Viktor Stalberg’s Milwaukee Admirals debut happened against the Iowa Wild in Milwaukee earlier this season. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Tonight could well see some Milwaukee Admirals history be made. The Ads are currently on an eight game winning streak which matched a franchise record set in the IHL era of the team in March of 1989.
There is only one thing needed to be done to pull it off: defeat the worst team in the AHL. Problem? The Iowa Wild have gone 4-2-0-0 against the Admirals this season. In fact, they have nearly won one-third of their games this season against the Ads. They’ve won twice past regulation, an overtime game and shootout, as well as winning twice in their previous two trips to Milwaukee.
The Wild have a record of 15-24-1-1 (32 points) on the season. They are an even 5-5-0-0 in their previous 10 games and enter after being shutout 1-0 by the Rockford IceHogs. There is only one team in the AHL that has allowed more goals this season than the Wild. The St. John’s IceCaps have allowed 135 goals this season and the Wild have allowed 133 goals. The goal scoring differential for the Wild is a staggering -37.
Jordan Schroeder is the top scorer in this head-to-head match up. He has scored 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 5 games against the Admirals this season. He’s third on the team with an overall haul of 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) for the Wild this season. The top scorer for the Wild is Michael Keränen who has 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists). Their leading goal scorer is Tyler Graovac who has 13 goals in 38 games.
Still like Jonathon Blum? No? Great! He has 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 31 games for the Wild this season while putting up a painful plus/minus rating of -11. Out of those 5 goals he has scored 4 have been scored on the power-play for Iowa.
Currently the Wild have John Curry and Johan Gustafsson as their goaltending tandem. Technically, Josh Harding is on the roster but has only played 2 games this season for Iowa as he continues to handle his battle with multiple sclerosis. Gustafsson has a record of 7-15-1-0 in net this season with a rough 3.36 goals against average and 0.898 save percentage. Curry has a 8-8-0-1 record this season with a 2.62 goals against average and 0.922 save percentage.
On the season Gustafsson has appeared against the Admirals in 5 games and has 3 wins despite posting a 3.18 goals against average and 0.893 save percentage. Curry has appeared twice against the Ads, picked up a single win, but has a stunning 0.57 goals against average and 0.980 save percentage. He’s also had a strong month of January that has seen him win 3/5 decisions, recording a 2.02 goals against average and 0.936 save percentage, and a 41-save effort last time out in a losing effort against the IceHogs.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Can the Admirals set a franchise record for a winning streak tonight? Who is Brett Eldredge and will his fans know what is happening on the ice before the concert?
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Despite only winning every single game he has played in this season – Zach Budish will also join the Cyclones of the ECHL. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
I had pondered how Zach Budish remained up with the Milwaukee Admirals when talking about the recent reassignment of Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan. Apologies for the oversight -but- it turns out he is also part of that same group making their way to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Budish has only played in 13 games with the Admirals this season. Ironically the team has won all games that he has played. He has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in the AHL this season. The better part of his 2014-15 campaign has been with the Cyclones of the ECHL where he has 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 23 games.
With Budish now on the move the Admirals have 13 total forwards in their ranks. Mike Liambas was a scratch last night so it kind of becomes a matter of picking your spots as to when you want to rotate him in and for who.
Would you prefer to see Budish stay? How would you work Liambas in and out of the forward group and is there room for another bruiser like him with this current lineup?
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Frédérick Gaudreau will join Joe Pendenza and Garrett Noonan en route to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL today. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There were plenty of bodies in Admirals camp the day I attended practice on Tuesday. So much so there was an extra forward line plus an added forward and defenseman. Today the Admirals have cleared some of that up by reassigning Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
This move was sure to come when Kevin Fiala and Viktor Stålberg rolled into town. It’s the second stint down for Pendenza who has only played in one game for the Cyclones this season. It’s the first reassignment for Gaudreau who has been a healthy scratch for thirteen of the Admirals forty games played this season. As for Mr. Noonan, it is his second stint with the Cyclones. Similar to Pendenza, Noonan only logged one game before getting brought right back up.
I find it interesting to see that Pendenza and Gaudreau have been given the reassignment today over the likes of Zach Budish.It would appear the Minnesota native’s recent play has kept him around the AHL for a little bit. Though, for how the forward lines operate, Budish effectively is competing with Rich Clune, Triston Grant, and Mike Liambas for playing time at the moment.
