Tonight marks the start of the 2015 NHL Draft. As far as excitement goes in the world of the Nashville Predators and future Milwaukee Admirals go? There is no real clue as to what will happen these next two days. That’s part of what makes it so fun. What is certain though? Unless Nashville trade back up into the first round we’ll all have to wait until the second round of the draft before the Predators are on the clock.
~Nashville Predators 2015 Draft Order~
The Predators have seven draft picks as of this morning. As you might recall, shield your eyes, they traded away this year’s first round draft pick along with Brendan Leipsic and Olli Jokinen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli. That pick would have been the twenty-fourth overall selection (I think that trade didn’t pay off). Here is the order in which they will be drafting:
You can view the full draft order right here. You can even check out Steven Ellis‘ full seven round mock draft on Penalty Box Radio.
~New Season, New Looks~
There will be some new faces being introduced to the NHL tonight. Not only that but there will also be some new threads making their debuts today. Per Icethetics: the Arizona Coyotes will be debuting a brand new set of uniforms, the Colorado Avalanche will be getting a home/road uniform update, the San Jose Sharks will unveil a 25th Anniversary patch, and the Nashville Predators might just show off a jersey featuring a patch of their 2016 NHL All Star Game logo.
The Washington Capitals already debuted a brand new retro third jersey. Shame, because that means replacing the white retro third that they had dating back to the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. They should just make those their home/road and be done with it.
Later this year there should be a new Anaheim Ducks alternate (no word on whether or not they’ll rip off the Mighty Drunks), a brand new third uniform for the New York Islanders, and possibly an orange set for the Edmonton Oilers. Seems like orange is the new baby blue in the hockey world.
UPDATE: Here is the 2016 NHL All Star Game patch on the Nashville Predators jersey. The Arizona Coyotes new uniforms have leaked ahead of the unveil. Along with making the first overall selection the Oilers unveiled their awful looking orange “numerals on the shoulders like in football” jersey. The Columbus Blue Jackets just unveiled a new shoulder patch for their road/home unis.
~Trades~
This might be the part that keeps everyone on the edge of their seat tonight. Who goes? And who goes for what? It’s always an exciting atmosphere at the draft to not only see what prospects are being picked up but to also get blindsided by a trade or two. Who saw James Neal to Nashville last year?
It’s uncertain whether or not the Predators really want to be active in the trade market or not. I think it all depends on (1) availability of talent and (2) the asking price. If the Oilers are going Connor McDavid with the top selection then is someone such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins available? If not him, who else is available? It seems as if the Predators really could use a top center. Would they be willing to sell more of the future to get one? My guess is no. But that’s the fun of tuning in later tonight because I’d love to be proven wrong.
~Waivers~
Both Viktor Stålberg and Rich Clune were placed on waivers Wednesday by the Predators. They weren’t buyouts. They were just your normal waivers. Same manner in which they came to Milwaukee during the 2014-15 season.
I can confirm from a source that both have successfully cleared waivers but they also have yet to be assigned or moved anywhere as of yet. So technically speaking they aren’t Admirals right now. Still, I have to imagine -barring a trade in which the Predators eat some of Stålberg’s salary in the process- both should end up in Milwaukee to start next season.
Does Nashville make any trades tonight? Should they? If so, who for and what would you package to acquire that particular player?
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The Nashville Predators 2014-15 season came to an end in the opening round of the playoffs where they met the eventual Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo Credit: Nam Y. Huh)
There are quite a few fun happenings going on in the North American hockey world right now. Both the NHL and AHL are currently in the midst of meetings. The NHL has already made a splash by altering their overtime format for next season: three-on-three overtime for the full five minute overtime period. And the AHL is currently doing their annual meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I don’t know if the NHL’s new overtime will instantly be mirrored in the AHL for the coming season but I’m sure that will be a discussion brought to the foreground quickly. At the moment, the AHL is divvying up the awards more than dissecting anything game changing just yet.
Speaking of which, for those that missed the news on our Facebook page, the Milwaukee Admirals received an AHL award for earning an outstanding 94.6% season ticket renewal rate last season. If the Admirals main source of revenue is ticket sales I say job well done – and also that you fans are pretty phenomenal in your own right.
~Q&A with Kristopher Martel~
We are now very close to the 2015 NHL Draft. With that in mind I reached out to one of our Nashville friends Kristopher Martel to chat about the Predators, recent news, and more. Not familiar with the lad? Well, when he isn’t introducing head coach Peter Laviolette to new technology, Mr. Martel does lots of work covering the Nashville Predators – such as writing for Fox Sports and his ye olde blog known as The Predatorial which produces its very own podcast. Here’s his answers to a few of my questions.
Admirals Roundtable: Firstly, you have the chance to trek to Milwaukee this past playing season alongside both Justin Bradford and Robby Stanley. What did you make of the city and the Admirals experience?
