-08 season with the IceHogs – matched up against the Admirals, St. Pierre had 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists) in ten games. The only other player in that season on his level in scoring: Rich Peverley 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists).

Top Gear Top Tip: Stop Martin St. Pierre, plz thx.

The goaltending situation in Hamilton right now is a fun one. We have Devan Dubnyk, Dustin Tokarski, and Robert Mayer to round out a trifecta of netminders.

Dubnyk was acquired by the Nashville Predators from the Edmonton Oilers this season in exchange for Matt Hendricks. With the Predators he only saw the net twice, sported a 4.35 GAA, and a 0.850 SV%. He was then put on waivers, cleared waivers, traded to the Montreal Canadiens on NHL Trade Deadline day for future considerations, and promptly sent to the Bulldogs of the AHL.

I guess you could say it has been a rough season for Dubnyk – and his three starts since the move to the AHL hasn’t really changed that: 3/7/14 vs. Oklahoma City, L, 38 saves, 2 GA, 0.950 SV%… 3/9/14 vs. Lake Erie, L, 21 saves, 4 GA, 0.840 SV%… 3/14/14 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, L, 10 saves, 4 GA, 0.714 SV%, and was pulled after 35:16 minutes in net and replaced by Mayer.

It was all Mayer after the game in which Dubnyk was pulled up until their last game. Tokarski had the net on 3/19/14 vs. Abbotsford and came away with the win while stopping 27 of 28 shots on goal.

Who should we expect to get the start in net for the Hamilton Bulldogs? Your guess is as good as mine – but I’d say Mayer, who played in the previous meeting, probably gets the nod.

Thoughts on tonight’s match up? How do you see the forward lines being worked – with or without Taylor Beck? Does an opponent like the Hamilton Bulldogs help get this road trip started on the right foot or could it be a trap game? How would you work the Admirals goalies for the weekend three-in-three?

News

Calle Jarnkrok Recalled to Nashville
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Calle Jarnkrok is set to make his NHL debut tomorrow night in Calgary. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)

A day ahead of the Admirals opening tilt in a four-game road trip we have a roster move to announce. This afternoon Calle Jarnkrok has earned his first career NHL recall and is heading up to the Nashville Predators.

Having watched last night’s Predators game against the Canucks I noticed two pretty good knocks in the game. Paul Gaustad left the game after Alexander Edler landed on top of him in the first period. And Nick Spaling also seemed to get dinged up later in the game.

With some possible injury woes in the mix – Nashville will give Jarnkrok his first taste of the NHL. This season in the AHL he has an overall scoring total of 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) from 62 games between his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins and Milwaukee Admirals. Since being acquired in the David Legwand deal – Jarnkrok’s offensive output has been fantastic: 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 5 games in Milwaukee.

Per the Roundtable’s Jason Karnosky: Jarnkrok was a member of Team Sweden’s 2013 World Championship squad where he played with current Nashville Predators Patric Hornqvist and Viktor Stalberg.

The importance of patience is one thing. When injuries start to kick up, and you already have the likes of Colton Sissons in camp, you might as well give him a glimpse of things to come.

Thoughts on the move? How do you think Calle Jarnkrok’s game will fit or not-fit in the NHL? How badly does this impact the Admirals heading into the road trip? 

News

Magnus Hellberg reassigned to Cincinnati
TBT-Hellberg
“I’M BACK.” (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

Yesterday we had the great news that Magnus Hellberg has officially been given the green light to return to game action. We didn’t know where – but now we do. Hellberg has been reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

This was a move that always made the most sense to me. Considering he has missed two months worth of games he needed to get back up to speed at the ECHL level rather than be thrown right into the fire with the Admirals.

This season he has played in 21 games and sports a record of 5-8-5-1 from games where he has earned a decision. He has a 2.82 goals against average, 0.911 save percentage, and is the lone Admiral outside of Scott Darling to have recorded a shutout.

This will not be the first trip to Cincinnati for Hellberg. Last season, in an effort to get him some time in net, he played in 2 games: 11/30/12 vs. Evansville… and 12/1/12 @ Toledo.