Last night’s injury update on Johan Alm shed some light as to his current recovery. He is back to skating after missing the last nineteen games due to an “upper body” injury. There is no projected time table for Alm’s return, but the fact that he is back on the ice skating is a step in the right direction. Jonathan Diaby has really filled his role alongside Joe Piskula since Alm left the lineup and it has pushed Noonan on the outside looking in for minutes.
Thoughts on the roster moves? Correct choices? Surprised or not surprised that Budish is sticking around?
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Last night was the first of many pro games in the North American playing career of Kevin Fiala. Now all he needs to do is learn how to tape his stick. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
With last night’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Utica Comets the Milwaukee Admirals matched a franchise record by winning eight straight games. The only other time they managed to achieve an eight game winning streak was in the IHL days in March, 1989.
Kevin Fiala might have been the big watch coming into the game but the man who stole the show for me was Marek Mazanec. After Magnus Hellberg allowed two goals from five shots the Admirals needed to make the change. Hellberg looked to be scrambling a bit and, while he could have possibly fought through the kinks, needed to get pulled when he did. Mazanec came in and slammed the door. He stopped all twenty-one shots he faced in regulation and overtime. He also stopped three of five in the shootout.
Mazanec was only just reassigned to the Admirals yesterday. As you’ll hear him say down below, his off-ice day was busy enough without even getting involved in last night’s game. He woke up at 4am in Montreal, got a 7am flight, waited for a delay, made it to Milwaukee, took a quick nap, got to the rink, and it’s game time. I’m sure the team prepared him as much as they could in that short window but my guess is he just allowed his instincts to carry him through the game against the Comets. He made some spectacular saves and his entry into the game allowed the Admirals the foundation they needed to get back to their game en route to the comeback win,
After the game I spoke with Dean Evason, Marek Mazanec, Kevin Fiala, Magnus Hellberg, and Brendan Leipsic. Here is what they all had to say after the Ads eighth successive win.
Kevin Fiala scored a goal in the opening round of the shootout and helped the Admirals win their eighth straight game in his North American pro debut. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Admirals won 3-2 in a shootout against the Utica Comets Wednesday night. It pushes the Ads winning streak to eight games which ties a franchise mark. Marek Mazanec entered in relief of Magnus Hellberg and shutdown the Comets as the Admirals stormed out of a two goal deficit to take home the extra point in the shootout.
“I think we’re playing a simple game,” said Brendan Leipsic. “We’re not making as high risk of plays I think as we were after Christmas when we were in a jam. I think everybody is buying into the way we need to play.”
It only took the Comets thirty-seven seconds to score off of the game’s first shot. Taylor Aronson had his pocket picked and it sent Darren Archibald off to the races down the left wing. He managed to get a wrister off before Anthony Bitetto could close him down and beat Magnus Hellberg low glove for his sixth goal of the season.
The Comets extended their lead at 12:30 into the first period and, with it, ended Hellberg’s night in net. The play from the Comets was simple. They passed on over from right to left and Hunter Shinkaruk’s shot appeared to surprise Hellberg on the near post. The puck went through Hellberg’s blocker for Shinkaruk’s sixth goal of the season. Marek Mazanec, freshly reassigned to the Admirals today from the Nashville Predators, was brought in to relieve Hellberg who went three for five in save opportunities.
“He just didn’t look comfortable,” said Evason. “And that just hasn’t been him. He’s been so good, so solid for us, and he didn’t look right. We were pretty quick obviously with it, but we just felt he didn’t look right in the net.”
An answer goal finally came for the Admirals in the last minute of the first period. Brendan Leipsic’s pass over to Viktor Stalberg was an easy tap in over the outstretched Jacob Markstrom. The net was coming off on the opposite post and Markstom was making his case that the net wasn’t on at the time it was scored. All things being the same, that was a sitter for Stalberg and Markstrom had no chance to make the stop anyways. It’s Stalberg’s third goal with the Admirals this season.
The second period had a similar finish. With ten seconds remaining Miikka Salomaki banged home a juicy rebound to score his seventh goal of the season. Joe Piskula made a great play to step up from defense and keep the puck deep. Viktor Arvidsson was able to get the puck on his backhand, whip a shot on Markstrom, and the backhander kicked out to the path of Salomaki on the doorstep.