Kristopher Martel: It was an absolutely fantastic experience. I probably would have enjoyed it a little better if I wasn’t on a diet at the time, but regardless of the food I wasn’t able to eat my time there was amazing. The people were extremely pleasant and the Admirals staff and players were more than accommodating for whatever we needed.
AR: As an outsider, I’m actually curious what you thought of the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Good? Bad? In need of knocking down for that brand spankin’ new Bucks arena?
KM: I liked the Bradley Center, but at the same time you could definitely sense its age. If Milwaukee were to get a brand new arena and the Admirals were to become a tenant, it would serve both the team and the city in more ways than one. There’s only so much you can enjoy from a nearly 30 year old arena.
AR: With your up close view of the Admirals did any particular players stand out for you?
KM: I was pleased with the performances of both Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala. True shocker there, right? Both players ended up earning playing time in Nashville before the end of the regular season and they’ll likely continue to see time there in the upcoming season as well.
AR: The recent news of Juuse Saros signing his entry level contract seems to suggest Magnus Hellberg’s time in the organization is done. What is your take on Hellberg and would the Nashville Predators be right to choose Marek Mazanec over him?
KM: To be fair, the comparison between Hellberg and Mazanec is oddly similar to that of Craig Smith and Colin Wilson. With Smith and Wilson, my guess is only one of the two will be in Predators gold next season. With Smith – and Mazanec in this case – you’re going to see the consistency season in and season out. With Wilson – and equally Hellberg – you may not see the same consistency, but the promise of great future seasons after a fantastic regular season this year is there.
What the Predators are doing here is textbook. Sign the consistency long-term, but avoid the potential for risk. Do I blame them? Not at all. Hellberg will be a good goaltender wherever he goes, I just don’t think it’s with Nashville.
AR: How excited should Milwaukee fans be for Saros’ debut season in North American? Will he be as good as advertised?
KM: Whenever it comes to goaltenders, and defensemen for that matter, I always stress patience while waiting for them to develop. Saros has the potential to be the next Pekka Rinne for the Predators, but it’s not going to happen overnight. My feeling is that next season will be a bit rough for Saros, but the promise will show in his outings.
AR: The Predators look as if their main goal will be to keep as many parts that made them successful this season as possible. Is that the right strategy and can it be done?
KM: Absolutely. I think they’ll be able to keep the pieces they want and jettison the rest. Nashville’s plan was never to keep every single piece of the puzzle from last year. If they wanted to, they could easily keep every piece from last season. However, that’s not going to happen.
AR: Which players in the organization do you expect to be in a different uniform next season?
KM: I think players like Gabriel Bourque and Taylor Beck will be in different sweaters next season. Not for a lack of talent, but they don’t exactly fit Peter Laviolette’s system. As well as the previously mentioned Colin Wilson. The roster will be a little different, but not too different.
AR: It may not have ended as it started but it was still a really great season for Nashville. What needs to be done, added, or subtracted to put the Predators over the top for a Stanley Cup run next season?
KM: Nashville needs to find that elite top line center. With the plans for Mike Ribeiro potentially up in the air, it increases the need to address that problem sooner rather than later. Everywhere else, I think they’re set. However, that center position needs to be addressed now.
AR: With the NHL Draft this weekend what do you think the Predators should be looking for?
KM: Defensemen. Imagine that? Most years you wouldn’t be seeing me say that, but with 12 defensemen drafted in the past five drafts and only one – Seth Jones – seeing any type of significant playing time for the Predators, it’s time to re-stock the cabinet.
What are your A’s to my above Q’s? Are you expecting a quiet off-season from the Nashville Predators? Should they be active in the trade or free agent market? Will there be any moves made by them at the upcoming NHL Draft? Speaking of which, what area on the ice do the Predators need to look at in the draft?
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Joonas Jäääääääärvinen! (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Happy Monday, Roundtable. This week I have “jury duty” which tells me the following things should take place in order: (1) I get summoned (2) the Nashville Predators or Milwaukee Admirals re-sign or sign players whilst I’m doing my civic duties. At least that would be my sort of luck.
In terms of the off-season calendar this is a very exciting week. The 2015 NHL Draft is this Friday and Saturday. Plus, some intriguing storylines could develop in regards to free agency (UFA’s can speak to potential new teams on Thursday – and the deadline for tendering qualifying to RFA’s is next Tuesday). Lots of things are still up in the air as plenty of Nashville and Milwaukee products are pending RFA’s or UFA’s at this time. Much business is still needed to be handled. Saying all of that and there could still be the possibility of trades come the day of the Draft.
~Those Bucks, That Arena, That Subject Again~
There was a good article put together by Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that poked at the Admirals in relation to the new Milwaukee Bucks arena. It did stir a few social media comments my way so I would again like to tackle this subject.
