Filip Forsberg is set to rejoin the Nashville Predators for the first time since before his MVP performance at the 2014 World Juniors. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
Remember a few weeks ago when it felt like the Milwaukee Admirals were finally spoiled for choice with our forwards? That was nice.
The Nashville Predators have just announced that they will be recalling Filip Forsberg from the Admirals. Having looked stellar alongside fellow Swede Calle Jarnkrok while the two were in Milwaukee – they’re now set to re-create the Bork Line at the NHL level.
Forsberg’s season began with the Predators. This season he has played in 12 NHL games and scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists), has a plus/minus of -8, and tallied 2 penalty minutes.
During his time with the Milwaukee Admirals he has played in 36 games, scored 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists), has a plus/minus of +6, and recorded 12 penalty minutes. Of those 10 goals – 5 were scored on the power-play.
He also earned MVP honors in this year’s World Junior Championships held in his native Sweden. During that tournament he produced an impressive 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 7 games en route to a silver medal – only coming up short to Team Finland in overtime of the Gold Medal game.
UPDATE: In addition to this news, the Admirals have officially recalled Josh Shalla and Paul Crowder from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
What does this move mean for the Milwaukee Admirals? What must they do from here to find offense? How successful do you think Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg can be playing together at the NHL level?
In the first ever meeting of the Milwaukee Admirals and Utica Comets – Miikka Salomaki was given a match penalty for boarding Peter Andersson. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Utica Comets enter today’s game with a record of 28-28-3-4 (63 points). They are currently third in the North Division and eleventh in the Western Conference. In their last 10 games they have gone 6-4-0-0 (12 points).
Remember when the Comets started the season off by not earning a win in their first 10 games? I’m sure the Comets don’t because they’ve vaulted themselves up from the cellar of the Conference and into shouting distance of a playoff spot. It would take plenty of stumbling from others, plenty of wins on their part, but the AHL can be a theater of the absurd – why not? And that’s precisely why they make a deadly opponent to match up with.
When the Admirals met the Comets in February it was one of the worst performances from the Ads all season. Miikka Salomaki was given a match penalty for boarding Peter Andersson. The offense failed to get a grip of the game following the Salomaki dismissal. And the Comets shutout the Admirals at home 3-0.
By now, I’m sure that game is a distant memory in the eyes of the Admirals. And, if it was for you as well, sorry to be a downer by reminding you of that clunker.
To go back to the home/away stats like yesterday, it is pretty fascinating to see just how poor the Comets have been in Utica versus playing on the road.
The Comets road record is above .500 with a 17-13-2-1 (37 points). Yet, at home this season they are 11-15-1-3 (26 points), have a goal differential of -15 (73 GF, 88 GA), and the twenty-sixth ranked penalty kill at 79.4%.
Pascal Pelletier leads the Comets in scoring with 50 points (13 goals, 37 assists). The 30-year old veteran has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in the month of March – including points in his last 2 games: 1 goal, 1 assist.
Their second placed scorer, Benn Ferriero, leads the team in goals. He has 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists). He hasn’t played since 3/7/14 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Including that game, he has only scored 3 goals from his last 13 games.
Former-Admiral Cal O’Reilly sadly didn’t take part in the first meeting this season between the Ads and Comets. He missed that contest due to an upper body injury. He has since returned to the shuffle – and now has played in 39 games with Utica.
In limited work O’Reilly has produced the team’s second best points per game total, trailing only Pelletier, with 0.85 Pt/G: 33 points (3 goals, 30 assists). His month of March has been brilliant as well: 9 assists in 8 games. He’s the cog I’d like to see the Admirals shutdown in this one.
Joacim Eriksson started in net against the Admirals back in February. This season he has team highs in all major goaltending categories for the Comets: 43 games played, 20 wins, 2.56 GAA, and a 0.915 SV%.
His battery-mate, Joe Cannata, has logged 23 games this season while winning 8 contests, picking up a 2.92 GAA, and 0.902 SV%. He has won his last two games in net – including yesterday’s 2-1 win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
I’d love to see yesterday’s winning netminders square off today. Though, it is anyone’s guess who Dean Evason will roll with: Marek Mazanec or Scott Darling. Who would you chose for the last of this weekend’s three-in-three?
It should also be all-hands on deck today as far as the Admirals roster is concerned. Yesterday the team went with seven defensemen by giving Michael Young his AHL debut and healthy scratching Zach Budish. Sadly, Young took a knock in the middle of the game – and probably will not take part in today’s game. Expect Budish in – and a stretched Admirals lineup that could even need a helper from Cincinnati by Wednesday’s game in Rochester.
Thoughts on today’s game? Can the Admirals pull off the double at the end of this three-in-three? Do the Admirals need the security of an extra body in camp from the Cincinnati Cyclones?
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.
“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?
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?
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?
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?
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.
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:
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).
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Admirals Roundtable 