This game ended up going to and through overtime. Perhaps the best chance in OT came from the final play. Stalberg was loose on a breakaway but was stopped by a last ditch diving poke check from behind by Bobby Sanguinetti as time expired to send the game to a shootout.
Kevin Fiala, who made his North American pro hockey debut with the Admirals tonight, was the first man out for the shootout. He sniped past Markstrom with a quick release of a forehand shot to get the Ads on the board first in the shooutout.
“It was a good experience,” said Kevin Fiala. “You get no time over here. You have to watch always if someone is coming or not. That was the most different thing I think.”
Brandon DeFazio responded to Fiala’s goal with a backhander past Mazanec. It was the first puck to get through Mazanec since he entered the game as he stopped all twenty-one shots he faced prior to the shootout. Stalberg was next up for the Admirals and he rifled high glove to make it 2-1. After successive failed attempts the game fell to the Comets’ Shinkaruk. He pushed the game into extras with a wrister that over-powered Mazanec to the glove side.
In extras of the shootout the first round saw misses for Arvidsson and former-Admiral Cal O’Reilly. Salomaki, who tied the game at the end of the second period, would pop in a backhanded shot in the fifth round to make it match point. Mazanec faced Dustin Jeffrey. And he stopped his five hole attempt to give the Admirals their eight straight win.
Ramblings: Prior to the game there were a pair of roster moves made. The Nashville Predators reassigned Marek Mazanec to the Milwaukee Admirals which saw a trickle-down effect pushing Rob Madore back to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Tonight’s scratches for the Admirals were Mike Liambas, Joe Pendenza, Zach Budish, Frederick Gaudreau, Garrett Noonan, and Johan Alm. After the game Evason stated that Alm, who has missed nineteen straight games due to an upper body injury, has started skating but there is no time table for his return.
Thoughts on tonight’s game? What happened to Magnus Hellberg to start the game? How did you feel about Kevin Fiala’s debut and the return of Viktor Stalberg? Was Marek Mazanec the key to this win?
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Marek Mazanec’s recent call up to the Nashville Predators only saw him contribute with one relief appearance of Carter Hutton. (Photo Credit: Jamie Wahl)
Before tonight’s game there are some goaltending moves in the organization. Marek Mazanec has been reassigned by the Nashville Predators to the Milwaukee Admirals and Rob Madore has been reassigned from the Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
NHL All Star Weekend runs from Janurary 24-25 and the Predators don’t play for another six days. The AHL All Star Classic goes from January 25-26. The move up top could be done to keep Mazanec going with games tonight and on Friday for the Admirals. It could also be a way for them to keep their options open after Magnus Hellberg finishes up his All Star duties.
Mazanec only played in one game during his recent call up. He relieved Carter Hutton in net in a 5-2 road loss against the Detroit Red Wings. Mazanec stopped 18/20 shots on goal. Both goals he allowed were scored by the Red Wings on the power-play. Meanwhile, Madore never had the chance to get an AHL game for the Admirals during his call up. He served on the bench for all three games of the recent road trip.
Thoughts on the roster moves? Do you think that Hellberg will be called up after all the NHL/AHL All Star extravaganza stuff gets finished?
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Dear Tom Sestito. Mike Liambas doesn’t care how big or experienced you are. He’s a honey badger and therefore does not give a sod. (Photo Credit: Lindsay A. Mogle)
The Milwaukee Admirals return home tonight and are riding a season long seven game winning streak. The test they face tonight is that of the Utica Comets – a team that pushed the Admirals quite hard last Friday. I would go as far to say that the Ads were outplayed from the second period until the final horn but Mark Van Guilder’s well documented theatrics showed up and saved the team’s bacon in the final minute. Rematch? Buckle up.
Rather than redo a “Scouting the Enemy” on the Comets I decided to reach out to Jack W. of Comets Army to do a Q&A ahead of tonight’s game. You can follow Comets Army on Twitter as well as visit his website.
~Scouting The Enemy With The Enemy~
Admirals Roundtable: Last season you guys missed out on the playoffs. This season the Utica Comets have been at or around the top of the Western Conference for most of this season. What has caused the turn-around?