Firstly, stop worrying about the Admirals existence being tied to their connection to this new arena. The Admirals and Bucks aren’t attached at the hip. They are tenants to the BMO Harris Bradley Center and that’s almost where their relationship with one another ends. The Bucks are the ones under threat of relocation should this project not happen and the new ownership agreement fails. They’re acting with themselves and solely themselves right now because, well, they should. That might come off as cold for some of the Admirals fandom but it makes sense.
At day’s end, the Admirals are and will be based in Milwaukee. It is something that Milwaukee Admirals Governor & CEO Harris Turer made rather clear in a radio appearance in early-May. I think his position that day shouldn’t have changed and it is the correct one. I think everyone should be supportive of the new arena and what it could mean for the city of Milwaukee long term and whether or not it involves the Admirals is not the issue. They’ll remain in Milwaukee. Should the new arena end up being a solid option for them? Great, but they aren’t the ones who are desperate to splash the cash to do so.
Another important factor to remember is that this doesn’t mean once the arena project gets some serious traction that negotiating with the Admirals as a fellow tenant isn’t going to happen. In fact, it would be silly to not reach out to fellow Bradley Center tenants to get involved in the project once more details get cemented.
Now comes the real fun question: should the Admirals go to the new arena or across the street to the UW-Milwaukee Panthers Arena?
I’ve had lots of discussions among friends on this topic and I’ve started coming to the realization that the old MECCA might be the better option for the Admirals no matter what happens. The reason for this is really down to cost and the impact a new arena would have for the ownership of the Admirals and the fans looking to attend games.
According to Daykin, the Admirals paid $90,000 to be a tenant in the 17,800 seater Bradley Center this past playing season. They averaged 5,809 fans (220,745 total) – which was good enough for eleventh in the AHL this past season. The majority of the Admirals revenue stream comes from those ticket sales. A new arena should mean a higher cost to the Admirals to be a tenant. That higher cost should mean a higher ticket price. Will fans pay a major league price for a minor league product? Will the pizazz of attending hockey games at a new arena make the price of a higher ticket an afterthought? Do the Admirals haul back enough money from fans at a new arena that it is financially viable for them to step up to the plate and play ball with the Bucks and join forces? They’re big questions and ones that leave me looking at the alternative.
The MECCA is old. Yes, that is a solid observation many have made and I don’t say that sarcastically. With age comes repairs and adjustments that would be needed to facilitate an AHL hockey team such as the Admirals. Above when discussing the new arena and cost – the same applies here. It’s a weights and balances sort of thing. What would the upgrades cost and how would it compare to that of a tenant cost at a new arena?
Without ballparking any numbers, purely guessing on my part, I would say patch working an arena while paying potentially less of a tenant cost than the Bradley Center would be easier in the pocket book than the new arena. In addition, that Daykin story had an interesting detail that could be corrected with a venue change:
Cash from food and beverages sold at Admirals games goes to the Bucks, Turer said. This past season, for the first time, the hockey team got a share of cash from Admirals T-shirts and other club merchandise sold at the Bradley Center, he said.
Stick to the merchandising portion of that quote and think about the Admirals not seeing a cent for merchandise sales within the Bradley Center up until this last season. I’m not sure of the agreements in place that set something like that into being but hopefully a move to something such as the MECCA could correct.
Merchandising should be a big element to the Admirals business model. It’s a professional franchise that has stood the test of time. There are highly loyal fans and a market to tap into as far as merchandising is concerned. A better deal for the Admirals to pocket venue related merchandise sales with their brand on it should mean better revenue stream.
That leads me to a final point on the MECCA and one that could set it apart from both the new Bucks arena and the Bradley Center. Yes, there are other tenants at the MECCA. Heck, it is called the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena anyways right? The thing is that should the Admirals jump across the street they should be a much bigger player in that barn than they really ever have been at the Bradley Center and probably ever would be in a new arena. Dates for scheduling events should be less taxing, you probably won’t have a Miley Cyrus concert bumping an Admirals game into the frigid months of Winter, and they would be the top professional team playing in the facility. Just thinking about that last line should provide some spring to your step.
In closing, the Admirals are not going anywhere. Fret ye not. If anything just try to imagine it like this. Right now there are two options: (1) the Admirals are part of the new Bucks arena and will follow suit (2) the Admirals will go across the street and make their old home their new home. Those are the options as of now and both have their positives. And that’s they key word here: positives. There are a lot more positives with this situation than there are negatives.
~The Joonas Bros. Reunion~
To end on a much more fun note. Remember Joonas Järvinen? Me too. I really liked that guy. I’m always appreciative of those no nonsense defensemen that can stick to defense, check hard, and be an imposing figure against the opponent’s offensive rush. Järvinen was that type of defenseman. He never really did anything flashy or brilliant but he never did many things stupid or costly to his team either.
The past season Järvinen found himself playing for the brand new KHL team in Russia, HK Sochi. He played 39 games with only an assist with a plus/minus of -8 and was on the ice for the team’s swift playoff exit in the first round by top conference seed CSKA Moscow. Perhaps not the greatest season for him but he was in a pretty competitive league.