There’s no real time table as to when we should expect the decision between Hellberg versus Darling for the back up spot in Milwaukee. My guess is that road will be crossed once the four-game road trip ends. That would mean Hellberg would get 3 games with Cincinnati: 3/21/14 vs. Elmira… 3/22/14 vs. Elmira… and 3/26/14 @ Orlando.

The Admirals next home game is a week from this coming Friday and is against the Lake Erie Monsters. If I had to place a bet – my money is on Hellberg sitting on the bench in Milwaukee with Darling playing for the Cyclones that day.

This was the smart move to make right? Would you have preferred Magnus Hellberg to remain up with the Admirals? Do you think this return signals the end of Scott Darling’s time as an Admiral?

Feature

Throwback Thursday: Admirals Edition

The Admirals officially have the day off as they take to the road. Rather than pump out an early edition of “Scouting the Enemy” I thought it’d be fun to do a Throwback Thursday photo dump. This will have a mix of Admirals past and present – just a few photos that I gathered up.

By all means, if you find anymore gems, comment down below and I will add it into the mix.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: Admirals Edition” →

Blender, Chatterbox, News

The Blender, Vol. 5

This morning I went to practice at the MSOE Kern Center to catch the Admirals before the set sail for the four-game road trip. There were plenty of things to talk about, hence this being a Blender issue, so let’s jump in!

~Admirals sign Michael Young to an ATO~

If phones could work in the Kern – I’d have known exactly who the newbie was thanks to you readers commenting about him ASAP. Instead, I got the “watch the movie without watching the trailer” experience. All I saw was a rather tall lefty-shot wearing a black “defenseman” practice jersey and a helmet with Teddy Ruth’s ol’ #5 on it.

Michael Young is a 25-year old defenseman who recently finished up his playing time at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. During his time there he played in 148 games, scored 68 points (13 goals, 55 assists), and recorded 109 penalty minutes.

As far as his play, he looked incredibly crafty on his feet. Pretty impressed with his skating ability. He worked typical drills out there but, interestingly, was paired the entire time alongside Scott Ford. I can only assume that’s a way of pairing the new recruit with the captain – who can talk him through systems.

He was also out there today running drills on the penalty kill and seemed to handle himself rather well. It was only practice, but it was a decent study on how he handled the run of play in front of him.

Last bit of information from watching him today. The team runs a shootout drill where every skater on the team steps up. You miss your shootout attempt – you’re out. You make it – and you remain in the mini-competition. The final duel today came down to… Francis Wathier and, the newbie, Michael Young. Wathier did beat him. Still, all d-men were eliminated after the first round except for Young.

~Joonas Jarvinen and Taylor Beck Injury Update~

When I arrived at the rink I turned up just in time to spot a red practice jersey being worn by Joonas Jarvinen. The big Finn hasn’t played in a game since 2/28/14 vs. Iowa. In that contest he recorded his first multi-goal game but picked up what has only been described to me as an upper body injury.

As you’ll hear later on from Dean Evason in the Chatterbox section – Jarvinen will not travel with the team on the upcoming road trip.

Taylor Beck was also someone that skated prior to practice and didn’t participate in the main practice. Beck blocked a shot with his hand in Friday’s shootout victory over the Rockford IceHogs. After that game, I talked with him and he gave me a thumbs up… of course his thumb was bandaged up, lost a nail off of it, and his other fingers had a pretty neat-o outline of where the puck stung him. He played the rest of that game and scored in the shootout. He also played in the follow-up game Saturday against the San Antonio Rampage.

Beck is going to travel with the team on the road trip but is considered questionable in terms of Friday’s game in Rochester.

~The Mitch Korn Experience~

The Nashville Predators played last night in Edmonton and have the Vancouver Canucks tonight. Meanwhile, their brilliant goaltending coach Mitch Korn is with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Korn-Darling-1
Mitch Korn provides instruction to Scott Darling and friends. (Photo Credit: Daniel “that’s me” Lavender)

He worked with the entire group (Marek Mazanec, Magnus Hellberg, and Scott Darling) very extensively. He was especially working hard with Hellberg at the tail-end of practice. That work comes with the additional news that follows.