Comets Army: From the second half of last season to this point, the Comets have been one of the top teams in the AHL. I feel this is due to the cohesiveness of the squad since the AHL All Star break last season. At the beginning of last season the team was kind of in a scramble to build a good roster. So we ended up with what we had which lead to the poor start, not winning for eleven games, and not winning a home game until the end of November. Then, at about the midway point, the signings of vets like Kent Huskins and Cal O’Reilly seemed to inspire the locker room. And the stellar play of Joacim Eriksson brought the Comets to only missing a playoff spot by four points. With the additions of top prospects in the Vancouver Canucks organization such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Brendan Gaunce, and Mike Zalewski. The acquisitions of Will Acton, Andrey Pedan, and Jacob Markström. The Comets have been able to build a team with an high octane offense, a stellar defense, and one of, if not the best, goaltending tandems in the AHL. The Comets have been able to control the AHL’s Western Conference for most of the season.
AR: How huge has the goaltending been to this season’s success?
CA: When you have two top fifteen goaltenders on your roster you know they’re doing something right. Both Markström and Eriksson have dominated the net for Utica and been a pivotal part of the Comets success so far. When Markström fell injured in December Eriksson stepped up and held the division lead. Ever since Markström came back they’ve split time and have done great. One game in particular that sticks out is when Markström had forty-five saves and only one goal allowed in a fantastic performance in Glens Falls against the Adirondack Flames. Both goalies have paved the way for this season and, if continued, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Calder Cup playoffs.
AR: Cal O’Reilly is still a popular figure in Milwaukee for his time here as an Admiral. How key has hey been for the Comets since joining last season?
CA: Cal O’Reilly is still, in my opinion, the greatest signing in our (short) team history. He’s a great playmaker. He’s one of the best passers in the league, fourth in the league in assists with twenty-six, and he’s a pivotal piece on our special teams. He is one of the best players in the AHL and it shows. He’ll be making this third career AHL All Star Classic appearance this weekend.
AR: Dustin Jeffrey is another solid AHL talent on your roster who has been on a surge of late. Just another great piece to your puzzle?
CA: Definitely. Having the NHL experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars he’s definitely one of the leaders on the squad. Often playing on a line with Brandon DeFazio and Darren Archibald, it’s one of the more deadly lines the Comets have: Archibald being the big enforcer on the ice, and DeFazio and Jeffrey splitting goals and assists. Having Jeffrey on the squad definitely makes us better.
AR: Tonight’s game should mark the debut of Kevin Fiala. What are the top prospects in Comets camp and some of the guys in the pipeline you’re most looking forward to seeing in the AHL for Utica?
CA: It was really cool seeing Bo Horvat come down on a conditioning stint early in the season. A player that young and that talented. I’m glad he’s prospering in Vancouver. Also having players like Skinkaruk and Gaunce on the full time roster is cool. It’s nice seeing such young talent develop here, and then eventually make the jump to Vancouver. I’m excited in the future to see players like Dane Fox and Curtis Valk come up from the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL to make an impact, as well as Thatcher Demko (currently at Boston College) and Jake Virtanen (currently playing in the CHL). Seeing both of them play in the World Juniors was pretty cool and I’m excited to see what they can bring to the Canucks organization.
AR: The last match up between the Ads and Comets had the feelings of playoff hockey. The defenses were sharp, goaltending was as solid as you’d have expected from a Hellberg vs. Markstrom bout, and there was a thrilling finish. Will we get more of the same in round two?
CA: Yes, unless Eriksson gets the nod over Markström – which is very well possible due to Markström starting the last two games. Not much has changed with the Comets roster since the last meeting and, due to the Canucks going into the All Star break last night, there should be no call ups. Expect a much similar matchup to the one on Friday.
AR: What does the rest of this season hold for the Comets? Do you feel this regular season is setting up for a good Calder Cup run?
CA: The Comets definitely have a chance at the Cup this year having a goaltending duo as they do. They definitely have a chance to thrive in a game six or seven situation. As for the rest of the season, the Comets have a particularly easy schedule but, with teams like the Toronto Marlies on the rise, they can make it tough to contend with the Oklahoma City Barons for the number one seed in the West. It’ll be a long push, complete with three road trips of three-plus games or more, including a three game roadie to end the season. It’ll be interesting to see how they’ll perform. They’re a stellar team at home and they need to step it up on the road to be able to make a playoff run.