So, why am I bringing up Järvinen? Well he has been signed by the Finnish version of the Milwaukee Admirals – HIFK. That’s right. HIFK are the Finnish Milwaukee Admirals: Juuso Puustinen, Joonas Rask, Ryan Thang, etc etc legends.
It only happened once when they were Admirals but on 4/19/13 Järvinen, Puustinen, and Rask were teammates. In that game: Rask scored a goal and an assist, Järvinen had an assist and was a +2, and Puustinen had an assist and was a -2 in an Admirals 6-4 victory over the Charlotte Checkers (Video Highlights).
Now comes the oddity. Another Finnish team has also stepped up and signed Järvinen. That team would be Jokerit of the KHL and they did so at the start of the month. I’m not sure if that means Järvinen’s initial signing with HIFK was ripped up and he zipped back for a job in the KHL rather than Liiga or what but I’d much prefer his initial choice because it would be like he is still an Admiral. Yes. Wearing HIFK gear is like a hipster-y way of saying I support the Milwaukee Admirals and I’m also a big fan of Suomi.
Continued thoughts on the new Bucks arena and the Admirals ties to it? Would you rather see them in a new arena or the old arena with upgrades? Would increased ticket pricing to watch games at the new arena detour you from attending games or purchasing season tickets? Fun question to end on… Is there a European team you follow and are a fan of?
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Juuse, I see, he, me, we, see, Juuse, coming, to, Milwaukee. (Photo Credit: Pasi Liesimaa)
Magnus Hellberg fans might want to shield yourselves from this news. The Nashville Predators have just announced that goaltending prospect Juuse Saros has signed a three-year entry level contract.
Milwaukee, WI—Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Tuesday that the club has signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a three-year, entry-level contract. Nashville’s fourth choice, 99th overall (fourth round), in the 2013 Draft is expected to play his first North American professional season in 2015-16.
Saros appeared in 47 of HPK’s 60 Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga) contests in 2014-15, ranking among the league’s Top Five in shutouts (6), minutes played (2773:53), save percentage (.929) and goals-against average (2.14) in his second full season in the league. He was named 2013-14 Finnish Elite League Rookie of the Year after ranking second among the Top Three in goals-against average (1.76), and save percentage (.928) becoming just the fourth goalie to win the award in its 40-year history. During his final Finnish junior league season in 2012-13, the Forssa, Finland, native was named best player and recipient of the Jorma Valtonen Award as the league’s top goaltender after leading all netminders in goals-against average (1.86) and save percentage (.933).
The 5-11, 176-pounder represented Finland at both the World Championship and the World Junior Championship for the second consecutive year in 2015, backing up Predators netminder Pekka Rinne at the 2015 World Championship and stopping all 22 shots he faced in his lone appearance of the tournament against Slovakia to record Finland’s third of four consecutive shutouts. At the 2014 World Junior Championship, he led Finland to its first Gold Medal at the tournament since 1987, receiving Media All-Star Team honors after leading all goaltenders in save percentage (.943) and goals-against average (1.57) in six games. He was also named Best Goalkeeper of the 2013 Under-18 World Championship and one of Finland’s three best players of the tournament in helping them claim the bronze medal.
With Pekka Rinne, Carter Hutton, Marek Mazanec, and Brandon Whitney all officially locked under contract for next season this effectively ends the three year tenure of Hellberg’s time with the Predators organization. There is no spot for him. For those thinking about him being traded at the upcoming NHL Draft because Nashville would still hold Hellberg’s rights as a pending RFA – why would anyone give up anything when they could go after him as a free agent a few days later? Unless the Predators feel up for housing two goaltenders with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL (reminder: Whitney is under contract to the Admirals for just such a purpose) then Hellberg is gone. That would make this Facebook post by Sergey Liuichuk make that much more sense anyways.
Could the option still be there to trade Hutton away, move Mazanec up, and sign Hellberg still happen? It could. But I doubt it.
Enough of the Hellberg woes for now. That will happen when it becomes official. For now? How about getting excited about Saros officially making the leap to North American ice. Those that may be bummed out in regards to the loss of Hellberg could well be singing a whole new tune by the end of the Milwaukee Admirals 2015-16 season. In fact, how surreal would it be if a rookie netminder from Finland marched an Admirals team on down to a Calder Cup Finals appearance? It happened in 2006. It could just as well happen ten year’s later if Saros is as good as advertised.
What impresses me so much about Saros is for all his incredible statistics and two full professional playing seasons with HPK in Finland is that he turned 20-years old in April. He plays beyond his years and has been the man for HPK’s senior squad these last two years all while being a teenager. He can only get better.
There may be some head scratching from today all the way until early in the Admirals playing season as to why the Predators went about business the way that they did picking Mazanec over Hellberg. There should be no questioning this. The Predators would pick Saros over all but Rinne within their organization at this point. And, with time, he might be that man to succeed him.