~Magnus Hellberg Cleared For Game Action~

He has been skating and practicing hard for weeks and has felt better with each session. Today he received the news that he has been cleared for game action after missing two-months with a high ankle sprain.

Korn-Hellberg-1
Mitch Korn and Magnus Hellberg working one-on-one at the end of practice. (Photo Credit: Daniel “I use my iPhone for these” Lavender)

Having watched him practice these last few weeks – I can say Hellberg looked really sharp today. I caught coach Korn running a skating drill for him and that was something he seemed to grasp well. The big bug for him with this injury was the stinging effects associated with the ankle sprain. To see him moving around that well during that drill tells me he’s more than capable should he get called upon during the road trip.

I haven’t heard an official account of this or not, but I do wonder what this means in terms of Hellberg, Darling, and who ends up going to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. I’ve expected Hellberg, having missed so much time, to get some games under his belt in the ECHL before making his return at the AHL level. Still, things have never been so cut and dry in regards to that possibility whenever I talked to Evason.

Once I have an update related to that matter – expect a new story or an update to this one.

~The Chatterbox~

Following practice I spoke with head coach Dean Evason, Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson, and Scott Ford. Here is what everyone had to say before hitting the road.

Continue reading “The Blender, Vol. 5” →

Feature, News

The Students of Ben Vanderklok
Maz-Stathas-1
Ben Vanderklok has instructed many of the products in net for the Milwaukee Admirals – including Marek Mazanec. (Photo Credit: Sara Stathas)

Chances are if you’ve come to a game, listened to enough interviews from the coaching staff or players, you will have heard the name Ben Vanderklok.

His name can fly under the radar somewhat but the products we’ve seen in net over the years should speak volumes of his work. Marek Mazanec, Scott Darling, Magnus Hellberg, Jeremy Smith, Atte Engren, Anders Lindback, Mark Dekanich, Chet Pickard, and many more have all been students of his during his five seasons in the Nashville Predators organization as assistant goaltending coach.

To get an idea of just what Vanderklok does and how he has helped current goalies in camp, such as Mazanec and Darling, I had a chat with the group to find out what our resident goaltending coach does and how the goalies benefit from his coaching.

Vanderklok gets the chance to work the entire organization of the Nashville Predators. That means spending his time with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, and with a rather photogenic group of goalies up in Nashville with the likes of goaltending coach Mitch Korn.

Traditionally, Vanderklok would be using his time making trips throughout the organization. Yet, with the amount of injuries this season in net, it meant the trip to Cincinnati wasn’t needed because Darling was already in Milwaukee. That mean he was able to spend more time with the Admirals – who also had Mazanec and Hellberg around camp.

Scott Darling on Ben Vanderklok:

Darling has been a major benefit to Vanderklok’s services this season. Prior to joining the Milwaukee Admirals, Darling had never had a full-time goaltending coach to work with him during the course of a season. Vanderklok has allowed him to focus his game, bounce ideas off one another, and apply the tutelage on ice.

“It’s nice to have someone to keep me honest,” said Scott Darling. “I’d like to think I am accountable for goals that I let in and know what I did wrong. But, just in case I’m not being real with myself, [Ben Vanderklok] is there to tell me you could have done this or you should have done this.”

With this being his first time working with a full-time goalie coach such as Vanderklok, as well as his longest stint in the AHL level, Darling has responded. He has played in nineteen games this season for the Admirals, winning nine games, recording four shutouts, and has a team best goals against average (2.09 GAA) and save percentage (0.931 SV%) for anyone on the team not named Pekka Rinne.

“Everywhere I’ve ever been it has been – use my size,” said Darling. “Don’t play like I am five-foot five. Smaller guys have to have lots of movement. They get caught scrambling all over the place because they have to. Sometimes I would get out of position. I would make the first save and it would be a free-for-all after that. [Ben Vanderklok] and Mitch Korn, the big focus has been finding the medium between a guy like Ben Bishop -who likes to get a little bit scrambly- and then a guy like Mike Smith – who just stays on the goal line. That’s been our biggest thing.”