Cheers again to Jack of Comets Army. Always nice having us AHL bloggers sticking together.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Can the Admirals winning streak live to fight another day? How will Fiala handle the North American game and what do you expect from his debut? And what will Viktor Stålberg‘s inclusion to the Admirals do for the team?
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Milwaukee. Prepare yourselves. Kevin Fiala is here.
This morning I attended practice at the MSOE Kern Center. It was the first chance to take a look at Kevin Fiala with the Milwaukee Admirals and get a sneak peek at just what the lines might be with him and Viktor Stålberg in the mix now.
Today’s practice was extended a bit longer than normal. The Admirals had an off-day yesterday after finishing up their three game road trip on the weekend. Goaltending coach David Rook was the first man on the ice and worked with Magnus Hellberg and Rob Madore before the skaters got going. Once practice picked up the lines looked as follows:
Colton Sissons assists totals look like they’re destined to finally go up. Fiala will be playing as Sissons left wing when he debuts tomorrow night against the Utica Comets. In addition, Austin Watson‘s move to center last game looks like it will be something we should get used to. Stålberg will be working on his line since his most recent reassignment from the Nashville Predators. Both Mike Liambas and Garrett Noonan rotated in and out of line pairings throughout the practice.
Fiala was plenty of fun to watch today. His hand speed alone was quite impressive and his wrist shot beat Hellberg a few times. The lone thing I found off to his game was that he wasn’t keeping his stick on the ice when working defensively. Small critique, but the rest of what I saw had me excited for what he’s going to do in his debut.
After practice I spoke with Dean Evason, Kevin Fiala, Viktor Stålberg, and the latest Admiral to debut in the NHL – Anthony Bitetto. Here is what they had to say ahead of tomorrow night’s game.
Hey! This guy. This guy has been sent to Milwaukee a lot. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The never ending up down and around season for Viktor Stålberg today. The Nashville Predators have reassigned the Swedish forward to the Milwaukee Admirals. It is the fourth move down to the Admirals from the Predators this season for Stålberg.
It seemed like his latest move up to the Predators was going relatively well. Stålberg produced 3 assists in 5 games in his latest rodeo with the Predators and the team went 4-0-1 in those games. in his last game he played the least amount of ice time of any Predators forward and then sat out for the next three games before being reassigned to the Admirals.
With Kevin Fiala joining the team this week, and now Stålberg being reassigned, it would appear that the winger position has been massively overloaded for the Admirals. Perhaps that’s a reason for putting Austin Watson back at the center position last game. There has yet to be an announcement of corresponding moves that would place players to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL but I’d imagine that it would only be a matter of time before that takes place.
What’s your take on Viktor Stålberg? Has he lost what it takes to be an every day NHL player or is he simply in the wrong organization right now? Who gets sent to the ECHL?
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It may have just been for one game but, for so many, that one NHL game is all that matters. Anthony Bitetto got his first career NHL game last night for the Nashville Predators as they played against the Detroit Red Wings on the road. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Yesterday Anthony Bitetto received his first career NHL call up and made his debut in last night’s Nashville Predators game against the Detroit Red Wings. Now that the dust has settled from that game he’s coming right back to the Milwaukee Admirals.
Press Release via Nashville Predators:
Nashville, Tenn. (January 18, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the team has reassigned defenseman Anthony Bitetto to Milwaukee (AHL).
Bitetto, 24 (7/15/90), played 11:01 in his NHL debut on Saturday night at Detroit.
The Nashville Predators – who have an 8-1-2 record since the Christmas Break – play their final contest before the All-Star Break on Tuesday at Montreal (6:30 p.m. CT, FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game). Following the All-Star Break, the Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to face the visiting Colorado Avalanche.
As mentioned in the press release, Bitetto logged 11:01 of ice time in his debut which was the lowest total by any defensemen in the game. He was a -1 on the night, delivered 2 hits, and recorded a giveaway. All things being said, I’m sure the result of the game doesn’t hinder the enjoyment for him having checked “playing in the NHL” off the bucket list.
Thoughts on the Nashville Predators calling up Anthony Bitetto for last night’s game? In your opinion was this a matter of the Preds rewarding Bitetto for his work or should they have called up someone else?
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