Thoughts on the Saros signing? Does this news mean the end of Hellberg’s time as a member of the Nashville Predators organization or can other moves still take place? With the machine firmly behind him is Saros the first choice goaltender over Mazanec in Milwaukee this season?
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Happy Monday, everybody. Or for those of you Game of Thrones fans *points at self* Still Not Very Happy About It… and it’s Monday.. Day.
There is quite the game on tonight. The Chicago Blackhawks have a chance to win the Stanley Cup in front of their home fans for the first time since 1938 – 77 years ago. Personally, I prefer to see a team win in front of their home fans. Should the Blackhawks win it I’d like them to get it done tonight. Should the Tampa Bay Lightning manage to play spoiler to that then I want them to cap things off Wednesday night in a Game 7 at home.
It is sad to think that the Stanley Cup is all that is left as far as hockey goes before the long hot ice melting summer that takes hockey away until the fall. The Manchester Monarchs won the AHL’s Calder Cup Saturday. The Allen Americans won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup on Sunday. It’s becoming a bit of a ticking clock for all NHL organizations to put their focus on off-season moves and the NHL Draft. When that time comes is when I expect plenty more actual news items to drop on both the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals end of things respectively.
~Rambling or Rant~
For those that follow along on Twitter I did touch upon this topic slightly but feel like I bottled a lot more up for today’s ramblings. Don’t follow along on the Twitter machine you say? What topic you ask? Why, this one:
AHL Commissioner David Andrews told me that California-based teams will play 68 games next year. Rest of the AHL plays 76.
There was always going to be this annoyance of a topic and talking point with the Pacific Division coming to pass. Now it appears that the absurd notion of Californian AHL teams playing less games than the rest of the league will just be whimsically allowed to take course in the same manner in which the teams passed through in the first place.
Back when the Pacific Division first washed up as a concept it sounded fabulous for the NHL teams to be so close to their affiliates but a logistical nightmare for the AHL. These AHL teams based directly in California (Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign, San Diego Gulls, San Jose Barracuda, and Stockton Heat) can battle amongst themselves and traveling expense wouldn’t be too out of the question – much like say the Admirals trekking to places such as Cleveland, Des Moines, or Grand Rapids. Yet, what about lumping outsider franchises such as the San Antonio Rampage and Texas Stars into that division? Wouldn’t that mean traveling back and forth half-way across the country quite a few times? Well, yeah. Unless you schedule a multi-week set of games pitting Californian teams against Texas teams like a long long long playoff stretch. Even writing that causes me to believe the sheer scheduling chaos and travel ramifications just don’t work out in the end.
So the Californian based AHL outfits next season are expected to play eight less games than the entire league. What exactly does that mean? Truth be told, because it isn’t set in stone yet, I’m not all that certain. Do the Rampage and Stars effectively place first and second in the Pacific Division by way of being up 16 points from the get-go? Will one of these Californian teams do well enough to tie a playoff spot with a team that played eight more games and advance on a tiebreaking technicality? Who knows!
Here we come to wreck the league! (Photo Credit: LiPo Ching // Bay Area News Group)
What I think irks me the most is this idea that it is better for an NHL franchise to be so close to their AHL base of operations to the point that it shoots the AHL in both feet. Is it a problem sending a player up and down from Manchester, New Hampshire to Los Angeles, California and back? Yes, it is a relative nuisance -but- I have to believe that scenario is the worst of the worst in having an affiliate further from NHL HQ. Communication with coaches, updates on player development, video on games and specific talent, discussions on business operations – these are all things in this day and age of technology that are moot points. So why precisely did the NHL owners behind this big Pacific Division move base to cripple the AHL and have teams and players on those teams playing less games in the regular season than everyone else? Je ne sais pas. That’s the last lick of French that I remember from high school and it means, “I don’t know.” I always knew that would come in handy.
Speaking of the “playing less games” part of this. Does that mean AHL players playing on these Californian teams make more money per game because they play less games? If so, is that incentive enough -along with the lovely weather I suppose- to sign for any of these franchises? Think of say a Gary Steffes type of player. You’re coming off of an incredible career best season that primarily happened a tier down in the ECHL. He signs for the shameless name shilling San Jose Barracuda. They play eight less games. He unfortunately gets hurt and now has even less time to layer together a solid season to prove his worth as an AHL level talent. Why a veteran player would choose to play for one of these organizations confuses me. Perhaps a local golf membership will be added to the contract?
It’s all a mess. Worse? It was always going to be a mess. My snarky logic has me thinking the AHL should slap a regulation loss for all games missed to all teams not willing to compete in a full 76 game AHL schedule. Want to play a 68 game schedule? Sure, but you’ll start the season 0-8-0-0 (0 points). Best of luck getting out of that immediate hole.