While finding the balance can be tricky – for others – just settling into the North American game has its radical adjustments. Mazanec is playing in his first professional season in the States and has already made the leap from the AHL to the NHL and back again – finding success at both levels. That success doesn’t come lightly. There has been plenty of adjustments on making that leap from the Czech Republic to the North American game.

Marek Mazanec on the adjustment from the European game:

Mazanec began the season off with five wins from five starts with the Admirals before getting a look in Nashville. He responded with a Rookie of the Month performance in November and flashed off his capabilities at the top level.

In the NHL, Mazanec played in twenty-five games, won eight games, picked up two shutouts, had a 2.80 GAA, and a 0.902 SV%. With the Admirals in the AHL he has been able to shoulder the load with a team high twenty-three games played, team high twelve wins, a 2.68 GAA, and 0.907 SV%.

The man who is sadly getting lost in the season picture, following his injury in January, is Hellberg. Like Mazanec, he too went through the transition from Europe to North America last season and was able to make really remarkable strides despite all the challenges being thrown at him. In his 2012-13 season he managed to play in thirty-nine games, win twenty-two games, earn six shutouts, and have team bests in GAA (2.14) and SV% (0.924).

This season started off on a shaky note for him, losing ten out of his opening thirteen starts, but he reminded everyone just how sharp he could be with a phenomenal forty-save shutout of the Oklahoma City Barons on 12/12/13. Sadly, just as a window opened from yet another goaltending injury – this time to Darling, Hellberg was also injured in the month of January – denying him a chance to carry the load in net moving forward.

“With his injury these last two months have been tough on him,” said Ben Vanderklok. “[Magnus Hellberg] had a little bit of a slow start. Obviously struggled to get some wins but I didn’t think it was as bad as his win-loss record seems.”

The good news for Hellberg has been that he’s progressing more and more every day. And has been heavily involved in team practices for quite some time now. That has meant a very unique challenge for Vanderklok. Not only are all three goalies in camp – but they aren’t exactly similar netminders.

Ben Vanderklok discuses the differences of Mazanec, Hellberg, and Darling:

When I asked Vanderklok if that meant more work he told me it wasn’t. If anything, it keeps him on his toes when it comes to the different playing styles and philosophies that the current crop of students have to offer.

The names of past students of his should say a lot of what his wisdom brings to the table in Milwaukee. The fact that he has been able to spend the extra time in Admirals camp this season only helps the current trio of goaltenders.

Audio, Full Interview with Ben Vanderklok (5:32):

How have the goalies all looked this season? Who has made the biggest strides?

News

The Importance of Patience
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Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg are a part of the Nashville Predators future. Should they be a part of their present? (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)

With the Milwaukee Admirals at a wee bit of a break, and a four-game road trip in the cards, I think it is time for a great little discussion piece for us to engage on. With so many young and talented commodities in Milwaukee, such as Filip Forsberg and Calle Jarnkrok, should the Nashville Predators be testing them in the NHL right now?

It’s a hot-button issue that comes up plenty when I hear discussions about some of the top prospects that we have in Admirals camp right now. The names mentioned above come up quite frequently – and with great reason when you consider what was exchanged for their services. What I feel many miss in those recent trades over the past two seasons is the age difference in those trades.

Martin Erat, 31-years old – for – Fillip Forsberg, 18-years old
David Legwand, 33-years old – for – Calle Jarnkrok, 22-years old

One better than the age difference is the sheer experience drop off in terms of North American professional playing experience.

At the time of this season’s trade, Jarnkrok was in the run of his first-full season of North American hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He had a late season cameo with the Griffins, playing in nine-games, but didn’t really sink his teeth into it until this current campaign.

When Forsberg was acquired at last season’s trade deadline – he was still a member of Leksands of the Swedish Elite League. He did get to cross the pond and play five-games in Nashville by season’s end, scoring his first career NHL point from an assist, but he was still an 18-year old experiencing a whirlwind of fast and new.