The whole thing seems a mess but the good news is that none of the above, per Jon Rosen‘s tweet, is set in stone yet. The AHL hasn’t come forth with an official document that says those teams are in fact playing less games than everyone else. It’s only been “reported” is all. Sadly, I expect it to be a matter of time. My only hope is that with that eventual press release and statement from AHL Commissioner David Andrews comes a thorough dissection of what it means for those teams and the rest of the league. There are so many red flags with specific teams playing less games than the rest while competing them that it begs for answers to all of them. And I anticipate the word “fair” to be brought up plenty.
What do you think of the Californian based AHL teams playing less games next season? Should it be allowed? What is the solution? Was the AHL held at gunpoint to the NHL for this to all fall into place? Should the rest of the AHL play less games with the Pacific Division or should the Californian teams be forced to cooperating with the rest of the league? Why didn’t the Abbotsford Heat play or demand to play less games when they were in operation?
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Gary Steffes was an Admiral for only a wee bit. With his remarkable 2014-15 season in the tank would you like to see him back in Milwaukee as a regular next season? (Photo Credit: Scene by Kimberly)
Late this afternoon was the decisive Game 7 of this year’s ECHL Kelly Cup Finals between the Allen Americans and the South Carolina Stingrays. It was a series that pitted brief teammates on the Milwaukee Admirals this season Gary Steffes (Allen) and Scott Ford (South Carolina) against one-another. In the end, it was all Allen all day long in Game 7. The Americans took home the 2015 ECHL Kelly Cup with a 6-1 rout in front of their home fans.
This was the Allen Americans debut season in the ECHL after competing in the Central Hockey League (CHL) where they won the last two Ray Miron President’s Cups until it ceased operations ahead of the 2014-15 season. They became the first ECHL team to advance for the Kelly Cup Finals in their inaugural ECHL season since the Idaho Steelheads managed to do so in 2003-04 season. Allen topped the Western Conference at the end of the regular season and was a single point shy of tying the Toledo Walleye (107 points) for the best record in the entire ECHL. Their road to the Kelly Cup saw them take down the Tulsa Oilers (4-1), Rapid City Rush (4-2), and then climbing back against the Ontario Reign (4-3) before their seven game series in the finals against the South Carolina Stingrays (4-3).
Steffes’ incredible 2014-15 hockey season is now officially complete. He ends it as a Kelly Cup champion and with a grand total of 95 points (61 goals, 34 assists) in 97 games in all competitions between his time with the Allen Americans (ECHL regular season, ECHL playoffs) and the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL regular season). He produced 18 points (13 goals, 5 assists) during the Americans Kelly Cup winning run. I fully expect him to be an AHL regular next season.
The Sheriff and his Stingrays came up just short after a great ECHL season. I made mention of it during the end season grades but Ford looked and played much better than he did at any point during the 2013-14 season. I feel like his off-season fitness work paid off huge and, should he keep motoring along like this past season, could find himself back in his veteran role in the AHL. Knowing how much the coaching staff in Milwaukee loves him it wouldn’t surprise me if he was given yet another return in an Admirals sweater.
All that’s left is for the Stanley Cup Finals to come to a close. The Chicago Blackhawks have the chance to finish up the series on home ice in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. From there? Well, take a gander back to the handy dandy off-season calendar for more.
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Best in the regular season. Best in the playoffs. The 2014-15 Manchester Monarchs were a special team and left their city in style before becoming the Ontario Reign next season. (Photo Credit: Manchester Monarchs // Facebook)
This year’s 2015 AHL Calder Cup final was a showdown between the best two teams in the AHL this season. The Manchester Monarchs finished the regular season with the league’s best record and with 109 points. The Utica Comets were the best in the West this season with 103 points to their name. The Comets were outstanding all season and all throughout the playoffs. That is what makes the Monarchs 4-1 Calder Cup finals win all that much more impressive.
The Monarchs were 14-0 these playoffs when scoring the opening goal. They scored at least one first period goal in eleven straight games – outscoring opponents 16-7 in the process. And finished the postseason 15-4 while ending on a 10-1 record in their last eleven contests.
The 2015 Calder Cup MVP was Monarchs center Jordan Weal who ended up finishing as joint-top scorer of the entire playoffs with his teammate on the wing Michael Mersch. Weal produced 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) – most of which came prior to the Calder Cup final itself where he tallied 3 assists.
Simply put, it was a phenomenal end-to-end season put together by the Manchester Monarchs. It’s also one that I feel is deserved for the fans of the Manchester fan base that is about to see this team ship out as part of the 2015-16 Pacific Division movement. This was the last AHL season for the Manchester Monarchs after fourteen seasons in existence and they ended it with the best regular season record and the Calder Cup. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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“Hey Scott, do you think if I go to a different team I’ll end up watching the Stanley Cup Finals from the bench next season? Just thinking,” pondered Magnus Hellberg – probably. (Photo Credit: Greg Hamil)
Happy Monday, folks. There’s a few topics that I’d like to discuss today and hear your responses to. First things first – how about an update?
The AHL Calder Cup Finals started up and each of the first two games went into overtime with the Manchester Monarchs outlasting the Utica Comets. You can watch the game highlights for both of those contests right here: Game #1 and Game #2. The next three games of the series take place in Utica: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. If Utica is to win this year’s Calder Cup they’ll need to do so on the road in Manchester come Game #6 or Game #7.
Scott Ford vs. Gary Steffes is going very much to my liking. The series is tied at 2-2 with the Allen Americans sneaking out Game #4 in double overtime over the South Carolina Stingrays. It was the first game of that series in South Carolina and the next two go down in Ford’s new chicken & waffle haven: Tuesday and Wednesday. As you know, that Wednesday game will be the first elimination contest for this year’s Kelly Cup Finals. Should it go the distance to a Game #7, please do, it will happen in Allen this Sunday.
Speaking of Steffes, his 2014-15 season continues to be spectacular as the Americans push on in the Kelly Cup Finals. In all competitions (meaning ECHL regular season with the Allen Americans, PTO stint with the Milwaukee Admirals, and then ECHL playoffs with the Americans) he has scored a whopping 91 points (60 goals, 31 assists) in 94 games. If he isn’t in the AHL full-time next season something is wrong. And, hopefully, a spot could be made right here in Milwaukee. He did get to know the coaches and players that will be back for 2015-16 right?
~The New Bucks Arena~
I wanted to wait a slight bit in the off-chance that this suddenly went bust. It has been a few days now and, so far, it is still on. The funding for the new Milwaukee Bucks arena was approved last Thursday and the details that come with that is that it will cost $500 million dollars with taxpayers paying for half of that cost. It’s essentially the first big step of many before any sort of physical ground gets broken.
Not going into complete and annoying political mode (that’s not what this website is for) I’ll simply say that I think this is good in the long term for the city of Milwaukee. There is much more than an arena going up and the new facilities should be fantastic. Pair that with a fresh new look for the Bucks themselves and it is a pretty exciting time for those that are fans of sportsketball.
About those of us that aren’t sportsketball fantastics, that appreciate a sport that doesn’t need a timeout to gauge every other in-game scenario because pre-scouts and game plans are worthless, media timeouts, officials timeouts, timeout, foul, free throw, timeout, 30-second timeout, repeat, etc… there is still not much to go on.
The beauty here is in the now. The pressure was purely on the Bucks to save their franchise by getting a new arena. That mentality means being self centered and focused on them and them alone. The arena has now been given the greenlight as far as the financials are concerned. Now comes a passage of time worth settling in for with the Bucks ownership creeping that much closer to chat with fellow occupants of the BMO Harris Bradley Center about potentially partnering up at the new arena.
I still question the Admirals involvement and I say that on the simple basis of money. New arenas cost big dollars and there comes a cost of being one of these new tenants in a new facility such as this. In the short term, I feel the more cost effective (for the Admirals ownership) and fan friendly (per ticket pricing) option is the UW-Milwaukee Panthers Arena. It will need some upgrades here and there but those shouldn’t hurt the wallet as much as a new arena could. In the long run, the Admirals could probably join the new arena but I would be curious on their perspective should the business model of operating out of the ol’ MECCA prove to be more successful. That’s an option that can’t be gauged properly unless they actually go across the street from the Bradley Center but I think it is one worth trying unless the Bucks are willing to help the Admirals out and make joining this new arena as easy and ‘nickel and dime’ free as possible.
The new arena has been greenlight. Now comes plenty of other news items to keep an eye out for to see what goes on downtown and just whether or not the Admirals are in those plans. Whether they are or not I still view the future of the Admirals really positively either way.
~The Hellberg Dilemma~
I dodged this topic last week. Let’s just thrash it now and be done with it until something concrete surfaces.
The Nashville Predators agreed to a new one-year two-way contract with Marek Mazanec a month ago. And then a day later the Admirals signedBrandon Whitney to an AHL contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in-mind.
This of course sends the mind into a frenzy all because of two players: Magnus Hellberg and Juuse Saros. Hellberg, like Mazanec prior to his new contract, is a restricted-free agent (RFA) this off-season. Saros is another Finnish goaltending prodigy that the Predators organization has found in the draft and all eyes are set on just when he’ll make his debut on North American ice as a pro. This all comes with one spot open right now in the Nashville Predators organization in net and it is the secondary choice goaltender in Milwaukee at the AHL level.
What is important to remember are the following key factors: Hellberg is an RFA and the last date to tender him a new deal is June 30th, Saros has been drafted by the Predators but hasn’t signed his entry-level contract as of yet, and the NHL Draft (and the trade madness that comes with it) takes place June 26–27th.
There’s still lots of ways for this whole situation to transpire and I genuinely get the impression that Saros is being given one more year in Finland with Hellberg set to return, like Mazanec, on a one-year two-way contract. This can all change with a draft day trade mind you. And that’s when things should come into a bit better focus.