With that in mind – let’s then cut to the chase of the “play them in the NHL now” debate.

Currently, Forsberg is tenth on the Admirals in scoring with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists). He’s made a splash on the power-play by scoring five of his nine goals on power-play. As his season has gone on his maturity level has become more and more evident on the ice.

No longer does Forsberg sit back on defense and await the Admirals defense to get the puck back to him and so he can start up the offense. Now, he engages and pressures puck carriers and maintains puck pursuit to the point he’s made the team’s penalty kill. The more he contributes in the killing role the more he continues to look the part as he sharpens up his defensive skills to go along with that well known flair on offense.

Jarnkrok has an overall total of 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in his time with the Admirals and the Griffins this season. Since his acquisition his points production has been outstanding: 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in five-games with the Ads.

It has been a a small sample size of Jarnkrok in an Admiral uniform but a good one at that. It seems no matter what game situation gets thrown his way he’s up to the task. Even in his first game as an Admiral, with plenty of bodies out of the game, head coach Dean Evason saw fit to play him as a defenseman in the game’s final seconds.

Here is the important part to all of that AHL information in regards to the “play them in the NHL now” debate. In what possible way do either of those two players even remotely play to the same standard as they do in the AHL, with a multitude of ice time and game situations, as they would with the Nashville Predators as they currently stand?

A very good example of this exact same situation comes with 20-year old stand out for the Admirals this season, Colton Sissons. He has 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) in fifty-six games in the AHL this season. In eight games with the Nashville Predators he has 2 assists from 9:17 minutes of average ice time as a member of the fourth line.

Is his experience in those minutes of game action, practicing with NHL talent, traveling with the team, and learning day-to-day life at the NHL level beneficial? Of course. But, is his development stunted by not experiencing the amount of different game situations that he would see with the Admirals?

In my opinion, it’s a case of quantity (AHL) versus quality (NHL) – and there isn’t much of a point for the quality when the quantity of playing time isn’t there to be fully experienced.

That is precisely the exact same way I feel about players such as Forsberg and Jarnkrok. There are high ceilings on both of their futures. And that is just precisely the thing that I feel everyone needs to take grasp of here in the present. With them, Sissons, and more in Admirals camp right now – it is all about the future.

At the present, the Nashville Predators are third from the bottom in the NHL’s Western Conference with a record of 29-29-10 (68 points). They trail the Dallas Stars for the final Wild Card spot by seven-points.

Long story short, they probably will not make the playoffs this season. This again stirs up that “play them in the NHL now” debate in the sense of, if the season is a loss anyways, why not play them now to see what they’ve got?

While a quick look up top for a guys like Jarnkrok or Miikka Salomaki, who have yet to taste the NHL, could be beneficial. It again under-utilizes their development time and could, given the status of the team, set them off on the wrong foot.

I’m not trying to knock the Predators team down a peg in saying that. But, of the two teams playing right now, the Admirals stand a better chance at a deep playoff run than the Predators do. If you’re Nashville, do you think time spent kicking about at the tail-end of a season is better use for an 18-year old like Forsberg – or – is playoff hockey, and the circumstances that come with it, more of an attractive option than just displaying future talent to the fans?

The key word for Predators fans when it comes to these players right now is patience. It’s a word that you often hear thrown around in the AHL because it is a development league. Right now I feel the Predators are in the middle of a development mode as an organization. The defensemen and goaltending are all squared up in the system. It’s those flashy forwards who all are eager to see. Problem is, they are still incredibly young and the usage of time playing on the third or fourth line in a much different capacity than they should be used – just doesn’t cut it right now.

Patience, Nashville Predators fans and readership. The future looks pretty good from where I see things and the right moves are being made from general manager David Poile. If the forward group, as young as it is, plays together and comes up together – it might lead to something rather unique. Not to mention, if they come up together at the right time to join Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Seth Jones, and friends… we could be looking at something special in the seasons ahead.

How would you play GM in this situation? Should the young forwards see the NHL or remain at the AHL level?