On Nashville’s side of things the signing of Whitney by the Admirals seems to be a direct shot at the ECHL. It’s just not competitive enough for the likes of a Saros to battle in were it down to him, Mazanec, and Hellberg in the AHL and ECHL level for the 2o15-16 season. If Mazanec, Hellberg, and Saros were the minor league plan then there was never a need for a Whitney signing. That of course happened which means things are really cloudy – mostly in part of Saros not having signed his entry level contract yet. If he signs one it’s a ticking clock. Max Görtz probably knows what I’m talking about.
It’s irritating to be sitting and waiting for this story to play out. All the goalies mentioned above have their great upside and would do well for the Admirals next season. It just feels as if someone is due to be forced out for a lower end draft pick in a nothing trade. In three weeks at the NHL Draft that may well become a reality. Or *drum roll* Saros stays in Finland and Hellberg sticks around and the Admirals goaltending duo of last season returns. Clutching at thin air as to what will happen at this point but those last two options feel the most likely right now.
Do you feel like Nashville’s intent to retain most of their players extends to their prospect pool that played in Milwaukee last season? Which Admirals players do you feel aren’t coming back next season? How will the goaltending situation work itself out? Should Nashville make a trade at the NHL Draft that sends away Mazanec or Hellberg?
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Our ol’ buddy Cal O’Reilly is going to the 2015 AHL Calder Cup Finals as the captain of the Utica Comets. (Photo Credit: Lindsay A. Mogle)
Much like how my bracket went on the NHL side of things my pick to win on the AHL side was eliminated in the Conference Finals. The Utica Comets have just eliminated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 to advance to the 2015 AHL Calder Cup Final where the Manchester Monarchs are waiting. The top two teams from both respective Conferences? Competing for the Calder Cup? Get right out of town!
~2015 Calder Cup Finals~
(1 – East) Manchester Monarchs vs. (1 – West) Utica Comets
Game 1 – Sat, June 6 – @ Manchester, 5pm CST
Game 2 – Sun, June 7 – @ Manchester, 4pm CST
Game 3 – Wed, June 10 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 4 – Fri, June 12 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 5 – Sat, June 13 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 6 – Tue, June 16 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 7 – Wed, June 17 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST
The Monarchs road to the Calder Cup: Round 1, won 3-2 in a best-of-five game series over the Portland Pirates… Round 2, won 4-1 in a best-of-seven game series over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins… Round 3, won 4-0 in a best-of-seven game series over the Hartford Wold Pack.
The Comets road to the Calder Cup: Round 1, won 3-2 in a best-of-five game series over the Chicago Wolves… Round 2, won 4-3 in a best-of-seven game series over the Oklahoma City Barons… Round 3, won 4-2 in a best-of-seven game series over the Grand Rapids Griffins.
For me, I still don’t know enough about the Monarchs to give an appropriate assessment of how good they truly are. The simple logic says look at how strong they have been on their route to the Calder Cup Finals – that’s how good they are. Then you look at a team like the Comets who could have been run ragged by being pushed to the brink in their opening two series of the playoffs only to shove aside the tough -tough- Griffins in six games.
This is a really fun match-up for the AHL. Their best of the best locking horns. I put my imaginary money down on the Comets to get the edge in seven games with Jacob Markström continuing to be sensational in net: 18 games, 2 shutouts, 1.87 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage.
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The Milwaukee Admirals re-signed defenseman Jimmy Oligny to a one-year AHL contract yesterday afternoon. He signed his first pro-contract with the Admirals last June after finishing up his time with Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL.
Milwaukee, WI—The Milwaukee Admirals have announced today they have signed defenseman Jimmy Oligny to an AHL contract.
A Lasarre, QE native, Oligny recorded one goal and four assists for a total of five points during his rookie year as an Admiral in 2014-15. He also racked up 46 penalty minutes while playing in 53 games.
Prior to playing with the Admirals, Oligny skated with the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL, where he recorded 36 points (7g-29a) during the 2013-14 campaign. During his single season with the Oceanic, a franchise that produced Sidney Crosby, Oligny contributed eight points (3g-5a) in their 2013-14 playoff run. He also played four years with the Charlottetown Islanders.
I’m a wee bit late to the party on this one but, if it makes me feel any better, I just about called my own shot/this re-signing with Summer Ramblings yesterday. Oligny is just the type of defenseman that works for the Nashville Predators system from the attacking aspect from the blue line. He may have only produced 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 52 games but it is his skating ability that can allow him to jump up into the rush, step up from the blue line to pinch in the offensive zone, and not get too caught out racing back defensively.
It was Oligny’s first season as a pro last year and he was never shipped down to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. That tells me the coaching staff had lots of confidence in his abilities and it also should be a reminder of his work as a rookie. I feel as if there’s much more to see from Oligny’s game and bringing him right back to a team and situation he is familiar with is a great way to see just how much he has to offer.
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